of
brown on one side of him, and the bright, golden curls on the other. "A
year ago last spring I tried to be ill--play sick, you know; and the
doctor told me a vacation of tramping was what I needed to put me in
tune again. Having some pet theories in regard to the tramp problem of
this country, I decided to take his words literally, so I turned tramp
myself--just for a little time, you see. That is how you saw me first. I
told my wife it was a case of love at first sight, and I became so much
interested in this brave little family that I have kept watch ever
since.

"Here was a family without any father and mother, and there were a
father and mother without any family. You needed the one and we needed
the other. But at first the way didn't seem clear. I was given to
understand that you didn't want to be adopted, and as I found that Gail
was legally old enough to take care of the family, I was just on the
point of preparing to play guardian angel instead of grandfather, when I
chanced upon some old church records telling about your own
grandfather's death. It gave a brief account of his life, and I was
astonished to find that I knew him well,--in fact, as my big brother."

"Tell us about it," pleaded Hope, as he paused reminiscently.

"When I was a little shaver my father was a seaman, captain of a ship;
but his whole fortune consisted of his vessel, his wife and son. Mother
and I often used to go with him on his trips, but for some reason he
left me at home the last time he set sail, and he never came back. New
Orleans was his port. Yellow fever broke out while he was there, and so
far as I have been able to find out, every soul of his crew died of it.
I had been left with a neighbor who had her hands full looking after her
own children; so, when word came that my parents were both dead, she
sent for the town officers, and told them I must go to the poor-farm. I
was only about the size of Allee, here, but I knew that the poor-farm
was a place much dreaded, and rather than be taken there, I tried to run
away. Your grandfather found me. He was one of our nearest neighbors and
knew me well, so when I sobbed out the whole terrible story into his
sympathetic ears, he adopted me on the spot. He wasn't more than a
dozen years old himself, but he had a heart big enough to take in the
whole world, and when he had coaxed me home with him and told his mother
about my misfortune, I knew I was safe. They would never send me awa