The woman was silent for a few moments, but at length she seemed to regain her self-control, and replied:-- "Ah, gentlemen, it is all comprised in three short words: Hunger, cold, and nakedness!" "And if we will supply you with food and fuel for a week, can you manage to get along until that time without more clothing?" "Oh--h--yes--sirs. But what is it? Who can help us? Who can care for the--" "We can, we will," cried the energetic Sam, not so good to plan as Peter, but good at execution. "We six have pledged ourselves to see you safe through the winter. So cheer up and take hope, for neither you nor your children shall suffer while we can help it." The widow's hands were clasped and her eyes wandered vacantly from one to the other of her strange visitors. She saw tears of goodness in their eyes, and her own soul's flood burst forth. "O God bless you--bless you always." "And we shall have something good to eat, mamma, and something to make us warm?" asked the eldest girl, clasping her mother's knees. "Yes, yes, you shall," exclaimed Drake, catching the child and kissing her clean, pale face. "You shall have it before supper time, too." The widow gradually realized the whole object of her visitors, and she tried to express her gratitude in words, but they failed her, and streaming tears had to tell the tale of thanks. After this our society went to see Widow Williams. Hers was a neat cot, but they found suffering painful enough inside. Philip, a youth of about their own age, sat in a large stuffed chair, looking pale and thin, and wasted away almost to a skeleton, and his great blue eyes peered at them wonderingly as they entered. The mother, too, looked careworn and sick, and the dry, hacking cough that sounded in her throat told how much she needed proper food and care. The youths made their business known as before, and with about the same result. The widow and her son could hardly realize that such a blessing had dawned upon them, but when they did realize it their joy and gratitude knew no bounds. "Look here," said Sam Green, as soon as they had reached the road, "it strikes me that we are just about a week behind hand. We ought to have commenced this work just one week earlier than we did, for our nine dollars won't quite bring matters all up square to the present time. But if they were square now, they'd keep so with our weekly allowance." "You're right, Sam," said Fulton, gleefully. "Then let's commence back two weeks, eh?" "I think so," said Peter. And all the rest said so, too. So they had eighteen dollars instead of nine.