Willie laughed quite heartily. "Yours, mamma! Shall you be the captain?"
"If they choose me I shall, my dear."
As soon as Willie had gone to school, Mrs. Gray began to cut long strips of colored paper and wind them into plumes. There was a very long waving one of yellow for the captain, and one of blue for the lieutenant, and twelve of pink for the soldiers. She did not think there would be more than fourteen at first. Then she cut sheets of paper, and taught Sally to form them into caps; and after they were done, she sewed the plumes on, and laid them all out on the table, which stood in the hall, so as to attract the notice of the boys when they came in from school.
Next she sent Sally to the attic for some strips of red and blue cloth.
Of the red she made pretty stars to fasten on the shoulders, while nurse cut long smooth stripes to trim their jackets and pantaloons.
They had but just finished their work when a shout from Willie called mamma to the door, where she saw a company of boys awaiting her orders.
"Come in," she said, smiling at their bright, expectant faces; "come in, and we will form the company."
As they entered the hall they stopped short at sight of the beautifully plumed caps. "O mamma!" was all that Willie could say.
She led them into the dining hall, and then told them her plan. "I want to form a company of boys," she began. "It will be called the "Try Company," because every one belonging to it must learn to try to do things for himself. But first of all I must tell you the rules. No little boy can join my company unless he will promise not to use one naughty or vulgar word, not to tell a lie, and not to be unkind. If he has ever told lies, he must try to do so no more. Next he must try in his lessons. Sometimes the words are very long, and boys say, "I can"t learn them;" but my company will never say so.
"My boys will say, "I"ll try." If the geography lesson is difficult, and you can"t readily find the places on the maps, you will think of your pretty plumes, and say, "I won"t give up; I"ll try again."
"Then, when the sum is long, and it makes your head ache to add up four and ten and two and five, you won"t mind that, but keep on trying until you succeed."
"Mother wants to know if my little brother can"t join your company,"
asked a dear boy whose name was James; "but he don"t learn sums; he is too small."
"O, yes, indeed!" said mamma; "Frankie has a cap like the rest, and your brother shall have one too, and a star on his shoulder."
"May I carry my drum?" eagerly asked Willie.
"Certainly, my dear; but wait a little. I have not told all the rules yet. My company must try, too, when they are at play. If James throws a ball, and hits John, he must _try_ not to do so again. And if John feels a little angry, and thinks it very hard for James to hurt him, he must _try_ to put all these naughty thoughts away, and call it an accident, and say "I don"t believe he meant to do it." Then, if James or Willie wants to be captain, and the company choose another, James or Willie must _try_ to be pleased and good humored about it."
"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."
Every small hand was quickly raised.
"And you promise to _try_, according to the rules?" said the lady.
Each little hand was raised again.
"Who is the oldest boy?" she asked.
"Sammy Lanman, ma"am."
"Then I advise you to let Sammy be the captain the first time, and then each of you take turns, until it comes down to little Frankie."
"May I run home for my brother?" asked James.
The lady stopped a moment to count the boys, and finding there were only twelve with Frankie, and that there would be caps enough for all, she said yes.
While he was gone, Willie ran to his play room for his drum, and Mrs.
Gray dressed the Try Company in their new uniform, which did indeed look very fine. Then James came leading his little brother Walter; and when they were all dressed, their captain arranged them in order, and they then marched off down the yard, into the road, looking as happy as you please. Mamma and nurse stood at the door gazing after them, while Jane and Margie stood in the walk, shading their eyes and laughing heartily.
Poor Sammy, indeed, found that the office of captain was a most responsible one. His face grew very red as he perceived the younger members marching out of line, and a sharp word of rebuke rose to his lips, as little Frankie laughed aloud in his glee.
But suddenly he remembered that he had promised not to speak unkindly, and his heart beat fast as he said to himself, "Any body will know such little boys can"t train very well the first time. At any rate, I"ll try to keep my temper."