134 WILD BROTHER 
letter from Mrs. Weldon which read as follows: — 
It has just come to my knowledge that our 
grocer has been begging of you in our behalf. I did 
not know anything about this. I think it is a great 
impertinence and I am ashamed to think that such 
a thing was done after all the Christmas boxes and 
the checks at Christmas time that have been sent 
us. Last fall he wanted me to write and ask you 
to help us; but I told him that I had no claim on 
your bounty, and that I would not hear of any 
such a thing. 
I trust that you and Mrs. Underwood will not 
think badly of me and mine as your help was asked 
without our knowledge. I hope that you will see 
Mr. Weldon when he comes to the hospital, and he 
will be able to tell you all of the circumstances, and 
apologize for such an affront to you. The children 
and I are all well and very, very grateful to all our 
friends. 
On receipt of this letter I wrote a reply in which 
I explained that she was mistaken about the gro- 
cer asking me to help—that he had merely 
answered my own request for information. I 
assured her also that I should certainly see Mr. 
Weldon ‘at the hospital both before and after the 
operation, and that I could keep her closely in- 
