"We like to interest the girls from homes like Miss Thornton's to come down and help the people less fortunate than themselves." "Yes, that's good too; interest them. I saw Daphne pay five dollars for a box of candy the other day, and it's bad for her complexion. Instead of buying them things let her hire some one, I say. She can come just the same, but let a dressmaker or a sewing woman learn 'em to sew; not a girl who ain't even sewed a button on her own clothes or made a pocket handkerchief. And then she'd be helpin' the dressmaker too, who might need the money. If you had some sensible sewing learnt you might git some of the girls who work days to come in evenings and learn, but no girl is goin' to waste her time fiddlin' around with things like that, that they ain't goin' to use, or don't have no need of." "But they do need them. They are gymnasium suits." "What's gymnasium suits?" "Suits to take exercise in, physical exercise." "Do they need special clothes to take exercise in? What's the matter with the clothes they got on?" "They restrict the movements." "You mean they can't move their arms and legs. Fudge and fiddlesticks! Put them girls out to play and they'd move their arms and legs quick enough without fancy clothin'. If they can't move 'em with the exercises you give 'em, give 'em other kinds. It seems to me that if these people are as poor as you tell me, exercise ain't what they want. They want to learn things to help 'em pay the rent at home, or save a little money once in a while by makin' their things." Mrs. Harris was a little angry. "I am sorry, Miss Doane," she said stiffly, "that you don't approve of our sewing-class." "No, I don't approve of it. With a teacher like Daphne it's about as much use as squirtin' rose-water on a garbage tin. If the rest of your work is like this, I guess I'll go home--" She started to leave the room, but at the door she stopped. "What's that Daphne was tellin' me about a home for mothers in the country?" The head worker's face brightened. Here she had something that would appeal to the old lady, who was reputed to be very fond of children. "I am so glad you came to-day. I can show you some of the mothers we were hoping to take to the country. We want to enlarge our house, we can only accommodate twelve mothers with their children, and we should have a place for at least twenty-five, as we have so many applications." "How long do you keep 'em?" "We try to give each mother a two weeks' vacation; and she brings with her the small children she cannot leave at home." "I like the idee. I like children and I like mothers, and from what I've seen it seems to me that it'd be heaven for these people to git away from the noise for a while. It most drives me crazy to hear it for an hour, and it must be awful to live with."