"Oh, Allie, dear little Allie, what will you do? What shall we all do?
Mother's dead, mother's dead!"

Ella was not accustomed to see her sister thus moved, and her tears
now flowed faster while she entreated Mary to stop. "Don't do so,
Mary," she said. "Don't do so. You make me cry harder. Tell her to
stop, Billy. Tell her to stop."

But Billy's tears were flowing too, and he could only answer the
little girl by affectionately smoothing her tangled curls, which for
once in her life she had forgotten to arrange At length rising up, he
said to Mary, "Something must be done. The villagers must know of it,
and I shall have to leave you alone while I tell them."

In half an hour from that time the cottage was nearly filled with
people, some of whom came out of idle curiosity, and after seeing all
that was to be seen, started for home, telling the first woman who put
her head out the chamber window for particulars, that "'twas a
dreadful thing, and such a pity, too, that Ella should have to go to
the poor-house, with her pretty face and handsome curls."

But there were others who went there for the sake of comforting the
orphans and attending to the dead, and by noon the bodies were
decently arranged for burial. Mrs. Johnson's Irish girl Margaret was
cleaning the room, and in the bedroom adjoining, Mrs. Johnson herself,
with two or three other ladies, were busily at work upon some plain,
neat shrouds, and as they worked they talked of the orphan children
who were now left friendless.

"There will be no trouble," said one, "in finding a place for Ella,