at's so!" said Kate, quickly. "And you're not going there, either!"

"No," said Harry: "Kate and I intend to take care of you for the rest of
your life."

"Lor', children, you can't do it!" said the old woman, looking in
astonishment from one to the other of these youngsters who proposed to
adopt her.

"Yes; but we can," said Harry. "Just you wait and see."

"It'll take a good deal o' money," said the old woman, who did not seem
to be altogether satisfied with the prospects held out before her.
"More'n you all will ever be able to git."

"How much money would be enough for you to live on, Aunt Matilda?" asked
Harry.

"Dunno. Takes a heap o' money to keep a person."

"Well, now," said Kate, "let's see exactly how much it will take. Have
you a pencil, Harry? I have a piece of paper in my pocket, I think. Yes;
here it is. Now, let's set down everything, and see what it comes to."

So saying, she sat down on a low stool with her paper on her knees, and
her pencil in her hand.

"What shall we begin with?" said she.

"We'll begin with corn-meal," said Harry. "How much corn-meal do you eat
in a week, Aunt Matilda?"

"Dunno," said she, "'spect about a couple o' pecks."

"Oh, Aunt Matilda!" cried Kate, "our whole family wouldn't eat two pecks
in a week."

"Well, then, a half-peck," said she; "'pends a good deal on how many is
living in a house."

"Yes; but we only mean this for you, Aunt Matilda. We don't mean it for
anybody else."

"Well, then, I reckon a quarter of a peck would do, for jest me."

"We will allow you a peck," said Harry, "and that will be twenty-five
cents a week. Set that down, Kate."

"All right," said Kate. And she set down at the top of the paper, "Meal,
25 cents."

The children proceeded in this way to calculate how much bacon,
molasses, coffee, and sugar would suffice for Aunt Matilda's support;
and they found that the cost, per week, at the rates of the country
stores, with which they were both familiar, would be seventy-seven and
three-quarter cents.

"Is there anything else, Aunt Matilda?" asked Kate.

"Nuffin I can think on," said Aunt Matilda, "'cept milk."

"Oh, I can get that for nothing," said Kate. "I will bring it to you
from home; and I will bring you some butter too, when I can get it."

"And I'll pick up wood for you," said Harry. "I can gather enough in the
woods in a couple of hours to last you for a week."

"Lor' bless you, chil'en," said Aunt Matilda, "I hope