answered shortly. "You ought to know."

"Yes, I--I ought to know. But--I don't."

He grunted.

"I s'pose," she ventured timidly, "that nobody ever answers questions
here, either."

He looked uncomfortable. "Yes," he retorted, "_every_body does."

"Then,"--advancing an eager step--"why don't _you?_"

He mopped his forehead. "Well--well--if I must, I must: This is where
all the lights go when they're put out at night."

"Oh!" And now as she glanced from tree to tree she saw that what he had
said was true. For the greater part of the lights were electric bulbs;
while many were gas-jets, and a few kerosene-flames.

Still marveling, her look chanced to fall upon herself. And she found
that she was not wearing a despised muslin frock! Her dress was
gingham!--an adorable plaid with long sleeves, and a patch-pocket low
down on the right side!

"You darling!" she exclaimed happily, and thrust a hand into the pocket.
"I guess They made it!"

Next she looked down at her feet--and could scarcely believe! She had on
no stockings! She did not even have on slippers. _She was barefoot!_

Then, still fearful that there was some mistake about it all, she put a
hand to her head; and found her hair-bow gone! In its place, making a
small floppy double knot, was a length of black shoe-string!

"Oh, goody!" she cried.

"Um!" grunted the little old gentleman. "And you can play in the water
if you'd like to."

That needed no urging! She was face about on the instant.

From the standpoint of messing the soda-stream was ideal. It brawled
around flat rocks, set at convenient jumping-distances from one another.
(She leaped promptly to one of these and sopped her handkerchief.) It
circled into sand-bottomed pools just shallow enough for wading; and
from the pools, it spread out thinly to thread the grass, thus giving
her an opportunity for squashing--a diverting pastime consisting in
squirting equal parts of water and soil ticklishly through the toes. She
hopped from rock to pool; she splashed from pool to long, wet, muddy
grass.

It was the water-play that brought the realization of all her new
good-fortune--the being out of doors and plainly clad; free from the
espionage of a governess; away from the tyranny of a motor-car;
barefoot; and--chief blessing of all!--_nurseless_.

Forgetting the little old gentleman, in a sudden excess of glee she
seized a stick and bestrode it; seized another and belabored the
quarters of a stou