“India, where's that?” “That is a country thousands of miles across the sea from us, and when you get to Std. IV or Std. V, you will learn all about India.” Silence—then to my consternation he said: “Thousands of miles from here? Goodness, he must have left early this morning.” I laughed till the tears ran down my face and, asked what I was laughing for, I assured him, “Oh, nothing!” But I still laugh to-day and he is a man now. And there was the time when I had taken the same lad to fit a pair of new boots, and several pairs had been tried and it only remained for me to make a choice. “How much is this pair?” asked son. “Those are £1 5s,” said the young man attendant; a few seconds silence, then: “Whew! Twenty-five shillings—twelve and six each.” “Well you aren't thinking of buying one are you?” said the attendant, at which young son shrivelled to half his size. I loved to go back over these little experiences, and this child especially, had given me many happy moments, with his serious nature, and his quick intellect. His very first outside job of painting a neighbouring farmer's yards with creosote, had earned him twelve shillings, and I remembered how I had asked him to let me look after ten shillings, while he spent two shillings, but he had refused and had gone off down the street. Hours later. I went into a baker's shop to find him with

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two bags of sultana buns on the counter in front of him, while a woman filled yet another bag. “Having a party tonight?” I said, and he visibly started at finding it was I who had entered. I made my purchase, however, and went out. Later he came along to me with no less than four packets containing four dozen sultana buns. “Look Mum,” he said, “That lady's mad; I asked her for four buns, and she gave me four dozen!” Rather a rude awakening for a young fellow out to spend his first pay. One day long ago I became conscious of a very heated argument going on in the bedroom between two of our youngsters. “It is not T.A.B.” shouted one, “its O.B.E.!” “It is not O.B.E. you fool! That's when they give you a medal for giving money to the poor!” said the other. “Well, it's something like that anyway, and you ask Mum.” “Cause I know, its O.B. standing for over dirty, so there!” I loved to think back on those little things that are the bright spots in a sometimes wearying business of raising a family, and I know that they will be recalled many times after the children have al grown and gone from the nest. Early every morning, about 4 a.m. I would hear the sound of bright whistling coming from a huge Concrete Works next to the Nursing Home. I wondered how anyone could be so bright in such bitter cold conditions, and I found myself building a picture around this unknown man—somebody's husband and father—whose job called him forth, when others were still deep in sleep. Yet he could be so cheery. I could not help but think how little we know of what effect our everyday actions have on those with whom we come in contact. My new friend, for instance,—I was amazed at how cheerful she could be; and I thought of how vital and loving she was, always telling me about her family and husband till I felt I knew them already. How little things gave her happiness and it was a tonic just to listen to her, and I always showed interest because I knew that it gave her pleasure to be talking about her family when she was so far away from them all. Just after breakfast one morning, Nurse came into our ward with a visitor for me, or rather a lady florist, who had come to deliver some flowers for me, and Nurse had asked her to bring them in to me. How my heart warmed as I received that lovely bowl of sweet blossom—a single orchid in the centre—and many kinds of blossom and leaves set around it to make a most pleasing little bowl, needing very little attention. I enquired her name and in our little talk we discovered that some of our children had attended secondary school together—and I had another acquaintance. Several baby cards came, all sweet with ribbons, and flowers and tiny booties, and my heart was filled with happy feelings of love and contentment and warm gratitude to those kind and thoughtful ones who helped to make my stay in Nursing Home so pleasant and so altogether happy.