so much fun before.

_Fannie E. Ostrander._

OFF ON THE WHEELS

One summer Alma and her brother Philip spent their vacation with their
auntie, who lived in a beautiful village, so near the pretty country
that they could take a ride out into it on their wheels, at any time
they wished.

[Illustration]

They both rode very well indeed, and they were always finding pretty
little spots along the road-side, where they played camp out; for
auntie let them take a lunch if they wanted to, and the air was so
fresh and pure that they were hungry almost all the time.

[Illustration]

One morning they started off quite early with their wheels and their
lunch, and they rode out into the country on a pretty road where they
had never been before.

[Illustration]

It had great trees along the side and a little river winding along
with it, and they saw the cattle and horses in the fields, and the
hens and chickens and turkeys and geese along the road-side, and once
they got off their wheels to talk to a pretty bossy and her calf that
were very near the fence.

[Illustration]

The bossy was a little afraid they might hurt her baby, so she wasn't
quite friendly. But she didn't try to drive them away.

[Illustration]

At one side of a farm-house near, a big dog was lying in his kennel,
and a great black cat came up to him very slyly and tapped him on the
nose with one paw. It was funny to see the dog jump up.

[Illustration]

The birds sang, and the hens and chickens talked to each other, and
once or twice they stopped to let a flock of geese cross the road in
front of them.

[Illustration]

Then they came upon a big flock of turkeys, and the gobbler put on
airs and pretended he was going to stop them; but they flew past and
laughed at him.

[Illustration]

By the side of the road in one place, a big, fat, clean-looking pig
was standing, sunning himself; but when he saw them, he ran away,
squealing.

[Illustration]

"You needn't run from us," Philip called after him; "we don't want any
pork to-day--we've got chicken for our lunch."

[Illustration]

"Yes," said Alma, "and nice, fresh strawberries, and everything good."

They saw a big dog lying near a chicken-coop, with the chickens
running over him just as they pleased, and Philip called out again,
"Be careful, you little fellows, or you might happen to run down his
throat."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

They got off their wheels an