you've eaten, because I don't intend to spend my time
fishing Sarah out of the well and pulling Shirley from under a hay
stack while the muffins are getting cold."

Mrs. Willis, coming downstairs, cool and sweet in a blue linen gown,
laughed at this arraignment but she, too, insisted that the farm should
be seen after breakfast.

"And do be careful about hindering Mr. and Mrs. Hildreth," she
cautioned them as they sat down at the table. "They are very busy
folk, I know, and you mustn't expect them to answer too many questions.
Richard and Warren will have their work laid out for them and can't be
distracted--you will have weeks to explore Rainbow Hill and I don't
want you to feel that you must be shown everything in one day."

"I'll help you, Mother," promised Rosemary. "Sarah and Shirley can go
out and play, but I'll help you and Winnie unpack."

However, when Sarah and Shirley dashed out of the house a few minutes
later, Rosemary was with them. Mrs. Willis had explained that her
eldest daughter could help her more by "looking after" the impetuous
Shirley and that unknown quantity, Sarah, than by remaining in the
house to open the trunks and boxes.

"I am going to do just as much as I can and then stop," the mother
said, smilingly. "I promised Hugh and Winnie to be temperate and not
tire myself needlessly. Hugh will probably call up this morning and I
want to be here when he does. You run along with Sarah and Shirley,
Rosemary--Mother feels safe about them when she knows you are with
them."

Rosemary flushed with pleasure and resolved to be worthy of the
confidence. She would be more patient than she had ever been before.

"It's just like Rosemary, to offer to stay in and help," said Winnie,
watching the three girls cut across the lawn in the direction of the
barns, "you could see plain she was crazy to go out and look around,
but she never grabs what she wants--that child was born unselfish."

Rainbow Hill was what, in the farming parlance, is known as "an all
around" place. That meant the owner, Mr. Hammond, believed in general
farming as distinguished from the specialized type such as truck
farming or dairying. Some oats and wheat were grown at Rainbow Hill,
several acres of tomatoes raised yearly for the cannery, a good crop of
hay harvested; there would be one "field crop" raised for marketing,
generally potatoes or cabbage. The milk from a small herd of cows was
sold at the local creamery and a