Page:The Floating Prince - Frank R Stockton.djvu/191

176 "Please, sir," said the oldest child, a girl of about the age of Loris, with tangled hair and sharp black eyes, "We are all sick, and very poor, and our father has no work. If you can give us a little money to buy bread——"

"All sick, eh!" said the short man. "Any particular disease?"

"We don't know about diseases, sir," said the girl, "we've never been to school."

"No doubt of that," said the man. "I have no money to give you, but you can tell your father that if he will come to the mouth of the Ragged Mine, to-morrow morning, he can have a job of work which will pay him well." So saying he went out. Loris followed him, but he simply waved his hand to her, and in a few minutes was lost in the forest.

Loris looked sadly after him, and then walked slowly towards her home.

The moment their visitors had gone, the Laub children sprang out of bed, as lively as crickets.

"Ha! Ha!" cried the oldest girl, "She came after him to get it, and he wouldn't give it to her, and father's got it. Served her right the horrid thing!" and all the children shouted, "Horrid thing!" One of the boys now ran out, and threw a stone after Loris, and then they sat down to finish eating a meat-pie, which had been given them. "Well," said Jorn, that evening when Loris told him what had happened. "I'm sorry, for I found but little work to-day, but it can't be helped. You did all you could." "No, father," said Loris. "I might have gone to the door quicker."

"That may be," said Jorn, "and I hope you will never keep any one waiting again."

Two or three days after this, as Loris was stooping over the