he might see the prettily-decorated altar over the
heads of the ones filling the church. Yes, there was Miss Mary's lily
with its five blossoms right on the stand by the pulpit. How beautiful
it looked, showing above the evergreens covering the altar-rail! And
there were Mrs. James' geraniums, a whole row of them--no one but Mrs.
James ever had geraniums worth much. And there were two little spruce
trees, one at each end of the altar-rail, with their cones all on.
Hadn't the girls worked, though! But the boys had helped. Lutty
Williams had told Martha Matilda all about it Saturday evening, going
home from the meat market, and then had awakened the first desire in
Martha to go "just for Easter" to the school she had dropped out of.

Martha drew a long breath and was just falling back into an easier
posture after her extended survey, when a hand touched her shoulder.
"I thought, dear, you would want to see the lilies;" and there was
Miss Mary, as tall and sweet as a lily herself, with a brown straw hat
wreathed with cowslips, and a blue serge dress, neat and
close-fitting. "You can see better up with us;" and she drew the hand
with the brown woolen glove up close under her arm.

"Oh, no, Miss Mary, I can't! I ain't fixed! I can see here." And the
little girl pulled herself back as far as Miss Mary's hold upon her
allowed.

"Nonsense! The idea of your staying down here alone!"

There was such sweet insistence in Miss Mary's voice that Martha stood
on her feet and allowed herself to be drawn out into the aisle. But
though for a few steps she followed with evident reluctance, a latent
dignity caused her to free her hand and walk the remainder of the way
as though of her own accord. A cluster of girls were watching for Miss
Mary's coming in a square pew near the front.

"We've saved a place for you right here in the middle," said the girl
nearest the aisle, as their teacher came to them. And then they
shifted this way and that, so that "the place" was widened to take in
Martha Matilda as well.

"Doesn't the church look nice, now we have it all fixed!" asked one of
the girls, as she nestled up close to Martha, reaching over her to
speak lovingly to the teacher.

How cozy Martha felt, sitting there right in the heart of it all! How
pretty the lilies were, up near! And to think that her mamma had given
the first little bulb to Miss Mary!--Miss Mary had told her so one day
at school.

But as Martha was reveling in the s