elf, and would "die little," as Mary
Lothrop did. I thought she seemed like Mary; and hadn't Miss Julia
said she was too good for this world? O, what if God should want her
up in heaven? I had thought of this before; but if I had really
believed it, I should all along have treated her very differently. We
should none of us speak unkindly if we believed our friends were soon
going away from us, out of this world. What would I give now if I had
never called the tears into that child's gentle eyes!

My arm got well, and the next thing that happened was a letter from
home--to us two little chickens, Fel and me both. Seth brought it
from the "post-ovviz," directed to Miss Ruphelle Allen and Miss
Margaret Parlin, care of Joseph Tenney, Esq. Here it lies in my
writing-desk, almost as yellow as gold, and quite as precious. How
many times do you suppose we little girls read it and kissed it? How
many times do you suppose we went to sleep with it under our pillows?
We took turns doing that, and thought it brought us pleasant dreams.

Her mother wrote one page of the letter, and my mother another; 'Ria a
few lines, and Ned these words, in a round hand:--

"DEAR SISTER: I suppose you want to hear all about our house and
barn. I went to Gus Allen's party. We trained, and a pretty set
of fellows we were."

That was all he told about our house and barn, and he did not sign
his name. Perhaps he would have said more after resting a while; but
Miss Rubie saved him the trouble, and ended the letter, by inviting
"you darlings,"--Fel and me,--to her wedding, which was to take place
in a few weeks.

We had a little waltzing to do then! A wedding! We danced right and
left, with that letter under our feet.

"I should think you'd better read on, and see what the man's name is,
you little Flutterbudgets," said cousin Joseph, laughing at us.

We hadn't thought of that. We looked, and found it was uncle John!
Another surprise. It was a new idea to both of us, that a man who had
had one wife should ever have another. We remembered aunt Persis, who
wanted to steam Fel.

"And she died years, and years, and _years_ ago."

"About eleven months," said cousin Lydia. Your uncle John is obliged
to go to England this fall, and wants to take Zed; and I am very glad
Miss Rubie is willing to be Zed's mother, and will go with them."

"How can she be his mother?" said I. "She's his auntie."

But we didn't care about the relationsh