h as reading aloud in the parlors
after dinner, going down to Cuyler's for an ice, or canoeing in Paradise
at sunset took on a new interest. Seniors who had felt themselves
superior to the material joys of fudge-parties and scorned the crudities
of amateur plays and "girl-dances," eagerly accepted invitations to
either sort of festivity.

"And the moral of that, as our dear departed Mary Brooks would say,"
declared Katherine, "is: Blessings brighten as diplomas come on apace.
Between trying not to miss any fun and doing my best to distinguish
myself in the scholarly pursuits that my soul loves, I am well nigh
distraught. Don't mind my Shakespearean English, please. I'm on the
senior play committee, and I recite Shakespeare in my sleep."

Dearest of all festivities to the Harding girl is Mountain Day, and
there were all sorts of schemes afoot among 19--'s members for making
their last Mountain Day the best of the four they had enjoyed so much.
Horseback riding was the prevailing fad at Harding that fall, and every
girl who could sit in a saddle was making frantic efforts to get a horse
for an all-day ride among the hills. Betty was a beginner, but she had
been persuaded to join a large party that included Eleanor, Christy,
Madeline, Nita, and the B's. They were going to take a man to look after
the horses, and they had planned their ride so that the less experienced
equestrians could have a long rest after luncheon, and taking a
cross-cut through the woods, could join the others, who would leave the
picnic-place earlier and make a long detour, so as to have their gallop
out in peace.

It was a sunny, sultry Indian summer day,--a perfect day to ride, drive
or walk, or just to sit outdoors in the sunshine, as Roberta Lewis
announced her intention of doing. She helped the horseback riders to
adjust their little packages of luncheon, and looked longingly after
them, as they went cantering down the street, waving noisy farewells to
their friends.

"I wish I weren't such a coward," she confided to Helen Adams, who was
starting to join Rachel and Katherine for a long walk. "I love horses,
but I should die of fright if I tried to ride one."

"Oh, they have a man with them," said Helen easily, "and it's a perfect
day for a ride."

Roberta, who almost lived outdoors, and was weatherwise in consequence,
looked critically at the western horizon. "I shouldn't be a bit
surprised if it rained before night," she said. "You'd bett