KEITH LENDS A HAND

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 86, 5 January 1935, Page 17

KEITH LENDS A HAND

While Keith was playing in the copse old Mrs. Williams came out of her cottage and began to gather sticks. "I have to get as many as I possibly can, Master Keith,” she explained to the little boy who was swinging on a branch close by; “my old man’s been ill, and I must keep him warm somehow.” “I’ll help you," cried Keith, and he jumped' down from his perch and helped Mrs. Williams to collect, a large bundle of sticks. There was a small tree lying on the edge of the wood quite dead. “If we could carry that tree it would last a lovely long time,” panted Keith under his load. “I’m afraid it’s far too heavy for us, sighed Mrs. Williams, “but I shall be able to get a good fire to-night with what we’ve got here. Thank you for your help." ~ , Then Keith had an idea, and he raced off to find his big brother Colin. Colin had had a fine carpenter’s set tor his birthday; and Keith begged his brother to bring his new saw and cut up the fallen tree into logs. Colin who hadn’t anything else to do and who was always ready to use his precious saw, agreed. “You bring your cart along and we ll pile the logs into it,” he told Keith, as he CoHn sawed up the thinner te quite easily, but the thick ones took much longer, and he was soon very warm. Still he went on; and Keith gathered up the cut wood and Packed ft into his toy wagon and trundled it along to Mrs. Williams’s little cottage. The old woman raised her hands in delight when she saw whit the boys were doing. +n n f“Dearie me!” she said. Now thais kind of you both to take that trouble,” and she helped Keith to stack the wood in her little shed. “I’ll finish off the old tree to-mor-row,” promised Colin. “Thank you, Master Colin, said Mrs. Williams, “but you mustn’t go at it too hard.” . „ , “Oh, it’s good exercise,” replied It actually took them several days to finish cutting up the little tree: and one evening they saw Mrs M illiams coming up their drive with a lai = e basket of ripe red apples. “Fancy all those for us!’ cued Keith, skipping with joy. And even Colin grinned and said. “I’ll soon have my teeth into some ot those!”