o sold wood; for in that village wood was the only fuel.

This man, Mr. Williams, had a son who was somewhat dissipated,
therefore he was ready to listen patiently to Alice's pleading, and to
help in any really practical plan. He listened interestedly, and
promised to give a cord of cut wood to begin with, and if it proved a
success, to give enough to run the fireplace--there was no stove--all
the evenings of that winter.

Next, Alice went to the finest house in the village, where lived Mrs.
Burns, a wealthy lady, whose son was wild and gave her anxiety.

"She must pity mother and me," thought Alice, as she walked up the
broad walk to the house, "and I'm sure she'll help."

She did. She was surprised at Alice's bravery, but warmly approved of
her plan. "You'll want books and papers," she said, "and you must have
hot coffee always ready."

"I hadn't dared to think of so much," said Alice.

"But you must have coffee," repeated Mrs. Burns, "or they'll miss
their beer too much; and you must charge enough to pay for it, say two
cents a cup; I think it could be made for that."

"But then we must have some one to make it," said Alice thoughtfully.

"Yes," said Mrs. Burns, "and I think I know the very woman--Mrs. Hart.
She is poor, and I know will be glad, for a little wages (which I
shall pay her), to spend her evenings there, making coffee. She's a
jolly sort of a person, too, and I think would be just the one to make
the boys feel at home.

"And I'll do more," went on the kind-hearted woman, "I'll give you an
old-fashioned bookcase I have upstairs, and some books to start a
library. Other ladies will give you more, and you'll have it full, no
doubt."

After leaving Mrs. Burns, Alice's work was much easier, for that lady
gave her a little subscription book, in which she entered Mr. Smith's
gift of the room-rent, Mr. Williams's gift of the wood, and her own of
the hire of the woman to tend it, a dozen books in a bookcase, and two
comfortable chairs.

Alice called at nearly every house in the village, and almost every
one gave something. Several gave books; two or three others agreed to
send their weekly papers when they had read them; many gave one chair
each; three or four gave plain tables, games,--backgammon and
checkers,--and two or three bright colored prints were promised.

Red print curtains for the windows, and cups and saucers for the
coffee, came from the village storekeeper, a teakettle to hang over
t