“My dear folks at the Home.  I’m about to leave this world for a better, and on the borders of that blessed land I think of you.  I think of your happy faces and of Mr. and Mrs. Turner, who love you so much, and I should like to have you know that I expect to meet you all over there.  You boys will grow to be good men, and you girls, who are like sweet pinks to my mind, I want you to make blessed good women every one of you.  Now I think the good folks who take care of you would be thankful to have a school-house of their own, and teachers who are interested in the work of helping you along; and to give a little help, I leave to Mr. and Mrs. Turner eight hundred dollars—­two hundred is in the box in one dollar gold pieces—­to build a school-house with.  You know I own a piece of land next to yours, and here in this plot of two acres I want you to put up this school-house.  Give Mr. Brown the work, and let him draw up the plan with Mr. Turner; I’ve figured it out, and I think there’s enough to build a good, substantial building such as you need; and the deed of the two acres I give to the children.  Each one of their names is there, including those of the two that came first.  Let each one, ef old enough, do as he or she pleases with the ground.  Ef they want to raise marigolds, let ’em, and ef they want to raise garden sass, let ’em.  I should think Burton Brown would like to step in as a teacher, and I believe he will, but the rest you can manage.

“Now this is all.  When you get the school-house built you’ll want a walk around it, and ef you should have a border of flowers, you may put in some ‘live forever’ for me, for that means truth, and that is what I want you to find.  If Fanny Mason feels like goin’ over to Mis’ Minot’s to live with her, I’d like to have her go, and if she does, she’ll find two chests and a trunk full of things I’ve left that she needs, but she must have her piece of ground here just the same.  The deed I have made is recorded, and I would like to have Mr. Dayton survey the land, and make the division of it.  Then you can each one of you hold your own as long as you live, Mr. and Mrs. Turner keepin’ it in trust till the law says you’re of age.”

The hearts of the children were touched at this token of love.  Bright eyes reflected happy thoughts.  Fanny Mason was the first to speak.  She looked at my mother, while her eyes swam in tears.

“May I come, Mrs. Minot?—­I would like to help somebody, and it must be right or she would not have written it.”

Mother held her hand to her, and I thought I never saw gratitude more plainly written than upon the face of Fanny.  She was one of the three girls whom Louis found in the city streets, the eldest of the flock, and so good and amiable we had always loved her.  When mother held her hand out to her in answer to her question, little Emily thought it time to speak, and putting out both her own, said: 

“Tum, Panny, et, you outer.”