keep from laughing as he soberly answered, "Tip-top,
Puss. I'll call you that sometimes--that is, as much of it as I can
remember, if you want me to; just in play, you know. Won't Dora be
enough?"

"Oh no! Why, that's hardly any of it. Dora is a pretty name, but
Theodora is _grand_. If you forget part of it, remember the Theodora
Gabrielle part. That is the best of it. Wouldn't you like to have me
call you something else besides Tom? There are some awfully nice boys'
names written in that Bible. Which did you think were the grandest?"

"Oh, I like Ulysses first rate. That was Gen. Grant's name, you know,
and he was a trump. He made some regular splendid fights."

Tabitha was evidently disappointed at his selection, and he hastily
asked, "What do you think is the best name for a boy?"

"The _grandest_ name I think is Di--what did you call it? Dionysius?
Wouldn't Dionysius Ulysses Humphrey Llewelyn be splendid? Or would you
like some more? There are six parts to my name--"

"Oh, no," Tom interrupted hastily. "That is long enough for me. Men
don't need as many names as girls, I reckon. You may have to remind me
what my name is to be, for I am afraid I shall always be forgetting it.
Suppose we shorten it to Ulysses. You cut yours down a little, you
know."

"That was just so you could remember it, and as I have to do the
remembering of your name anyway, I reckon I will call you the whole
thing. It's a heap prettier than Thomas Catt."

"Well, all right, Puss; but don't think about it so much that you will
call me that when Dad is around. He won't like it. I think I will keep
this Bible, though. Don't tell. I can put it in the bottom of the old
trunk where I keep my things and no one will ever know but you."

So he marched away with the precious volume under his arm, and Tabitha
crawled happily into bed to dream of grand names and a happy future in
the unknown home where they were going.

CHAPTER III

TABITHA ADOPTS HER NEW NAME

"What's your name?"

Tabitha wheeled with a start, lost her balance, and toppled off the
great rock to the hard ground, where she lay staring up at the
fair-haired stranger bending over her with anxiety and alarm filling the
pretty blue eyes.

"Are you hurt?" inquired the soft voice. "I didn't mean to make you
jump. I'm lonesome and when you moved in the nearest house to ours I was
glad to think there was another girl about my size, for maybe you will
play with me. Will you?"