speak to your betters, and, anyway, children should be seen and not
heard."

One day, a never-forgotten day, she went down cellar to the bin of
potatoes to select some for dinner. She was sorting them over and laying
out all of one size, when she took up quite a long one, and lo! it had a
little face on it and two eyes and a little hump between for a nose and
a long crack below that made a very pretty mouth.

Elsie looked at it joyfully. "It will make me a child," she said, "no
matter if it has no arms or legs; the face is everything."

She carefully placed it at the end of the bin, and whenever she could
slip away without neglecting her work would run down cellar and talk
softly to it.

But one day her potato-child was gone! Elsie's heart gave a big jump,
and then fell like lead, and seemed to lie perfectly still; but it
commenced to beat again, beat and ache, beat and ache!

She tried to look for the changeling; but the tears made her so that she
couldn't see very well; and there were so many potatoes! She looked
every moment she had a chance all the next day, and cried a great deal.
"I can never be real happy again," she thought.

"Don't cry any more," said Miss Amanda," it does not look well when you
open the door for my customers. You have enough to eat and wear; what
more do you want?"

"Something to love," said Elsie, but not very loud.