"Shall I give him my sled, mamma?" asked Newton.
Now Newton thought more of his sled than he did of any other plaything. It was painted green and yellow, and had a bright colored strap which he called the reins. The runners were very smooth, and he expected to have a gay time with it all Winter. So, when Newton asked about giving his sled, he knew he was giving what he liked best.
"No, my darling," said Mrs. Payson; "keep your sled. But, we will see what we all can do for Mrs. Grant and her children, by the time Christmas comes. She is a good woman, and we can do much to make her happy while her husband is gone to the war.
"Then there is Mrs. Fisher, who lives near town; can we do something for her?" asked Mrs. Payson.
"Mr. Fisher gets drunk," said Joshua; "and Mrs. Blake says it does no good to try to help them, for he sells things that are given to his wife to buy whisky."
"But shall we leave poor Mrs. Fisher to suffer?" said Mrs. Payson. "Shall we try to do nothing for her and her dear children? They are often cold for want of clothes and a fire. They are often hungry, because Mr. Fisher gets drunk, and is unkind to them.
"With so many good things around us, shall we not try to help the little hungry children who have an unkind father?"
"O, yes, mamma!" said all the children at once.
"May I give something to Martha Kelly," asked Rebecca, "who says she never has any presents?"
"Poor little Martha is not much older than you are, my daughter," said Mrs. Payson; "yet she is obliged to work quite hard; for her mother is sick and her father is poor. But she has a sweet, smiling face, and she lives in a happier home than many children of rich parents."