hear it. But I am very glad you are out again, for my
sewing is all behindhand."

"I'm afraid that I shall not be able to do any more sewing for a good
while," said Mrs. Lee, despondingly.

"Indeed! And why not?"

"Because my eyes have become so weak that I can scarcely see."

"Then what do you expect to do? How will you get along, Mrs. Lee?"

"I can hardly tell myself. But I must do something."

"What can you do besides sewing?"

"I don't know of any thing, unless I take in washing."

"Take in washing! You are not fit to stand at the washing tub."

"I know that, ma'am. But when we are driven to it, we can do a great
many things, even though we gradually fail under our task."

A pause of a few moments ensued, which was broken by Mrs. Lee.

"Will you not give me your washing to do, Mrs. Walker?" she asked,
hesitatingly.

"Why, I don't know about that, Mrs. Lee. I never put my washing out of
the house."

"You hire some one in the house, then?"

"Yes, and if you will come for what I pay my present washerwoman, why I
suppose I might as well throw it in your way."

"Oh yes, of course I will. How much do you give?"

"I give half a dollar a day. Can you come for that?"

"If you will let me bring my little girl along. I could not leave her
alone."

"I don't know about that," replied Mrs. Walker, musingly. "I have so
many children of my own about the house."

"She will not be at all troublesome, ma'am," the poor woman urged.

"Will she be willing to stay in the kitchen?"

"Oh yes, I will keep her there."

"Well, Mrs. Lee, I suppose I might as well engage you. But there is one
thing that I wish understood. The person that I hire to help do the
washing must scrub up the kitchen after the clothes are all out. Are
you willing to do that?"

"Oh yes, ma'am. I will do it," said Mrs. Lee, while her heart sank
within her at the idea of performing tasks for which her feeble health
and strength seemed altogether insufficient. But she felt that she must
put her hands to the work, if she died in the effort to perform it.

Three days afterwards, she entered, as was agreed upon, at half a
dollar a day, the kitchen of Mrs. Walker, who had but a few years
before been one of her friends and companions.

It is remarkable, how persons of the most delicate constitutions will
sometimes bear up under the severest toil, and encounter the most
trying privations, and yet not fail, but really appear to gain some
degree of s