mping feet for
several miles along the brook.

The younger girls gathered around one of the primary teachers who
promised to tell them stories and most of the grammar and high
school girls had brought their crocheting and were ready to sit
quietly a while and exchange patterns. Rosemary, however, did not
feel in what she called a "knitting mood" and when Bessie Kent
suggested that they go wading in the brook, she jumped at the idea.
A dozen girls were found to be aching for a frolic and Miss Penfield
smilingly told them to be young while they could, but not to wade
too far and not to stay too long.

The water was icy cold, and much laughter and shrieking advertised
the first step, but as soon as they were used to the temperature
only the exhilaration remained. Led by Rosemary, they started slowly
up stream.

"Good gracious, if Nina Edmonds and Fannie Mears aren't coming,
too," whispered Bessie, glancing back over her shoulder. "Wonder why
they want to tag along?"

If she had only known it, Nina and Fannie were feeling decidedly
left out of things. They longed to go with the high school girls who
persistently ignored them and they were not at all popular with
their own classmates. When they found that they were to be left on
the edge of the circle of crocheters, they determined to follow the
wading party. Nina privately thought she was far too old to indulge
in such a silly pastime, and Fannie hated walking anyway, but at the
moment wading was better than doing nothing.

"Who's that shouting?" asked Rosemary, as they rounded a bend in the
brook and heard a distant noise.

"Must be the boys," replied Bessie. "Yes, see, there they are--way
over there; they're playing ball on the other side of the brook, a
couple of fields further on."

The girls could see the running figures plainly, and from time to
time a bellow of pure joy and excitement wafted down to them.

"Don't they have fun--" Rosemary was beginning, when a scream
startled them all.

"I've cut my foot!" shrieked Fannie Mears. "Oh, the whole bottom of
the brook must be covered with broken glass. Look how it bleeds!"

She lifted her foot from the water and Nina, who caught a glimpse of
the widening gash, cried out in horror. Fannie let her foot fall and
struck the glass again. She screamed even more loudly and began to
beat the water with her hands.

"Look out, you won't be able to see the glass!" cried Rosemary,
turning and dashing toward her. "Stan