light the prospect of
paying court to a pretty girl; and he had attached himself to her side
to the utter exclusion of Dr. Brownlee and the grave, taciturn leveller,
who had retired from the contest and was devoting himself to Mrs.
Burnam, whom he had known for years. For a few moments, the doctor stood
looking on; then he turned away and joined the group of children, who
received him enthusiastically.

"I'll tell you what, this is fine!" said Charlie contentedly, while the
doctor seated himself by his side, and the boy stretched himself out at
full length, with his head on his friend's knee, and lay staring up at
the moon. "This is something I've never tried before, and always wanted
to."

"Which?" inquired Allie, as she bent over to tickle his nose with a long
straw stolen from the bedding; "taking up twice as much room as belongs
to you, or looking at the moon?"

"Camping out, of course," answered her cousin, curling up his feet, in
deference to her words. "Looking at the moon, too, for that matter; for
I didn't see much of the last one."

"Speaking of moons," interposed Grant, from the corner where he and
Marjorie and Howard had been chattering and giggling together; "the last
two days have been no end hard on the storm center, and I think we shall
catch a blizzard soon, by the looks. Just see her now!"

Grant's comment was in part justified, for the past two days had been
undeniably hard upon Mrs. Pennypoker's appearance. The sun is no
respecter of persons, and he had beaten down upon her majestic Greek
nose with precisely the same fervent caresses which he had lavished upon
Marjorie's freckled pug. Unfortunately, Mrs. Pennypoker's neat little
straw bonnet was by no means so good a protection as Marjorie's soft
scarlet felt hat, with its broad, flapping brim, and, even in the cold
light of the moon, Mrs. Pennypoker's countenance gleamed with the luster
of polished mahogany, which was enhanced by the great white kerchief
that she had tied over her head, to keep out the evening air. No urging
could induce her to sit on a blanket on the ground; so, in the absence
of upholstered chairs, Mr. Everett had arranged a wooden pail against a
tall box, cushioned them both with straw and blankets, and mounted his
cousin upon this rustic throne, where she sat with her skirts carefully
tucked up about her and her nose in the air, looking as much out of
place as a Dresden china dinner service would have done on the rough
boa