y long enough for the laughing,
chattering girls to climb aboard, before it glided away again, with
Peace's shrill protests trailing off into silence: "I don't see why we
have to take the train when it is such a teeny short ride. I'd rather go
by street-car. I didn't kiss Elspeth but once, and the Judge looked as
if he was dying for another--"

Silently, soberly, the gay little company at the railroad station
dispersed to their various homes; but fortunately for the band of
inexperienced travellers aboard the flying train, there was no time for
serious thought, so brief was their journey. Scarcely were they settled
with their hand-bags and grips when the brakeman threw open the door and
strode down the aisle, bawling loudly, "Martindale, Martindale! Our next
stop is Martindale Union Depot!" And before they could realize what was
happening, the porter had bundled them off in the great, dark, noisy
station-yard, filled with throngs of excited, hurrying people passing in
and out of the heavy iron gates.

Caught in the jam, there was a moment of breathless bewilderment; a
frantic disentangling of themselves from the pushing, shoving crowd; a
hurried, frightened survey of the sea of unfamiliar faces around them,
and then straight into the arms of the smiling college President the
anxious sextette walked.

"Well, well, well!" he cried with boyish eagerness, trying to gather
them all in one embrace. "Here you are at last! I've waited one solid
hour for this train. Those Parker people tried to tell me it was my
place to stand in the doorway over at the house and welcome you there,
but blessed if I could wait! Neither could Grandma. I thought I had
stolen away without anyone seeing me, but before I had reached the
car-tracks, there she was right at my heels. Here, mother, are
your--own!"

No welcome from the doorsteps of the great house could have warmed and
thrilled those six hearts as did the husky, tremulous words of greeting
in the dim, smoky station amid the clanging engines and shouted orders
of trainmen. Home! Ah, what a glorious feeling of possession! The tears
which had not come at thought of leaving the old home now welled up in
the blue eyes and in the brown, but they were tears of joy and
thanksgiving.

"I knew someone would do some bawling before we got through with this,"
sniffed Peace, searching in vain for the handkerchief which was never to
be found in her pocket, and finally wiping her eyes on the august