ing's
dear now, it seems to me! I wish we could have--oh! ever an' ever so
many candles; as many as we wanted. I'd light 'em all, so there! and
have it light here one night, anyway!"

"Yes, and go dark all the rest of the year, like as anyway," observed
Mrs. Pepper, stopping to untie a knot. "Folks who do so never have any
candles," she added, sententiously.

"How many'd you have, Polly?" asked Joel, curiously, laying down his
hammer, and regarding her with the utmost anxiety.

"Oh, two hundred!" said Polly, decidedly. "I'd have two hundred, all in
a row!"

"Two hundred candles!" echoed Joel, in amazement. "My whockety! what a
lot!"

"Don't say such dreadful words, Joel," put in Polly, nervously, stopping
to pick up her spool of basting thread that was racing away all by
itself; "tisn't nice."

"Tisn't worse than to wish you'd got things you haven't," retorted Joel.
"I don't believe you'd light 'em all at once," he added, incredulously.

"Yes, I would too!" replied Polly, reckessly; "two hundred of 'em, if I
had a chance; all at once, so there, Joey Pepper!"

"Oh," said little Davie, drawing a long sigh. "Why, 'twould be just like
heaven, Polly! but wouldn't it cost money, though!"

"I don't care," said Polly, giving a flounce in her chair, which snapped
another thread; "oh dear me! I didn't mean to, mammy; well, I wouldn't
care how much money it cost, we'd have as much light as we wanted, for
once; so!"

"Mercy!" said Mrs. Pepper, "you'd have the house afire! Two hundred
candles! who ever heard of such a thing!"

"Would they burn?" asked Phronsie, anxiously, getting up from the floor
where she was crouching with David, overseeing Joel nail on the cover of
an old box; and going to Polly's side she awaited her answer patiently.

"Burn?" said Polly. "There, that's done now, mamsie dear!" And she put
the coat, with a last little pat, into her mother's lap. "I guess they
would, Phronsie pet." And Polly caught up the little girl, and spun
round and round the old kitchen till they were both glad to stop.

"Then," said Phronsie, as Polly put her down, and stood breathless after
her last glorious spin, "I do so wish we might, Polly; oh, just this
very one minute!"

And Phronsie clasped her fat little hands in rapture at the thought.

"Well," said Polly, giving a look up at the old clock in the corner;
"deary me! it's half-past five; and most time for Ben to come home!"

Away she flew to get supper. So for th