The other
girls who join the society will be looked after by you; you will
instruct them in our rules, and you will help them to be good members of
a most important society. I believe there are a great many girls willing
to join. If so, will they hold up their hands?"
Immediately a great show of hands was visible.
"Now, Kate Rourke," cried Kathleen, "please take down the names of the
girls who intend to become members of the Wild Irish Girls."
The girls came forward one by one, and Kate took down their names; and
it was quickly discovered that, out of the hundred foundationers who
belonged to the Great Shirley School, sixty had joined Kathleen's
society.
"We shall soon get the remaining forty," said Mary Rand. "They will be
all agog to come on. Their positions are not so very pleasant as it is,
poor things!"
"Perhaps sixty are about as many as we can manage for the present," said
Kathleen. "Now, girls, I intend to present you each with a tiny badge. I
have a bag full of them here. Will you each come forward and accept the
badge of membership?"
Kathleen's badges were very much admired, the eager girls bending down
towards the light of the lamps in order to examine them more thoroughly.
She had strung narrow green ribbon through each of the little silver
hearts, and the girls could therefore slip them over their heads at
once.
"You must hide them," said Kathleen. "The thing about these badges is
that you will always feel them pressing against your hearts, and nobody
else will know anything about them.
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