something better than a district school."

Belinda looked aghast, and her round face seemed longer than one could
have believed possible.

"Randy Weston!" she ejaculated, "if you're planning to work like that the
whole duration time you won't have a single minute for fun, and how we'll
miss you!"

"Oh, don't imagine that I shall lose all the winter's pleasures, Belinda,"
Randy answered slipping her arm about her friend's waist. "I can study in
the long evenings and I think that I shall be able to join you all in the
'good times' which you plan and yet be able to do the extra work at
school."

"Well, I wish you joy," said Belinda, "but I, for one, get all the school
work I want in a year as it is, and as to extra work, I guess I'll get it
fast enough this winter, although it won't be lessons I'll be attending to
in my spare time.

"Ma got a letter last night when she rode over to the Centre, and Aunt
Drusilla writes that she's coming to make us a three months' visit, and
she's going to bring little Hi with her. And yesterday morning pa said
that Grandma Babson was a coming to make her home with us, so you might
guess, Randy, that Jemima and I'll have to step lively and help ma a bit."

"You will indeed have to help," Randy answered, "but won't it be fun to
see little Hi again?

"Do you remember, Belinda, when he was here last summer, he tried to
harness the hens and wondered why they didn't like it?"

"I had forgotten that," said Belinda, "but Jemima reminded me this morning
of the day that pa lost his spectacles. Every one in the house hunted for
those glasses, and at last Jemima ran out into the door-yard, and there
was little Hi with the spectacles on his nose, a peering into the rain
water barrel and holding onto those specs to keep them from tumbling off
into the water. He said that pa said there were critters in any water, and
as he couldn't see 'em he ran off with the glasses to see if they would
help him. He tied our old Tom to the mouse trap because he said that he
wanted the cat to be on hand when the mice ran in. He carried a squash pie
out to the brindle cow because he thought she must be tired of eating
nothing but grass, and if he and Grandma Babson have got to spend three
months under the same roof, I b'lieve he'll drive her crazy, for she
hates boys and don't mind saying so, and he can think of more mischief in
one day than any other child could in a week."

Both girls laughed as they thought o