forgive me for pity's sake, and for Christ's sake, if I'm worthy to use
his name, and do take care of my little girl till I come home to you both
on Friday, From your now dutiful daughter,

"POOR SUSAN."

The tears rolled fast down old Oliver's cheeks as he read this letter
through twice, speaking the words half aloud to himself. Why! this was
his own little grandchild, then--his very own! And no doubt Susan had
christened her Dorothy, after her own mother, his dear wife, who had died
so many years ago. Dolly was the short for Dorothy, and in early times he
had often called his wife by that name. He had turned his gas off and
lighted a candle, and now he took it up and went to the bedside to look
at his new treasure. The tiny face lying upon his pillow was rosy with
sleep, and the fair curly hair was tossed about in pretty disorder. His
spectacles grew very dim indeed, and he was obliged to polish them
carefully on his cotton handkerchief before he could see his
grand-daughter plainly enough. Then he touched her dimpled cheek
tremblingly with the end of his finger, and sobbed out, "Bless her! bless
her!" He returned to his chair, his head shaking a good deal before he
could regain his composure; and it was not until he had kindled his pipe,
and was smoking it, with his face turned towards the sleeping child, that
he felt at all like himself again.

"Dear Lord!" he said, half aloud, between the whiffs of his pipe, "dear
Lord! how very good thou art to me! Didst thee not say, 'I'll not leave
thee comfortless, I'll come to thee?' I know what that means, bless thy
name; and the good Spirit has many a time brought me comfort, and cheered
my heart. I know thou didst not leave me alone before. No, no! that was
far from thee, Lord. Alone!--why, thou'rt always here; and now there's