stars!"
twice, with great emphasis.

"Please," Marjorie went on, "please give me a trial; for I've been
thinking it over, and I don't see what I can possibly do but 'work out.'
Isn't that what you call it? And if I learn some with you, I might work
out in New York, later on."

"Bless your baby heart!" exclaimed Mrs. Geary, wiping her eyes which
were moist from conflicting emotions. "Stay here you shall, if you want
to,--though land knows we can't well afford the keep of another."

"Oh, are you too poor to keep me?" cried Marjorie, dismayed. "I don't
want to be a burden to you. I thought I could help enough to pay for my
'keep.'"

"So ye kin, dearie,--so ye kin," said old Zeb, heartily. "We'll fix it
some way, Mother, at least for the present. Now, Jessiky, don't ye
worrit a mite more. We'll take keer on ye, and the work ye'll do'll
more'n pay fer all ye'll eat."

This was noble-hearted bluff on Zeb's part, for he was hard put to it to
get food for himself and his old wife.

He was what is known as "shif'less." He worked spasmodically, and spent
hours dawdling about, accomplishing nothing, on his old neglected farm.

But, somehow, a latent ambition and energy seemed to reawaken in his old
heart, and he determined to make renewed efforts to "get ahead" for this
pretty child's sake. And meantime, if she liked to think she was
helping, by such work as those dainty little hands could do, he was
willing to humor her.

Beside all this, Zeb didn't believe her story. He still thought she had
run away from a well-to-do home; and he believed it was because of an
unloving stepmother.

But he was not minded to worry the child further with questions at the
present time, and it was part of his nature calmly to await
developments.

"Let it go at that, Mother," he advised. "Take Jessiky as your
maid-of-all-work, on trial,"--he smiled at his wife over Marjorie's
bowed head,--"an' ef she's a good little worker, we'll keep her fer the
present."

"My stars!" said Mrs. Geary, and then sat in helpless contemplation of
these surprising events.

"And I _will_ be a good worker!" declared Marjorie, "and perhaps,
sometime, we can sort of decorate the house, and make it sort of,--sort
of prettier."

"We can't spend nothin'," declared Mr. Geary, "'cause we ain't got
nothin' to spend. So don't think we kin, little miss."

"No," said Marjorie, smiling at him, "but I mean, decorate with wild
flowers, or even branches of trees, or pi