you'll be able to
do all dat."

Harry stood quiet a few minutes, reflecting.

"How much would seventy-seven and three quarter cents a week amount to
in a year, Kate?" said he.

Kate rapidly worked out the problem, and answered: "Forty dollars and
forty-three cents."

"Lor'! but that's a heap o' money!" said Aunt Matilda. "That's more'n I
'spect to have all the rest of my life."

"How old are you, Aunt Matilda?" said Harry.

"I 'spect about fifty," said the old woman.

"Oh, Aunt Matilda!" cried Harry, "you're certainly more than fifty. When
I was a very little fellow, I remember that you were very old--at
least, sixty or seventy."

"Well, then, I 'spects I'se about ninety," said Aunt Matilda.

"But you can't be ninety!" said Kate. "The Bible says that seventy years
is the common length of a person's life."

"Them was Jews," said Aunt Matilda. "It didn't mean no cull'd people.
Cull'd people live longer than that. But p'raps a cull'd Jew wouldn't
live very long."

"Well," said Harry, "it makes no difference how old you are. We're going
to take care of you for the rest of your life."

Kate was again busy with her paper.

"In five years, Harry," she said, "It will be two hundred and two
dollars and fifteen cents."

"Lor'!" cried Aunt Matilda, "you chil'en will nebber git dat."

"But we don't have to get it all at once, Aunt Matilda," said Harry,
laughing; "and you needn't be afraid that we can't do it. Come, Kate,
it's time for us to be off."

And then the conference broke up. The question of Aunt Matilda's future
support was settled. They had forgotten clothes, to be sure; but it is
very difficult to remember everything.

CHAPTER III.

COMMENCING BUSINESS.

When they reached home, Harry and Kate put together what little money
they had, and found that they could buy food enough to last Aunt Matilda
for several days. This Harry procured and carried down to the old woman
that day. He also gathered and piled up inside of her cabin a good
supply of wood. Fortunately, there was a spring very near her door, so
that she could get water without much trouble.

Harry and Kate determined that they would commence business in earnest
the next morning, and, as this was not the season for game, they
determined to go to work to gather sumac-leaves.

Most of us are familiar with the sumac-bush, which grows nearly all over
the United States. Of course we do not mean the poisonous swamp-sumac,
but that whic