's more space in the front
room."

"Do you know, Peace Greenfield," cried Mr. Campbell, pretending to feel
insulted at her intimation that he had not given her a large enough
share of his chair, "the first time I ever called at your house, I
found you sitting on the gatepost,--the _gatepost_, mind you,--about so
square," measuring with his hands; "and just as I turned in from the
road, you began to sing, 'The Campbells are coming, oho, oho!' What kind
of a reception do you call that? And tonight you weren't even going to
give me any supper."

"Oh," she hastily assured him, "I didn't mean you by that song. I used
to think that the Campbells were little striped bugs that eat up the
cucumber plants, and the very morning that you came here for breakfast I
found two in the garden. What are you laughing at? I know better now,
but I truly didn't have a notion what your name was then. You must have
known I didn't. But I am awfully glad you came and that you kept coming
even when I was bad and made you work so hard. I am sorry, but never
mind, I am _deformed_ now."

"Deformed, child? Where?"

"Right here in my heart! I am going to be as good as gold all the time
after this. I think the angels must have sent you. We've always wanted a
first-class grandfather and grandmother, but we never 'xpected to get
'em until we found our own inside the Gates some day. Just the same, I
spoke to God about it, and He probably had the angels hunt you up. So I
have _deformed_ and now I'll be real good. I'm truly sorry I was such a
selfish pig about wanting a drumstick tonight. I s'pose that's why the
drumstick filled me up so quick and didn't leave any room for pie.
Custard is my favorite."

"Perhaps that is the reason," he agreed, quite as serious as she. "We
always are happiest when we are unselfish. Now, let's forget all about
the badness and just remember the goodness. I have some of the most
splendid plans for what we shall do when I have my six girls at home
with me. What beautiful times we shall have, mother!"

"How can we ever thank them?" whispered bright-eyed Gail to Mrs. Strong,
under cover of the lively conversation at the other end of the table.

"By loving them," promptly answered the little woman, offering up a
prayer of thanksgiving that the brave little orphan band had found such
a beautiful home. "They are noble people and have hungered all their
lives for just that very thing."

"But love seems such a little thing to