utside
that brought her to her feet and sent her flying for the door.

"Peace, Peace! Come down. You'll fall! You'll fall!"

"Johnny Gates, take that back! She's not a coward! She couldn't keep the
ball from catching in that corner."

"Oh, Peace, never mind the ball. It's Johnny who's the coward."

"Hush! You will confuse her!" Edith's voice was low but vibrant, and the
screams from the terrified watchers below abruptly ceased.

Peace had reached the ball wedged in a hollow by the chimney, and with
accurate aim, sent it spinning down to its white-faced, tearful owner;
but as she turned to crawl back the way she had come, her foot slipped,
she wavered uncertainly, and fell with a crash to the roof, rolling over
and over in a vain endeavor to stop her mad career, till, with the
horrified eyes of the stricken audience glued upon her, she slid over
the coping and landed in a crumpled heap on the sodden turf below.

Then pandemonium broke loose. Evelyn burst into uncontrollable sobs,
Fanny toppled over in blissful unconsciousness, Cherry, beside herself
with grief, tore down the street to break the direful news to those at
home; and the boys danced and pranced in their terror, as they screamed,
"She's dead, she's dead! Peace Greenfield's dead!"

For a brief instant, which seemed like eternity to Edith Smiley, she
stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by the very horror of it all. Then
loyal Allee's frenzied scream brought her to her senses, and she saw the
golden head bending over the disheveled form in the mud, as the child
repeated again and again, "She's _not_ dead! She _can't_ be dead! I
won't _let_ her be dead!" Swiftly Edith knelt beside the pair and sought
to lift the older child to carry her into the house. But at her first
touch, the brown eyes unclosed, and a roguish smile broke over the white
face, as Peace looked up at the frightened figures above her and giggled
hysterically, "I've often wondered what it would feel like to fly. Do
you s'pose it makes the birds sick and dizzy every time they make a
swoop?"

"Peace!" gasped Edith, "are you hurt?"

"No, only things look kind of tipsy 'round here, and my breath has got
St. Vitas Dance." Slowly she stretched out her arms and legs that they
might see that none of her limbs were broken; but when she attempted to
sit up, her lips went white and she fell back on the trampled grass with
a stifled groan.

"You _are_ hurt, Peace Greenfield," declared anxious Allee