ngle parsnip that's fit to eat that
I could find in the garden."

"H'm! I guess I can find some."

"No, you can't; they've rotted. I heard mother say to-day she was afraid
they had. More'n half those father brought in this morning weren't good
for anything. When mother finds out that all the Wigginses are coming,
and there's just five parsnips for dinner, I don't know what she will
do; I don't know but it will kill her. And she's asked Uncle Caleb and
Uncle Silas over, too."

Ruth gave a desperate glance at the parsnips. "I said we were going to
have parsnip stew," said she, "Mrs. Wiggins had been crying; she looked
dreadful tired out; and Sammy had just bumped his head, and there was a
great lump over one eye. She took the honey, and said she'd be real
happy to come if they could have the horse, and old Mrs. Wiggins acted
dreadful tickled."

"The Wigginses have got parsnips," said Serena. "I heard Mrs. Wiggins
say they'd got a splendid lot, she expected, but they hadn't dug any
yet."

Ruth looked at her sister. "Serena!"

"What?"

"I'm going to send over and _buy some of the Wigginses' parsnips_."

"Ruth!" But it seemed to Serena as if there was a flash of red and green
light through the room, and Ruth had gone. Serena gave a little gasp,
and stood looking.

"What's the matter?" asked her father, coming in--an old man in
checkered shirt sleeves, yet with a certain rustic stateliness about
him.

"Oh, nothing," said Serena; and she fell to slicing the bread for
supper.

While her father had gone to the well to draw a pail of water Ruth came
in, breathless, but rosy with daring and triumph. Ben White, Mrs.
White's grown-up son, was going to drive over to the Wigginses and buy
some parsnips; his mother was to have some, and Ruth a noble portion for
the next day's stew.

Serena dropped into a chair and giggled feebly; the humor, of it was so
forcible that it seemed to fairly rebound in her face. "Ask the
Wigginses to dinner to have a parsnip stew, and then--buy their own
parsnips for it!" she gasped.

Ruth did not laugh at all; she saw nothing but the seriousness of the
situation. "Mind you don't tell mother till after it's all over," said
she. "I don't want her to know where those parsnips came from till after
the Wigginses have gone, she'll be so upset. I'm just going to tell her
how I carried the honey over there, and how they're coming. I do hope
Ben will bring the parsnips before mother gets home."