hink of
everything!"

"And then," said Polly, with a comfortable little feeling at her heart
at Ben's praise, "why, we can have it all out of the way splendidly, you
know, when she comes home--and besides, Grandma Bascom'll tell me how.
You know we've only got brown flour, Ben; I mean to go right over and
ask her now."

"Oh, no, you mustn't," cried Ben, catching hold of her arm as she was
preparing to fly off. "Mammy'll find it out; better wait till to-morrow;
and besides Polly--" And Ben stopped, unwilling to dampen this
propitious beginning. "The stove'll act like everything, to-morrow! I
know 'twill; then what'll you do!"

"It sha'n't!" said Polly, running up to look it in the face; "if it
does, I'll shake it; the mean old thing!"

The idea of Polly's shaking the lumbering old black affair, sent Ben
into such a peal of laughter that it brought all the other children
running to the spot; and nothing would do but they must one and all, be
told the reason. So Polly and Ben took them into confidence, which
so elated them that half an hour after, when long past her bedtime,
Phronsie declared, "I'm not going to bed! I want to sit up like Polly!"

"Don't tease her," whispered Polly to Ben, who thought she ought to go;
so she sat straight up on her little stool, winking like everything to
keep awake.

At last, as Polly was in the midst of one of her liveliest sallies, over
tumbled Phronsie, a sleepy little heap, upon the floor.

"I want--to go--to bed!" she said; "take me--Polly!"

"I thought so," laughed Polly, and bundled her off into the bedroom.

MAKING HAPPINESS FOR MAMSIE

And so, the minute her mother had departed for the minister's house next
morning, and Ben had gone to his day's work, chopping wood for Deacon
Blodgett, Polly assembled her force around the old stove, and proceeded
to business. She and the children had been up betimes that morning to
get through with the work; and now, as they glanced around with a look
of pride on the neatly swept floor, the dishes all done, and everything
in order, the moment their mother's back was turned they began to
implore Polly to hurry and begin.

"It's most 'leven o'clock," said Joel, who, having no work to do
outside, that day, was prancing around, wild to help along the
festivities; "it's most 'leven o'clock, Polly Pepper! you won't have it
done."

"Oh, no; 'tisn't either, Joe;" said Polly, with a very flushed face, and
her arms full of kindlings,