322 CHILDREN'S BOOK FOR SABBATH HOURS.

it, and was greatly surprised to find that Mamie would often come, with her long-
it was a present from her mamma and neglected dolly, trying to hold her and
himself. treat her exactly as she saw her mother
 You have been such a good, helpful did the baby.
little girl, my darling, all through these She had another little song which she
long weeks since baby came," he said, sometimes sung, as she rocked back and
"that your mamma and I wanted the forth,with herdoll held tightly in herarms.
pleasure of giving you a little surprise ;" Hush! my blue-eyed dolly's sleeping;
and he kissed the smiling face that was Don't you see how still I'm keeping
so eagerly upturned to his. In this quiet place
 But how did you have money enough "Like mamma, with baby sister,
to buy it, dear papa," Mamie said, twin- I've undressed, and soothed, and kissed her
ing her arms about his neck, and hug- Bonnie, smiling face!
going him so tightly that she nearly took "Now I'll rock her with delight,
away his breath. "Why, it must have Lullaby, my doll, good-night !"
cost ever so many dollars, and I didn't Mamie had begged very hard to have
really need it, now baby's come." the baby named "Eva," after her doll.
 Dear little girl! she had learned al- Her eyes were as blue as the sky, and
ready that minister's children had often she was as fair as a little white lily, with
to be denied the things which they "didn't flaxen curls all over her head, so that her
really need," no matter how much they papa and mamma had finally consented,
might long for them. thinking it a very pretty and appropriate
 Her papa replied that he could very name for their baby. And Mamie had
 well afford this gift for his dear little girl. to tell everybody that she had named
 Indeed he assured her that he meant to the little Eva all herself," after her won-
 play every day himself; which statement derful French dolly.
 made Mamie clap her hands with joy. One day, when she went down to the
 And that very afternoon the ground post-office, she brought back a letter for
was chosen, the soft grass was cut, and her mamma, which, by the foreign stamp,
rolled, and watered, and the stakes set she knew must be from her Aunt Mary.
up. Mamie made funny mistakes in Mamie had a little stamp-book in which
playing at first. Her balls never would she carefully pasted every stamp she
go where she sent them, but as the weeks could find ; and you would have been
went by, she grew to be a famous little amused, in looking it over, to notice only
player, and her papa said laughingly that two kinds-plenty of our own well-worn
she was always sure to hit his ball as three cent stamps, while all the rest were
cruelly as if he were her worst enemy. French. But nobody could have prized
 And out here in the bright, early sum- a rare collection more than Mamie did
mer days, when the baby was asleep, hers.