y much, because it is true," said
Demi.

"Who told you?"

"My Grandpa, he knows every thing, and tells the best stories in
the world. I used to play with his big books, and make bridges, and
railroads, and houses, when I was a little boy," began Demi.

"How old are you now?" asked Nat, respectfully.

"'Most ten."

"You know a lot of things, don't you?"

"Yes; you see my head is pretty big, and Grandpa says it will take a
good deal to fill it, so I keep putting pieces of wisdom into it as fast
as I can," returned Demi, in his quaint way.

Nat laughed, and then said soberly,

"Tell on, please."

And Demi gladly told on without pause or punctuation. "I found a very
pretty book one day and wanted to play with it, but Grandpa said I
mustn't, and showed me the pictures, and told me about them, and I liked
the stories very much, all about Joseph and his bad brothers, and the
frogs that came up out of the sea, and dear little Moses in the water,
and ever so many more lovely ones, but I liked about the Good Man best
of all, and Grandpa told it to me so many times that I learned it by
heart, and he gave me this picture so I shouldn't forget, and it was
put up here once when I was sick, and I left it for other sick boys to
see."'

"What makes Him bless the children?" asked Nat, who found something very
attractive in the chief figure of the group.

"Because He loved them."

"Were they poor children?" asked Nat, wistfully.

"Yes, I think so; you see some haven't got hardly any clothes on, and
the mothers don't look like rich ladies. He liked poor people, and was
very good to them. He made them well, and helped them, and told rich
people they must not be cross to them, and they loved Him dearly,
dearly," cried Demi, with enthusiasm.

"Was He rich?"

"Oh no! He was born in a barn, and was so poor He hadn't any house to
live in when He grew up, and nothing to eat sometimes, but what people
gave Him, and He went round preaching to everybody, and trying to make
them good, till the bad men killed Him."

"What for?" and Nat sat up in his bed to look and listen, so interested
was he in this man who cared for the poor so much.

"I'll tell you all about it; Aunt Jo won't mind;" and Demi settled
himself on the opposite bed, glad to tell his favorite story to so good
a listener.

Nursey peeped in to see if Nat was asleep, but when she saw what was
going on, she slipped away again, and went to Mrs. Bhaer, saying with
he