HOW THE PENNIES GREW.

Not the pennies that lay hidden away in the bank, nor the pennies that were spent for candy. O no; but the honest, hard-working pennies that had a work to do and the heart to do it.

These work-a-day pennies fell into the hands of a mission band called "Willing Workers." It was in the summer-time when they began to stir about and see what they could do for missions, and when winter came along there was a pleasant little festival, and the pennies came together, and brought just as many with them as they possibly could.

For these were "talent" pennies, and they had been invested for the Lord. One of the very pleasant features of the festival was the reading of little papers, telling how the pennies grew. And we are going to let the children see some of these very papers. For all this is exactly true, and took place in a pleasant village in the State of New York.

About ten dollars grew out of a little more than twenty pennies. We have not room to publish all the little papers, telling how the pennies grew into dollars, though all are of great interest. In some cases the original penny was invested, and then turned over and over. This is an instance:

"With the original cent I bought some darning-cotton and darned stockings, some for a cent a stocking, but most of them for a cent a hole. I then bought thread and crocheted some lace which I sold for 25 cents. I hemmed two aprons for 5 cents apiece, and some towels for one cent apiece. Afterward, I bought another card of darning-cotton. After paying for the thread and cotton, I have left the sum of one dollar.— PHEBE."

"Rosie," who brought in $1.66, says nothing about her penny, but tells how she earned money, as: "Hitching up horse for grandpa, 10 cents; topping carrots, 12 cents; keeping the fowls off the wheat, 25 cents; sweeping, 17 cents," etc., all showing honest, hard work. But the penny started it all, perhaps.

Here is "Nellie's," with an idea in it:

"With my penny I bought a pen and holder, and sold it for 10 cents. I dug a pailful of potatoes for 3 cents, and mended a hole in grandpa's sock for one cent. I then bought a little chicken for 5 cents, and let it grow into a big chicken, and sold it for 36 cents, making a total of 50 cents."

Well done for Nellie!

Only one more of these charming little papers can we give in full, though we should love to have our little readers see every one of them.

"The first thing I did with my penny, I made some edging which I sold for 10 cents; then I sewed it on for 5 cents, which made 15. Then mamma said if I killed 15 flies she would give me a penny, and so I earned 14 cents in that way. Then I had 29 cents. I then took away 25 cents and bought some ice-cream, and sold it for 8 cents a dish, and received 48 cents for it. Now I had 52 cents. Then I took 8 cents away from it for some linen, and 4 cents for some braid, with which I made some lace and sold it for 70 cents, which leaves me $1.11. Then I sold some flowers for 14 cents, making $1.25. This is what I did with my penny.—LIBBIE."

"Freddie" and "Tusie," little brother and sister of Libbie, did well with their pennies. Tusie increased hers to 35 cents, while Freddie's grew to 48 cents. Each of these little people gathered all the string they could find and made it up into balls, which they sold.

"Meda" made a ruche for grandma, crocheted lace, and speculated in butter, gaining in all 66 cents.

"Davie," Meda's brother, found a generous customer in grandpa, who bought a pen-holder and then gave it back to be sold over again. Davie also speculated in tallow, and increased his penny to 50 cents.

"Helen" invested in a penny tablet, sold it for 3 cents, and crept up by degrees to the place where she could buy material for an apron which she sold for 35 cents. She made another apron and a tidy, and cleared 55 cents.

"Lulu" bought a penny rubber and sold it for 2 cents, bought darning cotton, pins, cloth for apron, etc., and increased her penny to 50 cents.

The pennies have been growing, and that is good. But love has been growing too, in these young hearts, and that is better!

May the "Willing Worker" bands multiply all over our great land!

S.S. ADVOCATE.