“Sure it’s the first bite that’s always the best, a body might not like it so well on the second,” said Jimmy as he took his, but Bugsey refused to have any at all.  “Wan bite’s no good,” he said, “it just lets yer see what yer missin.”

“D’ye think she’ll ever come to see us, ma?” asked Pearlie, as she set Danny in the chair to give him his supper.  The family was fed in divisions.  Danny was always in Division A.

“Her?  Is it?” said Mrs. Watson and they all listened, for Pearlie’s story to-day had far surpassed all her former efforts, and it seemed as if there must be some hope of its coming true.  “Why och! childer dear, d’ye think a foine lady like her would be bothered with the likes of us?  She is r’adin’ her book, and writin’ letthers, and thinkin’ great thoughts, all the time.  When she was speakin’ to me to-day, she looked at me so wonderin’ and faraway I could see that she thought I wasn’t there at all at all, and me farninst her all the time—­no childer, dear, don’t be thinkin’ of it, and Pearlie, I think ye’d better not be puttin’ notions inter their heads.  Yer father wouldn’t like it.  Well Danny, me man, how goes it?” went on Mrs. Watson, as her latest born was eating his rather scanty supper.  “It’s not skim milk and dhry bread ye’d be havin’, if you were her child this night, but taffy candy filled wid nuts and chunks o’ cake as big as yer head.”  Whereupon Danny wailed dismally, and had to be taken from his chair and have the “Little Boy Blue” sung to him, before he could be induced to go on with his supper.

The next morning when Jimmy brought the milk to Mrs. Francis’s back door the dark-eyed girl with the “smiley” teeth let him in, and set a chair beside the kitchen stove for him to warm his little blue hands.  While she was emptying the milk into the pitcher with the birds on it, Mrs. Francis, with a wonderful pink kimono on, came into the kitchen.

“Who is this boy, Camilla?” she asked, regarding Jimmy with a critical gaze.

“This is Master James Watson, Mrs. Francis,” answered Camilla with her pleasant smile.  “He brings the milk every morning.”

“Oh yes; of course, I remember now,” said Mrs. Francis, adjusting her glasses.  “How old is the baby, James?”

“Danny is it?” said Jim.  “He’s four come March.”

“Is he very sweet and cunning James, and do you love him very much?”

“Oh, he’s all right,” Jim answered sheepishly.

“It is a great privilege to have a little brother like Daniel.  You must be careful to set before him a good example of honesty and sobriety.  He will be a man some day, and if properly trained he may be a useful factor in the uplifting and refining of the world.  I love little children,” she went on rapturously, looking at Jimmy as if he wasn’t there at all, “and I would love to train one, for service in the world to uplift and refine.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Jimmy.  He felt that something was expected of him, but he was not sure what.