"For exercise!" said Eunice, briskly, looking half inclined to follow
her, when Edna pulled her down beside her.

"No, you don't want to go at all. Cricket will be back in a few moments.
She can't go far, on account of the tide."

"I must finish my 'Echo,' any way," said Eunice, remembering her
editorial duties, and vanishing into the house to get her materials.

It was not long before Cricket turned and pulled in. The children were
on the beach with Eliza, and Cricket sat down on the sand with them,
after landing, digging and laughing, as if she were six years old
herself. Presently they all jumped up, and ran laughing and shouting
after her.

"Come on, girls, and play 'Tick-den,'" called Cricket, as she passed.

"Come and sit down," chorused the girls, but Cricket laughed and ran on,
the twins tagging after her, and Kenneth struggling in the rear.

"Tick-den" is a local variation of the time-honoured "hide-and-go-seek."
There is not much fun in it when there are only three playing,
especially when two of the three have very short legs, but Cricket
seemed to find a certain amount of amusement in it, as she did in
everything. The other girls made remarks of withering scorn to her, as
she flew by, but Cricket only laughed and tossed back her curly head,
and ran on.

At last there was a longer disappearance than usual. After a time Zaidee
and Helen, with Kenneth lagging after, came disconsolately around to the
front piazza. Zaidee's soft, silky, black hair lay in wet streaks,
plastered down on her forehead, while Helen's golden locks were as
tightly curled as grape-tendrils.

"We can't find Cricket any more, for she's runned away," announced
Zaidee, aggrieved.

"We've hunted and hunted," said Helen. "We heard her calling once, but
when we got where she was, she wasn't there any more."

"She'll be back in a moment," said Eunice, mopping off the little hot
head with a practised hand. "You sit still and get cool. Really, 'Liza
ought not to let you run around this way, in the hot sun."

"Just what I came out to say," said auntie, appearing in the doorway. "I
came down to tell you, my dear little girls, that it is much too hot to
run around this way any more. You must sit down and rest till after
dinner. Where's Cricket?"

"She's hided, and we can't find her anywhere," repeated Zaidee.

"She will come out presently, when she finds you aren't looking for her
any more," said auntie, sitting down. "How fares our