rge.

"Miss Amy," he said, a little doubtfully, as not being quite sure of my
powers, "bein' almost growed up, you're good at doin' up sums, I
s'pose."

Now, arithmetic was not altogether my strong point, nevertheless I
believed myself quite equal to any problem of that nature which Jim was
likely to propound; and I answered vain-gloriously, and with a view to
divert the attention of the still-sobbing Daisy from her own woes,--

"Of course, Jim. What do you want to know? No," declining the soiled
slate which he proffered for my use, "I'll just do it in my head."

"You're awful smart then, Miss Amy," said Bill, admiringly.

But the question set before me by Jim proved so inextricably involved,
so hopelessly "mixed up," as poor little Allie had said, that, even
with the aid of the rejected slate, it would, I believe, have lain
beyond the powers of the most accomplished arithmetician to solve. No
wonder that it had puzzled Allie's infantile brains. To recall and set
it down here, at this length of time, would be quite impossible; nor
would the reader care to have it inflicted upon him. Days, weeks, and
years, peanuts, pence, and dollars, were involved in the statement he
made, or attempted to make, for me to work out the solution thereof;
but it was hopeless to try to tell what the boy would be at; and,
indeed, his own ideas on the subject were more than hazy, and, to his
great disappointment, I was obliged to own myself vanquished.

"What are you at, Jim?" I asked. "What object have you in all
this"--rigmarole, I was about to say, but regard for his feelings
changed it into "troublesome sum?"

Jim looked sheepish.

"Now, Miss Amy," broke in Bill, "he's got peanuts on his mind; how much
he could make on settin' up some one in the peanut-business, an'
gettin' his own profits off it. But now, Miss, did you ever hear of a
peanut-man gettin' to be President of the United States, an' settin' in
the White House?"

"I believe I never heard of any peanut-man coming to that, Bill," I
answered, laughing; "but I have heard of men whose early occupations
were quite as lowly, becoming President in their later years."

"An' I ain't goin' to be any peanut-man," said Jim. "I'm just goin' to
stick to this place, an' Miss Milly an' her folks, till I get
eddication enough to be a lawyer. I find it's mostly lawyers or sojers
that gets to be Presidents; lawyers like Mr. Edward. Miss Amy," with a
sudden air of apprehension, "you don