on so many old, familiar things.

"It is--wonderful," Pauline said at last.
"It might be a scene from--fairyland, almost."

"Me--I love to see them come stealing long
like that through the dark," Jane said slowly
and a little hesitatingly. It was odd to be
telling confidences to anyone except Tobias.
"I don't know where they come from, nor
where they're a-going to. Many's the night
I walk over here just on the chance of seeing
one. Mostly, this time of year, you're pretty
likely to catch one. When I was younger, I
used to sit and fancy myself going aboard on
one of them and setting off for strange parts.
I wasn't looking to settle down here in Winton
all my days; but I reckon, maybe, it's just's
well--anyhow, when I got the freedom to
travel, I'd got out of the notion of it--and
perhaps, there's no telling, I might have been
terribly disappointed. And there ain't any
hindrance 'gainst my setting off--in my own
mind--every time I sits here and watches a
tow go down the lake. I've seen a heap of
big churches in my travels--it's mostly easier
'magining about them--churches are pretty
much alike I reckon, though I ain't seen many, I'll admit."

No one answered for a moment, but Jane,
used to Tobias for a listener, did not mind.
Then in the darkness, Hilary laid a hand
softly over the work-worn ones clasped on
Jane's lap. It was hard to imagine Jane
young and full of youthful fancies and
longings; yet years ago there had been a Jane--not
Sextoness Jane then--who had found
Winton dull and dreary and had longed to get
away. But for her, there had been no one to
wave the magic wand, that should transform
the little Vermont village into a place filled
with new and unexplored charms. Never in
all Jane's many summers, had she known one
like this summer of theirs; and for them--the
wonder was by no means over--the years
ahead were bright with untold possibilities.
Hilary sighed for very happiness, wondering
if she were the same girl who had rocked
listlessly in the hammock that June morning,
protesting that she didn't care for "half-way" things.

"Tired?" Pauline asked.

"I was thinking," her sister answered.

"Well, the tow's gone." Jane got up to go.

"I'm ever so glad we came, thank you so
much, Jane," Pauline said heartily.

"I wonder what'll have happened by the
time we all see our next tow go down," Josie
said, as they started towards home.

"We may see a good many more than one
before th