m! Asked me! Why they begged me and made me give a
cross-my-heart yes."

"But you won't go?" asked Cologne. "You know the Lamberts
are--well--they are a troup of theatrical folks, and no one knows much
about them."

"The only profession that hides the ego," broke in Tavia. "Now that is
what I call cozy, to get away from the dear old nosey public. I wonder
the whole world does not go in for the stage, and get a chance to walk
through the streets, and have folks say, 'Isn't she perfectly sweet!'
All the while one could be sticking out her tongue, and otherwise
enjoying herself--"

"Tavia!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Do talk something akin to common sense if
you cannot do better. And don't mix up your pronouns. You keep one
bobbing through tenses and pronouns as if the thinker were a
jack-in-the-box."

"All the same I would love to go over to that big white house in the
cherry trees, and see a dress rehearsal. They play Shakespeare."

"You must not think of such a thing," declared Dorothy. "Since Cologne
does not wish you to go in the strange set, you will surely comply,
but I do not have to tell you that I am sure you will," and she turned
away in evident distress.

The next morning the three girls started to camp in earnest. Tavia
insisted that it was her share of work to fetch one pail of water from
the spring, because, she said, she had to stoop down so low, and walk
so far the effort was equal to Dorothy's dish-washing or Cologne's
muffin-making.

"While you do the rest," she said, "I'll just run up, and look over
the loft, the boys are out now, and Dorothy won't be afraid I'll
forget my manners."

"You come here directly, and set this table for lunch," ordered
Dorothy. "We are going out for trout, and will not be in until eating
time, so we will get everything ready now."

"All right," answered Tavia, at the same time climbing up the ladder,
and making her way to the loft.

"Oh, let her explore," said Cologne. "Then when she gets enough of it
she will be satisfied."

"Don't touch any of the old guns up there," called Dorothy, "Jack says
there are dangerous."

"All righty!" yelled Tavia from above. "But say wouldn't this be a
handsome place to drop from?"

She was in the opening of the hay loft, lying on the floor with her
head over the edge.

"Oh don't" begged Cologne. "Tavia, that is dangerous!"

Her voice was rather strained, Cologne was annoyed. Tavia jumped up,
and, with a most unladylike "whoop,"