Part 13 (2/2)

”And the red cover that belongs to it, mamma?”

”O Marty, Marty!” exclaimed her mother, laughing. ”How many more things will you want for Jennie? But the red cover may go too.”

These things were sent, together with some of Marty's underclothing, a pair of half-worn slippers, and a couple of Mrs. Ashford's cast-off gingham dresses, to be made into wrappers for Jennie. Edith and Cousin Alice also brought some articles for Jennie's comfort.

”She will need a footstool with that chair,” said Cousin Alice. ”I have an extra ha.s.sock in my room; I'll bring that.”

Mrs. Howell sent an old but soft and pretty comfort to spread over the chair, and which would also be handy for an additional covering in case of a cold night.

”A curtain on the window would soften the light on hot afternoons,” Miss Alice thought. So she made one of some white barred muslin she had and put it up. She also thought that as Jennie still had not much appet.i.te, some prettier dishes than those Mrs. Scott had--they were very few, and very coa.r.s.e and battered--might make the food taste better.

”I know, when I am ill,” she said to Mrs. Ashford, ”the way my food is served makes a great difference.”

So she brought a cheap but pretty plate, cup, and saucer, with which Jennie was extremely delighted.

”After we all go away there wont be anybody to take flowers to Jennie,”

said Edith, ”and I'm afraid she'll miss them. She does enjoy them so much. I've a great mind to buy her a geranium. May I, mamma? They're only ten cents.”

”Of course you may. I think it would be very nice for Jennie and her mother to have something of the kind growing in their room,” said Mrs.

Howell.

She went with Edith to the florist's, and after helping her to select a scarlet geranium, she bought a pot of mignonette and another of sweet alyssum for Edith to give to Jennie.

Marty helped Edith to carry their plants to their destination, and what rejoicing there was over that window-garden!

”It's too much! too much!” exclaimed Mrs. Scott, wiping her eyes as she looked around the now really comfortable room.

Then when Miss Alice came in, as she did presently, with four bright-colored j.a.panese fans which she proceeded to fasten on the bare walls, that seemed to cap the climax.

”There never were kinder ladies--never!” exclaimed Mrs. Scott, while Jennie was too much overcome to say anything.

”It wont be so hard for Jennie to be shut up here, and she wont miss Marty and Edith so much, if she has these little bits of bright things to look at,” said Miss Alice.

Marty took the greatest interest in helping to arrange all these things for Jennie's comfort and happiness, and in thinking, too, how much pleasure they would bring into poor Mrs. Scott's hard-working life. When she went home after her final visit to Landis Court, she said with a sigh of relief,

”Now they're fixed comfor'ble, and we can go as soon as we like.”

All this time that she had been so engaged with Jennie she had not neglected the mission band, but attended the meetings regularly and became more and more interested in what she heard there.

She still pursued the plan of giving to missions at least a tenth of all the money she got. During the spring and early summer she had had two or three ”windfalls”--one or two small presents of money, and once her father had given her a quarter for hunting out from an enormous pile certain numbers of a magazine he wished to consult. Besides she had made a little money solely for the missionary-box by hemming dusters for her mother.

The meeting on the third Sat.u.r.day in June was very important, as it was the last regular meeting that would be held until September, and there were many arrangements to be made.

Most of the girls and Miss Walsh herself expected to be away two months, but several members were to be at home all summer and a few were only going away for a short time. Miss Walsh said she did not think it fair that those remaining in town should be deprived of their missionary meetings. It had therefore been decided that the meetings should be continued, though not just in the same way as during the rest of the year. No business was to be transacted and the girls were not to sew unless they wished.

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