her nurse, and I heard her say in a
sweet lisping tone: 'Oh, Binah, I love you. When I go to Heaven, I will
take you with me. Oh, B-i-n-a-h!' she said this last word just like the
cooing of a little dove.

"'Bress de darlin' chile,' said Binah. 'I am gwine back _now_, little
missis. Ole Binah hab to go to Heben fust, and wait dere for little
darlin' missis.'

"You see Binah meant by 'gwine back now,' that she was old. When people
are old, they say, they are going 'down hill,' but Binah said, 'going
back.' You are climbing _up_ the hill of life, my dear little Bella;
and I pray that God will lead you in the right path, and then the hill
both up and down will end in a happy home in Heaven.

"Dear me! what a long letter. Give my best love to papa and sister; and
kiss yourself on your dear little cheek if you can, for your loving

"MOTHER."

Here is Bella's answer:

"DARLING MAMMA,

"I was so glad to get your letter! What a naughty little girl that was
in the church! She behaved twice as bad as me. I speak out loud
sometimes, not very often; only sometimes. I had a party
yesterday--Minnie, and Lilly, and Jeannie; and we had tea out of my cups
and saucers that Cousin Caroline gave me--real tea--and one orange that
papa brought home--it was all pulled to pieces, and we eat it all up.

"We played with my paper dolls; and one of them, Miss Hattie Smith,
knocked down a little table and _broke_ one of my glass candle
_stickers_, that Cousin Caroline gave me.

"Really, and truly, I FOUND it broke; but we made believe that she broke
it because she is so ugly.

"Dolly has been very naughty. She fighted with sister's Kitty, and Kitty
tore all the lace off her cap. Kitty slapped her first. Then sister
Edith told dolly and Kitty about 'dogs delight to bark and bite,' and
dolly was so sorry, and Kitty too; and they never mean to do so any
more--never--sister Edith mended the cap, and she is good now--next time
papa brings me candy, I will give her a big piece--only pretend, you
know--for her mouth can't open like mine, it is all shut up tight--what
a pity! Oh mamma! I want to see you so much, I don't know what to do.
Why can't the postman bring you home? Oh mamma, I can't wait any
longer."

Here poor little Bella began to cry; and her papa thought her letter was
long enough, and that the little thing was tired, as well as grieved.
So he folded up the letter, and to