they look upon women's pleasures as childish, I really
believe."

The day before the pic-nic every one was busy; even Philip insisted
upon helping. When Guy came to dinner there was such an air of commotion
that he at once inquired the cause.

"What's up, girls? house-cleaning? If that's the case, I'm off; no
soap-suds and white-wash for me."

"Hear him; house-cleaning in July!" exclaimed Agnes.

"I do believe, Guy, you men would never do a bit of cleaning all your
lives, if you were house keepers."

"You may bet on that," was the reply. "That is just where we would show
our good sense."

"Your filthy habits, you mean."

"Well, either, whichever suits you. But you haven't said what was in the
wind."

"None came this way to-day, we could not tell."

"We are going to close the house to-morrow, Guy, so you need not come
home to dinner. We intend going to the woods to find fresh air."

But Guy didn't like the idea; it sounded common, he thought. Every day
he met a lot of women and their babies, with a parcel of brats following
them, going over the river or somewhere. "Why can't you take a week each
of you, and go to the country like other people?"

That, "like other people," was too much for Ruth, and she said, sharply:
"We can't be what we are not. Beggars must not be choosers."

Guy replied in as sharp a tone that "some people liked to make a parade
of their poverty," and finished his dinner in silence. This unfortunate
affair threw a damper over the girls, but the children did not come
within the shadow of the cloud. Ruth had a sudden angry impulse not to
go at all, scarcely knowing why, as it would not spite her brother. But
she could not yield to such a thought when the happiness of Agnes and
the children was to be considered.

Agnes spoke very little after the occurrence, knowing what state of mind
Ruth was in, but she sang in a low voice some of her sister's favorite
hymns, and in a little while the cloud rolled away, the sun came out,
and the storm was all over. By tea-time Guy and Ruth were as if nothing
unpleasant had happened, but there was no allusion made to the pic-nic.

"I wonder how people feel who are going on an extended tour," said
Agnes, as they filled their lunch baskets.

"That depends very much upon the people themselves," replied Ruth. "This
little trip is giving us more real pleasure than some people would know
in travelling all over the globe."

"Yes, I suppose so; it is the app