ped reading and regarded her almost anxiously. There was a
peculiar ring of excitement in her voice.

"Molly, hasn't something awfully nice happened to you?" asked Nance.

"Why, yes," she answered, "to tell the truth, there has."

"What is it? What is it?" cried the chorus of voices.

Molly hesitated and blushed, and laughed again.

"I don't think you would believe it if I were to tell you," she said.
"It's too absurd. I can hardly believe it myself, even after reading the
letter and seeing the--the----"

"The what, Molly?" demanded Judy, beside herself with curiosity.

Molly laughed again.

"I'm so happy," she cried. "It's made me warm all over. The temperature
has risen ten degrees."

"Molly Brown, will you explain yourself? Can't you see we are
palpitating to know what it is?" cried Judy.

"I've won a prize," exclaimed Molly. "I've won a prize. Can't you see
what it means to me? I needed the money and it came. A perfect windfall.
Oh, isn't this world a delightful place? I don't mind the cold weather
and O'Reilly's. I'm so happy. I prayed for rain and carried my umbrella.
Oh, I'm so happy, happy, happy!"

"Has the child gone daffy?" said Sallie Marks, while Judy seized the
envelope and drew out a check for two hundred dollars made out in the
name of "Mary C. W. Brown." Then she opened the letter and read aloud:

"'Dear Madam:

It gives us much pleasure to inform you that among several
hundred contestants you have won the prize of $200, offered by
this company for the best advertisement in prose or verse for
one of our mountain chalets. Your poem will occupy the first
page in an elaborate booklet now under way and we hope will
attract many customers. We offer you our congratulations and
good wishes for other literary successes and enclose the check
herewith.
Very cordially yours, etc., etc.'"

"Am I sleeping or waking?" cried Molly. "This, at the end of this awful
day! Isn't it wonderful?"

The reunited friends made so much noise over this triumph of their
favorite that Mrs. Markham, superintending the setting up of beds and
arranging of rooms with Mrs. O'Reilly, smilingly observed:

"Dear me, they don't seem to take their misfortune much to heart, do
they?"

"They're that glad to get in out of the cold, ma'am, and warm themselves
with some tea. It's thawed them out, I expect, the poor young things.
They was half froze when they come an hour ago."

"Bu