le early to get herself
ready to go over to the summer colony where she had promised to spend
the day with friends who were summering there. The girls had scarcely
finished their breakfast when the boys broke in upon them.

"You girls eat too much," Frank complained, when the first greetings
were over. "Now, if you only had our dainty little appetites----"

"The best way to treat some people," put in Mollie significantly, "is to
pay no attention to them or their remarks."

"Is she speaking to me or at me?" Frank inquired good-humoredly.

"Oh, it is just a general slam at the sex," laughed Allen, who had not
taken his eyes from Betty and the pink rose. "We ought to be hardened by
this time."

"Yes, you are terribly ill-treated, aren't you?"

Betty sympathized and remarked: "It is truly a case for the S. P. C.
A.--I mean the S. P. C. C.," she corrected hastily, while the girls
laughed merrily and the boys looked injured.

"That's the worst yet, Betty," Will reproached her. "You needn't make
out you didn't mean it, either--we know better."

"Oh, all right," said Betty, her eyes twinkling. "Have it your own way."

"To change the subject," Roy broke in, "what are you girls all togged
up for--didn't you get my message?"

"Of course," said Grace. "You nearly put Betty's eyes out with it."

"Sorry," said Roy, with a quick glance at Betty's nearly injured eyes,
which had never looked brighter than at that instant. "They look pretty
good to me. But that brings me back to my first query--why are you girls
all dressed up?"

"Well, you know we could hardly wear our bathing suits down to
breakfast. Imagine a lot of sea nymphs boiling eggs and frying bacon!"
ejaculated Mollie.

"Besides," Betty argued, "it's just as much trouble to put ugly things
on as it is pretty ones----"

"And they don't look as nice," Frank finished.

"Exactly!" said Betty. "And now if you will excuse us we'll put on our
suits, and show you boys how to swim. Come on, girls!"

"You can't be too quick to suit me," Allen called after them.

Mollie made a little face at him from the doorway. "Anxious to meet your
Water-loo?" she mocked impishly, and before he could answer had followed
the girls up the stairway.

The boys raced back to camp to prepare themselves for the swim, and a
few minutes later met the girls coming from the house.

"You see you didn't have to wait," said Amy. "We are as anxious as you
to get into the water this morning. Oh