reamed Joel, running to the foot of the stairs leading to
the loft, where Mrs. Pepper was with Ben; "something's taken Polly! and
she fell; and I guess she's in the wood-box!"

HARD DAYS FOR POLLY

"Ma," said David, coming softly into the bedroom, where poor Polly
lay on the bed with Phronsie, her eyes bandaged with a soft old
handkerchief, "I'll set the table."

"There isn't any table to set," said Mrs. Pepper, sadly; "there isn't
anybody to eat anything, Davie; you and Joel can get something out of
the cupboard."

"Can we get whatever we've a mind to, ma?" cried Joel, who followed
Davie, rubbing his face with a towel after his morning ablutions.

"Yes," replied his mother, absently.

"Come on, Dave!" cried Joel; "we'll have a breakfast!"

"We mustn't," said little Davie, doubtfully, "eat the whole, Joey."

But that individual already had his head in the cupboard, which soon
engrossed them both.

Dr. Fisher was called in the middle of the morning to see what was the
matter with Polly's eyes. The little man looked at her keenly over his
spectacles; then he said, "When were you taken?"

"This morning," answered Polly, her eyes smarting.

"Didn't you feel badly before?" questioned the doctor. Polly thought
back; and then she remembered that she had felt very badly; that when
she was baking over the old stove the day before her back had ached
dreadfully; and that, somehow, when she sat down to sew, it didn't stop;
only her eyes had bothered her so; she didn't mind her back so much.

"I thought so," said the doctor, when Polly answered. "And those eyes
of yours have been used too much; what has she been doing, ma'am?" He
turned around sharply on Mrs. Pepper as he asked this.

"Sewing," said Mrs. Pepper, "and everything; Polly does everything,
sir."

"Humph!" said the doctor; "well, she won't again in one spell; her eyes
are very bad."

At this a whoop, small but terrible to hear, came from the middle of the
bed; and Phronsie sat bolt upright. Everybody started; while Phronsie
broke out, "Don't make my Polly sick! oh! please don't!"

"Hey!" said the doctor; and he looked kindly at the small object with
a very red face in the middle of the bed. Then he added, gently, "We're
going to make Polly well, little girl; so that she can see splendidly."

"Will you, really?" asked the child, doubtfully.

"Yes," said the doctor; "we'll try hard; and you mustn't cry; 'cause
then Polly'll cry, and that will m