156 AMY.

she can wear all her clothes then. Let’s ask mamma not to
get her any bigger cae Rosy; you know she had such a
pretty little coat and hat.’

“Well, we will ask mamma. May, don’t play with your
big doll, ’cause it makes me feel so dreffully I almost aay
when I see her.”

May very generously put her large doll away, and they
agreed to play only with paper dolls till the birthday.

By the time the birthday came Amy was quite well again,
but something occurred which absorbed the whole family.

In the first place a despatch came saying that the children’s
brother Horace, who was at school some distance away, was
very sick; this was about a week before the birthday.

Papa kissed the little girls good-by with a very serious
face, and mamma went to her room sobbing. It seemed dread-
ful to see mamma cry; the little girls only remembered once
before seeing her look so, and that was when grandpapa died.
They crept away to the nursery very quietly, ce in
whispers over their play.

“Oh, dear!” said Amy, “perhaps I will not have any doll
aster all, for mamma cannot sink about it, I know.”

“Well, you can play with my big doll half the time,” said
May, reassuringly, “and we will save up our pennies till we
have enough to buy a new head for Rosy-Posy.”

After a little mamma came from her room, but, though her
eyes-were red, she did not cry any more, only started every