nd took Polly's rosy palm. "Now
begin, dear," she said, with an air of content, and looking down into
the bright face.

So Polly, realizing that here perhaps was need for help, quite as much
as in the poor brakeman's home, though in a different way, told the
whole story, how the two clubs, the Salisbury School Club and the boys'
club, had joined together to help Jim Corcoran's children; how they had
had a big meeting at Jasper's house, and promised each other to take
hold faithfully and work for that object.

"We were going to have a little play," observed Polly, a bit
sorrowfully, "but it was thought best not, so it will be recitations and
music."

"Those will be very nice, I am quite sure, Polly," said Mrs. Sterling;
"how I should love to hear some of them!" It was her turn to look sad
now.

"Why--" Polly sat up quite straight now, and her cheeks turned rosy.

"What is it, my child?" asked Mrs. Sterling.

"Would you--I mean, do you want--oh, Mrs. Sterling, would you like us to
come here some time to recite something to you?"

Mrs. Sterling turned an eager face on her pillow.

"Are you sure, Polly," a light coming into her tired eyes, "that you
young people would be willing to come to entertain a dull, sick, old
woman?"

"Oh, I am sure they would," cried Polly, "if you would like it, dear
Mrs. Sterling."

"_Like it!_" Mrs. Sterling turned her thin face to the wall for a
moment. When she looked again at Polly, there were tears trickling down
the wasted cheeks. "Polly, you don't know," she said brokenly, "how I
just long to hear young voices here in this dreary old house. To lie
here day after day, child--"

"Oh!" cried Polly suddenly, "it must be so very dreadful, Mrs.
Sterling."

"Well, don't let us speak of that," said Mrs. Sterling, breaking off
quickly her train of thought, "for the worst isn't the pain and the
weakness, Polly. It's the loneliness, child."

"Oh!" said Polly. Then it all rushed over her how she might have run in
before, and taken the other girls if she had only known. "But we will
come now, dear Mrs. Sterling," she said aloud.

"Do," cried Mrs. Sterling, and a faint color began to show itself on her
thin face, "but not unless you are quite sure that the young people will
like it, Polly."

"Yes, I am sure," said Polly, with a decided nod of her brown head.

"Then why couldn't you hold some of your rehearsals here?" proposed Mrs.
Sterling.

"Shouldn't we tire you?" asked Polly.