Mildred found Dilly at home a few minutes later, folding away a little, ragged doll’s cap, and drenching it with tears.

Mildred put her arms around Dilly’s neck.  “Oh, Dilly,” she said, “it was so beautiful of you!  Aunt Lou saw it all from the window.  I’m so ’shamed to think how I’ve treated you.  Do you think you could forgive me?  If you could I’d love you all my life.”

Dilly forgave her, and, all in her ragged dress, went home with Mildred.  Every little girl kissed her, and she stopped to tea.

Not long after, a beautiful doll came to Dilly.  It was Mildred’s gift, and all the little girls who were at the party helped to dress it.

Dilly loves it dearly, and though it will never take the place of the dear, double-faced doll, she is very happy, for Mildred is her loyal friend.

—­Selected.

A good cure for discontent—­count your blessings every day.

WHAT JENNY SHOWED JEAN.

By Adele E. Thompson.

It was a happy day for Jean when the cars started that were to take her and Big Sister all the way to Grandpa’s.

When they left the train it was just as she had thought it would be.  There was grandpa waiting to meet them, the ride through the green fields behind Prince, the big white house with dear grandma waiting at the door, Tobias the gray cat, the speckled hens; all her friends, for grandpa had even opened the pasture gate and let Jenny, the pretty Jersey cow, come on the lawn to welcome Jean.

And Jean!  She had hardly taken off her hat before she ran out to see them all.  But Jenny was her especial favorite, because grandpa had brought her up from a calf and she was so gentle that she had let Jean take many a ride on her back.  Jean had just given her a good hug when grandpa came by leading Prince to pasture.  “Please put me on her,” she begged.

“All right,” he answered.  “Take hold of the strap round her neck and don’t ride far.”

“No, I won’t.  Jenny always stops for me to jump off when I want to.”

But when grandpa came back there was no little girl, no Jersey cow anywhere to be seen.  Grandma and Big Sister had been so busy talking that they had not missed her, now when they called there was no answer.  Where could Jean be?

But before anyone had time to be really frightened there was a patter of feet and Jean herself came running.

“Oh, oh,” she cried, her eyes shining, “what do you think?  Just as soon as I was on Jenny’s back she started for the barn.  And when we came round by the barnyard she stopped and said ‘Moo, moo,’ an’ then a little calf—­just like Jenny—­that I hadn’t seen ’cause it was lying down, jumped up, an’ came running to the gate an’ put its head through.  Jenny put her head down an’ kissed it, then she turned her head and looked at me, an’ I jumped right down off her back an’ kissed it too.  For I knew it was Jenny’s calf an’ she had taken me out the first thing to show it to me.  Wasn’t it nice of Jenny to want me to see her calf? an’ grandpa, can I name it?”