to the
poor.

The teachers caught the enthusiasm, and were very much in favor of the
project, for in the whole movement they saw the fruit of their own
teaching.

The superintendent had been detained, and was surprised to find the
school standing in knots about the room. He soon called them to order,
and expressed his regrets that they should get into such disorder. There
was a smile on all faces, and he saw that there was something more in the
apparent disorder than he thought. After school it was fixed that each
class should find its own case of poverty. The young men's and the young
women's Bible classes undertook to supply Sitles with a broom-machine, a
class of girls took Aunt Parm'ly under their wing, other classes knew of
other cases of need, and so each class had its hands full. But Willie
could not get any class to see that Widow Martin had a sewing-machine.
That was left for his own; and how should a class of eight boys do it?

VI.

SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS.

Willie took the boys into the parsonage. They figured on it. There were
sixty-five dollars to be raised to buy the machine. The seven boys were
together, for Tommy Puffer had gone home. He said he didn't feel like
staying, and Sammy Bantam thought he must be a little hungry.

Willie attacked the problem--sixty-five dollars. Toward that amount they
had three dollars and a half that they had intended to spend on a present
for Mr. Marble. That left just sixty-one dollars and fifty cents to be
raised. Willie ran across the street and brought Mr. Marble. He said he
had made up his mind to give the boys a book apiece, and that each book
would cost a dollar. It was rather more than he could well afford; but as
he had intended to give eight dollars for their presents, and as he was
pleased with their unselfish behavior, he would make it ten.

"Good!" said Charley Somerset, who always saw the bright side of things,
"that makes it all, except fifty-one dollars and a half."

"Yes," said Sammy Bantam, "and you're eleven feet high, lacking a couple
of yards!"

Willie next called his father in, and inquired how much his Christmas
present was to cost.

"Three and a half," said his father.

"That's a lot! Will you give me the money instead?"

"Yes; but I meant to give you a Life of George Stephenson, and some other
books on engineering."

This made Willie think a moment; but seeing the walking-stick i