rom excitement were burning, and before long she had the
happiness of seeing the closed eyes open and the blood rush back to
the white face.

The sight of the child working over her brought Miss Hester to very
quickly. She tried to spring up, but fell back too weak to do so. Then
she began to talk.

"Where am I? Why are you here? Why can't I get up?"

As quickly as she could, Maggie told her everything. How the village
was snowed under, and seeing her chimney without smoke alarmed her,
and she had found her on the floor with snow-drifts over her, and had
lighted the fire and got the blanket and warmed her.

Long before she had ended her tale, Miss Hester could sit up and see
for herself the snow and the condition of the room. Then she thought
she could get up, and with the help of Maggie she did, and sat in her
chair, strangely enough--as it seemed to her--too weak to stand.

When she was seated, Maggie had stopped--it was different making fires
and taking liberties in this kitchen while it seemed necessary to her
life, but now that Miss Hester could sit up and look at her, Maggie
hesitated. Miss Hester leaned back and closed her eyes and then
Maggie said:--

"Please, Miss Hester, may I get you something to eat, and sweep out
the snow, and help you?"

"If you will, child," said Miss Hester slowly. "I don't seem to be
able to do anything; I shall be very glad to have you."

Then Maggie went to work again, and how she did fly! She put the
teakettle on to the now warmed stove; she searched about in the pantry
till she found the coffee and the coffee-pot. Then she drew up beside
Miss Hester a little table, put on the dishes, and in a word,
proceeded to set out as dainty a breakfast as she knew how to get out
of what she could find.

All this time Miss Hester had apparently been half asleep, so that
Maggie did not like to ask her anything; but she was far from asleep.
She was watching eagerly, through half-closed eyelids, everything her
neat handmaiden did.

As for Maggie, she had not been so happy since her mother had taught
her all sorts of neat household ways. She hunted up the butter and
the bread; she made a fragrant cup of coffee and toasted a slice of
bread, and when all was ready, she spoke to Miss Hester.

"Please, Miss Hester," she said timidly, "will you drink some coffee?
I think you will feel better."

Miss Hester opened her eyes as if just wakened. "Why, how nicely you
have got breakfast!" she s