"I thought you were to be captain, mother," cried Willie.
"I am afraid you would all laugh," said mamma, "to see me marching round at the head of such a troop of boys."
"We would try not to," exclaimed Willie, laughing.
Mrs. Gray laughed too; and then she said, "I want to see whether you understand about my rules; so I shall ask you a few questions. I once saw a boy sawing a stick of wood. It was a very large stick, and the saw went hard; the little fellow sat down and looked at it. 'It's too large,' said he; 'I can't get through it. I may as well give up first as last.' But presently he said, 'I'll try once more though;' and he started up, and sawed away, up and down, up and down, until the stick fell in two. Then the boy laughed and wiped his forehead, which was quite wet with perspiration, and said, 'There, I'm right glad I tried again. I never should have done it without trying.' Now tell me, could that little fellow be admitted into the Try Company?"
"Yes, ma'am, O, yes, ma'am!" answered all the boys.
"He ought to be the captain," said one.
Willie blushed, and held down his head.
"I knew another boy, who was winding some silk for his mother," said the lady. "He jerked it so much that it snarled badly. He pulled it, and twitched it, and made it worse than ever; and then he said; 'I can't do any thing with it.' When his mother came back for the silk, there it was upon the chair, so tangled up that she could not use it."
"He can't belong," called out the boys.
"I think you understand quite enough to form the company," said mamma. "Now I will put the vote. Would you all like to form a Try Company? If you would, you may hold up your hands."