aloud very slowly the mysterious-sounding directions from the wrapper of the pattern about how to put the pieces together, Cousin Ann helped here a little, particularly just as they were about to put the sections together wrong-side-up.  Stashie, as the oldest, did the first basting, putting the notches together carefully, just as they read the instructions aloud, and there, all of a sudden, was a rough little sketch of a pair of knee trousers, without any hem or any waist-band, of course, but just the two-legged, complicated shape they ought to be!  It was like a miracle to Betsy!  Then Cousin Ann helped them sew the seams on the machine, and they all turned to for the basting of the facings and the finishing.  They each made one buttonhole.  It was the first one Betsy had ever made, and when she got through she was as tired as though she had run all the way to school and back.  Tired, but very proud; although when Cousin Ann inspected that buttonhole, she covered her face with her handkerchief for a minute, as though she were going to sneeze, although she didn’t sneeze at all.

It took them two Saturdays to finish up that trial pair of trousers, and when they showed the result to Aunt Abigail she was delighted.  “Well, to think of that being my old skirt!” she said, putting on her spectacles to examine the work.  She did not laugh, either, when she saw those buttonholes, but she got up hastily and went into the next room, where they soon heard her coughing.

Then they made a little blouse out of some new blue gingham.  Cousin Ann happened to have enough left over from a dress she was making.  This thin material was ever so much easier to manage than the gray flannel, and they had the little garment done in no time, even to the buttons and buttonholes.  When it came to making the buttonholes, Cousin Ann sat right down with each one and supervised every stitch.  You may not be surprised to know that they were a great improvement over the first batch.

Then, making a great ceremony of it, they began on the store material, working twice a week now, because May was slipping along very fast, and Mr. Pond might be there at any time.  They knew pretty well how to go ahead on this one, after the experience of their first pair, and Cousin Ann was not much needed, except as adviser in hard places.  She sat there in the room with them, doing some sewing of her own, so quiet that half the time they forgot she was there.  It was great fun, sewing all together and chattering as they sewed.

A good deal of the time they talked about how splendid it was of them to be so kind to little ’Lias.  “My!  I don’t believe most girls would put themselves out this way for a dirty little boy!” said Stashie, complacently.

“No indeed!” chimed in Betsy.  “It’s just like a story, isn’t it—­working and sacrificing for the poor!”

“I guess he’ll thank us all right for sure!” said Ellen.  “He’ll never forget us as long as he lives, I don’t suppose.”