h you?"

"Why, Mary," said Mrs. Bell, in a melancholy tone, "I was thinking of
poor Mary Erskine."

"Well, mother," said Mary Bell, "could not you give her a little
money, if she is poor? I will give her my ten cents."

[Illustration: MRS. BELL.]

Mary Bell had a silver piece of ten cents, which she kept in a little
box, in her mother's room up stairs.

"Oh, she is not poor for want of money," said Mrs. Bell. "Her husband
made his will, before he died, and left her all his property."

"Though I told Mr. Keep about it last night," continued Mrs. Bell,
talking half to herself and half to Mary, "and he said the will was
not good."

"Not good," said Mary. "I think it is a very good will indeed. I am
sure Mary Erskine ought to have it all. Who should have it, if not
she?"

"The children, I suppose," said her mother.

"The children!" exclaimed Mary Bell. "Hoh! They are not half big
enough. They are only two babies; a great baby and a little one."

Mrs. Bell did not answer this, nor did she seem to take much notice of
it, but took up her knitting again, and went on musing as before. Mary
Bell did not understand very well about the will. The case was this:

The law, in the state where Mary Erskine lived, provided that when a
man died, as Albert had done, leaving a wife and children, and a farm,
and also stock, and furniture, and other such movable property, if
he made no will, the wife was to have a part of the property, and the
rest must be saved for the children, in order to be delivered to them,
when they should grow up, and be ready to receive it and use it. The
farm, when there was a farm, was to be kept until the children should
grow up, only their mother was to have one third of the benefit of
it,--that is, one third of the rent of it, if they could let it--until
the children became of age. The amount of the other two thirds was to
be kept for them. In respect to all movable property, such as stock
and tools, and furniture, and other things of that kind, since they
could not very conveniently be kept till the children were old enough
to use them, they were to be sold, and the wife was to have half the
value, and the children the other half.

In respect to the children's part of all the property, they were
not, themselves, to have the care of it, but some person was to be
appointed to be their guardian. This guardian was to have the care of
all their share of the property, until they were of age, when it wa