Annie took the garment the child held out.
“It is very well done,” she said, after examining the work; and she thought: “It is better done than I could afford to do it at five cents a sack. Customers complain that our buttons drop off, but if they knew how little we get for our work!”
“Hera showed me how to sew buttons on. I used to help her, too. I used to sew her strings together for her rag carpet. That is another sensible thing. Rag carpets use up all the rags and strings, you know.”
“Yes,” said Annie. “Now come and sit up to the table.”
The child obeyed and seated herself opposite to her hostess.
“You are not used to this sort of a poor dinner,” said the latter.
“Oh, I think it is just a lovely dinner! I am so fond of stewed apples, especially with plenty of sugar in them,” said the little guest, very sincerely.
“You shall certainly have as much sugar as you like on your apples,” replied Annie.
“Thank you, ma’am. How good you are to me!” said the child, as she received from her hostess a liberal supply of bread, butter and stewed apples, flanked by the sugar bowl, from which she was told to help herself to as much as she wished. “This is cozy and comfortable, isn’t it?”
“Very.”