in the season
becomes beautiful, when the orange gives place to a brilliant red, the
outer covering of the berry turns back upon the stems, forming one of
the prettiest pictures imaginable in late Autumn. They also gathered
branches of feathery wild clematis, which, after the petals had
fallen, resembled nothing so much as a cluster of apple seeds, each
seed tipped with what appeared like a tiny osprey feather. From the
woods near the farm they gathered quantities of trailing ground pine
and rainbow-tinted leaves from the numerous brilliant scarlet and
yellow maples, which appeared brighter in contrast to the sober-hued
trees of shellbark, oak and chestnut.

[Illustration: POLLY SCHMIDT.]

The wedding gifts sent to Mary were odd, useful and numerous. The
Campfire Girls, to whom she became endeared, gave her a "Kitchen
Shower," consisting of a clothes basket (woven by an old basketmaker
from the willows growing not far distant), filled to overflowing with
everything imaginable that could possibly be useful to a young
housekeeper, from the half dozen neatly-hemmed linen, blue ribbon
tied, dish clothes, to really handsome embroidered articles from the
girls to whom she had given instructions in embroidery during the past
summer.

Sibylla's wedding present to Mary was the work of her own strong,
willing hands, and was as odd and original as useful. 'Twas a "door
mat" made from corn husks, braided into a rope, then sewed round and
round and formed into an oval mat. Mary laughingly told Sibylla she
thought when 'twas placed on her kitchen doorstep she'd ask every one
to please step over it, as it was too pretty to be trod on, which
greatly pleased the young girl, who had spent many hours of loving
thought and labor on the simple, inexpensive gift.

Mary received from Professor Schmidt a small but excellent copy of one
of the world's most famous pictures, "The Night Watch," painted by
Rembrandt, in 1642.

"My dear," said the old Professor, "I saw what _was said to be_ the
original of this painting, the property of Queen Wilhelmina of
Holland, at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. It was in a small,
separate building. The size of the picture was fifteen feet by twenty
feet. It is the largest and best known of Rembrandt's works. It
acquired the wrong title of 'Night Watch' in a period when, owing to
the numerous coats of varnish and the effect of smoke and dust, it had
gotten so dark in appearance that only the most lucid