sluggish waters in and about
the old Day house, if such a thing could be done!

Uncle Jason was rather sombre that evening, and even Marty did not feel
equal to stirring the quiet waters of the family pool. Janice stole away
early to bed. Aunt Almira was always the last person in the household to
retire. Long after the rest of them were asleep she remained swinging in
her creaky rocker, close to the lamp, her eyes glued to one of the cheap
story papers upon which her romance-loving soul had fed for years.

There was not a cloud at dawn. When Janice rubbed her eyes and looked
out of her wide open window the sun was almost ready to pop above the
hills. The birds were twittering--tuning up, as it were, for their
opening chorus of the day.

This was the day on which Janice determined the Day family should turn
over a new leaf!

She doused her face with cool water from her pitcher, and then
scrambled into her clothes and tidied her hair. She tiptoed to the door
of the bedchamber occupied by her uncle and aunt. At her first tap on
the panel Uncle Jason grunted.

"Well! I hear ye," he said, in no joyful tone.

Janice really giggled, as she listened outside of the door. She was
determined to have Uncle Jason up, and she waited, still scratching on
the door panel until she heard him give an angry grunt, and then land
with both feet on the straw matting. Then she scurried back to her own
room and quickly finished dressing.

She was downstairs ahead of him, and quickly opened the doors and
windows to the damp, sweet morning air. The cleaning up she and Marty
had given the yard had made the premises really pleasant to look at.
Flowers were springing along the borders of the path, and vines were
creeping up the string trellis by the back door. The apple trees were
covering the lawn with their last late shower of flower petals.

How the birds rioted in the tops of the trees! Singing, scolding,
mating, they were really the jolliest chorus one ever listened to. The
girl ran out into the yard and fairly danced up and down, she felt so
_good_! Much of her homesickness had fled since she had received Daddy's
letter.

She heard Uncle Jason heavily descending the stairs, his shoes in his
hand. Janice broke off a great branch of lilacs, shook off the dew, and
buried her face in the fragrant blossoms. Then, when Uncle Jason came
yawning into the kitchen, closing the stair door behind him, she rushed
in, with beaming face, bade him