t part of all
to you, Jewel," he said,--"to tell about the dragon."

"Oh, no-o," returned the child scornfully, "that part's easy."

The broker raised his eyebrows. "Indeed?" he returned.

In honor of her birthday, Jewel was arrayed in her silk dress. The white
ribbons, Anna Belle's gift, were billowing out behind her ears. She
presented the appearance, as she sat on the wicker hassock, of a person who
had had little experience with dragons.

"Well," she said, after a pause, smiling at her grandfather and lifting her
shoulders, "shall I try, then?"

"By all means," returned the broker.

So Jewel folded her hands in her silken lap and began in her light, sweet
voice:--

* * * * *

"When the man looked around on the flowers and lovely trees and brooks, he
said, 'This is a beautiful land.'

"And Purity answered: 'I'm glad that you see it is. You remember I told you
it was.'

"'It was the Valley of Vain Regret we were talking about then,' said the
man. 'If you had known more about it, you wouldn't have called _that_
beautiful.'

"Then the little girl smiled because she knew something nice that the man
didn't know yet; but he was going to.

"So they journeyed along and journeyed along through pleasant places, and
while they walked, Purity told the man about the great King--how loving He
was and everything like that, and the man had hold of her hand and listened
just as hard as he could, for he felt sure she was telling the truth; and
it made him glad, and his heart that had been wizzled up just like a fig,
had grown to be as big as--oh, as big as a watermelon, and it was full of
nice feelings.

"'I'm happy, Purity,' he said to the little girl.

"I'm glad,' she answered, and she squeezed his hand back again, because she
loved him now as much as if he was her grandpa.

"Well, they went along, and along, and at last they came to some woods and
a narrow path through them. The man was beginning to think they might need
the squirrels again, when suddenly"--Jewel paused and looked around on her
auditors whose faces she could barely see in the gathering dusk,--"suddenly
the man thought he saw the dragon he had heard so much about; and he
shivered and hung back, but Purity walked along and wondered what was the
matter with him.

"'There's the dragon!' he said, in the most _afraid_ voice, and he hung
back on the girl's hand so hard that she couldn't move.

"When she saw how he looke