"What's the matter, Jessie?" asked the teacher, coming up at this moment, and slipping her arm about the girl's waist. "I believe Bob has been teasing you. Make up, children;" and smiling kindly, and with a reassuring grasp of Jessie's hand, she passed on. "What'd I tell ye?" asked the girl. "Oh, she's only a woman. Anyway, she don't care much for you lasses, or she'd had a club for girls." This was more than Jessie could stand. "A woman, did ye say? A woman?" Jessie's eyes flashed with anger. "An' wasna' y'r mither a woman, Bob Burns?" "I believe she was," answered the boy with a broad grin. He was enjoying himself. "An' as fur the schoolma'am's not carin' fur the girls, y're mistaken. I'm sure she will have a club fur us." "Yes," taunted the burly fellow, "to hammer things into y'r heads with." At this Jessie left him in high dudgeon. She sought Esther and asked: "_Don't_ ye like we girls as much as the boys?" "Just a little bit better, perhaps. Why, Jessie?" "Bob Burns says ye don't care fur the girls, an' he knows ye don't 'cause ye hain't made no club fur them." "Bob's mistaken, isn't he? We girls," and the teacher paused and smiled into several faces, "we girls are to have a club soon. Don't you say so?" The girls gathered about her. Bob's remark, repeated by Jessie, had been most timely, and crystallized what had been in the girls' minds,--to organize such a club for women as had been organized for the men. They talked rapidly, several at a time; but at last they listened to Esther, as she asked them to visit the school at an hour they could agree upon, on the following Monday. This they promised to do. But at this juncture, John Harding interrupted the conversation. "They want ter know as will yer tell 'em a short story, Miss Bright." "A story? Let--me--see--! What shall I tell them, Jack?" "Tell 'em about Abraham Lincoln, as didn't have no chance till he made it hisself." So she told them a story of a hero, a plain, simple man, a man of toil, a man of great heart. She pictured his faithfulness to simple duties, his rise to the highest position his countrymen could bestow upon him, his death and the nation's sorrow. As she finished, a cowboy asked, "Did yer say that Abraham Lincoln was onct president of the United States?" "Yes." "My!" he exclaimed, "I wisht I'd 'a knowed him! I wisht I could 'a fit on his side!" "It is not too late to fight on his side," she said. "Every time you try to live a more sober, honest, decent life, every time you try to be more manly and true, you are fighting on the same side he did." "Gosh!" he said. "I didn't know that. I thought fightin' meant jest killin' off the other fellers." While the refreshments were being served, John Harding extended an invitation to the men to attend the club regularly, and suggested that the girls see Miss Bright about a club for girls, adding: "I believe a club fer women is in the air." Vociferous applause. Patrick Murphy stepped forward.