ve something to wear herself out
on. She took things out on me. I'm beginning to think that maybe she
wasn't really mad at me when she acted like that. I believe she used
to get so upset about things that she had to sort of kick out at
whatever was nearest--and it happened to be me."

"Well, I hate her, just the same! You can forgive her if you like, but
I'm not going to!"

"It's a good thing she never did anything to you, Dolly. If you hate
her like that when you've never even seen her, what would you do if you
had some real reason for it?"

Dolly laughed.

"I suppose I am silly," she said, "but I can't help it. I just feel
that way, that's all. Do you know what I wish, Bessie?"

"Nothing dreadful, I hope, Dolly."

"She'd think it was, I'm sure--spiteful old cat! I wish you'd find out
all about your father and mother, and that they'd not be lost any more."

"Oh, Dolly, so do I! But that wouldn't seem dreadful to Mrs. Hoover,
I'm sure. I think she'd be glad enough."

"Let me finish. I wish you'd find them or that they'd find you, and
turn out to be ever so rich. They might, you know. It might all be a
mistake, or an accident, or something."

"I wouldn't care if they weren't rich, Dolly, if only I knew what had
become of them, and why they had to leave me there all that time with
the Hoovers."

"I just know there's some good reason, Bessie. You're so nice that
you're bound to be happy some time. Of course you'd like to have your
father and mother, whether they were rich or not. But wouldn't it be
great if they really were rich?"

"I don't know. I don't know what it's like to be rich, Dolly."

"Oh, you could do all sorts of things! You could make them take you
back to Hedgeville in an automobile, just for one thing."

"There are lots and lots of places I'd rather go to, Dolly."

"Oh, yes, of course! But think of how everyone would stare at you, and
how envious they would be! I bet they'd be sorry then that they
weren't nice to you."

Bessie smiled wistfully at the fantastic idea Dolly's lively brain had
conjured up.

"It would be fun," she sighed. "They did tease me dreadfully, some of
the girls. You see, the Hoovers didn't have so very much money, and my
clothes were mostly old things that Maw made over to fit me when she
was through with them."

"You could go back in better dresses than any of those Hedgeville girls
ever even saw, Bessie. And just think of how that horrid Jak