brown-eyed girl, "I guess--I will have you order
the cow for us. Gail won't feel so bad about losing Bossy if we can get
another just as good. Here is the money. Do you have to go so soon? I
would like to have you stay until the girls get here. Now, don't you
forget about the cow!"

"She will be here early tomorrow morning. Good-night, and many thanks
for the supper." Out into the spring night walked the tramp, with the
precious fifteen dollars in his pocket, and again the three children
took up their vigil at the window, watching for the sisters from town.

When at last Gail and Faith reached home, expecting to be met by tears
and reproaches from three hungry maids, they were surprised to find
supper spread on the table awaiting their coming, and to hear a strange
tale of mishap and adventure that would have done credit to the age of
Mother Goose or Robinson Crusoe.

"Doesn't that sound like a fairy prince?" asked Peace, when the recital
was ended. "But he says he isn't one."

"I should say it sounded like a plain robber story," said Faith
bitterly, while Gail sat white-faced and silent with despair. "What did
you give him that money for! It's the last we will ever see of it. You
are worse than _Jack and the Bean-Stalk_. You haven't even a handful of
bean blossoms to show."

"I've got a curl from Bossy's tail," said Peace indignantly, and then
burst into tears, unable to bear the sight of Gail's drawn face any
longer.

"Yes, and a robber on our trail. Supposing he comes tonight for the rest
of the money you told him about. No, Cherry, I don't want any supper.
Come and help me bolt the windows and fix things for the night. I wish
Hope was here now."

The supper remained untouched, the dishes were cleared away in silence,
and as soon as Hope arrived the unhappy little household climbed
wearily, fearfully upstairs to bed, where Peace sobbed herself to sleep,
with faithful Allee's arms about her neck. But no robber came to disturb
the brown house and at length even Gail and Faith drifted away to
slumberland, in spite of this added trouble.

In the dusk of early morning, while the world was still asleep, a heavy
wagon drew up at the gate of the Greenfield cottage, unloaded its
precious burden and drove rapidly away again; while Peace, in her
restless tossing, dreamed that a gentle, brown-eyed cow stood in Bossy's
stall, lowing for some breakfast. She awoke with a start, to hear a
familiar, persistent mooing, and t