But Anna Belle, who certainly looked very pretty in her sleep, and perhaps suspected it, seemed unable to overcome her drowsiness until Jewel set her up against the pillow, when her eyes at once flew open and she appeared ready for sociability.

“Do you remember Gladys on her birthday morning, dearie?  She couldn’t think of anything she wanted, and I’m almost like her.  Grandpa’s given me my boat, that’s his birthday present; and mother says she should think it was enough for ten birthdays, and so should I. Poor grandpa!  In ten birthdays I’ll be nineteen, and then he says I’ll have to cry on his shoulder instead of into his vest.  But grandpa’s such a joker!  Of course grown-up ladies hardly ever cry.  If father and mother have anything for me, I’ll be just delighted; but I can’t think what I want.  I have the darlingest pony in the world, and the dearest Little Faithful watch, and the best boat that was ever built, and I rowed father quite a long way yesterday all alone, and I didn’t splash much, but he caught hold of the side of the boat and pretended he was afraid”—­Jewel’s laughter gurgled forth at the remembrance—­“he’s such a joker; and I do understand the sail, too, but they won’t let me do it alone yet.  Father says he can see in my eye that I should love to jibe.  I don’t even know what jibe is, so how could I do it?”

Jewel had proceeded so far in her confidences when the door of her room opened, and her father and mother came in in their bath-wrappers.

“We thought we heard you improving Anna Belle’s mind,” said her father, taking her in his arms and kissing both her cheeks and chin, the tip of her nose and her forehead, and then carefully repeating the programme.

“But that was ten!” cried Jewel.

“Certainly.  If you didn’t have one to grow on, how would you get along?”

Then her pretty mother, her brown hair hanging in long braids, took her turn and kissed Jewel’s cheeks till they were pinker than ever.  “Many, many happy returns, my little darling,” she said.  “I didn’t know you weren’t going riding this morning.”

“Yes, grandpa said he expected a man early on business, and he had to be here to see him.  Father could have gone with me,” said Jewel, looking at him reproachfully, where he sat on the side of the bed, “but when I asked him last night he said—­I forget what he said.”

“Merely that I didn’t believe that horses liked such early dew.”

“Oh, Jewel!” laughed Mrs. Evringham, “your father is a lazy, sleepy boy.  It’s later than you think, dearie.  Hop up now and get ready for breakfast.”

They left her, and the little girl arose with great alacrity, for ever since she was a baby her birthday present had always been on the breakfast table.

As soon as she was dressed, she put a blue cashmere wrapper on Anna Belle and carried her downstairs to the room where the Evringham family had their meals, separate from the other inmates of the farmhouse.