"O, she doesn't know when she loses dolls," said Rachel; "she always keeps more than a dozen or so on hand." "Well, I was going to say," continued Mr. Starbird, "you could easily find out whether there was any meaning to my dream. If there _is_ a doll up there on the scaffold, the hay is getting so low you could scrape round and find it." "That's so," cried the twins. "Not that it's really worth while, either," added Mr. Starbird; "for, as I said, it was only--" "But there isn't the least harm in going out to see," said Mary and the twins, and William Parlin, all in a breath, as they started on a run for the barn. Patty slipped down from her mother's arms and followed. "Me! Me! Let me go first," she cried. And before any one else could do it, her swift little feet were mounting the ladder, and next minute tripping over the scaffold. "O, look! O, catch! Here it is! Here is my dolly all up in the corner, and here's a pocket round her neck!" Dorcas, who was always rather nervous, sat on the barn floor and laughed and cried herself into such a state that Mr. Starbird had to give her his arm to help her back to the house. There was a great time, you may be sure, when Patty shook the pocket before everybody's eyes, and James rang the twenty-dollar piece on the brick hearth to make sure it was good gold. Dorcas was so excited that pink spots came in both her cheeks, and even James did not know what to think. Betsey Gould started right off to Dr. Potter's, where Siller Noonin happened to be, to tell Siller the story. Dorcas kept having little spasms of laughing and crying, and the whole household had rather a frightened look; for it was the most marvellous dream they ever heard of. "Well, mother, what do you think now of dreams?" said Moses. "Guess you'll have to give it up." Mrs. Lyman had been in her bedroom to put the gold piece into her drawer, and she now came back and took up her stocking-basket, as if nothing had happened. "I will tell you to-morrow what I think of dreams, Moses.--Hush, Patty, I am afraid we shall be sorry you found your dollar, if it makes you so noisy." Mr. Starbird went up to the table where Mrs. Lyman sat, pretending to be looking for the shears, but really to get a peep at the lady's eyes. At any rate, he did not go away till he had made her look at him, and then they both smiled, and Mrs. Lyman said, in a very low voice,-- "Francis, you have kept up the joke long enough." Frank nodded and went back to the settle. "James," said he, "you are the wise one of the family; I wish you would tell me how you account for my dream." "Can't account for it," said James, shaking his head; "don't pretend to." "Well, then, if you can't," returned Mr. Starbird, looking very innocent, "perhaps you can tell me what day of the month it is?" There was a general uproar then. "Have you been making fools of us, Frank Starbird?" cried James and Rachel, seizing him, one by the hair, the other by the ears.