d the
girls and boys away because there isn't possibly room for them, and
there is no money to make the buildings larger. I asked her why the big
society in this country--the one where the money from all the bands is
sent, you know--didn't just take hold and build plenty of schools, so
that all the heathen children might be taught; and she said that the
Board--that's the big society--has no money to send but what the
churches and Sunday-schools give them, and lately they haven't been
giving enough to build all the schools that are wanted. Isn't it awful!"

"A very sad state of affairs," said Mr. Ashford, but he could hardly
help smiling a little at Marty's profound indignation.

"I should think the people in this country couldn't sit still and see
things going on in such a way," she said. "Why, do you know, Miss Agnes
says there are places where the poor people are asking for missionaries,
and there are none to send, because there's not money enough to support
them. I should think that people would just go and take all their money
out of the banks and send it to the Board. Then there would be so much
money pouring in that the Board would have to sit up nights to count
it."

"No, no; that wouldn't do," said her father. "Little girls don't
understand these matters."

"Well, but, papa," she said, coming close to him, dragging her coat
after her by one sleeve, "don't you think if everybody were to give as
the Lord has prospered them, there would be nearly enough money to do
the right thing by the heathen?"

"Yes, there's something in that," answered Mr. Ashford, looking with a
queer kind of a smile at his wife, over Marty's head. "But you can't
compel every one to do what is right. All you can do is to attend to
your own contributions."

"Well," said Marty, half crying in her earnestness, "I started out to
give tenths; but as long as there are so many heathen, and so few
missionaries, I'm going to give halves or wholes. I can't stand tenths."

And she marched off and put every cent she had in the red box. When she
got her weekly allowance, that also went in. Her mother suggested that
she would better not give all her money away at once.

"I think," she said, "it would be much better to do as you started to
do, and not give in that impulsive way."

But Marty was sure she should not regret it, and declared she was going
to give every bit of money she ever should have to send missionaries to
the heathen. She was ver