town meeting, and the fight for the
new school, passed over. A site for the school was secured just off of
High Street near the center of the town--a much handier situation for
all concerned. The ground would be broken for the cellar as soon as
the frost had gone.

The committee appointed at the town meeting to have charge of the
building of the school were all in favor of it. There were three of
them,--Mr. Massey, the druggist, the proprietor of the Lake View Inn,
and Dr. Poole, one of the two medical practitioners in the town. These
three were instructed to appoint two others to act with them, and as
these two appointees need not be tax-payers, one of them was Nelson
Haley, who acted as secretary.

When Janice heard of this, she was delighted. She had not seen the
teacher more than to say "how-de-do" since their rather warm discussion
before the date of the town meeting. Now she put herself in the way of
meeting him where they might have a tete-a-tete.

There were not many social affairs in Poketown for young people.
Janice had attended one or two of the parties where boys and girls
mingled indiscriminately and played "kissing games," then she refused
all such invitations. She was not old enough to expect to be bidden to
the few social gatherings held by the more lively class of people in
the town.

The church did little outside of the ladies' sewing circle to promote
social intercourse in the congregation. So, although the
school-teacher might have been invited to a dozen evening
entertainments during that winter, Janice did not chance to meet him
where they could have a "good, long talk" until the Hammett Twins gave
their annual Sugar Camp party.

The two little old ladies, whom Janice had met so soon after coming to
Poketown, had become staunch friends of the girl. She had been at
their home on the Middletown road several times--twice to remain over
night, for both Miss Blossom and Miss Pussy enjoyed having young people
about them.

They were an odd little couple, but kindly withal, and loved children
desperately, as many spinster ladies do. They had never married
because of the illness for many years of both their father and their
mother. Besides, the twins had never wished to be separated.

Now, at something over sixty years of age, they owned a fine farm and
the most productive sugar-maple orchard in that part of the state. At
sugaring time each year they invited all the young folk Walky Dex