state of great excitement. Some of
their legs seemed slicking straight out behind. It was very funny to see
them.

They were a fine-looking lot of poultry, mostly white, with glossy
feathers and bright eyes. They greedily ate the food scattered to them
and Mrs. Wood said, "They think I've changed their breakfast time, and
to-morrow they'll come a good bit earlier. And yet some people say hens
have no sense."

CHAPTER XIX A BAND OF MERCY

A FEW evenings after we came to Dingley Farm, Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura
were sitting out on the veranda, and I was lying at their feet.

"Auntie," said Miss Laura, "What do those letters mean on that silver
pin that you wear with that piece of ribbon?"

"You know what the white ribbon means, don't you?" asked Mrs. Wood.

"Yes; that you are a temperance woman, doesn't it?"

"It does; and the star pin means that I am a member of a Band of Mercy.
Do you know what a Band of Mercy is?"

"No," said Miss Laura.

"How strange! I should think that you would have several in Fairport. A
cripple boy, the son of a Boston artist, started this one here. It has
done a great deal of good. There is a meeting to-morrow, and I will take
you to it if you like."

It was on Monday that Mrs. Wood had this talk with Miss Laura, and the
next afternoon, after all the work was done, they got ready to go to the
village.

"May Joe go?" asked Miss Laura.

"Certainly," said Mrs. Wood; "he is such good dog that he won't be any
trouble."

I was very glad to hear this, and trotted along by them down the lane to
the road. The lane was a very cool and pleasant place. There were tall
trees growing on each side, and under them, among the grass, pretty wild
flowers were peeping out to look at us as we went by.

Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura talked all the way about the Band of Mercy.
Miss Laura was much interested, and said that she would like to start
one in Fairport.

"It is a very simple thing," said Mrs. Wood. "All you have to do is to
write the pledge at the top of a piece of paper: 'I will try to be kind
to all harmless living creatures, and try to protect them from cruel
usage,' and get thirty people to sign it. That makes a band.

"I have formed two or three bands by keeping slips of paper ready,
and getting people that come to visit me to sign them. I call them
'Corresponding Bands,' for they are too far apart to meet. I send the
members 'Band of Mercy' papers, and I get such nice letters from them