When the story was finished, Cornelia Mary turned to Sally with a puzzled look on her face.
"How do you think we could get that family into the Hodgkins district?" she asked. "What would they do? I mean, where would they live, and what could Mrs. Mulvaney do to earn their bread and butter, I'd like to know?"
"Couldn't she take in washing?" demanded Sally.
Cornelia Mary shook her head. "I'm afraid not in the country."
"Oh, but she could," Sally declared. "Mrs. Turner says she could get more washing to do in the village than five women could manage, especially when the summer boarders are there. Mrs. Turner says too she's even wondered why some one doesn't start a laundry."
"But that's in the village and wouldn't help my school any."
"Maybe that's true," agreed Sally, "but couldn't they live in the country, and couldn't Chinky and Hannah go after the washings and take them home? The worst trouble is finding a place for the Mulvaneys to live. There isn't a house they could get in the village."
"How do you know?" asked Mrs. Brown.
Sally smiled. "Oh, Mrs. Turner and I went house-hunting only last Saturday. We thought maybe we could find a cheap little house, but we couldn't on account of the new sugar factory. Houses are scarce and rents are high. We found out a few things. That's the way I do my hoping, mamma."
"Would they come?" inquired Cornelia Mary, growing interested.