or of the Callahans' neighbor, the
'nice colored lady.' "Do you happen to know," she inquired, "where Mrs.
Callahan was last Thursday afternoon?"

"She was visitin', lady," was the ready answer. "She took the biggest
children to see a lady she sews for that's give them a lot of things. I
had them three youngest children under my feet all afternoon. Not but
that I was glad to mind them for her to go visitin', for she's a
splendid lady and they're real lovely children. She's to home now. The
sewin'-machine's been rattlin' since daylight."

"I cert'ny am glad to see you at last, lady," said Mrs. Callahan, with
rather an offended air, when Peggy and John Edward and Elmore and Susie
ushered in the visitors. "I been lookin' for you to bring me that
rent-money. I told the agent's young man he should have it early this
afternoon."

"I did not promise to let you have any money, Mrs. Callahan." Miss
Margery's tone was crisp and firm. "On Monday you had all your
rent-money except one dollar. You said you expected to get that this
week for sewing."

"I ain't got no sewin' money," said Mrs. Callahan. "The lady she
couldn't make the change and she told me to come back Monday. That's why
I had to send and ask you to lend me the loan of three dollars."

"But it was one dollar you needed for the rent, Mrs. Callahan," said
Miss Margery, resolved to get to the bottom of the matter.

"Well, I did have two dollars but I had to spend it," said Mrs.
Callahan. "I was thinkin' I could get it somehow. And I knew you could
let me have it. Ain't that what the Charity's for?"

That was what many of the 'poor things' thought, Miss Margery knew to
her regret,--that the Charity was merely a reservoir for the wasteful
and the thriftless to draw from at will. Could it ever be, she wondered,
what it ought to be,--a crutch to be cast aside with regained health, a
hand of brotherhood to lift the fallen and teach them to stand alone, to
steady the weak and make them strong? How hard it was to give help, and
at the same time to teach the poor to be self-helpful! Miss Margery
sighed, but she knew it was useless to argue the matter, so she only
answered reprovingly, "I fear you have wasted money, Mrs. Callahan. A
neighbor told me you had been off with the children on an excursion."

When Mrs. Callahan dimpled and chuckled as she did now, she looked like
Peggy's older sister. "Peg told me Mrs. Flannagan went to you with that
tale. I cert'ny did fool he