pleasant and profitable to both parties.

What pleased the Twigs particularly was that Almira told them the
mountain band was very much indebted to one of their members, and it was
likely the band would not have been formed that summer if it had not
been for that member's help. Of course she meant Marty.

It must not be supposed Marty had boasted that she had done much
towards getting the band organized. She only told in her childish way
how it had come about, and the girls could not help seeing she had given
all the aid possible.

Some of the other girls heard from members of bands they had met during
the summer, and in this way several suggestions of ways of doing things
were gathered up and acted upon. Miss Walsh said the whole summer
experience had been very helpful.

One of Marty's earliest visits after her return was paid to Jennie in
company with Cousin Alice. They found the invalid sitting up in the
comfortable rocking-chair, looking very much better. She was overjoyed
to see them and had a great deal to say. She was so pleased that she
happened to be up, and insisted on showing how she could take the three
or four steps necessary to get from the bed to the chair. She told them
the doctor said that after a while, if she was very careful, she would
be able to walk. "Not, of course, that skippy way you do," she said to
Marty, "but to kind o' get along."

She also showed the crocheting she had done, and it was really very well
done. As she seemed so much better, Miss Alice asked the doctor if it
would hurt her to study a little. He said it would not, and Miss Alice
undertook to teach her to read better, so that she could enjoy reading
to herself. Jennie was glad of the chance to learn and made good
progress, so that by Christmas, when Marty and Edith gave her the Bible
they had talked of in the summer, she could read it quite well.

"I think, after a while, when Jennie gets still stronger," said Miss
Alice one day at Mrs. Ashford's, "I will teach her something of
arithmetic and writing, because she will never be able to go to school,
and some knowledge of the kind will be useful to her. I will teach her
to sew nicely, too, and when she is older she may be able to earn her
living, even if she is lame and delicate."

"What a good work you will be doing, Alice," cried Mrs. Ashford, "if you
help a poor, sickly, ignorant child to develop into an intelligent,
self-helpful, and I hope Christian woman. Jennie will