ar
distant from the Home, a little brook purled along, overswept by
willows.

"Isn't this beautiful!" cried Miss Major. "And here are
raspberries--oh!"

The party broke ranks and scattered among the bushes, eager for the
fruit that was just in its prime.

"Do you suppose they belong to anybody?" queried Mrs. Prindle, a
bit anxiously.

"If they do they don't love 'em a whole lot," Miss Crilly returned.
"See those! They are so ripe they almost fall to pieces lookin' at
'em! But they're sweet as sugar!" She plumped them into her mouth.

Soon they strolled forward by two's and three's, but long before
the young folks and a few others had begun to be tired, several
were lagging behind. Miss Twining among them.

"Are you coming back this way, Polly?" she called.

"Why, I thought we wouldn't. What's the matter?"

"Used up," she smiled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I've gone too far, haven't I? You sit down
somewhere and rest, and I'll stay with you. The others can go on,
if they like."

"Guess I'll wait, too." Miss Sterling dropped wearily to the grass.

Mrs. Adlerfeld, Miss Lily, Mrs. Albright, and Miss Castlevaine
lined themselves beside her.

"I don't know what possessed me to come on such a long walk!"
fretted Miss Castlevaine.

"Why, I never thought that anybody could be tired!" said Polly
contritely. "Why didn't you speak sooner?"

"Oh, we'll be all right by the time you get back!" laughed Mrs.
Albright. "Now run along, every one of you! Shoo! Shoo!" She
waved her skirts toward them.

It took a good deal of urging, however, to induce Polly to leave
Miss Sterling. Finally she ran off with David, calling back that
she wouldn't be gone long.

The afternoon slipped away, and the air grew cooler. The exhausted
ones gathered strength and now and then rambled about a little,
wondering why the others did not return. They watched longingly
the point of road where the party had disappeared, even Miss Lily
peered vainly into the empty distance.

Miss Castlevaine looked at her watch for the twentieth time. "It
is a quarter past five!" she frowned. "Where can they be!"

"We may as well sit down while we wait," laughed Mrs. Albright.
"Wandering round in a circle won't bring them any quicker." She
lowered herself plumply beside Miss Sterling.

"Now don't you go to worrying!" she said. "They haven't been eaten
up by bears or carried off by hawks. Probably they are having so
good a time they have