and girls had
joined in playing tag and blindman's-buff and, afterward,
hide-and-go-seek.

The little girl was with them. But, so far, in spite of her white dress,
which made her an easy prey, she had not been caught. The boys who had
taken their turns at the wheel had caught other boys whom she did not
know; and had always managed to find and, with much struggling, kiss the
particular girls they favored. No matter how conspicuously she had
hidden, they had always passed her by. As a result, after two or three
disappointments, she had not taken the trouble of running to cover, but
had either lingered just within the sitting-room to watch the dancing,
or hung wistfully about the yard, somewhere near the colonel's son.

"Frenchy's" brother was now guarding the goal, and the little girl was
ambushed behind the very straw-pile that concealed the colonel's son. It
was an occasion that she had looked forward to and secretly brought to
pass, yet, as she knelt close beside him, she could not think of one of
the polite things she had planned to say to him that night. Their
proximity struck her dumb, while he was silent through fear of being
discovered. So they cowered together, speechless and restive, until the
Swede boy tore by in an unsuccessful race for the wagon-wheel. Then the
colonel's son darted out from behind the straw, and she remained
regretfully looking after his blue-clad form.

All at once her meditations were rudely interrupted. "Frenchy's"
brother, skulking here and there on the lookout for a bright, telltale
apron, came round the pile and pounced upon her. "Forfeet! forfeet!" he
cried, dragging her out into the middle of the yard.

She tried to pull away from him, and twisted her head so that her face
was out of reach. "You stop," she cried hotly; "you jus' stop!"

The struggle was sweet to him, however, and he only laughed at her
angry commands and fought harder than ever for his due, striving at
every turn to pin her arms down so that she could not resist. The boys
ran up to urge him on, and the girls hopped up and down in their
enjoyment of the scuffle.

But he was not able to win in the contest. The little girl was a match
for him. What she lacked in strength she made up in nimbleness, and she
stood her ground fiercely, wrestling on until, with a quick, furious
wrench, she freed herself from his hold and bolted toward the kitchen.

"Frenchy's" brother pursued her. But, once inside, she was safe, for h