Father and my Friend. Come, look at his bow of promise."

The children were in a group about the window, gazing and admiring.

"Let's ask mamma for the story of it," Vi was saying.

"The story of it?" repeated Archie Ross.

"Yes; don't you know? about Noah and the flood."

"I never heard it."

"Oh, Archie, it's in the Bible; grandma told it to us once," exclaimed his
sister Gertrude.

"I didn't hear it, anyhow," persisted the boy, "do, Vi, coax Aunt Elsie to
tell it."

The petition was readily granted. Mrs. Travilla was an inimitable
story-teller, and Lucy, whose knowledge of Scripture history was but
superficial, listened to the narrative with almost as much interest and
pleasure as did the children.

"I would give anything for your talent for story-telling, Elsie," she said
at its conclusion.

"Oh, another! another! Please tell us another?" cried a chorus of young
voices.

Mrs. Travilla drew out her watch, and holding it up with a smile, "Not
just now, my dears," she said, "see it is almost tea-time, and," she
added playfully, "some of us have need to change our dresses and smooth
our tangled tresses."

"That is true," said Lucy, rising hastily, "and I expect my husband home.
I must send the carriage off at once to the depot; for the train is nearly
due."

Thereupon a cry was raised among the Rosses as they flew after their
mother, "I want to go for papa!" "and I!" "It's my turn, I say, and I will
go!" "No, you shan't, for it's mine."

CHAPTER FIFTH.

"She fed me first to God;
Her words and prayers were my young spirit's dew."
--PIERPONT.

"Hallo! this looks like welcome; every one of you been crying!" Mr. Ross
said, catching up Sophie in his arms, and glancing about upon his group of
children, after an affectionate greeting to his wife, and a cordially kind
one to their guest.

"What's the trouble? so sorry papa was coming home, eh?"

"No, no, that wasn't it, papa," they cried, crowding around him, each
eager to claim the first caress, "it wasn't that, but we wanted to go for
you, and mamma wouldn't let us."

"Yes," said Lucy, "they all wanted to go and as that couldn't be, and no
one would give up to the others, I kept them all at home."

"Quite right," he said, gravely, "I'm afraid you hardly deserve the pretty
gifts I have brought."

"Oh, yes, yes, papa, we'll be good next time! Indeed we will! Mamma, coax
him!"

"Yes, do l