Year: 1868

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 Likely, likely But how her folks mus be worrying-if she has got anyr said AIr , Lapham, dismally, rubbing his head.

 Mr. Lapham was like the moon. depend ing for his brightness on some one else But as the one else was fortunately tba shining body his wife, his eclipses were yer short.

 So now she cheered him up in q twink ling by saying while she garlanded tn, rooms with strings of apple and pumpkin as gaily as though she were trimming for { Christmas festival. So they must; but a it doesn't do any good to worry abou them, we best attend to making sure tha when they come to find to find her the, wont have any occasion to worry abou the way we have done our partLof the bu siness'

 That is so! that is So. Pollyr replied he1 husband quite at rest.

 After 8 long, long time, the mysteriou, stranger was able to walk cut of doors and then she saw for the first time the spotted COW. plump and sleek now as any In the farmers herd. At sight of her the girls eyes frightened with conscious re- cognition. ..---

 Daisy! Daisy! she cried suddenly.

 Noi! Moi" replied the GOV, coming ur and thrusting her nose through the fence with evident joy and remembrance.

 Yes, yes! 1t Is coming to her. She k2aoocs" whispered the farmer

 But, alas! this is oH she 'klows.' The old blank look came back to the girls face remember Daisy, but I cant tell when | ever saw her, unless it was in the forest, said she, looking about puzzled and uncer- tain.

 Nowto tell the truth, this end of tbe hopes of the farmer and his wife was also relief of their fears; for they had already discovered that great vacuum would be made in their lives if this girl, who had unexpectedly nestled very closely into their childless hearts, should be. taken from them. And so at last, made confident by time, they settled down to consider the girl, whom they called Daisy thelr own, al- most forgetting she might be suddenly taken away from them any day by somebody with better right. E-

 Thus the year went on-one, two, three, four; and, like the steward in the parable, being found faithful over few things, they We're made rulers over many; for each of these passing Octobers brought a little child of their own to the worthy farmer and his wife. One, two, three, four; Bes- sy and Mary, and Sarah and John.

 Polly! Polly! I don'tsee any thing how ever in this world you could have managed with all this work and all these babies, if 1t hadn' t been for Daisy said Mr. Lap ham, who, full of paternal exultation and care, In absence of other cause, was ready to break into a worry, of what might have been.

 Polly Lapham, rocking the cradle with her foot and mixing bread with her hands. while she heard Bessy's spelling lesson and showed Mary about her patchwork.

 So the years went on and on. Farmer Lapham got no balder, inasmuch as his head had long been smooth as a rus set ap- pie. His wife had taken to caps, but she was as rosy and round and cheerful as ev- CT. Daisy, the COW, after becoming the mother of many spotted calves and living a good cow-life, died at last, evidently full of days, and was buried in the orchard while the girl Daisy had come up into a brown-eyed, noisette- haired woman, with a pretty face, kindly temper, and capable hands. do not say she had a natural grace of feature and manner which showed her unknown birth to be high and noble, and that she made evident in every mo- tlon her natural superiority to the common life she was living; for the mysterious is not always the romantic; and really, Daisy came up to be just wholesome, agreeable, sensible person, such as are scattered by thousands and hundreds of thousands all over the world. She still recalled nothing of her lost childhood excepting the bend ing woman and the forest; and these mem- ories flashed less and less often into her mlnd-gradually fading out till the past tho :+, stead.

 Meanwhile it happened that the little Laphams ran lightly and easily over the manifold pitfalls set in the way of baby humanity. Teething to them had been a pleasure, whooping- cough a pastime, and the measles downright joke. But at last, something new and serious came. First one, and then another, until the four were all moaning and tossing with pain and fe- yer. And now it was that all the hdgets and nervousness of Peter Lapham's ner- vous and fidgety nature concentrated It. self; and now it was that his wife's blithe cheerfulness was all needed. .. I am free to admit that 1 am not famll- far with the phases of this disease, Mrs. Iapham. Its action IS something decided ly new to me, and it is my advice and my choice that you consult some other medl- cal attendant, said Dr. Gaspill, the old hn-ao doctor, whose honesty made his pom posity endurable.

 So the anxious parents did what any other anxious parents would have done; sent to Boxbury for another doctor, Dr. Gorton-a popular, experienced physician, who was so wise and scientific, it was said, he could cut your arm off without your knowing it, and put it on better than it was before -.

 What do you think, Doctor? Are my children going to die? Is Bessy going to 1 die, Doctor?' cried the father constantly, quite beside himself with grief and fright. 'Oh, no, hope notv returned the learn ed Doctor, with Doyer's powder in his very tone.

 The disease is species of typhoid fever f which is somewhat prevalent in Boxbury this fall. I have had several cases of 1t, and ind more depends on nursing than on medicine. The children are going to have plenty of both, and we shall take them all safely through, I trust. We will do oul best

 And they certainly did The house hay Ing that convenient habit of keeping itself, tnere was nothing to be done but take care of the sick children; and Dr. Gorton real l y seemed interested which was blessing A blessing crowned with success, for afte1 certain weary days and nights, the children were all on the high and hungry road te 1ealtn. But there must have been great