In April 1886, the Kimballs' old stove began to rust away, and they were too poor to buy a new one. But lack of money had made the seven Kimball kids resourceful and independent. Whit, the oldest, ordered a new stove -- the Nickel-Plated Beauty -- C.O.D., not realizing he would have to pay for it. When the stove arrived, it sat in the general store, where it would stay until the children could earn the twenty-seven dollars needed to buy it.
In April 1886, the Kimballs' old stove began to rust away, and they were too poor to buy a new one. But lack of money had made the seven Kimball kids resourceful and independent. Whit, the oldest, ordered a new stove -- the Nickel-Plated Beauty -- C.O.D., not realizing he would have to pay for it. When the stove arrived, it sat in the general store, where it would stay until the children could earn the twenty-seven dollars needed to buy it.