aundry place."

"All right," exclaimed Alcinda hopefully. "It would be lovely if you all
would do that."

"I speak to go to the butcher's," spoke up Esther Ann. She was always
ready to arrange affairs for everyone. "Reliance, you and Edna can go to
the mill; it isn't such a very great way, and Reba can go with me."

The girls all accepted this arrangement and set off in the three
different directions.

"Do you like going to the mill?" asked Edna when she and Reliance were
fairly on their way.

"Oh, yes, much better than going to the butcher's. Although it is quite
a little further, it is a much prettier walk. I always did like mill
ponds, didn't you, Edna?"

"Why, I don't know much about them, but I should think I would like
them. Do we turn off here?"

"Yes, this road leads straight to the mill; you can see it presently
through the trees."

"It isn't so very far, is it?"

"No, but it is a little further to the mill pond. I wonder if the miller
is there."

"Isn't he always there?"

"He is always there in the morning, but not always in the afternoon. No,
the mill is shut down."

"How do you know?"

"I don't hear it, and see there, the wheel isn't moving."

"Oh!" Edna thought that Reliance was very clever to know all this before
they had even reached the mill which now loomed up before them, a grey
stone structure in a little nest of trees which climbed the hill behind
it, and spread along the sides of the stream, flowing on to join the
river.

"It is very pretty here, isn't it?" said Edna admiringly. "What do they
call the stream, Reliance?"

"Black Creek. The mill pond and dam and sluice and all those are higher
up. Do you want to go see them?"

"Why, yes, if we can't do anything about finding Jetty."

"I thought we might go around by the miller's house on our way back; it
isn't much further, and we could ask there."

This seemed a wise thing to do, Edna thought, and she cheerfully
followed Reliance to where the mill pond lay calm and smooth before
them. "It must be lovely here in summer," remarked Edna
enthusiastically.

"It is one of the prettiest places anywhere about. We come here
sometimes for our picnics, all of us school children and the teacher.
Would you dare go across, Edna?"

Edna looked around but saw no bridge. "How could we get across?" she
asked. "I don't see any way but to swim."

Reliance laughed. "There," she said, pointing to the heavy beam which
stretched from shore to