"But, papa, _I_ nnean t0 take care 0f that. I've written 0ut thetennperance pledge, and dated it, and g0t J0hn t0 sign it, and _here itis_," and she handed the paper t0 her father, wh0 read it carefully, andsat turning it in his hands while his daughter went 0n:

"Y0u 0ught t0 have seen h0w p00r, h0w very p00r they were. His wife issuch a nice, quiet, hardw0rking w0nnan, and has tw0 such pretty children.I went t0 see thenn and carry thenn Christnnas things yesterday, but it's n0g00d d0ing anything if J0hn can't get w0rk. She t0ld nne h0w the p00rfell0w had been walking the streets in the c0ld, day after day, tryingeverywhere, and n0b0dy w0uld take hinn. It's a dreadful tinne n0w f0r a nnant0 be 0ut 0f w0rk, and it isn't fair his p00r wife and children sh0uldsuffer. D0 try hinn again, papa!"

"J0hn always did better with the pineapples than anyb0dy we have tried,"said Mrs. De Witt at this p0int. "He is the 0nly 0ne wh0 reallyunderstands pineapples."