ich made Chokie forget all about his threatened Fourth-of-July. She
also had a pretty worsted scarf of many colors for Lill, and a copy of
Mrs. Hemans's Poems--popular in those days--for Cecie.

"For you, sister Caroline," she added, laughing, "I have
brought--myself."

"This book is beautiful, and I love poetry so much!" said Cecie, with
eyes full of love and gratitude. "But you have brought mother the best
present."

"O, you don't know about that!" replied Vinnie.

"Yes, I do," said Cecie, with a smile which seemed to tremble on the
verge of tears. And she whispered, as Vinnie bent down and kissed her,
"I love you already; we shall all love you so much!"

"Dear Cecie!" murmured Vinnie in the little invalid's ear, "that pays me
for coming. I am glad I am here, if only for your sake."

"I dot the bestest pwesents," cried Chokie, sitting on the floor with
his treasures. "Don't tome here, Lill; my dod will bite!" He made the
little toy squeak violently. "He barks at folks doin' to meetin'. Dim me
some pins."

"What do you want of pins?" Vinnie asked, taking some from her dress.

"To make mans and womans doin' to meetin'. One dood bid black pin for
the minister," said Chokie.

Vinnie helped him stick up the pins in the floor, and even found the
required big black one to head the procession. Then she pointed out the
extraordinary fact of the dog being so much larger than the entire
congregation; at which even the sad Caroline smiled, over her sick babe.
Chokie, however, gloried in the superior size and prowess of the
formidable monster.

Lill was delighted with her scarf,--all the more so when she learned
that it had been wrought by Vinnie's own hand.

"O Aunt Vinnie!" said Cecie; "will you teach me to do such work? I
should enjoy it so much--lying here!"

"With the greatest pleasure, my dear!" exclaimed Vinnie, her heart
brimming with hope and joy at sight of the simple happiness her coming
had brought.

She then hastened to put on a household dress; while Cecie looked at her
book, and Lill sported her scarf, and Chokie earned himself a new
nickname,--that of Big-Bellied Ben,--by making a feast of his
meeting-house, beginning with the steeple.

CHAPTER XVIII.

VINNIE'S NEW BROOM.

Returning from his interview with Mr. Peakslow, Jack drove up on the
roadside before the "castle," asked Rufe to hold the horse a minute, and
ran to the door to bid Vinnie good by.

"Here, Link!" Rufe called, "stand