ote over to Mrs. Carter, if you would please take it for me."

Cricket sprang up with a bound.

"Would you really like me to go? Oh, thank you! I mean, of course, I
love to stay with you, but--"

"Yes," said grandma, smiling, "and I enjoy my little maid's company
extremely, but I think she had better have some fresh air, this lovely
day."

Cricket gave a hop, skip, and jump.

"Thank you so much for your stories, grandma, dear. I'd love to go with
your note. Oh, George W., you bad, bad cat! You've gone and snarled your
Aunt Zaidee's wash-rag all up while I was listening to a beautiful story
about your Grandma Ward. Look, grandma! he's made it just as worse as
burs!"

"I'll put it in order, while you're gone," said grandma, taking the very
hopeless looking knitting.

"Hand me my writing things, and I'll have the note ready when you come
back for it. Really, I shall be tempted to sprain my ankle again, Jean,
if it brings me such a dear little nurse."

"We've had a lovely time, I think," said Cricket, giving her dear,
comforting grandma a prodigious hug. "Let's have a knitting bee again,
sometime, grandma. Perhaps, I'd get my wash-rag done this summer if we
did."

[Illustration: HILDA'S ARRIVAL]

CHAPTER XVII.

HILDA ARRIVES.

Of course, Cricket went with Auntie Jean to the station on Friday
afternoon to meet Hilda.

Hilda had never stayed at the seashore before, for her mother was very
fond of the mountains, and went every summer to the Catskills.
Therefore, there was everything to show her. Think of it. She had never
even been in bathing in the ocean! This fact interested Cricket more
than anything else, and so the very first morning she got Hilda up early
to get a dip before breakfast.

"Ouch!" squealed Hilda, shrinking back, as the cold waves touched her
bare toes. "Why, Cricket! it's cold!"

"It won't be as soon as you're fairly in," urged Cricket. "Just make a
dash, and go in all over. Wade out to the raft, and dive off. You don't
know what fun it is to go slap-dash into the water and get all gurgled,"
which was Cricket for choked.

"But I'll get all _wet_," objected Hilda, "besides, it's _so_ cold,
Cricket," and she drew back further up on the beach, and stood poking
her toes into the warm sand.

"Get wet?" said Archie, politely. "No, you wouldn't. We keep dry water
for any one making a first attempt."

"And if you _should_ get wet, what would it matter? A bathing-suit isn't
a party