got there.

Fortunately they hadn't far to go. Three blocks down and two blocks over
and there was the park--such a beautiful park with tiny lakes and bridges
and great trees whose buds were swelling in the warm afternoon spring
sunshine. Mary Jane thought she must be in fairyland come to life, it was
all so beautiful. They crossed an arched bridge; saw a lovely view off
toward the south where other bridges and lagoons and trees made such a
pretty picture they were tempted to stay and look longer; walked around a
big circle where, so John told them, the band gave concerts in the summer
time; circled a tiny little inlet lake and came out, quite suddenly, right
close to the big lake--Lake Michigan. It almost took Mary Jane's breath
way, coming suddenly that way, upon the sight of so much water. It was all
so blue and clear, she thought, for the minute, that surely it must be the
very same ocean she had seen in Florida only a few weeks before.

But the boys didn't give much time for sight-seeing of lakes--they had
seen the good old lake many a time and they were thinking more about
supper than any view, however pretty.

So they hurried their wagon across the boulevard driveway, and of course
all the folks had to follow close behind, and down the beach walk a couple
of hundred yards and there they settled themselves on a stretch of clean
white sand.

"Now," said big brother Linn, whom the girls hadn't seen much of as yet,
but who seemed to be master of ceremonies, "you boys gather those big logs
down there, you girls fix the kindling and I'll set these stones up so we
get a good draft when we light our fire."

Everybody set to work. The logs proved to be so big and heavy that Ed and
John were very glad to have the help of their father and Mr. Merrill to
roll them into place. The four girls sorted out the kindling in their
basket and added to it by picking up drift wood on the beach. Frances
explained that they always brought some along to be sure they had some
real dry wood for a start.

With such good help and so much of it, of course it wasn't long till a
fine blaze was going and the beach party was actually begun.

"Go ahead and play now," said Linn, when he saw the fire was started and
that there was a big pile of reserve wood close by. "You know we can't
cook till we get some coals."

"But I'm starved," hinted Ed, with a hungry look toward the baskets his
mother and Mrs. Merrill were guarding.

"Then you'll h