High O! High O!’
“I told God there wasn’t no laps to the ’sylum, and would He please take care o’ me quick.”
The troubled blue eyes lifted to the doctor’s face made him gather her suddenly into his arms and ask, “What is wrong with this lap?” With her curly red head against his shoulder they talked of more joyous happenings. The new shoes, with “shiny tips,” the kid mittens with snappers to make them stay shut, the wonderful things they had seen in the shops, the doll that sat wide-eyed on the arm of Jeanie’s chair.
After a long, dreamy pause, Maddie sat erect, and putting her hands on the doctor’s shoulders, she looked long and earnestly into his strong, kindly face. Slowly a light came into her eyes and she said: “God ain’t forgot me. He sent you. Granny said I was to ’member, ‘God will take care o’ you,’ and He DID!”
“Yes, Maddie,” said the doctor, softly, and again, “Yes! yes!”
The head with its bobbing curls was back on his shoulder, the weary eyelids drooping.
“She is off to dreamland,” the doctor thought, when she roused again:
“P’raps He will take care o’ granny; she was sorry.”
V.
WHERE IS DOROTHY?
While the world looked like fairy-land, glistening, sparkling in the glowing sunshine, the city children came. They were whisked away to the different homes amid the jingling of sleigh bells, each person preferring the long way round.