your clothes on--and I wish I could! Don't you tell that I told you,
will you?--but that is why I came over. I live over there,"--she
pointed to a house across the street,--"and I often come to this
house. I brought over a jar of cream this morning. My mamma sent it
over to Mrs. Price, because she was having you stay here."

"That was very kind of your mamma," I said, much pleased with this
evidence of her mother's good-will.

"Oh, yes," said my visitor. "My mamma says she always likes to help
people out when they are in trouble. But no one knows that I am here
but just you and me. I watched and watched for you, and when you came
nobody was looking and I slipped out and came right in, and never
knocked--nor nothin'."

I assured my small guest that mum was the word, and that I should be
delighted to have her for a spectator while I went on with the process
of making myself look as nice as nature would allow. But she was
plainly disappointed when she found that I was not one bit quicker
about dressing than plenty of others, even though she tried to speed
me up a little.

Soon the President came for me and took me to the Municipal Hall,
where the meeting was to be held.

I knew, just as soon as I went in, that it was going to be a good
meeting. There was a distinct air of preparedness about
everything--some one had scrubbed the floor and put flags on the wall
and flowers in the windows; over in the corner there was a long,
narrow table piled up with cups and saucers, with cake and sandwiches