The girls were silent as Mrs. Marshall went out of the room.  Then Betty, taking the baby in her arms said, “Come here, littlest club girl; we can’t initiate you yet, but you’ve got six new mothers, and you’ll be taken care of to within an inch of your life.”

Then began a busy time for the members of the Social Six.  Dorothy was made secretary and Charlotte treasurer of the Elsa Fund, which started out with the imposing sum of three dollars, taken bodily from the club treasury.

In order to help the cause along, Mrs. Marshall invited the ladies of the Fortnightly Club to meet at her house, and Betty was persuaded to tell them what the girls hoped to do for the baby.  It was rather a halting little speech, but she ended it most effectively by stepping to the door and bringing in little Elsa, who had been waiting in the hall for this very moment.  As Betty stood there before them all smiling at the rosy baby in her arms, the sound of Ruth’s violin broke the silence.  It was the simplest lullaby she was playing, but she made it so tender and appealing that the hearts of the mothers went out to the dear baby who had no mother, and all were eager to help.

By the time Mrs. Hall came in to take Elsa home, a substantial sum was promised for the fund, and duly noted by Charlotte, who comforted herself for her own lack of money by keeping the accounts in the most businesslike manner.  It was no small task, for promises of contributions came in so readily that the treasurer was obliged to take most of her spare time out of school to keep her books in order.

To her surprise Melina came to her with an air of great mystery and, first making sure that no one was within sight or hearing, held out to her a five dollar bill.

“I want to git that five dollars off my mind and start it movin’,” she said grimly when Charlotte looked at her in wonder.  “No, there ain’t no use of your refusing.  That baby needs it as much as any one I know just now, and that was the idea, you know, that I should pass it on.”

Charlotte realized that she couldn’t refuse without hurting Melina’s feelings.  “All right,” she said, “I’ll take it for her, and when she gets old enough to understand it I’ll explain that she must start it on again.”

For a while it seemed almost as though little Elsa might be hurt by too much care.  The six young mothers made all sorts of errands into Mrs. Hall’s that they might have a chance to play with the baby, who seemed to love them all with great impartiality.  Ruth and Dorothy almost quarreled one afternoon because each claimed the privilege of taking her out and neither one was willing to give up.  Just as it threatened to become serious, Betty, who had come in a few minutes later, slipped off with the baby while the other two were arguing.  She did it so cleverly that when they discovered her treachery they made common cause against her, and went amiably home together vowing vengeance upon Miss Betty for her slyness.