“Oh, dear me, Ruthie! we are dense,” said Nettie.  “Of course! every girl should be able to do as much as the next one.  Otherwise there may be hard feelings.”

“Secret heartburnings,” added Helen.

“Of course,” Mercy said, “Ruth would see that side of it.  I don’t expect my folks could give ten dollars toward the fund; but I should want to do as much as any girl here.  Nobody loves Briarwood Hall more than I do,” added the lame girl, fiercely.

“I believe you, dear,” Ruth said.  “And what we want to do is to invent some way of earning money in which every girl will have her part, and do her part, and feel that she has done her full share in rebuilding the West Dormitory.”

“Hurrah!” cried Jennie.  “That’s the talk!  I tell you, Ruth, you are the only bright girl in this school!”

“Thank you,” said Ruth.  “You cannot flatter me into believing that.”

“But what’s the idea, dear?” demanded Helen, eagerly.  “You have some nice invention, I am sure.  You always do have.”

“Another base flatterer!” cried Ruth, laughing gaily.  “I believe you girls say such things just to jolly me along, and so that you will not have to exercise any gray matter yourselves.”

“Oh! oh!” groaned Jennie.  “How ungrateful.”

“Of course you have something to suggest?” Nettie said.

“No, not a thing.  My idea is, merely, that we start something that every girl in the school can have her share in.  Of course, that does not cut out contributions from those who have money to spare; but the new building must be erected by the efforts of the girls of Briarwood Hall as——­”

“As a bunch of briars,” chuckled Jennie.  “Isn’t that a sharp one?”

“Just as sharp as you are, my dear,” said Helen.

“You know what that means, Heavy,” said Mary Cox.  “You’re all curves.”

“Oh! ouch!  I know that hurt me,” declared the plump girl, altogether too good-natured to be offended by anything her mates said to her.

“So that’s how it is,” Ruth finished “Call the girls together.  Put the idea before them.  Let’s hear from everybody, and see which girl has the best thought along this line.  We want a way of making money in which everyone can join.”

“I—­don’t—­see,” complained Nettie, “how you are going to do it.”

“Never mind.  Don’t worry,” said Mercy. “’Great oaks from little acorns grow,’ and a fine idea will sprout from the germ of Ruth’s suggestion, I have no doubt.”

It did; but not at all in the way any of them expected.  The whole school was called together after recitations on this afternoon, which was several days following the fire.  The teachers had no part in the assembly, least of all Mrs. Tellingham.

But the older girls—­all of them S.B.’s—­were very much in earnest; and from them the younger pupils, of course, took their cue.  The West Dormitory must be built—­and within the time originally specified by Mrs. Tellingham when she had thought the insurance would fully pay for the work of reconstruction.