ank him!"

"Do," cried Polly; "he'd be so pleased, Joey."

"And I," said Phronsie, over in the corner with her children, "I'm goin'
to see my poor sick man sometime, Polly, I am!"

"Oh, dear!" cried Polly, whirling around, and looking at her mother
in dismay. "She'll be goin' to-morrow! Oh, no, Phronsie, you can't; he
lives miles and miles away--oh, ever so far!"

"Does he live as far as the moon?" asked little Phronsie, carefully
laying Seraphina down, and looking up at Polly, anxiously.

"Oh, I don't know," said Polly, giving Cherry a piece of bread, and
laughing to see how cunning he looked. "Oh, no, of course not, but it's
an awful long ways, Phronsie."

"I don't care," said Phronsie, determinedly, giving the new doll a
loving little pat, "I'm goin' sometime, Polly, to thank my poor sick
man, yes, I am!"

"You'll see him next summer, Phronsie," sang Polly skipping around the
kitchen, "and Jappy's sister Marian, the lovely lady, and all the boys.
Won't that be nice?" and Polly stopped to pat the yellow head bending in
motherly attentions over her array of dolls.

"Ye-es," said Phronsie, slowly; "the whole of 'em, Polly?"

"Yes, indeed!" said Polly, gayly; "the whole of 'em, Phronsie!

"Hooray!" shouted the two boys, while Phronsie only gave a long sigh,
and clasped her hands.

"Better not be looking for summer," said Mrs. Pepper, "until you do
your duty by the winter; then you can enjoy it," and she took a fresh
needleful of thread.

"Mamsie's right," said Ben, smiling over at her. And he threw down
his book and jumped for his cap. "Now for a good chop!" he cried, and
snatching a kiss from Phronsie, he rushed out of the door to his work,
whistling as he went.

"Warn't Mr. Henderson good, ma," asked Polly, watching his retreating
figure, "to give Ben learning?"

"Yes, he was," replied Mrs. Pepper, enthusiastically. "We've got a
parson, if anybody has in this world!"

"And Ben's learning," said Polly, swelling with pride, as she sat down
by her mother, and began to sew rapidly, "so that he'll be a big man
right off! Oh, dear," as a thought made her needle pause a minute in its
quick flying in and out.

"What is it, Polly?" Mrs. Pepper looked keenly at the troubled face and
downcast eyes.

"Why--" began Polly, and then she finished very slowly, "I shan't know
anything, and Ben'll be ashamed of me.

"Yes, you will!" cried Mrs. Pepper, energetically, "you keep on trying,
and the Lord'll send some w