“Mamma,” said Bessie, “don’t you think papa would like to help this boy? He has enough of money.”
“My dear child,” said mamma, laughing: “you must not think there is no end to papa’s money. He has a good many people to help now, and he cannot do for every one, you know.”
“Well, then,” said Maggie, “we’ll tell Uncle Ruthven and the Colonel, and see what they will do. I don’t mean we’ll ask them to help the lily boy; but we’ll just let them know about him, and then leave it to their own conscience.”
“Uncle Ruthven has a good deal of conscience about poor people; and so has Uncle Horace too,” said Bessie.
But somehow the children could not find an opportunity to tell their uncle and Colonel Rush about the “lily boy.” For the next few days there was a good deal of company coming and going, and they did not care to talk about it before strangers; then papa, Uncle Ruthven, and the Colonel went off yachting, and stayed a week.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Sallie came to the house every morning, bringing their basket of lilies; and when the little girls had bought as many as they wanted for their daily gift to their mother, Mrs. Rush and the other ladies would purchase the remainder. So Maggie and Bessie knew that they were helping Johnny towards his heart’s desire in this way, even if they had devoted their “charity money” to another object.
Early on the morning after the gentlemen had returned, the children had gone down to the sands, and were playing happily together, when Belle came on her daily visit. Belle considered herself almost as much at home in Mrs. Rush’s house as Maggie and Bessie did.
“You live at the Ocean House, don’t you?” asked a little girl one day.
“Oh, no!” said Belle; “I don’t live there. I only sleep there, and eat my breakfast there. I live at Aunt May’s, even when it rains, Maggie and Bessie and I can’t do wifout oneanofer.”
She now came running swiftly over the beach towards Maggie and Bessie; and, as soon as she had kissed them for good-morning, said eagerly,—