whether it ever amounted to anything." She had also
learned that he was rather averse to the match, and though Lenora had
not yet been named as a substitute for Kate, she strove in many ways
to impress her husband with a sense of her daughter's superior
abilities, at the same time taking pains to mortify Margaret by
setting Lenora above her.

For this, however, Margaret cared but little, and it was only when
her mother ill-treated Willie, which she frequently did, that her
spirit was fully roused.

At Mrs. Hamilton's first marriage she had been presented with a
handsome glass pitcher, which she of course greatly prized. One day it
stood upon the stand in her room, where Willie was also playing with
some spools which Lenora had found and arranged for him. Malta, the
pet kitten, was amusing herself by running after the spools, and when
at last Willie, becoming tired, laid them on the stand, she sprang
toward them, upsetting the pitcher, which was broken in a dozen
pieces. On hearing the crash Mrs. Hamilton hastened toward the room,
where the sight of her favorite pitcher in fragments greatly enraged
her. Thinking, of course, that Willie had done it, she rudely seized
him by the arm, administered a cuff or so, and then dragged him toward
the china closet.

As soon as Willie could regain his breath he screamed, "Oh ma, don't
shut me up; I'll be good; I didn't do it, certain true; kittie knocked
it off."

"None of your lies," said Mrs. Hamilton. "It's likely kittie knocked
it off!"

Lenora, who had seen the whole, and knew that what Willie said was
true, was about coming to the rescue, when looking up, she saw
Margaret, with dilated nostrils and eyes flashing fire watching the
proceedings of her stepmother.

"He's safe," thought Lenora; "I'll let Mag fire the first gun, and
then I'll bring up the rear."

Margaret had never known Willie to tell a lie, and had no reason for
thinking he had done so in this instance. Besides, the blows her
mother gave him exasperated her, and she stepped forward just as Mrs.
Hamilton was about pushing him into the closet. So engrossed was that
lady that she heard not Margaret's approach until a firm hand was laid
upon her shoulder while Willie was violently wrested from her grasp,
and ere she could recover from her astonishment she herself was
pushed into the closet, the door of which was closed and locked
against her.

"Bravo, Margaret Hamilton," cried Lenora, "I'm with you now, if