and
weeds our beds, because we haven't time to attend to them ourselves. He
did it at first without any prompting but that of gratitude, and now
some of the others help him, and so they keep our garden tidy as well as
their own."

"Yes, yes, Slyboots, but who put the idea of keeping their own tidy,
into their heads? It didn't grow there, I am sure of that."

"Well, _I'm_ not quite so sure of that," replied Minnie, shaking her
head wisely. "Perhaps it has been there a long while, and only required
some one to tap it out."

"Well, well," returned Mr. Kimberly with an amused expression, "as you
have been so clever as to tap this one out, who knows how many more you
may tap out before long, so go on and prosper, and remember if you run
short of funds you may draw on me, because I should like to see my
work-people in a better condition, though I haven't time to attend to it
myself, and _they_ wont. They don't seem to see the good of spending
money on anything but drink, and that is how it is, though they have
good houses and fair pay, they are always dirty and miserable and
discontented." And a weary look took the place of his former amused one,
as he turned again to the heap of papers on his desk.

Minnie saw that he was busy, and though she would have liked to stay
and cheer him up, she thought it better to retire, her request being
granted.

"He sees I am in earnest, anyhow," she observed to herself as she closed
the door softly behind her, "and he sees too that we _are_ doing
something. Oh, I _will_ be so glad if I can do anything to make it
easier for him. These people try him so--I suppose they have been
threatening another strike." And she went to bed, her head full of plans
for getting further into the hearts of these rough miners, and drawing
them to better things.

CHAPTER V.

AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR.

Meanwhile, Mona Cameron, who had no such philanthropic schemes to occupy
her energies, was no less busy with schemes of an altogether different
character. She was thoroughly roused by this time, by Minnie's utter
impregnability to all established methods of provocation, so that she
found herself obliged to invent new ones, which up to this time had been
attended with no better success.

She was not naturally malicious, nor did it afford her any sort of
pleasure to rouse and anger Minnie as she so often did, neither did she
dislike the girl herself; but circumstances had been too much for her in
the