“Why, good-morning, Miss Howard! Had you started for my place? We’re not going to have any Sunday-school to-day—there’s to be a baptizing in the afternoon—and I promised to attend services at Bentville this morning. It’s the only chance I’ve had for a year.” “I wouldn’t have you miss it for anything, Miss Clark; go right on, all we want is permission to eat our lunch in your yard,” said Miss Howard, smiling. “You’d like to stay to the baptizing, wouldn’t you, girls?” There was an enthusiastic affirmative from every one. Nobody in the mountains ever missed a baptizing if it were possible to get there. Miss Clark leaned forward. “Go right into the dog-trot at my house; my raincoat is hanging on the right—near my bedroom door; under it you will find the key. Make yourself perfectly at home until I come back. You’d better make some coffee on the oil stove; there’s cream in the spring house. I’ll come back early.” “Thank you ever so much, but don’t hurry back!” urged Miss Howard. “You need the change, and we’ll get along splendidly.” “I’m so glad we came!” exclaimed Urilla. “A baptizin’ is lots more interesting than a Sunday-school. So that’s Miss Clark; I never saw her before.” “Nor I,” said Kizzie, “but I’m sure I shall like her. They say she’s helped a good many girls to go to Bentville after they’ve finished out here.” “And boys, too,” added Miss Howard. “She’s changed the whole neighbourhood. If you could only hear her tell of some of her thrilling experiences during the last twelve years—of the shootings, and brawlings, and fightings. To-day the people go to her for everything. She teaches them to sew, and cook, shows them how to care for the sick and the babies. Oh, Miss Clark is a wonderful woman!” “She must be,” said Gincy soberly, thinking of Goose Creek and its needs. The second team was passing them and she looked up quickly as a familiar voice called out: “Hello, what are you-all doing out this way?” It was Joe Bradshaw and his roommate, Raphael Sloan. “What are you?” she retorted. “Raf lives out here at Pigg Branch and I’ve been visiting him. We thought you were up at the bungalow and we’d drive up for two or three hours.” “Awfully sorry,” said Lalla, “we brought our dinners, and—” Then she looked at Miss Howard. That lady smiled. “You’d better come back with us—we’ll have plenty for two more—then we can all see the baptizing this afternoon.” The boys needed no second invitation. “We were coming down for that anyhow,” said Raphael, as they turned around.