"And here is mine," said the second, lifting it from her back. "I have to
go to church every Sunday when I want to sleep. There is nothing there for
me and I am so tired of it. But father and mother insist that I go, at
least in the morning. I want to be free from the church."

"Oh," said the third. "I don't mind school and I don't mind going to
church but I do mind having to help at home. It is iron and sweep and wash
dishes; then wash dishes and sweep and iron. Always something to do when I
am in the house. I hate housework and I want to be free from doing it.
Mother says all girls should help at home. But it is a big burden."

"My burden is quite different from the others," said the fourth. "I cannot
dress as I choose. I must wear heavy clothes and low heels. I must dress
my hair as if I were old and tidy. All the girls do differently and I want
to be like them. Really my burden makes me very unhappy. Please let me
change it."

Then the fairy turned to the last girl, who had been resting her burden
against a stone wall.

"What have you here, dear?" she said kindly. "Your burden seems weighing
you down. Let me help you open it."

"Oh dear," said the girl, and the big tears welled up in her eyes. "This
is my home life. Nobody seems to understand me. They scold and fret and
fuss all the time. Mother is cross and the children are always bothering
me. I want to go away from home and work for my living and then board as
the other girls do. I should love to have a little room in a
boarding-house where the girls could come to see me. My burden grows
heavier and heavier and I am also very unhappy."

"Well, well, well," said the Fairy Who Rights Things. "It looks as if I
had a big task. All of you seem to be unhappy, but then we are usually
unhappy because we look at ourselves instead of others. Let's try what
these magic spectacles can do. They will show you the burdens some of your
friends carry and also show you how they carry them."

Then she fitted a pair to the eyes of each girl and they looked at the
passers-by.

There was Kate, who was always smiling and happy. Her burden was almost as
large as she. There was a sick mother away back on the little farm in the
country. Kate was trying to support her and still have enough to keep her
own expenses paid. Her days were full of work. In her room, she was sewing
to make extra money. She was very lonely, for she loved the little mother
and longed to be with her, but she