Kate sat down suddenly, an awful sickness in her heart.

“Why, you poor child you!” she said.

“Oh, I’ve been all right,” said Polly.  “I’ve been almost petted and loved to death; but Mother, there never should be the amount of work attached to living that there is in that house.  It’s never ending, it’s intolerable.  Mrs. Peters just goes until she drops, and then instead of sleeping, she lies awake planning some hard, foolish, unnecessary thing to do next.  Maybe she can stand it herself, but I’m tired out.  I’m going to sit down, and not budge to do another stroke until after the baby comes, and then I am going to coax Henry to rent a piece of land, and move to ourselves.”

Kate took heart.  “That will be fine!” she cried.  “That will be the very thing.  I’ll ask the boys to keep their eyes open for any chance for you.”

“You needn’t take any bother about it,” said Polly, “because that isn’t what is going to happen.  All I want to be sure of now is that you and Adam will take my baby.  I’ll see to the rest.”

“How will you see to it, Polly?” asked Kate, gently.

“Well, it’s already seen to, for matter of that,” said Polly conclusively.  “I’ve known for quite a while that I was sick; but I couldn’t make them do anything but kiss me, and laugh at me, until I am so ill that I know better how I feel than anybody else.  I got tired being laughed at, and put off about everything, so one day in Hartley, while Mother Peters was shopping, I just went in to the lawyer Grandmother always went to, and told him all about what I wanted.  He has the papers made out all right and proper; so when I send for Uncle Robert, I am going to send for him, too, and soon as the baby comes I’ll put in its name and sign it, and make Henry, and then if I have to go, you won’t have a bit of trouble.”

Kate gazed at Polly in dumb amazement.  She was speechless for a time, then to break the strain she said:  “My soul!  Did you really, Polly?  I guess there is more Bates in you than I had thought!”

“Oh, there’s some Bates in me,” said Polly.  “There’s enough to make me live until I sign that paper, and make Henry Peters sign it, and send Mr. Thomlins to you with it and the baby.  I can do that, because I’m going to!”

Ten days later she did exactly what she had said she would.  Then she turned her face to the wall and went into a convulsion out of which she never came.  While the Peters family refused Kate’s plea to lay Polly beside her grandmother, and laid her in their family lot, Kate, moaning dumbly, sat clasping a tiny red girl in her arms.  Adam drove to Hartley to deposit one more paper, the most precious of all, in the safety deposit box.