ed to the band, what they did at the meetings, how much
money they had, and what they were going to do with it; how this band
was only one of hundreds of bands that were all connected with a big
society; and how the object of the whole thing was to teach the heathen
in foreign lands about God and try to make Christians of them.

"That must be the same thing that Ruth Campbell was talking so much
about a while ago," said Evaline when Marty stopped, more to take breath
than because she had nothing further to say.

"Who's Ruth Campbell? and what was she saying?"

"Why, the Campbells live in that house that you can just see the top of
from our barn. Ruth's as old as our Almiry, but she knows a heap more,
for she went to school in Johnsburgh. She taught our school last winter,
and is going to again next. She told us about something they have in
Johnsburgh, and it sounds very much like yours, so it must be a
mission-band. She said she wished we could have one here, but none of us
paid much attention to it."

"Oh, I think you would like it ever so much," said Marty; "only maybe
there wouldn't be enough children round here to make a band," she added
doubtfully.

"How many does it take?" asked Evaline.

"Oh, bands are of different sizes. I s'pose you _could_ make one of four
or five."

"There's a sight more children than that on the mountain," said Evaline
with some contempt. "But then some of 'em mightn't want to send their
money away to the heathen; and anyhow, I don't know where they'd get any
money to send. Folks up here, 'specially children, don't have much."

"Why, I thought the country was just the place to make money for
missions," cried Marty. "There's 'first-fruits' and such things that are
a great deal easier got at in the country than in town. And I have heard
of children raising missionary corn and potatoes, and having missionary
hens that laid the very best kind of eggs regularly every day, that
brought a high price."

"Yes, but who's going to buy the things up here? Folks all have their
own corn and potatoes and hens. And how'd we children get a few little
things miles and miles to market?"

Marty was rather taken aback by this view of the subject. "The children
I read about got _somebody_ to buy their things," she said.

She was rather discouraged because Evaline was not more enthusiastic
about missions, and thought there was no use trying to further the cause
in this region; but fortunately she happ