"And what can I do, mamma?" asked Bessie. "I want to work too, and I don't know how to sew."
"What shall we find for those little hands to do, Maggie?" said mamma, catching the two tiny hands Bessie held up and patting them softly against her own cheeks.
"Work for those little hands to do?" said papa, who just then came in and heard the last words. "I should think they were at their proper work now,—petting mamma. Papa would not mind coming in for a share too."
"And so he shall," said Bessie; "but petting you and mamma is nice play, not work; and these little hands want to be useful, papa."
"I think they do pretty well for five-year-old hands," said Mr. Bradford, as he sat down and took Bessie on his knee. "They bring papa's slippers and rock baby's cradle, and sometimes I see them trying to help mamma when she is busy. I think we may call them rather useful for hands of their size."
"But they want to make money, papa."
"Ho, ho! that is it; is it? Well, I do not know that they can do much at that business, or that they could hold any great sum if they made it. Let us see what they can do in that way;" and putting his hand into his pocket, Mr. Bradford pulled out a number of bright new pennies. "Put out both hands."
Bessie put her hands together and held them out, while her father counted the pennies into them.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. There, I think that is as much as they can hold at once," said Mr. Bradford. "Is there another pair of little hands that would like to try if they can do as well?"