nothing was
damaged and the children had a delightful picnic up in the loft. They
played there most of the afternoon, too, and often during the rainy
days that followed. Indeed they amused themselves so well and were so
little trouble to Aunt Polly, that she promised them one more outdoor
picnic, the first dry sunny day that came.

"Be sure you save me some sandwiches," said Peter, when he heard about
it.

They promised and it was Dot who woke up the household bright and
early when she saw the sun streaming in at the window.

"We can have the picnic!" she shouted joyfully. "Aunt Polly, isn't it
dry and sunny? Get up, Twaddles, we can have the picnic."

It was a sunny day, but it wasn't so dry, for the ground was still
damp from so much rain.

"But if we go wading, the water's wet," argued Dot, and Linda, too,
thought they might as well go.

"Don't forget my sandwiches," Peter reminded them as he saw them
start.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE END OF THE VACATION

The four little Blossoms wanted to go to the same place where they had
gone before and Jud drove them. Then he was to take the horses and
wagon back for his father to use during the day and Peter would come
for the picnickers in the afternoon and get his sandwiches.

"Don't go wading till Jud comes," said Aunt Polly, when good-natured
Jud had gone back. "Help Linda spread out the rubber blanket, for we
want to be comfortable while you play around."

The children spread out the blanket and on top of that Aunt Polly
spread a cotton one and then she and Linda sat down to sew.

"Let's go see if there is another shirt spread out to dry," suggested
Meg, and she was much excited when they saw a bit of white fluttering
from a bush.

"'Tisn't the same place," Dot argued.

"Well, it's almost the same place," retorted Bobby. "Only it looks
ragged," he added.

Meg was eager to go and examine the white thing, but she knew they
would have to wait for Jud. Aunt Polly laughed when she heard about it
and said that Meg would have Linda running a mending shop if she was
not very careful.

"After we have lunch, if Jud is willing to take you, you may go over
and see what it is," she told her little niece kindly. "You'd have
every one nicely washed and mended if you could, wouldn't you, Meg?"

Jud came back on foot and after he had rested a minute, declared he
was willing to wade the brook with the children. But Aunt Polly
insisted they must have lunch first and