winter is coming, and
my door is gone, and the sun already gives me warning that he shall not
look in at the door as usual; the neighbors will be colder than ever,
and some of them will quite freeze. I've a mind to go away. What do you
think, Dovey?"

The Dove nestled close to her heart, and cooed joyfully.

"Would you like it? Well, I don't know but I had better start. But I
should have to leave the house,--and that would be rather bad,--and the
chimney where the winds play. I think it would seem lonesome for them,
and I don't know as they would like it, for there would be no one to
listen to them; still I do want to go, and I think I'd better."

"I'm sure," said Maggie, after some pause, during which she lovingly
caressed the Dove's head, "I'm sure I don't see why I didn't go before.
I don't know why I should have lived here so long alone. I can take some
of the best china, and leave all the rest. Perhaps some little child may
like to live here after I am gone, and watch the winds as I have done;
but I do hope they won't frighten her at first, or she will want to go
away."

Maggie was an expeditious child, and when she had decided to do
something, she went at once about accomplishing it. So she left the
door-step on which she had been sitting, and went in the house, to see
what she wanted to take; and, as she had so few things, the preparations
were not long, but she soon found herself with her blanket pinned over
her head, ready to start.

'Tis true a few tears came into her eyes as she bid farewell to the bed
which had been her shelter against every unpleasant sight and sound; but
when she turned to the chimney, and some perplexing thought of the
quarrels of the wind and the fire came over her, she rather rejoiced she
would soon be away from it, where this one mystery of their
disagreement should never again trouble her.

Laying the white Dove in her bosom, she turned from the house, and so
beheld herself fairly launched on her journey.

A little while she found it pleasant; the road was straight, and lined
with flowers; the Dove raised his head, and looked in Maggie's eyes with
delight.

But soon she came to a place where two roads met, forming the one she
had been travelling. Here was a perplexity: which should she take--which
would lead her where she wanted to go?

There was a house close by; so she stepped up to the door of it, and
knocked. A lady, who was very pretty to look at, and who wore a very