e real lace."

"Well, I've got one," announced Kat briskly. "I don't like being poor. I
hate pots and kettles worse than mad dogs. I would like a wheel-barrow
full of butter-scotch every day and a pair of slippers with blue tops
and French heels. I haven't got any talent, so I needn't worry about
never being able to bring it out; it would scare me to death if I had
one, because talented people are always expected to do something big.
That's all, and I don't know really where the disappointment is, but I
guess it's the butter-scotch and slippers. What's yours Kittie?"

"I don't know," answered Kittie, with a sigh and a glance at her hands.
"I guess mine's having to wash dishes, and not having black eyes, and
not being able to travel all over the world."

"Well, I've got one too," said Olive, to every one's intense surprise,
as they did not suppose that she was paying any attention to what they
were saying, much less to join them. "I'd like to be as beautiful as the
loveliest portrait ever seen, and be able to paint the grandest pictures
in the world."

Everyone was silent with astonishment. For Olive to express two wishes,
and such exaggerated ones, before them all, was something no one could
fully appreciate who had not heard her repeatedly ridicule the same when
uttered by the others.

Mrs. Dering had been sewing and listening with a smile, but now she
glanced up, met Olive's eyes, and the smile brightened warmly, and there
was something in it that made Olive's heart feel happy and glad that she
had made her little speech, though she had hesitated before doing so.

"I don't suppose anybody cares to hear about my disappointments," said
Mrs. Dering, not looking as if she had any.

"Yes, we do; I was just going to ask," exclaimed Kittie, moving closer.
"I know you've got heaps, and they're not about clothes and
butter-scotch, and eyes, and doing great things either. Now tell us
all."

"I don't see why I should have heaps," began Mrs. Dering, with a laugh.
"Is it because I am so old, or do I look as though I had been weighted
down with them?"

"Why, no indeed; but didn't you ever have any, really?"

"Yes, indeed, my dear girls, many; that at the time, perhaps seemed very
hard and bitter; but I came through them, and have seen some happy,
happy days where their shadow never fell. I tell you what would be a
very bitter disappointment to me now, and that would be to have my
girls grow to womanhood, and each be dis