Jill's Red Bag

week was out a minute board was erec

ers confronted

ET

S WILL BE

the spot at least once a day, to b

one afternoon, as she sat on a gate swinging herself

ther, in a rose-covered cottage

his little front garden was

his father's charge,

ee you, missy, and so shall

a is going to take Miss Falkner out for a drive. And then we hav

e was tilted scor

Father and me presents our duty, and will be pleased if you wil

ll clapped her hands in delight; t

d to come, Sam. Tell Mr

use, and told Jack and B

cross at first, but Jac

going to be my Old Man of the Sea. Annie likes to join sometimes, and we'll have

no objection, so punctually at five o'clock the n

r. The tiny kitchen was in perfect

egg for Jill, besides some watercress and

was a tall, active old man, with a long grey b

an' chokin', an' smilin' up at me so sadly like. 'Jim,' she sez, ''tis the Lord that did give me to yer, an' 'tis the Lord that do be goin' to take me away from yer. Thank Him,' she sez,

, and commenced with great pride and solemnity to pour out tea. She was always given the post of h

an shook

ery improper Chr

her your wife gave a tenth to God. Miss F

e that,

to do it. Don't you remember his vow? 'Of all that Thou

one nodded

ur rector; that be it missy, that be it.

rly. "Do you think we could

sertation on tithes. She hardly grasped it, but child

it jingle in his pocket. And won't you too, Mr. Stone? If you

n' people, that be scarcely ab

ut of forty pennies you only have to give

ek," answered

rest; "you see, Sam, Miss Falkner says God sends us everything, so

in his eye, "that two shillin' be a tenth o' Sam's money, n

the House, missy, if I did g

t back, Miss Falkner says in other kind of

y a tenth. 'Tis a cryin' shame the rich be so grudgin' wi' their

anything to giv

an' I sells my cabbages an' helps all I can; but since Christmas twelvemonth the rheumat

fallen on the tea-party. The

going to be

was a confirmed old bachelor and did not,

wait till you s

by and I told Mona, and she was very angry and then she laughed and said that cook had already married her to over a dozen people. I don

ughed

n' there's a great chatteration, and there's a spendin', not so much in pots an' pans an' good wholesome food, but in ribbons an'

er, and then Jill accompanied ol

er row after row of

sy, an' all sowed from seed, an

ages with a thoughtful air. Suddenly she

to God. Oh, do, won't you? And then you can join us. How many tens have you got? Let us go through, and mark every tenth cabbage off for God. That's the way to

returned triumphant with her ball of red wool. "Sam thinks it will be very nice. I told him

y. Then he fetched his pipe out

fpence each in the market, and

at the tenth cabbage, then she broke off a piece of

Now, I'll go on to the next, and then you

wi' 'em, missy. T

beaming smile, "when you take up a cabbage with a piece of red wool on it, you mus

it will find its way back into my pocket, fo

"I mean a real starving person, when I talk of the poor. Wou

would be the best

ll, and before she left that evening she had marked of

give them, will you come to-mor

him over, and he promised to be outsid

. It did much towards solacing Bumps, who had a bruised head and a badly graze

t thtick on. Jack jumped and rolled and kicked me up in the air to get

doubtful abou

make money and give it to us, but does He make

nk God makes mo

ght hard f

when no one is looking, and then lets us find them. I know the

oney, and it was the money for them that would b

one was initiated into the mysteries of Bethel. Bu

if I went for to forget myself in such a heathen-like way! Pour oil on it? Indeed no, missy.

Jill. "We've kept most p

must let me go. My poor wife used to give to charity an' such like. I remember her handin' a penny out of the windy to a tramp one day. I could do with a deal more religion, I owns, for though

d the verse pointed out, but he wou

hen he was led away, but his words

es, I wonder?" said Jill, sitting down on the g

ob wouldn't have done a wicked thin

Bumps' suggestion. But Ji

everybody. I think I'm rather sorry I brough

am going

. He says he wants

me along, let us have a

rden ring with their shouts, and "