“Mother’s dead,” she said, “I haven’t any papa; Ruthy and me lives alone, and sells pins and things, only Ruthy sells ’em and I keep house, and she’s burned, and I’s Rena Cutler and she isn’t.” This was her story, and as nothing more could be learned of her or of the Ruth of whom she talked, and as it was known that several had perished in the flames, it seemed probable that Ruth was one of them; and Rena’s fever ran higher, and she talked of the baby of Bethlehem and Jesus’ birthday party, and the buns from Purssell’s, but after a time she grew better, and was interested in things around her, and was a great favorite with every one and happy in her new home, where all the influences were calculated to strengthen the good there was in her when she lived with Ruth in the old house. But she never forgot “poor Ruthy,” whom she believed to have been burned to death, and every night she prayed that God would make her “good enough to go some day to Heaven where Ruthy and mother were; amen, for Christ’s sake, please.” CHAPTER IV. RENA AT UNCLE OBED’S. Uncle Obed had not found his lost daughter in New York, or any trace of her; but he heard of the fire, and he went down and looked at the ruins, and stood close to the place where little Rena came shrieking down the stairs into the streets; then he went to the Mission House on Sunday and heard the children sing their songs, and saw them take their evening meal, and went into the room where little Rena lay and saw her bright-hair on the pillow and just the outline of her pale face, and heard she was one of the little ones rescued from the fire. He left ten dollars with the matron to be used for her and “the other wee ones, God bless them!” and then went home and told Aunt Hannah, who all the winter long worked for that Home in New York, and sent to it more than one garment which happened to fit Rena. And so five years went by, and then there came to Oakfield one day an agent for the Home, and with him several little girls for whom places were wanted. Rena was among them, and in her soft blue eyes and pretty face there was something which appealed strongly to the sympathy of Aunt Hannah, who took the child for her own and brought her home and put her in the room which had been Agatha’s, and gave her so much love and kindness that the little girl sometimes wondered “if Heaven, where Ruthy was, could be better than this.”