Prince!" Then away
home to mother! Phronsie never woke up or turned over once till she was
put, a little pink sleepy heap, into her mother's arms. Joel was there,
crying bitterly at his forlorn search. The testy old gentleman in the
seat opposite had relented and ordered the coach about and brought
him home in an outburst of grief when all hope was gone. And one after
another they all had come back, disheartened, to the distracted mother.
Polly alone, clung to hope!

"Ben will bring her, mammy; I know God will let him," she whispered.

But when Ben did bring her, Polly, for the second time in her life,
tumbled over with a gasp, into old Mrs. Bascom's lap.

Home and mother! Little Phronsie slept all that night straight through.
The neighbors came in softly, and with awestruck visages stole into the
bedroom to look at the child; and as they crept out again, thoughts
of their own little ones tugging at their hearts, the tears would drop
unheeded.

NEW FRIENDS

Up the stairs of the hotel, two steps at a time, ran a boy with a big,
black dog at his heels. "Come on, Prince; soft, now," as they neared a
door at the end of the corridors.

It opened into a corner room overlooking "the Park," as the small
open space in front of the hotel was called. Within the room there was
sunshine and comfort, it being the most luxurious one in the house,
which the proprietor had placed at the disposal of this most exacting
guest. He didn't look very happy, however--the gentleman who sat in an
easy chair by the window; a large, handsome old gentleman, whose whole
bearing showed plainly that personal comfort had always been his, and
was, therefore, neither a matter of surprise nor thankfulness.

"Where have you been?" he asked, turning around to greet the boy who
came in, followed by Prince.

"Oh, such a long story, father!" he cried, flushed; his eyes sparkling
as he flung back the dark hair from his forehead. "You can't even
guess!"

"Never mind now," said the old gentleman, testily; "your stories are
always long; the paper hasn't come--strange, indeed, that one must needs
be so annoyed! do ring that bell again."

So the bell was pulled; and a porter popped in his head.

"What is it, sir?"

"The paper," said the old gentleman, irritably; "hasn't it come yet?"

"No, sir," said the man; and then he repeated, "taint in yet, please,
sir."

"Very well--you said so once; that's all," waving his hand; then as the
door clo