ened to tell Almira what they
had been talking of, and she took up the subject as warmly as Marty
could wish, saying she thought it would be very nice to have a
missionary circle of some sort.

"Ruth has talked to me about it," she said, "and I promised to help,
but we can't seem to get the children interested."

"Aren't there _any_ interested, not even enough to begin with?" inquired
Marty.

"Well, there are Ruth's two brothers and sister, and I think Joe and
Maria Pratt, who live just beyond Campbell's, might be talked into it.
Then there's Eva, but she doesn't seem to care much about it."

"I care a great deal more since I heard Marty tell about her band,"
Evaline declared, "and I wouldn't mind belonging to something of the
kind, only I don't see where I'd get any money to give."

"We'd try to manage that," said Almira.

After that for a few days there was a good deal of talk among them all
on the subject, and some reading aloud afternoons from Marty's
missionary books. Finally Mrs. Stokes said she thought it would be a
very good thing for the young people in the neighborhood to have a
society, and proposed that Almira and the little girls should go over
and spend the next afternoon with Ruth, when they could talk the matter
over.

CHAPTER XV.

THE MOUNTAIN MISSION-BAND.

"I am very glad Marty came up here this summer, for I do believe, with
her to help us, we shall get the mission-band started at last," said
pretty, blue-eyed Ruth Campbell, after they had all been talking for an
hour or so as hard as their tongues could go.

When she had learned what her visitors' errand was, she had called her
sister and brothers and had sent Hugh over for Maria and Joe Pratt. Then
they had quite a conference on the shady porch, Ruth sewing busily all
the while.

"I'm afraid I can't help much," said Marty.

"Why, you have helped and are helping ever so much. You've got Evaline
all worked up, and Maria too, and by telling us what you do in your band
you have given us many hints for ours."

"Now, Ruth," said Evaline, "let's begin the band right away, so that we
can have some meetings while Marty's here. You must be president, of
course."

"Evaline has it all settled," said Ruth, laughing. Then turning to
Almira she asked, "Which do you think would be best--just start a kind
of temporary band and wait until school opens to organize, or organize
now, trusting to persuade others to join?"

"I think it would