l soon be over," said Cecily, with a sigh. "Hasn't it
been a nice one? It's the first we've all spent together. Do you suppose
we'll ever spend another together?"

"Lots of 'em," said Dan cheerily. "Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know," answered Cecily, her footsteps lagging somewhat.
"Only things seem just a little too pleasant to last."

"If Willy Fraser had had as much spunk as Peter, Miss Cecily King
mightn't be so low spirited," quoth Dan, significantly.

Cecily tossed her head and disdained reply. There are really some
remarks a self-respecting young lady must ignore.

CHAPTER IV. NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

If we did not have a white Christmas we had a white New Year. Midway
between the two came a heavy snowfall. It was winter in our orchard of
old delights then,--so truly winter that it was hard to believe summer
had ever dwelt in it, or that spring would ever return to it. There were
no birds to sing the music of the moon; and the path where the apple
blossoms had fallen were heaped with less fragrant drifts. But it was a
place of wonder on a moonlight night, when the snowy arcades shone
like avenues of ivory and crystal, and the bare trees cast fairy-like
traceries upon them. Over Uncle Stephen's Walk, where the snow had
fallen smoothly, a spell of white magic had been woven. Taintless and
wonderful it seemed, like a street of pearl in the new Jerusalem.

On New Year's Eve we were all together in Uncle Alec's kitchen, which
was tacitly given over to our revels during the winter evenings. The
Story Girl and Peter were there, of course, and Sara Ray's mother had
allowed her to come up on condition that she should be home by eight
sharp. Cecily was glad to see her, but the boys never hailed her arrival
with over-much delight, because, since the dark began to come down
early, Aunt Janet always made one of us walk down home with her. We
hated this, because Sara Ray was always so maddeningly self-conscious
of having an escort. We knew perfectly well that next day in school she
would tell her chums as a "dead" secret that "So-and-So King saw her
home" from the hill farm the night before. Now, seeing a young lady home
from choice, and being sent home with her by your aunt or mother are two
entirely different things, and we thought Sara Ray ought to have sense
enough to know it.

Outside there was a vivid rose of sunset behind the cold hills of fir,
and the long reaches of snowy fields glowed fairily pink in the wes