dy whom every one called Aunt Betsy. She was very poor; she
had only one room that she could call home, and her only companion was a
scrawny cat that every one else had driven away. But it loved her and she
loved it, and was glad to have it share her home.

She was very lame and had to hobble away to her work every morning, yet
she was the cheeriest little body alive and every one loved her.

Aunt Betsy, like all of her neighbors, was seeking the White Flower of
Happiness.

"This old street with its tumble-down houses, and uneven sidewalks, and
tin cans surely needs a heap of something to cheer it," she would say.
"Now, if I could find just one plant, I would make this old alley the
finest place ever. Then the little children here could have some chance. I
wish I might find it."

But no flowers grew where she lived or where she worked, so she couldn't
hope to find the plant. The only thing she could do was to save every
penny she could so that, if the King found the plant, she might possibly
buy a seed.

Into an old tin cup she put the pennies, one by one, but it was very slow
work, for Aunt Betsy was very poor.

One winter night as Aunt Betsy returned from work, she found a queer
looking bundle on her door-step and, on unrolling it, she found Bobby, one
of the neighbor's children. Now Bobby had no mother and only a poor
drunken father, who often beat him. And Aunt Betsy saw, as she unrolled
him, that his face was all tear-stained, so she knew what had been
happening. Bobby had crept away from the blows to come to his best friend
when in trouble--Aunt Betsy.

Carefully she picked the little fellow up, carried him into her bare
little room, gave him a hot drink, and then tucked him all comfortably on
the couch which served as her bed. Tired from his day of play and work,
the little fellow was soon lost in sleep.

Not so Aunt Betsy. Sitting by the fire, all she could see were the great
holes in the shoes she was drying. Bobby needed some shoes very badly, but
she had no money with which to buy some.

"There is the money in the cup," said a voice within.

"But I couldn't give that, for I want so much to buy a seed to bring
happiness to this alley," thought Aunt Betsy.

"But a pair of shoes would bring happiness to Bobbie now," said the
voice.

She looked again at the little swollen feet under the cover on the couch.
Then slowly, yet with a smile of infinite tenderness, she softly stole to
the cupboard, took