ay. "Never mind Patty
Wee," she said; "I'll get you another just like her. Let's get
away as fast as we can."

Marian realized that this was the wiser plan, and they hurried
off, their two enemies calling after them mockingly.

Their breathless flight set them both coughing, and when they
recovered breath they both walked soberly on without saying a
word, their object being to get as far away as possible from
the scene of trouble. Up hill and down again they trudged, and
presently saw ahead of them a house and garden at the junction
of two roads.

"I never saw that place before," said Patty, looking at it with a
puzzled air. "I'm sure I don't know where we are."

"Oh, Patty," exclaimed Marian in dismay, "are we lost?"

"Well no, not exactly. We'll stop at that house and ask the way."

As they approached they saw that the front of the house was a small
country store, so they went around to the door and opened it. A bell
jangled sharply as they entered, and from somewhere in the rear a
woman came forward. "What's wanting?" she asked.

"Will you tell us how far we are from Revell?" said Patty. "We want
to go there, to the college."

The woman looked at her with some curiosity.

"It's about three miles," she said. "You go up this road and turn to
your left about a mile on, just before you come to the factories.
You pass by them and keep straight on."

"Thank you," said Patty. Then seeing piles of rosy apples, boxes of
crackers, and such eatables, she realized that she was very hungry.
"Will you tell me what time it is?" she said.

The woman looked up at a big clock over the door. "It is after two,"
she said, "about quarter past."

"Oh, dear," Patty looked at Marian, "we can't get back to dinner."
Suddenly all the joys of a gypsy life faded away. She looked at the
apples, felt in her coat pocket for her five cents, and fortunately
found it. "How much are those apples?" she asked.

"Ten cents a quarter peck," the woman told her.

"Oh, I meant how much apiece."

"I guess you can have 'em for a cent apiece. There'll be about ten
in a quarter, I expect."

"Then I'll take two." The woman picked out two fine red ones and
handed them to her. "I have three cents left," said Patty. "What
shall I get, Marian?" Her eyes roved along the shelves.

"That soft mixture's nice," said the woman, "and it's right fresh."

"Can I get three cents' worth?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then I'll take it."

The woman took down a box of