ove, and her life
there agreed so well with the little girl that she became as strong,
healthy and rosy as she had ever been. She and Sophy and Harold spent the
greater part of almost every day in the open air--working in the garden,
racing about the grounds, taking long walks in search of wild flowers,
hunting eggs in the barn, or building baby-houses and making tea-parties
in the shade of the trees down by the brook.

There was a district school-house not very far from Elmgrove, and in
their rambles the children had made acquaintance with two or three of
the scholars--nice, quiet little girls--who, after a while, got into
the habit of bringing their dinner-baskets to the rendezvous by the
brook-side, and spending their noon-recess with Elsie and Sophy; the
dinner hour at Mr. Allison's being somewhat later in the day.

Sophy and Elsie were sitting under the trees one warm June morning
dressing their dolls. Fred and May were rolling marbles, and Harold lay
on the grass with a book in his hand.

"There come Hetty Allen and Maggie Wilson," said Sophy, raising her head.
"See how earnestly they are talking together! I wonder what it is all
about. What's the matter, girls?" she asked, as they drew near.

"Oh, nothing's the matter," replied Hetty, "but we are getting up a party
to go strawberrying. We've heard of a field only two miles from here--or
at least not much over two miles from the school-house--where the berries
are very thick. We are going to-morrow, because it's Saturday, and
there's no school, and we've come to ask if you and Elsie and Harold
won't go along."

"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Sophy, clapping her hands; "it will be such fun,
and I'm sure mamma will let us go."

"Oh, that's a first-rate idea!" cried Harold, throwing aside his book;
"to be sure we must all go."

"Will you go, Elsie?" asked Maggie; adding, "we want you so very much."

"Oh, yes, if papa will let me, and I think he will, for he allows me
to run about here all day, which I should think was pretty much the
same thing, only there will be more fun and frolic with so many of us
together, and the berries to pick, too; oh, I should like to go very much
indeed!"

Hetty and Maggie had seated themselves on the grass, and now the
whole plan was eagerly discussed. The children were all to meet at
the school-house at nine o'clock, and proceed in a body to the field,
taking their dinners along so as to be able to stay all day if they
chose.

Th