l we fight, then?" asked the boy in surprise.

"There will be one kind of fighting, my dear; but it will not be
fighting with swords. You may ask all the little boys, who wish to form
a company, up here after school this evening, and I will talk with them.
Perhaps they will like to join my company."

Willie laughed quite heartily. "Yours, mamma! Shall you be the captain?"

"If they choose me I shall, my dear."

As soon as Willie had gone to school, Mrs. Gray began to cut long
strips of colored paper and wind them into plumes. There was a very long
waving one of yellow for the captain, and one of blue for the
lieutenant, and twelve of pink for the soldiers. She did not think there
would be more than fourteen at first. Then she cut sheets of paper, and
taught Sally to form them into caps; and after they were done, she sewed
the plumes on, and laid them all out on the table, which stood in the
hall, so as to attract the notice of the boys when they came in from
school.

Next she sent Sally to the attic for some strips of red and blue cloth.
Of the red she made pretty stars to fasten on the shoulders, while nurse
cut long smooth stripes to trim their jackets and pantaloons.

They had but just finished their work when a shout from Willie called
mamma to the door, where she saw a company of boys awaiting her orders.

"Come in," she said, smiling at their bright, expectant faces; "come in,
and we will form the company."

As they entered the hall they stopped short at sight of the beautifully
plumed caps. "O mamma!" was all that Willie could say.

She led them into the dining hall, and then told them her plan. "I want
to form a company of boys," she began. "It will be called the 'Try
Company,' because every one belonging to it must learn to try to do
things for himself. But first of all I must tell you the rules. No
little boy can join my company unless he will promise not to use one
naughty or vulgar word, not to tell a lie, and not to be unkind. If he
has ever told lies, he must try to do so no more. Next he must try in
his lessons. Sometimes the words are very long, and boys say, 'I can't
learn them;' but my company will never say so.

"My boys will say, 'I'll try.' If the geography lesson is difficult, and
you can't readily find the places on the maps, you will think of your
pretty plumes, and say, 'I won't give up; I'll try again.'

"Then, when the sum is long, and it makes your head ache to add up four
and ten