wear sombreros in the East--or was
it something else? Oh, there's the whistle; thank goodness they're off!"
And Marjorie gave a sigh of relief, and let Roland drop into a trot.

It was still early when she reached home, and having delivered Roland to
the Indian boy, whose duty it was to look after him, and finding that
her mother and aunt were both busy, she betook herself once more to the
playhouse, intending to spend the hour before supper in learning more of
the fortunes of Anne and her friends. But her ride in the heat had made
her sleepy, and after turning a few pages rather listlessly, her eyes
drooped, and letting the book slip into her lap, she rested her head
against the wall of the cabin, and dropped off into an afternoon nap.

How long she had been asleep she did not know, but she started up, wide
awake, aroused by a sound close beside her. Then for a moment she sat
staring stupidly at the apparition before her; for there, standing in
the doorway, regarding her with big, hungry, brown eyes, was a girl--not
a Mexican or an Indian, but a pale-faced, dark-haired girl of about her
own age, in a faded linen dress, much too short in the skirt, and a
battered straw hat, decidedly the worse for wear.

"Goodness gracious me!" gasped Marjorie in amazement; "where in the
world did you come from?"

"I'm hungry," said the stranger, in a remarkably sweet voice; "Won't you
please give me something to eat?"

"Who are you?" demanded Marjorie, fully convinced that this was a dream.

A frightened expression came into the big brown eyes, and the girl's lip
began to tremble.

"I don't know," she said; "I can't remember. Won't you please give me
something to eat?"

[Illustration: "WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU COME FROM?"--_Page 19._]

"I know I'm dreaming," said Marjorie, and she pinched her arm, but
though the pinch hurt considerably, she did not wake up. The strange
girl continued to stand in the doorway.

"How--how did you get here?" she repeated; "where did you come from?"

"I got off the train. I've walked ever so far, and it was so hot. I
thought there would be houses, but there weren't any. You won't be cross
with me, will you? I'm afraid of cross people."

"Why did you get off the train?" inquired Marjorie. If this were not a
dream, then it was certainly the most extraordinary adventure she had
ever had.

The brown eyes filled with tears, and the stranger clasped her hands
nervously.

"Don't scold, ah, pleas