s, and soon a bright fire blazed and
crackled, and filled the tiny house with light and warmth. A pot of
water was put on the fire to warm, and then Maggie looked round for a
vessel to bathe the baby in. She found a little wooden tub, which she
placed ready in front of the fire.

"So far, so good!" she exclaimed; "but never a sight of a towel is there
to be seen. Ef you'll give me the baby now, Miss, I'll warm her limbs a
bit afore I put her in the bath. I don't know how I'm to dry her, I'm
sure, but a hot bath she must have."

"I have got a white petticoat on," said Flower. "Would that be any use?"

"Off with it this minute, then, Miss; it's better nor nought. Now, then,
my lamb! my pretty! see ef Maggie don't pull you round in a twinkling!"

She rubbed and chafed the little creature's limbs, and soon baby opened
her eyes, and gave a weak, piteous cry.

"I wish I had something to give her afore I put her in the bath," said
Maggie. "There's sure to be sperits of some sort in a house like this.
You look round you and see ef you can't find something, Miss Flower."

Flower obediently searched in the four corners of the hut.

"I can't see anything!" she exclaimed. "The place seems quite empty."

"Eh, dear!" said Maggie: "you don't know how to search. Take the baby,
and let me."

She walked across the cabin, thrust her hand into some straw which was
pressed against the rafters, pulled out an old tin can and opened it.

"Eh, what's this?" she exclaimed. "Sperits? Now we'll do. Give me the
baby back again, Miss Flower, and fetch a cup, ef you please."

Flower did so.

"Put some hot water into it. Why, you ain't very handy! Miss Polly's
worth a dozen of you! Now pour in a little of the sperit from the tin
can--not too much. Let me taste it. That will do. Now, baby--now, Miss
Polly's darling baby!--I'll wet your lips with this, and you'll have
your bath, and you'll do fine!"

The mixture was rubbed on the blue lips of the infant, and Maggie even
managed to get her to swallow a few drops. Then, the bath being prepared
by Flower, under a shower of scathing ridicule from Maggie, who had very
small respect, in any sense of the word, for her assistant, the baby was
put into it, thoroughly warmed, rubbed up, and comforted, and then, with
the white fleecy shawl wrapped well around her, she fell asleep in
Maggie's arms.

"She'll do for the present," said the kitchen-maid, leaning back and
mopping a little moisture from h