Then she had an inspiration and promptly acted upon it . She spent that evening in the garret , with a lamp and an exercise book , writing busily , with flushed cheeks and shining eyes . It was the very thing ! How clever she was to have thought of it ! It would put everything right and explain everything and yet cause no scandal . It was eleven o'clock when she had finished to her satisfaction and crept down to bed , dreadfully tired , but perfectly happy . In a few days the little weekly published in the Glen under the name of The Journal came out as usual , and the Glen had another sensation . A letter signed `` Faith Meredith '' occupied a prominent place on the front page and ran as follows : -- `` TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN : I want to explain to everybody how it was I came to go to church without stockings on , so that everybody will know that father was not to blame one bit for it , and the old gossips need not say he is , because it is not true . I gave my only pair of black stockings to Lida Marsh , because she had n't any and her poor little feet were awful cold and I was so sorry for her . No child ought to have to go without shoes and stockings in a Christian community before the snow is all gone , and I think the W. F. M. S. ought to have given her stockings . Of course , I know they are sending things to the little heathen children , and that is all right and a kind thing to do . But the little heathen children have lots more warm weather than we have , and I think the women of our church ought to look after Lida and not leave it all to me . When I gave her my stockings I forgot they were the only black pair I had without holes , but I am glad I did give them to her , because my conscience would have been uncomfortable if I had n't . When she had gone away , looking so proud and happy , the poor little thing , I remembered that all I had to wear were the horrid red and blue things Aunt Martha knit last winter for me out of some yarn that Mrs. Joseph Burr of Upper Glen sent us . It was dreadfully coarse yarn and all knots , and I never saw any of Mrs. Burr 's own children wearing things made of such yarn . But Mary Vance says Mrs. Burr gives the minister stuff that she ca n't use or eat herself , and thinks it ought to go as part of the salary her husband signed to pay , but never does . I just could n't bear to wear those hateful stockings . They were so ugly and rough and felt so scratchy . Everybody would have made fun of me . I thought at first I 'd pretend to be sick and not go to church next day , but I decided I could n't do that , because it would be acting a lie , and father told us after mother died that was something we must never , never do .
It is just as bad to act a lie as to tell one , though I know some people , right here in the XXXXX , who act them , and never seem to feel a bit bad about it .
Burr Glen Journal Lida Marsh Martha S. first o'clock right