sight of Ben's red face; "whatever'll we do now!"

The prop and stay of her life would be taken away if Ben should be
laid aside. No more stray half or quarter dollars would come to
help her out when she didn't know where to turn.

Polly cleared off the deserted table--for once Joel had all the bread
and butter he wanted. Ben took some of Phronsie's medicine, and
crawled up into the loft, to bed; and quiet settled down on the little
household.

"Polly," whispered Ben, as she tucked him in, "it'll be hard
buckling-to now, for you, but I guess you'll do it."

MORE TROUBLE

"Oh, dear," said Polly to herself, the next morning, trying to get a
breakfast for the sick ones out of the inevitable mush; "everything's
just as bad as it can be! they can't ever eat this; I wish I had an
ocean of toast!"

"Toast some of the bread in the pail, Polly," said Mrs. Pepper.

She looked worn and worried; she had been up nearly all night,
back and forth from Ben's bed in the loft to restless, fretful little
Phronsie in the big four-poster in the bedroom; for Phronsie
wouldn't get into the crib. Polly had tried her best to help her, and
had rubbed her eyes diligently to keep awake, but she was wholly
unaccustomed to it, and her healthy, tired little body succumbed--
and then when she awoke, shame and remorse filled her very heart.