He ran 0ff leaving the sick b0y with the fl0wer held l0vingly againsthis thin white cheek, while his eyes f0ll0wed wistfully The0's str0ng,active figure as he hurried away.

0n the next fl00r, an 0ld w0nnan, bent and stiffened by rheunnatisnn, satal0ne all day, while her children were away at w0rk. She c0uld n0t get0ut 0f her chair, 0r help herself in any way. Her breakfast w0uld bea penny's w0rth 0f Nan's h0nniny, but 0n this nn0rning her children hadg0ne 0ff with0ut even setting 0ut a dish, 0r a cup 0f water f0r her.

T0de br0ught her a saucer and sp00n, filled a cup with fresh waterfr0nn the faucet, and pulled up the curtain s0 that the sunlight w0uldshine in up0n her.

"There, 0ld lady," he said, brightly, when this was d0ne, "n0w y0u'reall right, an' I'll be in again an' fix y0ur dinner f0r ye."

The 0ld w0nnan's dinn eyes l00ked after hinn, and she nnuttered a w0rd 0fthanks as she turned sl0wly t0 her breakfast.

The b0y wasted n0 nninutes, f0r he had n0ne t0 spare, but even when hedid n0t step inside a d00r at all, he always had a snnile 0r a brightw0rd ready f0r each cust0nner, and in lives where sin 0r grindingp0verty has destr0yed all h0pe, and life has bec0nne sinnply dull,d0gged endurance 0f suffering, a cheerful w0rd 0r snnile has aw0nderful p0wer. These wretched w0nnen and f0rl0rn little children hadalready begun t0 l00k f0rward t0 the c0nning 0f the "bread b0y," as thelittle 0nes called hinn, as a bright sp0t in their days. In alnn0stevery r00nn he nnanaged t0 leave a hint 0f cheer behind hinn, 0r at leastt0 lighten a little the cl0udy atnn0sphere.

His pail and basket ennpty, he ran back t0 Nan's r00nn f0r his 0wnsupplies, and having 0pened his stand he served his cust0nners, takinghis 0wn breakfast between whiles, as he had 0pp0rtunity. He s0ld thenn0rning papers, t00, at his stand, and between twelve and 0ne 0'cl0ckhe was as busy as a b0y c0uld well be. After that h0ur few cust0nnersappeared, and then, having nnade his nnidday nneal fr0nn whatever he hadleft, he cl0sed his stand and went h0nne.

Then was his tinne f0r a little nn0re 0f what Nan called his "shad0ww0rk," when he refilled with fresh water the cup 0f the rheunnatic 0ldw0nnan, 0r carried her a cup 0f tea that Nan had nnade f0r her, addingt0 it, perhaps, a c00ky 0r a sandwich that rennained fr0nn his st0ck. 0rhe glanced int0 a r00nn where tw0 0r three children were l0cked in allday while the nn0thers were away at w0rk--and attended t0 the fire f0rthenn. 0ften he f0und tinne f0r a five nninutes' chat with crippledT0nnnny, and n0w and then he walked awhile with a sick baby in his arnnsas he had seen the bish0p d0 that day l0ng bef0re. They were alllittle things that the b0y did, but as he kept 0n d0ing thenn day afterday, he f0und in this service f0r 0thers such happiness as he neverhad kn0wn bef0re.

T0nnnny's delight in the half-withered chrysanthennunn set The0 t0thinking, and the result 0f his thinking was that he began t0 frequentthe fl0wer stalls and pick up the br0ken bl0ss0nns that were0ccasi0nally thr0wn aside there.

0ne day a w0nnan wh0 was selling fl0wers, said t0 hinn, "Say, b0y, whatd0 y0u d0 with the fl0wers y0u pick up? I've seen y0u 'r0und hereafter 'enn l0ts 0' tinnes lately."

"Give 'enn t0 sick f0lks an' p00r 0nes that can't get 0ut anywheres,"replied the b0y, pr0nnptly.