distributing
mittens and tin soldiers.

"Now that we are half-way across the ocean," said Mrs. Sherman, next
morning, "I may give you Allison Walton's letter. She enclosed it in one
her mother wrote, and asked me not to give it to you until we were in
mid-ocean. I suppose her experience in coming over from Manila taught her
that letters are more appreciated then than at the beginning of the
voyage."

The Little Colonel unfolded it, exclaiming in surprise, "It is dated '_The
Beeches_.' I thought that they were in Lloydsboro Valley all summah, in
the cottage next to the churchyard. That one you used to like," she added,
turning to Betty. "The one with the high green roof and deah little
diamond-shaped window-panes."

"So they are in the Valley," answered her mother. "But their new house is
finished now, and they have moved into that. As they have left all the
beautiful beech grove standing around it, they have decided to call the
place The Beeches, as ours is called Locust, on account of the trees in
front of it."

Beckoning to Betty to come and listen, Lloyd sat down to read the letter,
and Mrs. Sherman turned to an acquaintance next her. "It is General
Walton's family of whom we were speaking," she explained. "Since his death
in Manila they have been living in Louisville, until recently. We are so
delighted to think that they have now come to the Valley to live. It was
Mrs. Walton's home in her girlhood, and her mother's place, Edgewood, is
just across the avenue from The Beeches. Lloyd and the little girls are
the best of friends, and we are all interested in Ranald, the only son. He
was the youngest captain in the army, you know. He received his
appointment and was under fire before he was twelve years old."

"Oh, mothah," spoke up Lloyd, so eagerly that she did not notice that she
had interrupted the conversation. "Listen to this, please. You know I
wrote to Allison about Hero, and this lettah is neahly all about him. She
said her fathah knew Clara Barton, and that in Cuba and Manila the games
and books that the Red Cross sent to the hospitals were appreciated by the
soldiahs almost as much as the delicacies. And she says her mothah thinks
it would be fine for us all to start a fund for the Red Cross. They wanted
to get up a play because they're always havin' tableaux and such things.

"They've been readin' 'Little Women' again, and Jo's Christmas play made
them want to do something like that. They can have all