tly had the little girls improved their stray chances, and
very carefully hoarded the copper coins which usually repaid them. They
had nearly saved enough to buy a dress, when Nelly was taken sick, and
as the mother had no money beforehand, poor Nelly's money had to be used
for medicine.

"Oh, I did feel so bad when school opened and Nelly could not go,
because she had no dress," said Mary. "I told mother I wouldn't go
either, but she said I would better, for I could teach sister some, and
it would be better than no schooling.

"I stood it for a fortnight, but Nelly's little face seemed all the time
looking at me on the way to school, and I couldn't be happy a bit, so I
finally thought of a way by which we could both go. I told mother I
would come one day, and the next I would lend Nelly my dress and she
might come; that's the way we have done, this week. But last night,
don't you think, somebody sent sister a dress just like mine, and now
she can come too.

"Oh, if I only knew who it was, I would get down on my knees and thank
them, and so would Nelly. But we don't know, and so we've done all we
could for them,--we've prayed for them,--and Oh, Miss M----, we are all
so glad now. Aren't you too?"

"Indeed I am," was the emphatic answer.

The following Monday, little Nelly, in the new pink dress, entered the
schoolroom with her sister. Her face was as radiant as a rose in
sunshine, and approaching the teacher's table, she exclaimed:--

"I am coming to school every day, and oh, I am so glad!"

The teacher felt as she had never done before, that it is "more blessed
to give than to receive." No millionaire, when he saw his name in public
prints, lauded for his thousand dollar charities, was ever so happy as
the poor school-teacher who wore her gloves half a summer longer than
she ought, and thereby saved enough to buy that little fatherless girl a
calico dress.

[Illustration: _"Nellie entered the schoolroom with her sister."_]

[Illustration]

* * * * *

A VALUABLE SECRET

Sarah, I wish you would lend me your thimble. I can never find mine when
I want it."

"Why can not you find it, Mary?"

"If you do not choose to lend me yours, I can borrow of somebody else."

"I am willing to lend it to you, Mary. Here it is."

"I knew you would let me have it."

"Why do you always come to me to borrow when you have lost anything,
Mary?"

"Because you never lose your things,