mother.

But, alas, the morrow found him burning with fever and when he
attempted to stand, he found it impossible to do so. A case of scarlet
fever had appeared in the village and it soon became evident that the
disease had fastened upon Frank. The morning following the sewing
society Ella Campbell and several other children showed symptoms of
the same disease, and in the season of general sickness which
followed, few were left to care for the poor widow. Daily little Frank
grew worse. The dollar he had earned was gone, the basket of
provisions Mrs. Johnson had sent was gone, and when for milk the baby
Alice cried, there was none to give her.

At last Frank, pulling the old blue jacket from under his head, and
passing it to Mary, said, "Take it to Bill Bender,--he offered me a
shilling for it, and a shilling will buy milk for Allie and crackers
for mother,--take it."

"No, Franky," answered Mary, "you would have no pillow, besides, I've
got something more valuable, which I can sell. I've kept it long, but
it must go to keep us from starving;"--and she held to view the golden
locket, which George Moreland had thrown around her neck.

"You shan't sell that," said Frank. "You must keep it to remember
George, and then, too, you may want it more some other time."

Mary finally yielded the point, and gathering up the crumpled jacket,
started in quest of Billy Bender. He was a kind-hearted boy, two years
older than Frank, whom he had often befriended, and shielded from the
jeers of their companions. He did not want the jacket, for it was a