girl came to ask the bakeshop woman to come over. Their father was dead. She went over willingly enough, for someone had to go. But it was clear that she did not expect to be bothered with four strange children, with the bakery on her hands and two children of her own. "Haven't you any other folks?" she asked the children. "We have a grandfather in Greenfield," spoke up the youngest child before his sister could clap her hand over his mouth. "Hush, Benny," she said anxiously. This made the bakeshop woman suspicious. "What's the matter with your grandfather?" she asked. "He doesn't like us," replied the oldest boy reluctantly. "He didn't want my father to marry my mother, and if he found us he would treat us cruelly." "Did you ever see him?" "Jess has. Once she saw him." "Well, did he treat you cruelly?" asked the woman, turning upon Jess. "Oh, he didn't see me," replied Jess. "He was just passing through our--where we used to live--and my father pointed him out to me." "Where did you use to live?" went on the questioner. But none of the children could be made to tell. "We will get along all right alone, won't we, Henry?" declared Jess. "Indeed we will!" said Henry. "I will stay in the house with you tonight," said the woman at last, "and tomorrow we will see what can be done." The four children went to bed in the kitchen, and gave the visitor the only other bed in the house. They knew that she did not at once go to bed, but sat by the window in the dark. Suddenly they heard her talking to her husband through the open window. "They must go to their grandfather, that's certain," Jess heard her say. "Of course," agreed her husband. "Tomorrow we will make them tell us what his name is." Soon after that Jess and Henry heard her snoring heavily. They sat up in the dark. "Mustn't we surely run away?" whispered Jess in Henry's ear. "Yes!" whispered Henry. "Take only what we need most. We must be far off before morning, or they will catch us." Jess sat still for a moment, thinking, for every motion she made must count. "I will take both loaves of bread," she thought, "and Violet's little workbag. Henry has his knife. And all Father's money is in my pocket." She drew it out and counted it in the dark, squinting her eyes in the faint light of the moon. It amounted to nearly four dollars. "You'll have to carry Benny until he gets waked up," whispered Jess. "If we wake him up here, he might cry." She touched Violet as she spoke. "Sh! Violet! Come! We're going to run away," she whispered. The little girl made no sound. She sat up obediently and tried to make out the dim shadow of her sister. "What shall I do?" she said, light as a breath. "Carry this," said Jess, handing her the workbag and a box of matches. Jess tiptoed over to the tin box on the table, drew out the two loaves of bread, and slipped them into the laundry bag. She peered around the room for the last time, and then dropped two small clean towels and a cake of soap into the bag. "All right. Pick him up," she said to Henry. Henry bent over the sleeping child and lifted him carefully. Jess took the laundry bag, turned the doorknob ever so softly, opened the door ever so slowly, and they tiptoed out in a ghostly procession....