successful as his brothers, and had been unable to live as well. It
had been a great cross to his wife, Dorcas, who was very high
spirited. She had compared, bitterly, the poverty of her household
arrangements with the abundant comfort of her sisters-in-law.

Now, she seized eagerly at the opportunity of improving her style of
living. The old Wales house was quite a pretentious edifice for those
times. All the drawback to her delight was, that Grandma should have
the southwest fire-room. She wanted to set up her high-posted bedstead
with its enormous feather-bed in that, and have it for her fore-room.
Properly, it was the fore-room, being right across the entry from the
family sitting room. There was a tall chest of drawers that would fit
in so nicely between the windows, too. Take it altogether, she was
chagrined at having to give up the southwest room; but there was no
help for it--there it was in Deacon Wales' will.

Mrs. Dorcas was the youngest of all the sons' wives, as her husband
was the latest born. She was quite a girl to some of them. Grandma had
never more than half approved of her. Dorcas was high-strung and
flighty, she said. She had her doubts about living happily with her.
But Atherton was anxious for this division of the property, and he was
her youngest darling, so she gave in. She felt lonely, and out of her
element, when everything was arranged, she established in the
southwest fire-room, and Atherton's family keeping house in the
others, though things started pleasantly and peaceably enough.

It occurred to her that her son Samuel might have her own "help," a
stout woman, who had worked in her kitchen for many years, and she
take in exchange his little bound girl, Ann Ginnins. She had always
taken a great fancy to the child. There was a large closet out of the