“Come into the sitting-room, boys. Glad to see you. Well!”
Her air said: “I wonder what brought my class in a body to me,” something was evidently on the minds of all. The president quickly dissipated the mystery.
“We—we—” said Sid, trying to catch his breath, “have—formed a—club—and—want—you—to name it.”
“Yes! yes! yes!” was the chorus coming from the eager faces turned up to Miss Bertha.
“Name a club? Dear me! What shall I tell you? Where is your club?”
“Here!” said Sid, looking round in pride.
“No; I mean, where do you hold your meetings?”
“In my barn,” said Charlie. “You go in from the street and go up some stairs. It’s up stairs.”
“You might go up higher,” added the governor. “There’s a ladder there, so you can get up—up in the cupelo, but you wont want to go up there.”
“Why, that suggests a name. It’s a little odd, but you’ll think of it every time you go up stairs and see the ladder. Call it ‘Up-the-Ladder Club,’ and then it will have a meaning that you are boys who mean to do your best, climbing up always, up, up, up!”