contrition to grandma, and there was a marked improvement in her
conduct for some days.

Mrs. Polly was a born driver. She worked hard herself, and she
expected everybody about her to. The tasks which Ann had set her did
not seem as much out of proportion, then, as they would now. Still,
her mistress, even then, allowed her less time for play than was
usual, though it was all done in good faith, and not from any
intentional severity. As time went on, she grew really quite fond of
the child, and she was honestly desirous of doing her whole duty by
her. If she had had a daughter of her own, it is doubtful if her
treatment of her would have been much different.

Still, Ann was too young to understand all this, and, sometimes,
though she was strong and healthy, and not naturally averse to work,
she would rebel, when her mistress set her stints so long, and kept
her at work when other children were playing.

Once in a while she would confide in grandma, when Mrs. Polly sent
her over there on an errand and she had felt unusually aggrieved
because she had had to wind quills, or hetchel, instead of going
berrying, or some like pleasant amusement.

"Poor little cosset," grandma would say, pityingly. Then she would
give her a simball, and tell her she must "be a good girl, and not
mind if she couldn't play jest like the others, for she'd got to airn
her own livin', when she grew up, and she must learn to work."

Ann would go away comforted, but grandma would be privately
indignant. She was, as is apt to be the case, rather critical with