During the remainder of the summer there was frequent intercourse between the hotel and the farmhouse, and the "mission workers," particularly, learned to love each other very much. Marty felt very proud to be numbered among these workers, though she was only a "twig." She said, "I'll have a great deal to tell Miss Agnes and the girls when I go home--sha'n't I, mamma?" Some new members joined the mountain band, and by the last of August it numbered twenty-one. Ruth said she wished very much that before Mrs. Thurston left they might have her meet with the band. She thought they would all take greater interest in mission work if they could hear something of it from one who had spent so many years in the midst of it. Mrs. Thurston said she would be very happy to attend a meeting and talk with the members. So arrangements were made to have her do so. It would be impossible for her to reach the grove, as she could not walk so far, and the drive from the hotel to Mr. Campbell's was very rough and quite long. "Mother," said Almira, when they were trying to settle the matter, "couldn't we have a meeting here? It would be easier for Mrs. Thurston to get here, and convenient enough for everybody else." "Why, of course they may meet here," her mother replied. "Our parlor's a plenty big enough to hold 'em." "Oh! dear Mrs. Stokes," protested Marty, "don't let us meet in the house when there's so much lovely out-of-doors. That grassy place in the garden near the currant-bushes would be just an elegant place for a meeting." "I vote with Marty for out-of-doors," said Ruth. "We'll have enough times for in-door meetings after a while." "Suit yourselves," said kind Mrs. Stokes. "You're welcome to any place I've anything to do with." "And may some of the rest of us from the hotel come?" asked Miss Fanny, who happened to be present when this talk was going on. "Yes, indeed. The more the--." Mrs. Stokes was just going to say, as she so often did, "the more the merrier," when she recollected that it would be Sunday and the meeting a religious one. But she let them all know she would like them to come. Mrs. Ashford and Ruth had great difficulty in persuading her not to bake a quantity of cake on Saturday and serve refreshments to the band. "You must remember, dear Mrs. Stokes," said Ruth, "it isn't a party, and nobody will expect anything to eat. Now you must not think of going to any trouble." "The idee of having a lot of people come to your house and not give 'em a bite of anything!" exclaimed Mrs. Stokes.