stop to tell you now," said Winnie, "for if I do, I'll lose the first blow; but I'll tell you about it at recess."

"All right, since you're determined," said Fannie Allen; "and I say, girls, let's postpone our meeting till then."

"Agreed!" said the others; and each one, as they separated, went to her own seat and busied herself at some study, so quickly does a little leaven leaven the whole.

When recess came, Winnie explained to the three girls, and Miriam Douglass laughed at her and teased her not a little; but somehow no one minded Miriam's teasing, she was so bright and good-natured with it all.

"I suppose," said Miriam, munching her last piece of butterscotch—for be it known that the mysterious initials, about which the other girls of the class were "dancing crazy with curiosity," as Miriam said, signified "Butter Scotch Society"—"you'll be wanting us to give up the B. S. S. with all its sweet delights, and go about the world with drawn swords, and 'front like Jove, to threaten or command,' neither giving nor receiving quarter. I can see myself now, as I exclaim, 'Base spirit, beware, lest with this trusty sword I hew thee in pieces!'" And she flourished her ruler with such spirit that the girls all applauded. Just then, however, the bell rang for the close of recess, and they were obliged to go to their recitations.

Thanks to Winnie's determination, and her vigorous use of the study bells, she received a perfect mark in all her lessons for the day, but she went home in the afternoon tired and jaded from the hard work.

She found her mother in the sitting-room, sewing, and said, as she threw down her books, "Now, mamma, I want to make my confession, and also to thank you for allowing me to work last night. I know you have often spoken to me about my bad habit of putting everything off till the last minute, and it is almost always because I get hold of a story book and cannot lay it down. Yesterday it was 'The Giant Killer,' and I was so interested in Fides' battle with Giant Hate, that I forgot I was neglecting my own faults to watch him conquer his. But now I'm going to begin killing my own giants, and I'll commence with my worst, procrastination; for indeed, as Miss Brownlow is always telling us, it is the thief of time. And I want you to watch me and help me. As to-morrow will be Saturday, I want to get every one of my lessons for Monday, so that I can use the Monday study bells for Tuesday's lessons; then I can always get through in the afternoon."

"I think that will be a very good plan, Winnie; you will then feel at ease each day about the work for the succeeding one, and an absence of worry will keep your mental faculties in good condition, so that you can do much more work with less strain of mind or body. And it will leave your evenings for reading or such other recreation as may occur from time to time, for you know I do not believe in all work and no play. I want to run down to Shillito's now to do a little shopping, and I hope you will be able, while I am gone, to resist your favorite temptation, for I really believe that many of our temptations are favorites."

As soon as Mrs. Burton, taking Ralph with her, had gone, Winnie settled herself resolutely to work at her problems. She had just become quite interested in finding out the "population of a certain village," which increased a certain per cent, the first year, etc., when the bell rang, and answering the call, she found Miriam Douglass. Here was a dilemma. But she said:

"Miriam, I'm just at work on my problems for Monday. Come right in, and we'll work them together."

"Oh, Winnie, we'll have all day to-morrow to get our lessons. Do let's have a good time to-day."

"I promised mamma that I would do all my lessons before Monday, but, of course, Miriam, if you don't wish to, I'll stop. I do think, though, that we'll enjoy ourselves just as well if we do this work."

"All right, Winnie, go ahead," said Miriam laughing. "I guess my brain can stand it if yours can."

The two girls applied themselves so well, Miriam being particularly bright in arithmetic, that by the time Mrs. Burton returned, they not only had the whole set of problems solved, but neatly copied and ready to "hand in."

Mrs. Burton herself helped them with their analysis in grammar, and that being Miriam's great stumbling block, she was delighted with the assistance. She accepted Mrs. Burton's invitation to stay to supper, after which, Mr. Burton and Jack both being out, Winnie's mother proposed that the girls should take turns reading aloud to her from the book Winnie had been telling them about.

Both girls had been well taught, and it was a pleasure to listen to their fresh, well modulated voices. Miriam, though far less imaginative than Winnifred, enjoyed the book very much, and said, half in fun:

"Why can't we turn our B. S. S. into a club to fight our giants? We might then be a help instead of a drawback to each other, as I know we are now, for we're always upsetting each other's attempts to do right."

"I think that is a very good idea," said Mrs. Burton. "Union and organization are such powers in this world, that I do not see why they should not help four little girls to do right. You might have social meetings occasionally to report progress, and you could have a good time beside. Talk it over on Monday with Gretta and Fannie, and if you want help, come to me."

"Oh, Mrs. Burton, you always do think of the nicest things! That's just what we will do, and we'll report a week from to-night. But now it is time for me to go."

As Miriam lived only a square away, Mrs. Burton and Winnie walked over with her, and on their return Winnie went to bed happy and contented.

CHAPTER III.
STUMBLING BLOCKS.

On the following Monday at recess, Miriam called a meeting of the B. S. S., and she and Winnie told the other two girls what they were thinking of doing. But it was very hard work to make Gretta Berger understand.

"Giants!" said she, "what do we care for giants? We're no longer little children, that we should believe in such things."

"But don't you believe that we have faults that we ought to try to conquer?" said Winnie.

"Faults! You'd think I had a million, if you'd hear my mother lecture me; and my sister Josephine seems to think I never did do anything right. I never suit either of them. I'm scolded from Monday morning till Saturday night, and I don't want all my play-time taken up in the same way."

"Oh, Gretta, who is going to scold you? I'm sure we'll all have enough to do to watch over our own faults, without talking to you of yours."

"Didn't you say we were to help each other? How can we do that, if we don't say anything when one of us does wrong? No, let our teachers and parents and big sisters do that. I'm sure they seem to enjoy it well enough."

"Enjoy it! Well, I'm sure we can't blame them. I don't know how else they are to get even with you, when you never give in half your demerits for the day, and sit and sulk for half an hour if you're told to stop talking," said Miriam, with her usual heedlessness.

"Well. I'm not so lazy that I can't pin my collar on straight and clean my finger nails; and as for killing giants, I think we'd better be eating fruit and taffy than getting into a fuss by meddling with other folks' affairs!" And Gretta flounced off in high dudgeon.

Winnie's eyes filled with