the mother
died. With her last breath she asked that the two youngest be kept
together; she knew the oldest ones would have to be separated. She
never did give up looking for Bolton and she wanted him to have the
babies.

"Her sister Hettie has worked around here for years; her and Rob
Langley have been going to marry ever since I can remember, but always
there has something cropped up. And now that Hettie has got to take
care of the kids I guess they won't never marry; she won't burden him
with them. It is hard for her to support them, too. Work is scarce,
and she can't get it, lots of times, because of the kids."

The Burneys soon went home and the rest of us went to bed,--all except
Mrs. O'Shaughnessy, who was so cranky and snappy that we left her by
the fire. It seemed hours after when I awoke. She was still sitting by
the fire; she was absently marking in the ashes with a stick. I
happened to be the first one up next morning and as I stirred up the
fire I saw "Baby" written in the ashes. We had breakfasted and the men
had gone their ways when Mrs. O'Shaughnessy said to me,--

"It is a blessed old soul Mrs. Mortimer is. Do you mind any good
lesson that she taught us in the cabin beyont?" I did not remember.
"She said, 'The pangs of motherhood make us mothers not only of our
own, but of every child that needs mothering,--especially if our own
little children need us no longer. Fill their little places with ones
who do need us.' Them's her very words, and it's sweet truth it is.
Both my Katie and Sheridan have been grown and gone these many years
and my heart has ached for childher, and there's none but Cora Belle.
I am goin' to get them childher this day. What do you think about it?"

I thought so well of it that in about two minutes we were harnessing
the horses and were off to lay the plan before Hettie in
record-breaking time.

Poor Hettie: she wept quietly while the advantages of the scheme were
being pointed out. She said, "I love the children, dearly, but I am
not sure I can always feed and clothe them; that has worried me a lot.
I am almost sure Bolton is dead. I'll miss the little things, but I am
glad to know they are well provided for. You can take them."

"Now," said Mrs. O'Shaughnessy, "you go on an' marry your man if he is
a decent sort. Do it right away before something else happens. It is
an illigant wedding present I'll be sendin' you. You must come to see
the childher often. What's the b'y's