“We’ll get it at Mrs. Golden’s corner store!” said Bunny.  “She keeps pepper.”

“All right,” Mary agreed.  “Wait and I’ll get you the money.  We don’t charge things at her store.”

A little later Bunny Brown and his sister Sue, hand in hand, entered Mrs. Golden’s little store.

“Well, my dears, what is it to-day?” asked the old lady, with a smile.

“Some pepper, if you please,” answered Sue.

“Red or black?” asked Mrs. Golden.

Bunny and Sue looked at one another.  This was something they had not thought about.  Which did Mary want—­red or black?

Seeing that the children were puzzled, Mrs. Golden said: 

“What is your mother going to use it for, my dears?”

“Mother didn’t tell us to get it,” replied Bunny.  “It was Mary, our cook, who sent us after it, ’cause she forgot to get any for supper.”

“Oh, then it’s black pepper she wants, I suppose,” said Mrs. Golden.  “She wouldn’t want red pepper unless she were putting up pickles or something like that.  I’ll give you black pepper.”

She started to rise from her chair, for she had been seated near the back of the store, but seemed so old and feeble that Bunny and Sue felt very sorry for her.  When ladies got as old as Mrs. Golden seemed to be they ought always to rest in easy chairs, Bunny thought, and not have to get up to wait on a store.

Mrs. Golden grunted and groaned a little as she pushed herself up from the arms of the big chair.

“Are you terrible old?” asked Sue.

“I’m pretty old, yes, my dear,” said Mrs. Golden.  “But I don’t mind that.  It’s the stiffness and the rheumatism.  It’s hard for me to get about, and the black pepper’s on a high shelf, too.  If my son Philip was only here he’d reach it down for me.”

“Where is Philip?” asked Sue.

“Oh, he’s gone to the city on business.  He hopes to get a little legacy.”

“What’s a leg-legacy?” asked Bunny.  “Is it something to sell in the store?”

“Bless your heart, no!” laughed Mrs. Golden.  “A legacy is money, or property, or something like that which is left to you.  If some of your rich relations die they leave money in the bank, or a house and lot, and it comes to you.  That’s a legacy.”

“Did some of your rich relations die?” asked Sue.

“Well, an old man, who wasn’t a very close relation, died,” said the storekeeper.  “There was some talk that he might leave me something, and Philip went to the city to see about it.

“But, dear, me! things are so uncertain in this world that I don’t believe I’ll get anything.  There’s no use thinking about it.  I don’t want to be disappointed, but I would like to get some money!”

Poor old lady!  She seemed very sad and feeble, and the children felt sorry for her.

“Let me see now,” went on Mrs. Golden.  “Was it salt you said you wanted, Bunny?”