k."

"Yes, aunt Dorcas, and I was in hopes by that time I could go back to
New York."

"What will you do to-morrow, after you have seen her?"

"Jest hang 'round, I s'pose. I've got to go, 'cause I promised, an'
then, ag'in, it ain't right to leave the princess alone so long. I don't
know but what she's frettin'."

"How old is she, Joseph?"

"Not more'n six or seven years; but she can't talk."

"Then she must be much younger than you think."

"Well, perhaps she ain't more'n a year old; I don't know much about
kids, anyhow."

"It seems as if my duty was plain in this case," aunt Dorcas said,
solemnly. "The little property I've got is enough to take care of me,
with economy; but surely a child wouldn't be very much expense, an' if
you'd do what you could towards helpin', I believe I'd say that she
might be brought here. It's a great responsibility; but if a woman like
me turns a deaf ear to such a story as you have told, it is almost a
crime. There's that poor child without father, or mother, or home, and I
have no right to fold my hands in idleness."

Joe was about to explain that he hoped soon to find the princess's
parents, for aunt Dorcas's words sounded much as if she believed the
child to be an orphan; but, before he could speak, the little woman
said, emphatically:

"You shall bring her here, Joseph, and I rely upon you to help me take
care of her."

"Of course I'll promise that, aunt Dorcas, an' I'll do my best to find a
job somewhere near here, so I can come over evenings."

"But I'm depending on your staying here, Joseph."

"Do you mean for me to live in this house till I can go back to New
York?" and Joe looked bewildered.

"Certainly; I shouldn't think of trying to take care of a child and do
my housework at the same time, even though there isn't a great deal to
be done. You see I'm not accustomed to children, an' wouldn't be as
handy as some other people."

"But, aunt Dorcas, you can't afford to have two big chumps like Plums
an' me livin' on you."

"We'll do all that lies in our power. If you and George are industrious,
you can do considerable gardening, and the vegetables you raise will go
a long ways towards our living."

"You're awful good, aunt Dorcas,--you're the best woman I ever saw, an'
I wouldn't think of hangin' 'round here if I couldn't do somethin'
more'n run that little bit of a garden. Things will get straightened
out, after a spell, an' then I can go back to town, where I