Two short stories about young people who find themselves in difficult circumstances, written in 1880. Next Things relates of two brothers, recently orphaned. They cannot live together anymore, so one goes to a wealthy home on the edge of town, and the other goes to work in a grocer's shop. Each takes their mother's advice to find the next thing to do, and do it. In Dorrie's Day we have a grown-up little girl who gets lost on a train, and relates the family's search for her and her own adventures. Both of the stories contain a temperance theme. - Summary by TriciaG