Just as I was leaving, she said to me very humbly: 'The girls
at the factory, you think they will forgive me also? I very rude to
them; I say I hate them all. You think they will forgive me?'
"So now, my girls, your welcome to Julie on Monday morning will be the
best answer to that question."
"Will we forgive her, the poor girl!" cried Speckles impulsively. "You
bet we will. If there's any one here who won't be kind to that poor
little Julie, she'll just have to reckon with me. I think it is we who
should ask her to forgive us, for I must admit we were all rather
hateful to her. Oh, I say, girls! I've just got an idea," she continued.
"Here, Louise, just hand me one of those empty boxes from that shelf
over your head. There you are. Now then, this is a hat and I pass it
around to each one of you, so. I say to each one of you: 'Did you notice
that poor Julie has been wearing a thin summer coat all this bitter
winter weather? It used to make me shiver just to look at her. Did any
of you notice that her shoes were all broken through and even in rain
or snow storms she never had any rubbers to wear over them?' Suppose
each one of us chip in a few pennies, we can all spare a little, and
have Miss Merton give it to her to buy shoes or something for herself.
I'll start with fifty cents."
The box was passed from one to another, each contributing what she
could, and each contribution meaning more or less of a sacrifice to the
donor.
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