vid laid down his paper and straightened himself in his chair. "How
did they treat you?" he asked eagerly.

"Just as nice as they possibly could," said Sarah. "I won't mind goin'
by myself next time."

David's face expressed a satisfaction and pride too deep for words.
"What did they do?" he asked with the curiosity of the masculine mind
that seeks to penetrate the mysteries of a purely feminine affair.

"Well, they talked mostly, and at first I couldn't see what they were
drivin' at, but I kept on listenin', and at last I began to understand
what they intend to do. They're lookin' into the conditions of workin'
women and girls and children, and they're tryin' to get laws passed that
will make things easier for people that work in mills and factories.
They asked me about the hours of work at the mills, and the wages and
how the mill people lived, and, David, they said when the Legislature
meets this winter, they'll have to go up to the capital to get some
bills passed, and they want me to go with them."

It was impossible for Sarah to stifle the note of triumph in her voice.
There was a red spot on each cheek, her eyes shone with enthusiasm, and
though she might not be able yet to define the word "civic", evidently
she had caught the spirit of civic work. As for David, he was speechless
with astonishment and delight. If long residence in Millville had
qualified Sarah for membership in the Fortnightly Club, then, after all,
the world of the rich and the world of the poor were not very far apart.

"I told them about Agnes Thompson, how she lost her thumb and finger in
the mill this spring, and what the Company offered her for damages, and
how hard it is for mothers with little children to leave home and work;
and they want to build a day nursery where the babies and children can
be looked after, and that's why I said I'd learned what to do with
money." She paused and looked at David, who nodded sympathetically. "One
thing that helped me to see things right," she continued, "was a sermon
I heard the Sunday you were away. You know that little church just three
blocks down the street back of us? Well, Sunday morning I dressed and
started out, and I said to myself: 'I'll go to the first church I come
to;' and it happened to be that little church down the street with the
cross on the steeple and over the door 'Church of the Eternal Hope.'
That's a pretty name for a church, ain't it? Church of Eternal Hope. I
went in while