ELLIE’S HOLOCAUST.

“Go way, Ellie; you wouldn’t dance! I love
Blondette best, she danced; and we slided, and we
slided, way down into the sunland.’’

Papa tucked the little one in between Ellie and
himself, and in less than ten minutes Baby May was
safe home drinking warm milk in Dinah’s loving
arms; she was so very amiable, or so very sleepy,
that she let Chloe undress her and
put her into bed without even ask-
ing for mamma.

Ellie poured out tea for papa and
Dick, but it was a sober face that
sat behind the big urn, and some
salt tears went into her cup of choc-
olate, as papa, in his quiet way, en-
forced the lesson of her bitter expe-
rience in a few words that were
both grave and kind, but which cut
Ellie to the heart.

““Good-night, my daughter,’’ he
said at last, and drew the weeping
girl upon his knee as he used to do
when she was a little girl and stood
in need of comfort after rebuke.
She threw her arms round his neck
and Jaid her head on his shoulder
and cried quietly. ‘‘Good-night,
my dear daughter. You will not
forget this last lesson. You have
had so many, that sometimes I al-
most despair; but you must work
this out for yourself.’’

“YT will indeed, papa.’? A look
of determination came into Ellie’s
face, and her lips were firmly
pressed together: at length she said,
‘‘Papa, may I have those books for
my very own, The Scottish Chiefs,
I mean?”’

“Yes, Ellie, you can have them
for your very own, if you can find
heart to enjoy them now.”

There was a tone of regretful
surprise in papa’s voice and his
little daughter’s sensitive ear caught it in an instant.

“O papal’? she sobbed, ‘‘you don’t think—you
can’t suppose—please don’t ask me aboutit! Only
may I have them for my very own, to do with ex-
actly as I please?”

‘Yes, for your very own,’’ quietly answered papa,

DOWN THE PINE-NEEDLE SLOPE.

201

Be sure that Ellie’s evening prayer that night
was more full of meaning than usual, especially in
the prayer of thanksgiving ‘‘for the mercies and
benefits of the past day.’’ She shuddered when she

thought of what might have been her wretchedness
if May had danced on along to the quarry-pits in-
stead of into the pine woods.

   

 

Earnestly in her own
words, Ellic prayed that
she might never forget
that night, and might
have the courage to car-
ry out her purpose and
promise to herself.

After breakfast, the
next morning, Ellie
coaxed Dick into the
library with an air of se-
riousness and mystery.

“Dick, papa has given me The Scottish Chiefs
for my very own, to do with as I please—and—’’

‘And, Ellie Adams, you are no sister of mine, if
you can bear the sight of the little fat monsters,’’
said Dick indignantly.

‘‘Who said I wanted to see them? I hate the