xwell. She was rather older than the majority of
girls who entered Briarwood Hall as "Infants." It seemed that she had
suffered considerable illness and that had made her backward in her
books.

"Never mind! She'll be company for Ann Hicks," said Helen. "Won't that
be fine? Neither of them will feel so badly, then, because they are in
the lower classes."

"We'll get the Sweetbriars to make her feel at home," said Ruth, to her
chum. "No hazing this term, girlie! Let's welcome the newcomers like
friends and sisters."

"Sure, my dear," agreed Helen. "We haven't forgotten what they did to
_us_, when we first landed at Briarwood Hall."

When the train ran down to the dock where they were to take the
steamboat _Lanawaxa_ for the other side of the lake, there was a crowd
of a dozen or more girls in waiting. A welcoming shout greeted Ruth as
she headed the party from the vestibule coach:

"S. B.--Ah-h h!
S. B.--Ah-h-h!
Sound our battle-cry
Near and far!
S. B.--All!
Briarwood Hall!
Sweetbriars, do or die--
This be our battle-cry--
Briarwood Hall!
_That's All!_"

Every girl present belonged to the now famous school society, and Nettie
Parsons was interested right away. She wished to know all about it, and
how to join, and of course she was referred to Ruth.

In this way the girl of the Red Mill and the new pupil became better
acquainted, and Ruth found opportunity very soon to ask Nettie about the
pearl necklace that her Aunt Rachel had lost some months before.

Meanwhile, the girls, with their hand luggage, trooped down the long
dock to the _Lanawaxa's_ boarding-plank. Heavy Stone turned suddenly in
the hot sunshine (for it was a glowing noon) to find two of the smaller
girls mincing along in her very footsteps.

"I say! what are you two Infants following me so closely for?" she
demanded.

"Please, Miss," giggled one of them, "mother told me to take Sadie for a
nice long walk, but to be sure and keep her in the shade!"

This delighted the other girls immensely, for it was not often that
anybody got ahead of the plump girl. She was too good-natured to take
offense, however, and only grinned at them.

They all crowded aboard and sought seats on the upper deck of the
steamer. Tom had met some of his friends who attended the Seven Oaks
Military Academy, among them big Bob Steele and little Isadore Phelps.

Of course the boys joined the girls, and necessary introductions w