They always scratched among the leaves to make a
comfortable bed for themselves, and the habit has come down to you, Joe,
for you are descended from them."

This sounded very interesting, and I think she was going to tell me some
more about my wild forefathers, but just then the rest of the family
came in.

I always thought that this was the snuggest time of the day when the
family all sat around the fire Mrs. Morris sewing, the boys reading or
studying, and Mr. Morris with his head buried in a newspaper, and Billy
and I on the floor at their feet.

This evening I was feeling very drowsy, and had almost dropped asleep,
when Ned gave me a push with his foot. He was a great tease, and he
delighted in getting me to make a simpleton of myself. I tried to keep
my eyes on the fire, but I could not, and just had to turn and look at
him.

He was holding his book up between himself and his mother, and was
opening his mouth as wide as he could and throwing back his head,
pretending to howl.

For the life of me I could not help giving a loud howl. Mrs. Morris
looked up and said, "Bad Joe, keep still."

The boys were all laughing behind their books, for they knew what Ned
was doing. Presently he started off again, and I was just beginning
another howl that might have made Mrs. Morris send me out of the room,
when the door opened, and a young girl called Bessie Drury came in.

She had a cap on and a shawl thrown over her shoulders, and she had just
run across the street from her father's house. "Oh, Mrs. Morris," she
said, "will you let Laura come over and stay with me to-night? Mamma has
just gotten a telegram from Bangor, saying that her aunt, Mrs. Cole, is
very ill, and she wants to see her, and papa is going to take her there
by tonight's train, and she is afraid I will be lonely if I don't have
Laura."

"Can you not come and spend the night here?" said Mrs. Morris.

"No, thank you; I think mamma would rather have me stay in our house."

"Very well," said Mrs. Morris, "I think Laura would like to go."

"Yes, indeed," said Miss Laura, smiling at her friend. "I will come over
in half an hour."

"Thank you, so much," said Miss Bessie. And she hurried away.

After she left, Mr. Morris looked up from his paper. "There will be some
one in the house besides those two girls?"

"Oh, yes," said Mrs. Morris; "Mrs. Drury has her old nurse, who has been
with her for twenty years, and there are two maids besides, and Donald,