"If you please, missus," she said, "there is a queerest little baby on the front porch in the big clothes-basket."
"A baby!" cried the astonished Mrs. Tompkins.
"Yes'm, a white baby."
"Where is its mother?"
"I don't know, missus. It must a been there nearly all night, an' I suppose they who ever left it there wants you to keep it fur good."
"Bring the poor little thing here," said Mrs. Tompkins, rising to a sitting position in the bed.
In a few minutes Dinah returned with a baby about six months old, dressed in a faded calico gown, and hungrily sucking its tiny fist, while its dark brown eyes were filled with tears.
"It was in de big basket among some ole clothes," said Dinah.
"Poor, dear little thing! it is nearly starved and almost frozen. Prepare it some warm milk at once, Dinah," said the kind-hearted mistress.
The girl hurried away to do her bidding, leaving the baby with Mrs. Tompkins, who held the benumbed child in her arms and tried to still its cries.