r
white neck covered by a wealth of golden ringlets. The teacher noticed
in both, the same close attention to their studies, and as Mary stayed
indoors during recess, so did Nelly; and upon speaking to her as she had
to her sister, she received the same answer, "I might tear my dress."

The reply caused Miss M---- to notice the dress of her sister. She saw
at once that it was of the same piece as Mary's, in fact, she became
certain that it was the same dress. It did not fit quite so nicely on
Nelly, and was too long for her, and she was evidently ill at ease when
she noticed her teacher looking at the bright pink flowers that were so
thickly set on the white ground.

The discovery was one that could not but interest the teacher. Though
short of means herself, that same night she purchased a dress of the
same material for little Nelly, and made arrangements with the merchant
to send it to her in such a way that the donor need never be known.

Very bright and happy looked Mary Gray on Friday morning, as she entered
the school at an early hour. She waited only to place her books in neat
order in her desk, ere she approached the teacher, and whispering in a
voice that laughed in spite of her efforts to make it low and
deferential.

"After this week sister Nelly is coming to school every day, and oh, I
am so glad!"

"That is very good news," replied the teacher kindly. "Nelly is fond of
her books, I see, and I am happy to know that she can have an
opportunity to study them every day."

Then she continued, a little good-natured mischief in her eyes,--"But
can your mother spare you both conveniently?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am, yes ma'am, she can now. Something happened that she
didn't expect, and she is as glad to have us come as we are to do so."
She hesitated a moment, but her young heart was filled to the brim with
joy, and when a child is happy, it is as natural to tell the cause as it
is for a bird to warble when the sun shines. So out of the fullness of
her heart she spoke and told her teacher this little story:--

She and her sister were the only children of a poor widow, whose health
was so delicate that it was almost impossible to support herself and
daughters. She was obliged to keep them out of school all winter, as
they had no suitable clothes to wear, but she told them that if they
could earn enough to buy each of them a new dress, by doing odd chores
for the neighbors, they might go in the spring.

Very earnes