"Yes. 'Twas just a little while before he died. We stopped 'most a
week with a farmer. Dad helped about the hayin'--and I did, too, some.
The farmer's wife was awful good to me, and pretty quick she was
callin' me 'Jamie.' I don't know why, but she just did. And one day
father heard her. He got awful mad--so mad that I remembered it
always--what he said. He said 'Jamie' wasn't no sort of a name for a
boy, and that no son of his should ever be called it. He said 'twas a
sissy name, and he hated it. 'Seems so I never saw him so mad as he
was that night. He wouldn't even stay to finish the work, but him and
me took to the road again that night. I was kind of sorry, 'cause I
liked her--the farmer's wife, I mean. She was good to me."

Pollyanna nodded, all sympathy and interest. It was not often that
Jimmy said much of that mysterious past life of his, before she had
known him.

"And what happened next?" she prompted. Pollyanna had, for the moment,
forgotten all about the original subject of the controversy--the name
"Jamie" that was dubbed "sissy."

The boy sighed.

"We just went on till we found another place. And 'twas there
dad--died. Then they put me in the 'sylum."

"And then you ran away and I found you that day, down by Mrs. Snow's,"
exulted Pollyanna, softly. "And I've known you ever since."

"Oh, yes--and you've known me ever since," repeated Jimmy--but in a