nge close to the house or
near the paths. "Plenty of room to play tag in the orchard," he would
tell the children, and this plan kept the place in an enviable
condition.

"The schoolyard is awfully dry and dusty," remarked Nettie in answer to
the question of a site for the party.

"You are welcome to come here," said Alice, modestly.

"Oh, that would be splendid!" declared May, whereat all the others
voiced similar sentiments.

It was promptly decided that the invitation to hold the affair on the
MacAllister grounds should be accepted with thanks, and as there
remained not many hours of the day to attend to arrangements, as the
next afternoon would bring them to the test, the girls hastily
scattered to begin their respective duties in the matter.

Viola Green was present at the meeting. Alice had told her of its
purpose, and as only a few days remained of the time allotted Viola to
remain at Dalton, Alice was not sorry when her visitor pleaded another
engagement.

That engagement consisted of a promise to walk through the Green with
Tom Burbank--he, too, was a stranger in Dalton, spending a week of his
holiday with the Bennet family.

Viola could boast of a well-filled trunk of stylish clothes, and in no
other place, of the many she had visited during her vacation, had this
wardrobe shown to such advantage as in Dalton. Even the attractive
linens that Alice was invariably gowned in (except on Sundays, when she
wore a simple summer silk), seemed of "back date" compared with the
showy dresses Viola exhibited. They were stylish in that acceptance of
the term that made them popular, but were not distinctive, and would
probably be entirely out of date by the following summer.

On this particular afternoon Viola wore a deep blue crepe with shaded
ribbons, a dress, according to the feminine ethics of Dalton, "fit for
a party."

Tom Burbank sported white flannels, a very good summer suit indeed, but
a little out of the ordinary in Dalton. It was not to be wondered at,
then, that the appearance of these two strangers attracted some
attention on the Green. Neither could it be doubted that such
attention was flattering to Viola, a stylishly dressed girl often
enjoys being credited with her efforts.

"Wasn't that the greatest," Tom was drawling to Viola, "about those
folks riding in the police wagon."

"Disgraceful, I should say," replied Viola, emphatically.

"And the fellow in the--farmer's duds. Wasn't he