elds of low bushes.
There was no chance to look at them now, for everyone was
hurrying to get settled.

The _padrone_ led them to a one-room shed built of rough boards
and helped dump their belongings inside. Grandma stood at the
door, hands on hips, and said, "Well, good land of love! If
anybody'd told me I'd live in a shack!"

Rose-Ellen danced around her, shrieking joyously, "Peekaneeka,
Gramma! Peekaneeka!"

Grandma's face creased in an unwilling smile and she said,
"You'll get enough peekaneeka before you're done, or I miss my
guess."

"Got here just in time, just in time!" chanted Dick and
Rose-Ellen, as a sudden storm pounded the roof with rain and
split the air with thunder and lightning.

"My land!" cried Grandma. "S'pose this roof will leak on the
baby and Seth Thomas?"

For an hour the Beechams dashed around setting up campkeeping.
For supper they finished the enormous lunch Grandma had brought.
After that came bedtime.

Rose-Ellen lay across the foot of Grandpa and Grandma's
goosefeather bed, spread on the floor. After the rain stopped,
fresh air flowed through the light walls.

Cranberry-picking did not start next morning till ground and
bushes had dried a little. Grandpa and Daddy had time first to
knock together stools and a table, and to find on a dumpheap a
little old stove, which they propped up and mended so Grandma
could cook on it.

"The land's sakes," Grandma grumbled, "a hobo contraption like
that!"

While they washed the breakfast dishes and straightened the one
room, the grown-ups discussed whether the children should work in
the bog.

Their Italian neighbor in the next shack had said, "No can maka
da living unless da keeds dey work, too. Dey can work. My
youngest, he four year and he work good."

"Likely we could take Baby along, and Jimmie could watch her
while we pick," Grandma said dubiously. "But my fingers are all
thumbs when I've got them children on my mind.--Somebody's at the
door."

A tall young girl with short yellow curls stood tapping at the
open door. Grandma looked at her approvingly, her blouse was so
crisply white.

"Good morning," said the girl. "I've come from the Center, where
we have a day nursery for the little folks." She smiled down at
Jimmie and Sally. "Wouldn't you like us to take care of yours
while the grown-ups are working?" She made the older children
feel grown-up by the polite way she looked at them.

"I've heard of the Cen