"Sandy is our baby!" replied the matrons patting the little boy fondly, "and he is four years old. We cannot take them any younger without their mothers."
"Freddie is four also," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "What a dear sweet child Sandy is!"
"Yes," said Mrs. Manily, "he has just lost a good mother and his father cannot care for him—that is, he cannot afford to pay his board or hire a housekeeper, so he brought him to the Aid Society. He is the pet of the camp, and you can see he has been well trained."
"No mother and no home!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. "Dear little fellow! Think of our Freddie being alone in the world like that!"
Mrs. Bobbsey could hardly keep her tears back. She stooped over and kissed Sandy.
"Do you know my mamma?" he asked, looking straight into the lady's kind face.
"Mrs. Manily is your mamma, isn't she?" said Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Yes, she's my number two mamma, but I mean number one that used to sleep with me."
"Come now, Sandy," laughed Mrs. Manily. "Didn't you tell me last night I was the best mamma in the whole world?" and she hugged the little fellow to make him happy again.
"So you are," he laughed, forgetting all his loneliness now. "When I get to be a big man I'm goin' to take you out carriage riding."