se arising from oratorical ability, they seldom fail in deep sincerity
and directness of appeal.

The one who delivered the message that September morning told of the joy
of those who have overcome the desire for the vanities of the world,
extolled the virtue of a simple life, till Miss Lee felt convinced that
there must be something real in a religion that could hold its followers
to so simple, wholesome a life.

She looked about, at the serried rows of white-capped women--how gentle
and calm they appeared in their white caps and plain dresses; she looked
across the partition at the lines of men--how strong and honest their
faces were; and the children--she had never before seen so many children
at a church service--would they all, in time, wear the garb of their
people and enter the church of their parents? The child at her
side--vivacious, untiring, responsive Phoebe--would she, too, wear the
plain dress some day and live the quiet life of her people?

The eagerness of the child's face as Miss Lee looked at her denoted
intense interest in the sermon, but none could know the real cause of
that eagerness.

"I won't, I just won't dress plain!" she was thinking. "Anyway, not till
I'm old like Aunt Maria. I want to look like Miss Lee when I grow up.
And that preacher just said that it ain't good to plait the hair, I mean
he read it out the Bible. Mebbe now Aunt Maria will leave me have
curls. I hope she heard him say that."

She sighed in relief as the sermon was concluded and the next preacher
rose and added a few remarks. When the third man rose to add his few
remarks Phoebe looked up at Miss Lee and whispered, "Guess he's the last
one once!"

Miss Lee smiled. The service was rather long, but it was drawing to a
close. There was another prayer, another hymn and the service ended.

Immediately the white-capped women rose and began to bestow upon each
other the holy kiss; upon the opposite side of the church the brethren
greeted each other in like fashion. Everywhere there were greetings and
profferings of dinner invitations.

Maria Metz and her brother did not fail in their duty. In a few minutes
they had invited a goodly number to make the gray farmhouse their
stopping-place. Then Aunt Maria hurried home, eager to prepare for her
guests. Soon the Metz barnyard was filled with carriages and automobiles
and the gray house resounded with happy voices. Some of the women helped
Maria in the kitchen, others wandered