Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-03-26
COMMUNICATIONS.
A KINDLY DEED.
BY James NJ. Hubbard.

er story by Mr.. Hubbard, editor of the
Youths Companion and the friend of
Bread Loaf. - Editor.
Dick and Molhe were coming home
from school one day when he said,
owe been asked to start Boy
Scout company here, but | don't see
how ! can. There amt a great many
of us boys and we coudn' get uniforms
and guns, and don't know anything
about drilling. "Welll that's fun
n.y." said Molie, "for I've been asked
to start a Girls Friendly society, and
feel Just as you do, that there ain t
girls enough and it would be hard for
such as there is to find anything to do.
We could sew some, | suppose, but
don't know anything else. We shall
have to ask teacher whether we can do
anything such as Boy Scouts and Girls
Friendly do in the city" The next dav
they were together again and Mollie
said. 81 asked the teacher about those
societies and whether we'd better try
and start them; and she said she'd think
it over and let us know. But she said
there was one easy thing for US to do if
we started them, and it's the main
thing the boys and girls belonging to
them have to do. - "And what's
that" asked Dick. why, its kindly
deeds, said Mollie, $50 she put it and
she said we could do them just as easy
as the city boys and girls" But we
haven't got anybody like those poor
city people that don have enough to eat
or to wear, and some of em don't have
any place to sleep. 1t would be easy to
do kindly deeds to them. That's SOL"
said Mollie and for a few moments
neither of them said anything. Sud
denly, just before they parted-Mollie
lived on a farm about half-a-mile from
Dick which was a full mile from the
schoohouse- Molie said, "Uck, I've
thought of something. "What is it,
Mollie? "Those people in the Lansdown
district, couldn't we do something for
them" This was a district the farthest
away from the village, in which wele a
few scattered farms. The men came
down to the village store occasionally to
get flour and few things; but the
women rarely came down, and the chill
dren you might almost say, never.
Most of them probably never saw the
inside of meeting house. Many of
Of 10
could neither read nor write. The near
est schoolhouse was so far off that few
of the children went to school and they
were very irregular; hardly ever in
winter. 1t is depressing to think that
such a community can exist in our New
England. "They wouldn't want US tC
give them something to eat, said Dick
after a few moments thought, though
we might take the children some can
dy" Then Mollie burst out. "Dicll,
i've thought of something. We'll,
let's have it. You're always thinking OF
something 81 can't helpit, Dick, SC
you'll have to put up with me. But
this is it, Why couldn't some of us
boys and girls 20 up there the Saturday
before Christmas and sing the carol,
we are going to sing at the Christmas
tree and ask the children to come down
! guess there'll be enough candy anC
things for them Anyway if we decide
to do it, we can tell teacher and She y
get some more things" "Mollie, that,
a blamed good idea of yours and I'm
IN for it. Let's put it through.
The Saturday before Christmas was {
lovely winter day. There had been {
storm on Friday when rain had turned
into snow, and the trees were hung will
icicles which sparkled like diamonds il
the bright sunshine. 1t was a merry
party of children in a great wood sledgt
drawn by two horses, which was coming
up the hill to the first farmhouse in tn,
Lansdown district. They had beer
singing a great part of the way from
the village, but now they were still
for they wanted to surprise the Blais
dell's who lived in the first house. The,
were all indoors when the carolers drov,
up. The mother was mending stock
ings. The father was sitting by tn,
stove doing nothing, and the four chill
dren, two boys and two girls, wer
playing some kind of game on tn
floor Suddenly they heard, what tn
Younger children had probably neve
heard before, strange noise. what
that" they exclaimed and rushed t.
the window. They could hardly believ
their eyes. There was the sledge file,
with boys and girls who waved thei
hands to them, as they came out tn