Doctor Grenfell accepted the silver fox pelt, and as he steamed down the coast he ran his vessel in at Captain Bartlett’s station.  He had confidence in Captain Bartlett.

“Here’s a silver fox skin that belongs to David Long’s lads,” said he, depositing the pelt on the counter.  “I wish you’d take it, and do the best you can for David, Captain Will.  I’ll leave it with you.”

Captain Bartlett shook the pelt out, and admired its lustrous beauty.

“It’s a good one!  David’s lads were in luck when they caught that fellow.  I’ll do the best I can with it,” he promised.

“They’ll take the pay in provisions and other necessaries,” suggested Grenfell.

“All right,” agreed Captain Will.  “I’ll send the goods over to them.”

On his way to the southward a month later Doctor Grenfell again cast anchor at Big Bight.  David Long and Mrs. Long, the two big lads, and all the little Longs, were as beaming and happy as any family could be in the whole wide world.  Captain Bartlett’s vessel had run in at Big Bight one day, and paid for the silver fox pelt in merchandise.

The cabin was literally packed with provisions.  The family were well clothed.  There was enough and to spare to keep them in affluence, as affluence goes down on The Labrador, for a whole year and longer.  Need and poverty were vanished.  Captain Will had, indeed, done well with the silver fox pelt.

These are stories of life on The Labrador as Doctor Grenfell found it.  From the day he reached the coast and every day since his heart has ached with the troubles and poverty existing among the liveyeres.  He has been thrilled again and again by incidents of heroic struggle and sacrifice among them.  He has done a vast deal to make them more comfortable and happy, as in the case of David Long.  Still, in spite of it all, there are cases of desperate poverty and suffering there, and doubtless will always be.

In every city and town and village of our great and prosperous country people throw away clothing and many things that would help to make the lives of the Longs and the hundreds of other liveyeres of the coast who are toiling for bare existence easier to endure.  Enough is wasted every year, indeed, in any one of our cities to make the whole population of Labrador happy and comfortable.  And there’s the pity.  If Grenfell could only be given some of this waste to take to them!

From the beginning this thought troubled Doctor Grenfell.  And in winter when the ice shuts the whole coast off from the rest of the world, he turned his attention to efforts to secure the help of good people the world over in his work.  Making others happy is the greatest happiness that any one can experience, and Grenfell wished others to share his happiness with him.  Nearly every winter for many years he has lectured in the United States and Canada and Great Britain with this in view.  The Grenfell Association was organized with headquarters in New York, where money and donations of clothing and other necessaries might be sent.[B]