aised his hand in protest.

"I cannot tell you, my friends, how much I thank you all for your
kindness. Ah, if my poor wife could have held out until she reached
here, but that was not to be. I shall be glad to stay with Mr.
Ortigies to-night, and with your permission shall remain for a few
days in your settlement. I have lost everything I owned in the world,
and will need some time to decide what is best to do. Our stay in New
Constantinople will give all a better chance to get acquainted with
Nellie. I'll surrender her to you until you get tired of her."

"Get tired of her!" repeated Vose Adams, voicing the sentiments of
all; "we're not the kind of galoots to git tired of an angel."

The father expressed his thanks with such winsome grace, that every
man instinctively felt that he was a born gentleman. There was not a
miner in the room who did not sympathize with him in his affliction,
and yet they envied him the possession of the child, whose innocence
and beauty impressed them as more wonderful than they had ever looked
upon before. When Felix Brush whispered to Budge Isham that
arrangements must be made in some way to keep the father with them,
for the sake of having the child, his friend nodded his head, and said
he had made up his mind to the same effect from the moment the parent
referred to the matter. And the sentiments of these two were those of
the rest.

"Come, Nellie, let me prepare you for bed; it's a long time since you
have had that privilege."

The little one obediently walked to her father and turned her back to
him that he might better remove her clothing.

"I suppose you have plenty of covering for her?" remarked the parent
inquiringly to the landlord.

"There's all she can need."

Lifting her on his knee, the father began removing the shoes and
stockings, the little one giving what aid she could, when it came to
the garments. One of the last acts of the affectionate mother had been
to place upon her child the gown she was accustomed to wear while
asleep. When at last she was ready, she looked up to her father and
asked in a half whisper:

"Where's mamma?"

"She will not be with us to-night."

"Then she will come in the morning?"

"Wait until then, my child; don't say anything more about mamma now."

She was satisfied, and signified that she was ready to have her father
carry her to her bed. Then she exclaimed with a laugh:

"Ain't that funny?"

"What's that?"

"I like to fordo