pa the moment he came home, that
now she was a dear little donkey, as well as a precious old
toad. Does your mamma ever call you funny names? I hope so.

I will tell you how I came to hear these stories. Lame Charley
has a sister, that last year was about as large as a pretty
large doll. I suppose you know how large I mean. She pattered
about on her cunning little feet all day long; she only sat
down long enough to eat her bread and milk; and so when the
sun went to bed, and the chickens went to bed, and the little
birds said chip! chip! to each other, meaning "good night,"
Minnie (that was her name) would begin to poke her fingers in
her blue eyes, and say, "Pease mamma _cake_ Minnie: Minnie
_so_ tired." Then her mamma would lift her tenderly into her
lap and say, "Poor little kitten! _so_ tired:" and she would
unfasten her clothes quickly, and slip on her little night-dress,
and then she would kiss her four or five times to waken her,
and say, "Come, darling, kneel in mamma's lap and say your
little prayer." Then Minnie would smile and tumble about in a
funny way, till she got on her knees, and then she would fold
her hands and say, "God bess my dear mamma and papa, my bedders
and sisters, and poor lame Charley, my dear bedder; God bess me,
and make me a good little chile, for Jesus' sake, Amen."

What a sweet little prayer that was! After the prayer her
mamma would kiss her again, and lay her gently in her pretty
crib; and before you could count one! two! three! Minnie was
fast asleep.

But one evening lame Charley had crept sooner than usual into
his mamma's lap, and was resting his head against her kind
breast, and all his brothers and sisters had come out of the
corners and closets, and from under the tables and chairs, and
were chuckling and laughing, and saying, "Hush! take seats
everybody! mamma is going to tell us something real nice
to-night," when little Minnie, (who I forgot to tell you,
always went to bed before the story began; because she was
such a little bit of a thing, and did not know how to sit
still and listen,) little Minnie, all of a sudden trotted up
to her mamma, and taking hold of Charley's leg, began pulling
it and crying, "Get down bedder, get down 'ight away; let me
tome, I want a night_cat_ too, 'cause I's old now."

"Why, Minnie!" said her mamma, "don't pull poor Charley; if
you are so old you can sit in Charley's arm-chair, and let him
stay here; can't you?"

The honor of sitti