"Why, Rob March!" exclaimed Nelly: "you're a selfish thing. How'd you like to be lame like that and not have anybody sorry for you?" "Why, Nell, I am real sorry for him: I mean I expect I should be if I knew him; but I did hope he'd go round some with me. I haven't had a boy since we came to Colorado." Nelly looked hurt. "I'm sure I go everywhere that you do," she said. "You don't ever have to be alone." "I know it, Nell," replied Rob, meekly: "you're as good as any girl can be,--lots better than most girls; but a boy's different. You'd like a girl sometimes yourself: you know you would." "I wouldn't either," retorted Nelly: "I'd rather have you than any girl in the whole world." The little sick boy had sharper eyes than the nurse had. She had not seen the two children sitting on the barn-doorsteps: but the boy spied them in a minute, and said to his nurse:-- "There are a boy and a girl sitting in that barn-door. Give me my opera-glass: I want to see what they're like." Then Nelly and Rob saw the boy lift up a round thing to his eyes, and point it at them. "He's looking at us, Rob," said Nelly, "through that thing: I saw a gentleman have one in the cars. I shall go away: I don't want him to look at us." "Stop!" said Rob: "he's put it down. He's talking to his nurse." This is what the boy was saying:-- "Flora, please go across there and ask that boy to come here: I want to see him. Tell him I'm sick. I want to ask him if there are any birds here,--if he can't get me a lark." "Now, Master Arthur," the nurse replied, "you just wait till your mamma gets up, and ask her. Perhaps she wouldn't want you to have that boy play with you." "You go along this minute," said Arthur, beginning to cry: "if you don't I'll cry. You know the doctor said I was not to be crossed in any thing. You go along, quick! Stay! you tell them both to come here." The nurse walked away, muttering under her breath: "And a fine life ye'll lead them, if ye get them under your thumb, to be sure! It's a thousand pities you ever heard that speech of the doctor's, you poor thing." "She's coming over here, Rob," said Nelly, as she saw the woman walking in their direction: "what do you suppose she wants?" "Milk or eggs, I guess," said Rob. "I can get her some splendid fresh eggs right behind this door. Old Spotty's got her nest in there now. The weasels got into her old nest and she won't lay there any more." When the nurse reached the door, she said very politely to the children:-- "Good morning, children. Do you live here?" "No, ma'am," said Rob, gravely. Nelly looked at him indignantly. "Why, Rob!" she began. But Rob went on:-- "Our oxen and cows and hens live here: we live in the house over yonder." Nelly laughed out, and so did the nurse. "You have a droll tongue in your head, my boy," she said. "I came to ask you if you wouldn't come over to the tent there and see Master Arthur. He's in the chair there: see him? He's lame: he can't walk."