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and don’t you think it was wonderful?”
    Later, after Franklin had taken Lois home, and come back to kiss the little brother goodnight, Harley put his arm about his neck and drew his face close down to his own.
    “Frank,” he whispered, with his lips to the young man’s ear, “you were one of those that I asked the angel about, and I wanted him to be very sure about you, because I love you so much.”
    The older brother finished the good-night greeting hastily, and drew away to hide his emotion, but there was a warmth in the quick grasp that he gave the little hand, that Harley knew meant that he understood and appreciated.
    Now about this time there fell to the lot of that society a bit of good fortune and happiness such as they had not dreamed of. The society which had been expected to entertain the State convention in the spring was somewhat disabled, and wrote to say that they must withdraw their invitation, whereupon the State secretary and executive committee, having heard of the rapid growth of the Parkerstown Society, wrote to know if they would like to entertain the convention. Ah! Wouldn’t they? Such honor was almost enough to take the breath away! The dear young president was so excited that they almost had to keep him away from the next Sunday’s meeting. To have a real convention right there in their society, the first year, and the national secretary corning to it too, and perhaps—oh, wonderful hope!—perhaps, the dear Father Endeavor himself—for that was the hope that the State secretary held out to them.
    “Oh, Lois!” he said, with his eyes shining very brightly, and his hands clasped tightly together with excitement, “this must have been part of what the angel meant when he came out of the letters in the sky and said God would bless our society. I can’t go to much of the convention myself; of course, because our room will not be large enough, and the meetings will have to be held in the church, but you can tell me all about them as you do Sundays about the service, and we shall have some real delegates in the house to talk to, for mother said so; she said we could have four. Just think, and that perhaps they would be willing if the secretary and Father Endeavor came, that they would stop here on account of my not being able to go out to hear them. Do you think others would mind and think me very greedy? Because I should want to have a little of them you know, and then perhaps they would have just one meeting here in our room. The consecration meeting would be so grand, or a morning prayer meeting; I should so like it!”
    It was decided that the convention should come, and there was much looking forward to it, and the meetings grew in interest and in spirituality.
    “Oh,” said Harley one afternoon at the close of the meeting, “I wish that every day was Sunday! If only our meetings could last longer. I did not want it to be out to-day at all.”
    But the mother looked anxiously at her boy, and was thankful in her heart that every day was not filled with excitement for him. It was getting more and more apparent to the ones who were watching him closely, that Harley was not to stay with them much longer. They had questioned whether the meetings which were so dear to him were not, after all, doing him harm, and perhaps ought to be stopped; but the wise doctor shook his head sadly, and said:
    “No; if he is careful not to get too excited, it can do but little harm. The disease will have its way, do what we will. The end is not far off, I fear, but I do not think that will hasten it. The boy is getting to be such a power in this community that I do not see how we can do without him.” And he went slowly from the room with bent head, while the mother covered her face with her hands, and sat down to silent grief.
    Spring was coming. The convention time was near at hand, when the summons came to the little president to leave his society. He had been very ill for a whole week. On Sunday the