t one of the factory hands came in. It was
Saturday night, and she rapped on the door before coming in with a
hesitating touch, as if she was afraid. She sat down across from me,
smoothing her dress and looking unhappy."

"You'll not understand," said the factory girl, apologetically. "But
Mame is in your school--she's my sister. You had her up last week to
spend the night. You'll remember?"

The teacher nodded.

"She came home, and ever since she's been telling us about the way you
did things. And I've been thinking,----"

She stopped and looked at the teacher, half suspiciously, half
appealingly.

"I've been thinking how nice it would be for me, if I could do them
things the same as you. You see," she spoke rapidly, "I'm gettin'
married soon now, and when Mame came a-telling that way, and our house
like it always is, and the baby crying, and nothing done exceptin' ma
a-scoldin', and I says to myself, I says, if I could do things like that
teacher can do 'em mebbe I wouldn't make mistakes like ma makes 'em."
She paused for breath, looking expectant.

"You would like to come here to see how I do things?" the teacher asked.

The girl nodded eagerly.

"Come Monday after hours, and spend the night with me."

"After that," the teacher said, "it was a great deal easier. The next
thing I wanted to do was to get the children examined for glasses and
throat trouble. There were two second-rate country doctors there who
knew little or nothing about modern medicine. The nearest man that I
could trust was forty miles away. He was a specialist, too, and high
priced. Still, I sat down and wrote him a letter, telling him how we
were fixed. He answered by return mail, making a special rate and
setting a day. I hoped to take twelve of the children, but I had car
fare for only seven. Then came our windfall. I told the railroad what I
was trying to do, and they made a special excursion rate and took the
children at less than half fare. We were all able to go, and the extra
money went for a treat to soda and the movies."

The children went back home, singing the praises of the trip, the
teacher, and the doctor. They went back, too, with expert advice and
assistance, and with the good news that others would soon have a turn.

Group by group, the needy children were brought down to the specialist
in the city. Some were even operated on, although at the outset the
parents would not hear of operations. In the end the children won,