Mrs. Ashford smiled and nodded. "What is it?" exclaimed Marty, bounding up on the porch. "I don't know whether you will like the plan or not, but it is the only thing that occurs to me. Your school coat will be too short for you next winter, and I was going to get you a new one. But the old one could be altered so that you might wear it. I have some of the material, and could piece the skirt and sleeves and trim it with braid. As it always was a little too large for you about the shoulders, it would fit next winter well enough that way. Doing that would save about five dollars as near as I can calculate." "Then we should have five dollars for Jimmy?" "Yes." "But would it be much trouble to you to alter the coat?" "It would be some trouble, but I am willing to take that for my share." "Oh! then let's do it," cried Marty. "Wait, wait," said her mother. "You must think it over first. You know when you do things in a hurry, sometimes you regret them afterwards." "I know I sha'n't regret this," Marty protested; "but I'll go and think a while." She went and sat down on her last batch of pies, resting her head on her knees, with her eyes shut. In a very short space of time she was back at her mother's side. "Oh! you have not thought long enough," said Mrs. Ashford. "I meant for a day or two." "There's no use thinking any longer, for I know I'll think just the same. I've thought all about how the coat will look when it's pieced, and how all the girls will know it's pieced, and how I'd a great deal rather have one that isn't pieced. Then I thought how pale and sick Jimmy looks, and how much he wants to go to the country, and how much good it would do him to go, and how he has no nice times as I have, and, I declare, I'd rather wear pieced coats all the rest of my life than not have him go." She winked her eyes very hard to keep back the tears. "Very well," said Mrs. Ashford, stroking the little girl's flushed cheek, "we will consider it settled. I will write to Mrs. Watson this afternoon, inclosing the money, and telling her about Jimmy." By Saturday a reply came from Mrs. Watson saying that arrangements had been made to send Jimmy to a kind woman in the country, who would take good care of him, and it was probable the money Marty had sent would pay his board there for nearly three weeks. She also said that Jimmy had been very poorly again. Dr. Fisher, finding him in Mrs. Scott's room one day when he called, had seen how miserable the boy was, and had given him medicine, and had said, when he heard he was going to be sent to the country, that it would be just the thing, better than any amount of medicine. The letter also stated that Mrs. Fisher had fitted Jimmy out in some of her little boy's clothes. So he would be very comfortable. "Could anything be nicer!" exclaimed Marty. "I'm so glad of it all!"