help take care of her."

"You're very kind," Miss Avilda answered sarcastically, preparing to
shut the door upon the strange child; "but I don't think I care to adopt
any babies this afternoon, thank you. You'd better run right back home
to your mother, if you've got one, and know where 't is, anyhow."

"I--haven't!" cried poor Timothy, with a sudden and unpremeditated burst
of tears at the failure of his hopes; for he was half child as well as
half hero. At this juncture Gay opened her eyes, and burst into a wild
howl at the unwonted sight of Timothy's grief; and Rags, who was full of
exquisite sensibility, and quite ready to weep with those who did weep,
lifted up his woolly head and added his piteous wails to the concert. It
was a _tableau vivant_.

"Samanthy Ann!" called Miss Vilda excitedly; "Samanthy Ann! Come right
here and tell me what to do!"

The person thus adjured flew in from the porch, leaving a serpentine
trail of red, yellow, and blue rags in her wake. "Land o' liberty!" she
exclaimed, as she surveyed the group. "Where'd they come from, and what
air they tryin' to act out?"

"This boy's a baby agent, as near as I can make out; he wants I should
adopt this red-headed baby, but says I ain't obliged to take him too,
and makes out they haven't got any home. I told him I wa'n't adoptin'
any babies just now, and at that he burst out cryin', and the other two
followed suit. Now, have the three of 'em just escaped from some
asylum, or are they too little to be lunatics?"