We soon set to our play, and we did make a noise, to be sure. We had all sorts of games, and then we went down stairs to tea.

There were lots of nice things for tea, and the great big plum cake that cook had made for Kate. It had ice on the top, and the word Kate done in pink. Kate cut the cake her-self with a large knife. Nurse held her hand while she did it, for fear she should let the knife slip.

When we had done tea we went up stairs, and grand ma said, 'Would you like to dance best, or have some more games?'

All the boys said have more games, and most of the girls said dance.

'We must please the girls first,' said grand ma. So we had a dance, and then a good game at blind man's buff to wind up with. Then all our young friends had some more cake, and went home, and we went to bed.

We had had such fun with our friends, that I do not think Kate or I thought once of our poor rose. And now I must leave off, for here is the tea."

ABO

CHAPTER XI.

POOR LAME BOB.

LL had done tea, and the two young ones

were gone to bed, when Loo sat down on the floor at Aunt Bell's feet, and said,

Now, Aunt Bell, will you tell us what you did with the egg. Did you get

a chick out of it at all?"

"Yes, please, Aunt Bell,

do tell us," said all the rest.

Yes, my dears, the chick came out of the egg the next day," said Aunt Bell. "When we came down Jack had found it in the nest, and he brought it in to the house to shew it to us all.

'This is your chick, Kate,' he said. 'Just look at it; it is a queer one, I can tell you.'

It was a queer one; it was not near so big as the rest of the young chicks, and it had a lame leg, 'a game leg,' as Jack said. The poor thing could not walk straight, but went bob down on one side at each step.

it

Kate took it in her warm hands, and gave a kiss. 'I will call you Bob, you dear,' she said. 'You must put Bob back in the nest,' said grand ma, 'or he will die of cold.'

So Jack ran with the chick and gave it back to the hen, and we all went to school; but as soon as we had done school, we all ran to look at poor Bob.

We found the poor thing out side the nest. When it went close to the hen to get warm like the rest, the old hen gave it a sharp peck, and would not let it come near her; and all the rest of the chicks did the same as the cross old hen, and drove poor Bob off.

We put the poor chick close to the hen, but it was no use; the hen would not have him near her.

'I will take Bob and nurse him my-self,' said Kate.

So she took the chick in her hands, and we all went to the house.

Nurse gave us some soft wool, and we made a nice, warm bed for Bob in an old work box that had no lid, and there we put the poor bird. We fed him with warm sop of bread and milk.

We kept the box on a shelf close to our bed side, so that we could look at Bob as soon as we woke. He soon grew to know us both, and would eat out of our hands. In a few days he grew quite fat and strong.

Kate and I grew so fond of Bob, that we thought no more of our rose tree.

Some times we took Bob out to the yard to let him have a run in the fresh air, but if the old hen, or the rest of the chicks, saw him, they gave him a peck. For some cause they did not love poor Bob, and would not let him play with them at all.

But though Bob was small and lame, he grew strong, and could run fast, and he soon

knew us all quite well, and would come when we gave a call.

At last he got so fond of us, that he would not be left in a room by him-self. If we left him, he would hop all the way up or down stairs to see where we were gone; and when Kate and I went to school, Bob went down to stay with the cook.

As soon as he heard us come home from school he would hop up the stairs to meet us, and seem quite glad to see us.

If we were at work, he would sit in our laps quite still and good.

Some times we wore our hair done up in nets, and if Bob felt cold, he would creep inside one of our nets, and sit there with our hair all round him to keep him warm.

Of course we were fond of the bird that was so fond of us, but in time he grew so big, that he could not get in-side our nets, or lie in his bed in the box. Nurse said it was high time to turn him out of the house. So one day we took him out to the yard, and shut him up in the shed with the rest of the chicks.