r others if they failed to fit.

"Now we'll go home," said Peace, as they stepped out onto the sidewalk
again. "Won't Gail and Faith be s'prised? I guess we've got 'most money
enough left to get shoes for the whole family after all. Well, sir, if
they haven't changed those cars since we went into the shoe store! We
came down on a big yellow one that said, 'Twentieth Avenue North' on it,
and here they are running two little bits of cars hitched together that
say, 'Onion Depot!'" Peace employed the phonetic method of pronouncing
words, and to her young eyes u-n-i-o-n was easily _onion_.

"What are you going to do about it?" asked puzzled Allee.

"Sit down here on the sidewalk and wait till they change them back
again," was the reply; and Peace plumped herself down in a bunch on the
curbing to watch for the yellow car which did not come. One hour dragged
by,--two, three. Allee was getting restless. Dinner hour had long since
passed, and she was very hungry. "It's getting pretty late, I guess,"
she ventured at last. "When do you s'pose the car will come?"

"I s'pect there's been a fire somewhere and stopped it. That happened
once when Gail was in town."

"Maybe we better start to walk, then," quavered the little voice. "I am
tired of sitting here, and Gail will fret if we don't come pretty
quick."

"Well, perhaps we better--"

"Peace Greenfield! What on earth are you doing here?"

The two children flew to their feet with a cry of relief, "Oh, Mrs.
Grinnell, our car is never coming!"

"No, I guess it won't on these tracks," she replied grimly, guessing
from the children's appearance something of the truth. "Does your mother
or Gail know you are here? Pile in and ride home with me. Like as not
your folks are half crazy with fright."

So the weary duet climbed thankfully into the buggy and were driven
safely back to Parker, where they were met by four white-faced sisters
and a swarm of anxious neighbors.

"Got shoes for the whole outfit!" cried Peace by way of greeting; "and
if Cherry's don't fit, the clerk said bring 'em back and he'd change
'em. We've sold all our flowers, and one man gave each of us some funny
yellow quarters--or I guess they are half dollars. It says on one side,
'Five D.' and I suppose that means five dimes, doesn't it? Why, Gail,
what are you crying for? I sh'd think you'd laugh to think there are
three pair of shoes already bought, and money enough for the rest of
you."

CHAPTER V