that thought did not check her
haste nor cause her for one second to pause or look back.

* * * * *

Her road lay toward the open country. At last, leaving behind all
lines of houses, she crawled under a barbed-wire fence into a
broad meadow where a few cows were grazing; then over a creek
into another meadow, and up to a grassy knoll just ahead. From
beyond it faint shouts were coming. At the foot of the knoll
Margery rested a few moments, then pushed bravely on to the very
gate of her adventure.

From the top of the knoll she looked down the other side to a
tiny pond where five little boys were playing and splashing. The
minute they spied Margery they sank to their chins in the muddy
water and raised frantic hands and voices:

"Go 'way from here! Go 'way from here! We're swimmin'! We're
swimmin'!"

With considerable inward trepidation but outward calm, Margery
descended toward them.

"We're swimmin'! We're swimmin'!" the little boys kept on shouting
inanely until Margery was forced to make some acknowledgment of the
information.

"Oh!" she called out in sarcasm undisguised, "I thought you was
flying!"

That seemed to make the little boys angry. They redoubled their
cries and gesticulations.

"Go 'way from here! Go 'way from here! You're a girl! You're a
girl!"

"Is that so? I'm a girl, am I? I'm so glad to hear it!"

Margery sat down near the water's edge and gazed across defiantly
at the little boys, who were clustered together at the far end of
the pond. They were not her match at sarcasm and so were forced
to answer with inarticulate jeers. For a few seconds no more
words were exchanged. Then one of the boys attempted a parley.

[Illustration: "Dare you to come in swimmin'! Dare you to come in
swimmin'!"]

"Margery," he began. It was Willie Jones. There was a plea and a
protest in his voice.

"Well?"

Margery's sharp interrogation gave so little encouragement that
Willie Jones desisted.

Freddy Larkin next essayed the part of spokesman for the boys.
Freddy had curly hair and a lisp.

"Mardthery!"

"Well?"

"Dare you to come in thwimmin'! Dare you to come in thwim----"

Willie Jones choked further utterance with a splash of water.
But, though he silenced Freddy, the other three instantly took up
the cry, "Dare you to come in swimmin'! Dare you to come in
swimmin'!"

Margery's moment had come.

"Huh! You think I'm afraid, don't you? Well, I ain'