by the boyish exclamation, "Gee, ain't
them bouncers? How 'd ye do it? Our'n don't amount to shucks this year."

"That's what Mrs. Grinnell said about hers. I guess it's 'cause I know
how to grow watermelons," answered Peace, with charming frankness. "Mr.
Strong says that must be the reason. You see, I planted sweet-peas and
these came up. Maybe it's a sweet-pea melon. Do you s'pose it is?"

"I niver heard tell of such a thing," Mike soberly replied, "but maybe
that's what's the matter."

"Will you sell them for me?"

Mike was busy thumping the green balls with his knuckles, and feeling of
the stems, and when he had tested each in turn, he answered, "Yis, I'll
sell thim for you, but ye'd better wait a week or two. They aren't ripe
enough yit."

"Oh, dear," mourned the child, plainly disappointed. "The Fair begins in
two weeks, and that is what I wanted the money for. Don't you think they
will be ripe enough before that?"

"Don't look as if they would," Mike replied firmly. "And green melons
won't sell well. Besides, the longer they grow, the bigger they will
be."

"Then I suppose I must wait; but don't you tell the girls. I want to
s'prise them if we can go, for they don't think we can."

So, with many promises of secrecy, Mike departed, and Peace from that
moment became a devoted slave of the melon patch.

As soon as she was out of bed in the morning she flew down to the garden
to exult over her treasures, and with the last gleam of the dying day
she might be seen bending over the mottled fruit whispering encouraging
messages to them, coaxing them to grow. Bucket after bucket of water she
tugged from the well to pour on their thirsty roots, and load after load
of fertilizer she dragged in Allee's little cart to spread over the
ground in her eager desire to increase their size. But when Gail found
her with soap and scrub-brush polishing off each precious ball, she was
forced to curb her zealous gardening. However, the vines throve through
all this heroic treatment, and it seemed to Peace that she could almost
see the fruit grow in circumference. Each night she consulted Mike,
convinced that they had ripened sufficiently during the day to be
picked, but the boy steadfastly shook his head.

At length, as the second week of anxious waiting was drawing to a close,
Peace could endure the suspense no longer, and one warm afternoon, while
her sisters were occupied with their various duties, she snatched the
sharp