trate.

Over the hill they went, leaving Cap'n Orrin's mild-eyed cows gazing
after them ruminatively as they crept under the fence which separated
the pasture from the wild bottom land at the foot of the hill. On the
other side arose the ridge along which were ranged cottages looking
both coveward and seaward. A winding path led past runty little apple
trees and huge boulders, and finally was lost in the tangle of growth
overspreading the marsh.

"It is dry enough now," said Mary exultantly, setting her foot on a
tuft of dry grass. "Where are the cranberries, Ellis? I want to see
those first."

"You are standing right over some," he said smiling.

Mary looked down, but only a mass of weeds and grass greeted her eyes.
"I don't see them," she declared.

Ellis laughed, bent over and parted the grass to disclose the delicate
wreaths of green, and the pretty smooth cranberries, tucked away in the
dry grass.

"As if they were afraid of being picked," remarked Mary. "You will not
escape me that way." And down on her knees she went in search of the
pink fruit.

Molly meanwhile had gone further afield, and was gathering flowers
strange to her, and grasses as lovely as the blossoms. Earlier in the
season, she had delighted in the rosy plumes of the hard-hack, the
sweet pinky-white clover, the wild partridge peas, but here were new
acquaintances which were not to be found outside the marsh, and upon
them she pounced eagerly.

It was Polly, however, who discovered the Roseberry family, for Polly,
who had spent her life far from cities, had developed her imagination,
and could fashion from unpromising material the most fascinating
things, and though she, too, picked her share of cranberries, she also
gathered a lot of roseberries which she declared were the biggest she
had ever seen. These she bore away in triumph, while Molly carried her
bouquet with a satisfied air and Mary was quite content with having the
largest showing of cranberries. So they returned, well pleased, to the
cottage.

"We had the splendidest morning," said Molly, setting her flowers in a
large vase. "I never knew that bogs could be so perfectly fine. What
are you doing, Polly?"

Polly was seated on the floor industriously picking off her roseberries
from the twigs. "Wait and you will see," was her answer. "Do get me
some pins, Molly, a whole lot. Aunt Ada will give you some."

Molly's curiosity being aroused, she rushed off to her au