"Hush, Susy," said Alice, "I can tell you that no one will have half of my candy after this, as I do not intend to buy any; and I am sure Rachel can save a good deal if she chooses, for our Society."
Clara Hall said, her father had promised her a quarter of a dollar if she would have an ugly double tooth drawn, that had ached for some time.
"But," said Clara, "the provoking thing aches the worst at night, and then I think I will certainly have it out in the morning, but when the morning comes it is sure to stop aching." Once or twice she said she had gone to the dentist's door, but her courage failed. "But," said she, "Alice, the very next time it aches as hard in the day as it does sometimes in the night, I shall come with the tooth in one hand, and the quarter of a dollar in the other, for the Society."
Sally Bright said, their next neighbour had cut her hand very badly, and had promised her a penny a day, for milking her cow for her, as long as her hand continued lame; and those pennies should all come to Alice.
Charlotte Green said, her father had promised her half a dollar if she would leave off biting her nails. "And now," said she, "I mean to try in earnest to break myself of this habit, that I may have something too to give."
"Well, girls," said Jane Prime, "my father, you know, keeps a large nursery, and he gives me three cents a quart for peach stones and plum stones; and he says he will pay that for as many as are brought to him. So here is a fine way for any of you that choose to make money, as long as fruit lasts."
Alice Wood now reckoned up the promised sums, and said,
"I think, girls, if we all keep the resolutions we have formed, that by only saving the money that we should spend in other ways, and giving it to the society, we can pledge ourselves to give altogether fifty dollars a year; and with our Sewing Society, and the many other ways that have been mentioned of earning a little money, I should not be surprised if we should raise it to one hundred dollars a year. Just think what a sum that would be, and how much good it may do, if we give it in a right spirit, and with prayers for the blessing of God to accompany it. For you know the missionary said the other evening, that we might give a great deal of money, merely for the sake of having it published, or from some other improper motive, and if it should do good to others, it would not do any to ourselves; but that even a little given from a right motive, and with fervent prayer for the Divine blessing, might accomplish great things, and would return in mercy upon the head of the giver. For, said he, (and these words are from the Bible,) 'He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given, will he pay him again.' And, 'The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall himself be watered.'"
As the girls went home, they all kept on the side of the road opposite to Mother Grimes's shop; for the old woman had a bad temper, and a very loud voice, and they were all afraid of hearing from her if they passed her shop without stopping to buy something.
"What on earth is the matter with the children?" said old Mother Grimes to herself. "Here, these two or three days past, hardly a soul of them has been near the shop, and my candies are getting quite old." And Mother Grimes went to work, and cracked nuts, and boiled new molasses, and made nicer candies than ever; but all to no purpose.