n the wide porch swing and
Sarah said diffidently, "Would you two young ladies mind keeping the
baby for half an hour, while I run down the road a piece to see my
sister? She's awful sick."

"Go ahead, Sarah," said Dolly, good-naturedly. "We'll take care of
Gladys. She won't cry, will she?"

"That she won't. She's the best baby in the world. There's a couple of
crackers you can give her if she's hungry, or the cook will give you a
cup of milk for her. I won't be gone long."

"Don't stay more than half an hour, Sarah," said Dotty; "I'd just as
lieve keep the baby but I don't know as Mrs. Norris would like it to
have you go away from the child."

"Oh, pshaw!" said Dolly; "the baby is all right with us. Stay as long as
you want to, Sarah; I just love to take care of babies."

So Sarah went away and the two girls proceeded to give Gladys the time
of her life. They soon tired of the swing and took the baby out into the
woods, where they crowned her with leaves and called her Queen of the
May.

The child laughed and crowed, and as her language was limited she called
both the girls Doddy, and beamed on them both impartially. Herself she
called Daddy, being unable to achieve her own name.

"Two Doddies take Daddy saily-bye!" she cried, waving her fat hands
toward the lake.

"Oh, no," said Dolly; "Daddy go saily-bye when Jack comes home."

"No! no wait for Dak! Daddy 'ant to go saily _now_! Daddy go in boat!
Two Doddy go in boat and sail Daddy far, far away!" The two little arms
waved as if indicating a journey round the world, and the baby face
beamed so coaxingly that Dolly couldn't resist it.

"We'll go down to the shore," she said, "and Gladys can paddle her hands
in the water; that will be nice."

"Ess!" and the baby danced with glee as the three went down to the lake.

There was a short bit of fairly good beach at the Norrises' place, and
here the children sat down to play. A sail boat, a row boat and a canoe
were tied there and soon Gladys renewed her plea to go sailing.

The girls tried to divert her mind, for they were not willing to take
the responsibility of taking the little girl out on the water.

"Maybe we might take her out in the row boat," suggested Dotty, but
Dolly said, "No, I'd rather not. I can row well enough, but you can't do
much with your weak arm and suppose anything should happen to this
blessed child! No, siree, Dot; I'm not going to take any such risk."

"I think you're silly. We co