ld always get them to do the thing they
had thought they would not do. She was to Gladys, the motherless girl, a
friend, a companion, a leader and a heroine.

What was there about her that made her able to lead? Was it her smile? Was
it her ability to do things? What made a leader anyway?

Gladys leaned far back against the old tree under which she had been
sitting and said to herself, "I wish--I wish----"

"And what do you wish," said a little voice, and there close to her was a
dear little lady dressed in red and in her hand she carried a lamp.

"Who are you?" said Gladys.

"I am the Fairy of Helpful Service," said the little lady. "I heard you
talking about one of my helpers, so I was interested to know what you
wished when you thought of all she had done for you girls. Now tell me.
What do you wish?"

"If you are a fairy, perhaps you can give me my wish. I wish to be like
Mrs. Fuller. I want to help girls. I want to get the kind of letters she
gets from girls who are far away. I want to see 'my girls' some day giving
service all over the world as she does. I want to be like her. Please,
fairy, give me my wish."

"I can't make you like her but I can put you in the way of service and
then, if you choose, you can become like her and get the things you are
asking for. Those things are not given--they are earned, and the cost of
them is heavy. I don't really think you mean what you say, for you haven't
even wanted to go to school to learn to help. Perhaps the best way would
be to let you see _her_ in the way and then you can choose for yourself
whether you want your gift. Come and we will watch her climb the way."

So the Fairy of Helpful Service and the girl who wanted to be a leader
went together into the House of the Past.

"There," said the fairy, "there is Mrs. Fuller as a little girl. We will
watch her grow and you may see where she earned some of the qualities
which you admire in her."

There she was, a mischievous little girl of ten, as happy as the day was
long.

"Here she is laying the foundation for health," said the fairy, "with long
hours of sleep and good food and plenty of play. One begins away back in
girlhood to be a leader. Some who would have been good helpers for me
cannot serve because they did not begin early enough to get ready."

Then as the little girl played there came into the way a black, black
cloud. Gladys shuddered as it came nearer and nearer to the little girl
and finally en