. The girls were
generous.

During the next two weeks, the back room of Shirley's Shop looked as if
there had been a revolution in toyland. Dolls without heads, others
without arms or legs, eyeless ones, big and little were strewn about
the room, while doll carriages minus wheels, kiddie cars, battered and
streaked, awaited the skillful hand of the old man.

One afternoon shortly before Christmas as he was leaving Bet said, "We
will have a Christmas package to send down to Mrs. Colby."

The old man's face flushed with pleasure. "Mother is bedfast with
rheumatism," he said, "and it would do her a power of good if you would
run in and see her sometime. She'll like the present too, but she gets
very lonely."

"There Joy, there's your chance to do personal work. You can go and
call on Ma Colby and see her eyes shine."

"I'll just do that. I want to be Lady Bountiful but I also want to get
some thrill out of giving," laughed Joy.

"All right, there's your chance."

The report that they were going to give out toys soon got around, and
the day before Christmas Mrs. Ryan appeared leading four of her
children. "I just came in to say that Emmelina needs a new dress,
worst way, and Orlando must have shoes."

"I'm very sorry," replied Bet. "You see we are giving out only toys.
You should go down to the Chamber of Commerce, they are attending to
the clothing."

Mrs. Ryan looked disappointed. "Lots of people pretend they need help
when they don't. The Nestors next door to me, they don't need it at
all. They have plenty.--And I'm a worthy object. Mr. Ryan has been
out of work considerable this year."

The girls looked their sympathy but could do nothing. "You go down to
the Chamber of Commerce," they advised.

In a few minutes after she had left, another woman called. "I just
come in to see if you could get my little Mike an overcoat. He needs
one terrible. He gets that cold!"

Again Bet referred the woman to the Chamber of Commerce, and as she
left, she whispered, "There are some people who apply for help who
don't need it at all. There's Mrs. Ryan next door to me. She gets
plenty.--And my Mike needs a coat."

The girls laughed long and merrily over the two women. They called
Mrs. Keith at the Chamber of Commerce and had a further laugh over the
recital of the efforts of the two women to see who would get the most.

At last everything was ready and the girls waited patiently for the
Shop to close