portion, then, as they would now. Still,
her mistress, even then, allowed her less time for play than was
usual, though it was all done in good faith, and not from any
intentional severity. As time went on, she grew really quite fond of
the child, and she was honestly desirous of doing her whole duty by
her. If she had had a daughter of her own, it is doubtful if her
treatment of her would have been much different.

Still, Ann was too young to understand all this, and, sometimes,
though she was strong and healthy, and not naturally averse to work,
she would rebel, when her mistress set her stints so long, and kept
her at work when other children were playing.

Once in a while she would confide in grandma, when Mrs. Polly sent
her over there on an errand and she had felt unusually aggrieved
because she had had to wind quills, or hetchel, instead of going
berrying, or some like pleasant amusement.

"Poor little cosset," grandma would say, pityingly. Then she would
give her a simball, and tell her she must "be a good girl, and not
mind if she couldn't play jest like the others, for she'd got to airn
her own livin', when she grew up, and she must learn to work."

Ann would go away comforted, but grandma would be privately
indignant. She was, as is apt to be the case, rather critical with
her sons' wives, and she thought "Sam'l's kept that poor little gal
too stiddy at work," and wished and wished she could shelter her
under her own grandmotherly wing, and feed her with simballs to her
heart's content. She was too wise to say anything to influence the
child against her mistress, however. She was always cautious about
that, even while pitying her. Once in a while she would speak her
mind to her son, but _he_ was easy enough--Ann would not have found
him a hard task-master.

Still, Ann did not have to work hard enough to hurt her. The worst
consequences were that such a rigid rein on such a frisky little colt
perhaps had more to do with her "cutting up," as her mistress phrased
it, than she dreamed of. Moreover the thought of the indentures,
securely locked up in Mr. Wales' tall wooden desk, was forever in
Ann's mind. Half by dint of questioning various people, half by her
own natural logic she had settled it within herself, that at any time
the possession of these papers would set her free, and she could go
back to her own mother, whom she dimly remembered as being
loud-voiced, but merry, and very indulgent. However, An