and in the lady's chamber, but no ball was to be found.
The mistress grew impatient, and the child searched again.
The mistress became unreasonable and threatened, and the child
really began to tremble for fear of undeserved chastisement.
What could she do?

What do you think she did? I will tell you?

Ever since that first night with Mammy Grace, when Tidy had asked
her what it was to pray, and had been told, "When we wants any ting
we can't git oursefs, nohow, we asks de Lord to gib it to us,"
these words had been treasured in her memory; but as yet she had never
had an opportunity to put them to a practical use; for up to this
time she had not really wanted any thing. Her necessities were all
supplied even better than she had reason to expect; for in addition
to the plain but sufficient fare that was allowed her in the cabin,
she was never a day without luxuries from the table of the family.
Fruits, tarts, and many a choice bit of cake, found their way through
the children's hands to their little favorite, so that she had nothing
to wish for in the eating line. Her services with the children
were so much in accordance with her taste as to be almost pastime,
and the old nurse was as kind and good as a mother could be.
Never until this day had she been brought into a real strait;
and it was in this emergency that she thought to put Mammy Grace's
suggestion to the test. She had attended the weekly prayer
or "praisin'-meetin's" as they were called, and observed that
when the men and women prayed, they seemed to talk in a familiar
way with this invisible Lord; and she determined to do the same.
As she went out for the third time from the presence of her mistress,
downcast and unhappy, she thought that if she only had such eyes