“Since you suggested our discussing this a little, Mrs. President, I would like to say that I like this idea very much myself.  I’ve often felt that we weren’t doing very much good, just uplifting ourselves, as it were, and I hope Mrs. Burgoyne will let me help her in any way I can, whether the club votes for or against this plan.  I—­I have four girls and boys of my own at home, as you know, and I find that even with plenty of music, and all the library books and company they want, it’s hard enough to keep those children happy at night.  And, ladies, there must be plenty of mothers over there in Old Paloma who worry about it as we do, and yet have no way of helping themselves.  It seems to me we couldn’t put our clubhouse to better use, or our time either, for that matter.  I would vote decidedly ‘yes’ to such a plan.  I’ve often felt that we—­well, that we rather wasted some of our time here,” she ended mildly.

“Thank you, Mrs. Moore,” said Mrs. White politely.

“I hope it is part of your idea to let our own children have a part in the entertainments you propose,” briskly added another woman, a clergyman’s wife, rising immediately.  “I think Doctor Babcock would thoroughly approve of the plan, and I am sure I do.  Every little while,” she went on smilingly, “my husband asks me what good the club is doing, and I never can answer—­”

“Men’s clubs do so much good!” said some loud, cheerful voice at the back of the hall, and there was laughter.

“A great many of them do good and have side issues, like this one, that are all for good,” the clergyman’s wife responded quickly, “and personally I would thank God to be able to save even ten—­to save even one—­of those Old Paloma girls from a life of shame and suffering.  I wish we had begun before.  Mrs. Burgoyne may propose to build them their own clubhouse entirely herself; but if not, I hope we can all help in that too, when the time comes.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Babcock,” said the President coldly.  “What do you think, Miss Pratt?”

“Oh, Mrs. Carew, and Mrs. Brown, and I all feel as Mrs. Burgoyne does,” admitted Anne Pratt innocently, a little fluttered.

It was Mrs. White’s turn to color.

“I didn’t know that the matter had been discussed,” she said stiffly.

“Only generally; not in reference to the club,” Mrs. Burgoyne supplied quickly.

“I myself will propose an affirmative vote,” said Mrs. Apostleman’s rich old voice.  Mrs. Apostleman was entirely indifferent to parliamentary law, and was never in order.  “How d’ye do it?  The ayes rise, is that it?”

She pulled herself magnificently erect by the chair-back in front of her, and with clapping and laughter the entire club rose to its feet.

“This is entirely out of order,” said Mrs. White, very rosy.  Everyone sat down suddenly, and the chairman gave two emphatic raps of her gavel.

The President then asked permission to speak, and moved, with great dignity, that the matter be laid before the board of directors at the next meeting, and, if approved, submitted in due order to the vote of the club.