Heart of Gold

Dr. Coates bending over her, and she startled the worthy gentleman by asking in sprightly tones, "Well, Doctor,

ed old face brightened visibly at the sound of her che

be all ri

so, cur

tomo

elf to tell her that it might be weeks before he cou

bed held no charms for that active body.

"do you realize that you are the luc

y, forgetting her lament

hat you were not

ohnny da

uldn't pass

ook he

irlie must take

ect to fall," she murmured, and two

e comforted, "don't feel badly. We'll soon have yo

hold when the door closed behind his broad back. Peace crippled perhaps for life, perhaps never to walk without crutches again! It was too dreadful to be true. Peace,-their

agement to cheer the anxious household, and they seized upon that straw with desperation, gradually taking heart

pain, she seemed to get better. The soreness wore away, the drawn lines around the mouth smoothed themselves out, the rosy color came back to the round cheeks and the soun

ied President asked him anxious

er than I had dared hope. If she continues to improve as rapidly as sh

overhear the old physician's words, repeated them to the rest

h she really meant to bring comfort to this dismayed sister. "When it is once injured, it requires a long time to grow str

f cours

l on the road to recovery, the secret fear which had haunted the household ever since the night of the acci

ches?" she ha

es

mighty big thankful, ain't it?-To think I don't have to limp along with crutches! But, oh dear, two months in bed is such a long time to wait! Whateve

; but instead of scolding, as remorseful Cherry and Allee expected her to do, she smiled sympathetically, even cheerfully at the tragic face on the pillow, and asked, "Supposing you were a little tenement-house girl, cooped up in a tiny, stifling kitchen, with

he sound of the gentle voice told her that this was no imaginar

head nodde

e window, beside which the swan bed had been drawn, and gloated in the beautiful

closely together, and the windows are so small that not a ray of sun

indale?" inquired Che

the Nor

ame?" asked Allee, awed into

e Wen

he?" was the

e age of

laimed Cherry. "Will sh

g her every possible chance now, dearies. The Aid Society found her by accident, and got her into the Children's Ward of the City Hospital. She cried with happiness because the bed was so

d the three voic

ing to eat in her own

greasy soup all the five

hine and green grass and flowers! O, I sh'd think she'd have died be

ell from the

fire?" interrupted

the tenements; and one day she fell and crushed her hip. But before that, she had attended a free kindergarten around the corner and learned her a

and even stern Miss Phelps, "what a lot she has missed! Here I'm feeling bad 'cause school will be out 'fore I am up again, if I

e never knew what flowers looked like growing in the ground. I sent her a pot of your hyacinths when the Aid made their monthly visit to the Hospital,

sly inquired. "I've got so much and she hasn't anything. These pu

he missionary spirit seized this restless, active body, it never ceased working until she had given away n

but babies cares for them. Why, even Allee h

eas. Ned Meadows made them one summer for his own amusement while he was confined to his bed with a broken leg. He cut up a lot of old magazines and pasted the articles which interested him into some ancient notebooks Grandpa Campbell had lying around the house. He was always on the lookout for items concerning electricity, and one book was filled from cover to cover with bits of such news. Another contained nothing but jokes which had he

ere her sisters, and though her grandmother's plan sounded interesting when it conc

d with short stories and bright sayings. Cherry, will you please bring me my scissors from the work-basket and that roll of colored cambric on the top shelf in the hall closet? Allee, wouldn't you like to run down to the barn and ask Jud to bring us those old 'Companions' from the loft?

tribution to aid in the good cause. All looked so eagerly enthusiastic and anxious to lend a hand that in spite of herself, Peace began to feel a thrill of interest tingle through her veins, and promptly began snipping up the pages which Jud dumped on a chair beside her bed. Mrs. Campbell cut the colored cloth into neat squares, Allee pinked the edges, and

e little family gathered around the table for the evening meal. "But she is not cont

g new just as soon as we see her interest is flagging. Gail, yo

was really Gussie who accidentally found the next diversion a

growing collection. At one time Mrs. Campbell would suddenly appear on the threshold with her hands filled with colored plates from some magazine article relating to birds or bees, plants or other nature study. Again Faith would bring in a bundle of laughable incidents gleaned from the "funny

u get them?"

were doing," answered Hope, her face glowing with animation a

happen to h

her of 'Snow Bound.' This is a beautiful picture of Hawthorne's birthplace, and here is 'Old Ironsides.' You don't know much about some of the men yet because you haven't had the

yes; and had Hope been less enthusiastic over her latest contribution to the scrapbook fund, she might have noticed

owing afternoon, armed with paste-pots, brushes and scissors, and wearing big pinafores over their school dresses. Each dem

n suspicion when patient Marie had shown the tenth visitor up the winding stai

ken question, Peace calmly announced, "Grandma, these are the Gleaners and their friends. They've com

an a week off yet," sta

hey've all brung their own glue and stuff. All we need now is more tables. I was awfully afraid there wouldn't be many come, and I'm so deathly tired of hacking

ed the surprised wom

cross-eyed, and my wits are worn out trying to 'member all they've seen and heard. I've learned so much inflammation that it will be months before there's any space for any more to sink in. What

er cherished plans, Mrs. Campbell hastily withdrew and went to meet the super

nder the direction of the small tyrant in bed. Then Peace abruptly commanded, "Lay down your brushes now and clear up. It'

oed Mrs. Campbel

ons on your shelf. I asked Grand

hat you wanted it

the best book and Evelyn's got it. Evelyn, you better open up the box and treat the rest of us. A choc'lit drop would taste pretty good after working so hard. Gussie'll be up d'reckly with the 'reshments. I t

had littered table, dresser and bed a few moments before the scrapbook brigade began to congregate; b