In a few days the little weekly published in the Glen under the
name of _The Journal_ came out as usual, and the Glen had another
sensation. A letter signed "Faith Meredith" occupied a prominent
place on the front page and ran as follows:--

"TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I want to explain to everybody how it was I came to go to church
without stockings on, so that everybody will know that father was
not to blame one bit for it, and the old gossips need not say he
is, because it is not true. I gave my only pair of black
stockings to Lida Marsh, because she hadn't any and her poor
little feet were awful cold and I was so sorry for her. No child
ought to have to go without shoes and stockings in a Christian
community before the snow is all gone, and I think the W. F. M.
S. ought to have given her stockings. Of course, I know they are
sending things to the little heathen children, and that is all
right and a kind thing to do. But the little heathen children
have lots more warm weather than we have, and I think the women
of our church ought to look after Lida and not leave it all to
me. When I gave her my stockings I forgot they were the only
black pair I had without holes, but I am glad I did give them to
her, because my conscience would have been uncomfortable if I
hadn't. When she had gone away, looking so proud and happy, the
poor little thing, I remembered that all I had to wear were the
horrid red and blue things Aunt Martha knit last winter for me
out of some yarn that Mrs. Joseph Burr of Upper Glen sent us. It
was dreadfully coarse yarn and all knots, and I never saw any of
Mrs. Burr's own children wearing things made of such yarn. But
Mary Vance says Mrs. Burr gives the minister stuff that she can't