he walk filling their tiny hands
with pebbles.

"A cooky won't hurt the baby either," decided Mr. Emerson, and he gave
one to each of the children.

The Ethels had no chance to ask him what he meant to do without their
discovery hearing them, so they helped the woman into the machine, put
in the two children and climbed in themselves. To their great interest
Mr. Emerson turned the car about and headed it for his own home.

"I wonder what Grandmother will say," murmured Ethel Brown to Ethel
Blue, who was steadying the ill woman's head as it lay against the back
of the seat.

Ethel Blue lifted her eyebrows to indicate that she could not guess;
but both girls knew in their hearts that Mrs. Emerson would do what was
wisest and for the best good of the strays. She came to the door in
answer to the sound of the horn.

"How did you get back so soon?" she began to inquire of her husband
when her eyes fell on the passengers in the car.

"An accident?" she asked anxiously as she ran down the steps.

"The girls found this woman and her child part way over here and I
thought I'd better bring her on and get your opinion about her. I
think she'd like something to eat," and the kind old gentleman smiled
in friendly fashion as the woman opened frightened eyes at the sound of
a new voice.

Among them they succeeded in getting her into the house and into a cool
room, where she lay exhausted on the bed, her hand holding tight to the
little hand of her baby, lying wearily beside her.

"Sunstroke?" asked Grandmother.

"Hunger," replied Mr. Emerson, and he and Ethel Brown went down stairs
at once in search of food, while Mrs. Emerson and Ethel Blue managed to
undress their patient and put her into a fresh nightdress and bathe her
face and hands. By the time they had done this and were undressing the
baby, Ethel Brown and Mrs. Emerson's cook were at the door with jellied
broth, milk, gruel and a cooling drink.

Ethel Blue fed the woman, spoonful by spoonful, and Ethel Brown gave
the baby alternate spoonfuls of gruel and milk.

"Sleepy now?" asked Mrs. Emerson when the dark head sank back on the
pillow. "Take a nap, then. See, the baby is right here where you can
lay your hand on her. We'll look in now and then and just as soon as
you wake up you must take some more food."

"Must!" repeated the girl, for she was hardly older than Miss Merriam
they saw when her hair was pushed back from her face. "Must! 'Tis
_glad_ I