“A meeting about what?”

“Why, why, temperance.”

“Who get it up?”

“We—­we boys—­our club.”

Aunt Stanshy guessed at once the occasion and object of Charlie’s remarks, that he had heard the conversation between her and her caller, and that this proposition for a temperance meeting was to meet the grave necessities of the hour.

“Yes, yes,” he said, “let’s go and see teacher about it”

“What, go now?”

“Yes, you and she can talk it over.”

In a few minutes Charlie and Aunt Stanshy were hurrying down the street as if suddenly summoned by the pressing sickness of a friend.

“O, let’s get Sid,” suggested Charlie, as they neared Sid Waters’s house.

“Well,” replied Aunt Stanshy.

Sid, whose appetite never failed him, was eating a lunch, but he responded at once to Charlie’s invitation to “Come out.”

“What’s up, Charlie?  I am the man for you,” replied the president, who had an abundance of resources at his command, and was prepared—­in his own opinion—­for any emergency.  “What is up?  Down-townies round?”

“We want to have a temperance meeting.  Come down to teacher’s.”

“All right.  Temperance meeting?  The club get it up?”

“I don’t just know, but we can talk it over.”

“If they want a meeting, we can give ’em one,” said Sid, confidently.

Thus re-enforced, Aunt Stanshy and Charlie presented themselves at Miss Barry’s door.

“Come in, come,” said the teacher.  “I have just got home myself.”

“We—­we have come,” exclaimed Aunt Stanshy, “to see if we couldn’t have a temperance meeting!  You know we need it.”

“O, I see; and the boys?”

“The boys,” said Sid, proudly, “think you could rely on them to—­to—­pull an oar.”

He felt it might be prudent not to propose to do the whole of the rowing, and offer the town a meeting managed wholly by the “Up-the-Ladder Club,” but modestly—­to—­pull an oar.

“Splendid!” said the teacher, her enthusiasm charming the boys.  “Among us all, I guess we can manage it.”

“I don’t know as I can do any thing except to get people out,” said Aunt Stanshy, fearful that she might be called upon to speak in the meeting.

“Let us go and see Mr. Walton,” suggested Miss Barry.

“It would be the very thing,” declared Aunt Stanshy.

Very soon Aunt Stanshy, Miss Barry, Sid, and Charlie started for the minister’s.  On the way, Juggie and Tony were secured as new members of the column, and thus augmented, this eager temperance band appeared at Mr. Walton’s door.  Ushered into the study, Miss Barry told her errand.

“We need a temperance meeting very much, and we will have it at St. John’s, and I want you boys—­the club, Miss Barry—­to do the most of the singing,” said Mr. Walton.

“We will,” said Sid.  “I know I can speak for them.”