, hoh!" shouted Van; "I thought you wouldn't tell, Mr. Percy! hoh,
hoh!"

"Hoh, hoh!" echoed Dick.

"Hush," said Jappy. "Why, Percy, I didn't know as you had thought of
that," he said kindly. "Well, then, you do it, and I'll take something
else. I don't care as long as Mrs. Pepper gets 'em."

"I didn't exactly mean that," began Percy; "mine was roots and little
flowers growing."

"He means what he gets in the woods," said Polly, explaining; "don't
you, Percy?"

"Yes," said the boy. "And then I was going to put stones and things in
among them to make them look pretty."

"And they will," cried Jasper. "Go ahead, Percy, they'll look real
pretty, and then Turner will give you some flowers for the stand, I
know; I'll ask him to-morrow."

"Will you?" cried Percy, "that'll be fine!"

"Mine is the best," said Van, just at this juncture; but it was said a
little anxiously, as he saw how things were prospering with Percy; "for
my flowers in the picture will always be there, and your old roots and
things will die."

"What will yours be, then, Jappy?" asked Polly very soberly. "The stand
of flowers would have been just lovely! and you do fix them so nice,"
she added sorrowfully.

"Oh, I'll find something else," said Jappy, cheerfully, who had quite
set his heart on giving the flowers. "Let me see--I might carve her a
bracket."

"Do," cried Polly, clapping her hands enthusiastically. "And do carve a
little bird, like the one you did on your father's."

"I will," said Jasper, "just exactly like it. Now, we've got something
to do, before we welcome the 'little brown house' people--so let's fly
at it, and the time won't seem so long."

And at last the day came when they could all say--To-morrow they'll be
here!

Well, the vines were all up; and pots of lovely climbing ferns, and all
manner of pretty green things had been arranged and re-arranged a dozen
times till everything was pronounced perfect; and a big green "Welcome"
over the library door, made of laurel leaves, by the patient fingers
of all the children, stared down into their admiring eyes as much as to
say, "I'll do my part!"

"Oh, dear," said Phronsie, when evening came, and the children were, as
usual, assembled on the rug before the fire, their tongues running wild
with anticipation and excitement, "I don't mean to go to bed at all,
Polly; I don't truly."

"Oh, yes, you do," said Polly laughing; "then you'll be all fresh and
rested to see mammy when