outside of to know as the writing of
a lover to his lass.

"You'd better tell your Aunt Marian that I've told you all this," he
went on. "I shouldn't want her to think that I was asking you to do
something underhand."

"She wouldn't think it of you. She likes you."

"Tell her about it all, nevertheless. I insist."

Ethel felt relieved. It had seemed queer to be doing something that no
one knew about.

"Thank you," she said.

The May basket was duly hung, and Miss Gertrude's eyes wore the traces
of tears all the rest of the day, but Ethel Blue was not to learn for a
long time what was in the note.

May passed swiftly. All the boys were so busy studying that they could
give but little time to Club meetings and there was nothing done beyond
the making of some plans for the summer and the taking of a few long
walks. The Ethels and Dorothy and Della were doing their best to make a
superlative record, also. With Helen and Margaret life went more easily,
for graduation days were yet two years off with them.

CHAPTER XIII

GRADUATION AND FOURTH OF JULY

With the coming of June thoughts of graduation filled the minds of all
the prospective graduates. The boys were able to get through their
examinations quite early in the month, and as they all did better than
they expected the last days of the month were days of joy to them. The
girls had to wait longer to have the weight removed from their minds,
but they, too, passed their examinations well enough to earn special
congratulation from the principals of their respective schools.

The graduation exercises of the Rosemont graded schools were held in the
hall of the high school and all the schools were represented there. The
Ethels and Dorothy all sang in the choruses, and each one of them had a
part in the program. Ethel Brown described the character of Northern
France and Belgium, the land in which the war was being carried on.
Although no mention of the war was allowed every one listened to this
unusual geography lesson with extreme interest. Ethel Blue recited a
poem on "Peace" and Dorothy sang a group of folk songs of different
countries. It was all very simple and unpretentious, and they were only
three out of a dozen or more who tried to give pleasure to the assembled
parents and guardians.

Roger's graduation was more formal. A speaker came out from New York, a
man of affairs who had an interest in education and who liked to say a
word of encouragemen