ied the dinner dishes out of the way, drove Marty and his
father out of the house, and hurried to change into fresh frocks; for
company was expected.

The ladies' sewing circle of the Union Church was to meet with Mrs.
Day. These meetings of late had become more like social gatherings
than formerly. The afternoon session was better attended; then came a
hearty supper to which the ladies' husbands, brothers, or sweethearts
were invited; and everything wound up with a social evening.

Aunt 'Mira and Janice had made many extra preparations for the occasion
in the line of cooked food; there were two gallon pots of beans in the
oven cooking slowly; and every lady, as she arrived, handed to Janice
some parcel or package containing cooked food for the supper.

The girl was busy looking after these donations when once the members
of the sewing circle began to arrive; and Aunt 'Mira's pantry had never
before been so stacked with food. Marty stole in to gaze at the
goodies, and whispered:

"Hi tunket! Just you go away for half an hour, Janice, and lemme be
here. I could do something to that tuck right now."

"And so soon after dinner?" cried his cousin. "I wonder if boys _are_
hollow all the way down to their heels, as they say they are?"

"It ain't that," grinned Marty. "But a feller runs so many chances in
this world of going hungry, that he ought ter fill up while he can.
You just turn your back for a while and I'll show you, Janice."

But his cousin turned the key in the pantry door and slipped it into
her pocket for safety. "We'll have no larks like _that_, Master
Marty," she declared.

Mrs. Scattergood and 'Rill were among the first to arrive; and then
came Mrs. Middler, the minister's wife. Mrs. Beasely was there, and
Walky Dexter's wife, and the druggist's sister, who kept house for him;
and Mrs. Poole, the doctor's wife; and Mrs. Marvin Petrie, who had
married children living in Boston and always spent her winters with
them, and had just come back to Poketown again for the season.

Many of the ladies of Poketown never thought of making up their spring
frocks, or having Mrs. Link, the milliner, trim their Easter bonnets,
until Mrs. Marvin Petrie came from Boston. She was supposed to bring
with her the newest ideas for female apparel, and her taste and advice
was sought on all sides when the ladies sat down to their sewing in the
big sitting-room of the old Day house.

Mrs. Marvin Petrie, however, was