Let me see how many are
here; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven,
and there is Mattie Bond who couldn't come because she is sick; she
would make twelve."

"How many are there in your club?" asked Reliance.

"Oh, I don't know just how many by now. Uncle Justus has a pretty big
school and almost every girl belongs to it," replied Edna.

"The real big girls?"

"Yes, and we have one very grown-up lady, an honorary member; I'll tell
you all about Miss Eloise some day. Agnes Evans was our first president,
and she is really grown up, for she is at college."

"I think a little club would be nicer," Esther Ann spoke her mind.

"But what shall it be and what shall we call it?" asked Alcinda.

"I'll tell you what," proposed Edna, "you all ask your mothers what they
think and I will ask my mother what she thinks, and we can meet
somewhere to-morrow to talk it over."

"I haven't any mother," came a sorrowful little voice from the corner.
Big Reliance put her arm around the younger girl. "Never mind, Letty,"
she whispered; "neither have I, but we can ask somebody else's mother."

"I'll lend both of you my mother," whispered Edna from the other side.

So it was that the company of little girls went home from Jetty's party
with quite a new plan. Even Edna, who would really have no part in the
club, was much interested, and could scarcely wait to talk it over with
her mother at bedtime. She began as soon as they were upstairs together.
"Mother," she said, "do you think grandma would let Reliance come up
while I am getting ready for bed?"

"Why, dearie, I don't know, I am sure. Why do you want her on this
special night?"

"Because there is something we girls are going to talk over with our
mothers, and Reliance hasn't any mother, neither has Letty Osgood, and I
told them I would lend them my mother. You don't mind, do you, mother
dear?" Edna put her two hands on each of her mother's cheeks and looked
at her very earnestly.

"Why, my darling, of course not," returned Mrs. Conway, kissing her.
"You know mother is always very glad to mother any little girl who may
need her. What is this wonderful something you are to talk over?"

"I think we'd better not begin until we know about Reliance though. I
wish I had asked grandma before I came up, but I wanted to speak to you
first, mother dear."

"Then I will go down and ask her. Where is Reliance?"

"I suppose she is in the kitchen with Amanda;