a man?" inquired the farmer
good-humoredly.

"I'll back Almiry for fast and good work against any man _I_ ever saw,"
said Hiram emphatically.

Mr. Stokes laughed quietly. "Well," he said, "'t will be hard work, with
all else you have to do, but I'm willing you should try."

"I can do it," Almira answered determinedly.

After another spell of thinking she said to Evaline, "We might raise
some turkeys next summer. They bring a good price."

"Oh, turkeys are such a bother!" cried Evaline. "They take so much
running after--always going where they might get hurt."

She had had some experience in minding young turkeys.

"But just think of the money we'd have," Almira reminded her. "And you
know we'll have to work for our missionary money somehow."

"That's so," said Evaline, who was not fond of work. "It might as well
be turkeys as anything else."

"Mamma," said Marty one morning, "Hiram says he'd like to join the band.
But a great big man can't belong to a mission-band, can he?"

"He might be an honorary member," suggested Mrs. Ashford.

"What sort of a member is that?"

"He could attend the meetings, take part in the exercises, and
contribute money, but he could not vote."

"Well, maybe Hiram would like to join that way. S'pose we ask him;" and
off she and Evaline flew in search of Hiram.

They found him up by the barn.

"O Hiram!" said Marty. "I just now told mamma about your wanting to join
the mission-band, and she says you might join as an _honorary_ member."

Hiram stuck his pitchfork in the ground, rested his hands on the top of
it, and his chin on his hands.

"What's that kind of a member got to do?" he asked slowly.

"You may give money, but you can't vote," Marty instructed him.

Hiram thought over it a good while, and then said very gravely, though
his eyes twinkled, "Well, I guess giving money's the main thing after
all, isn't it? I reckon I'll join if you'll let me."

"We'll be ever so glad to have you," said Marty warmly. She felt as if
it was partly her band, and was interested in seeing it growing and
flourishing.

They were nearly back to the house when Evaline suddenly stopped,
exclaiming,

"You never told him he might come to the meetings!"

"Neither I did! How came I to forget that! We must go right back and
tell him."

When they reached the barn again, they saw Hiram at the foot of the
hill, just entering the next field; but hearing the girls shouting,
"Hiram! Hiram!" and s