t was probably worth more than the vegetables which he had lost. I
pitied Cobb and Sarah, they were so frightened, and got hold of them
myself and comforted them. Sarah was just such another little timid,
open-mouthed, wide-eyed sort of thing as her brother, and they were
merely picking flowers, as they supposed.

"I never saw such beautiful yellow flowers," Sarah said, sobbing and
looking ruefully at her great bouquet of squash blossoms. This little
Sarah, who was only twelve, and very small and childish for her age,
said sooner and later many ignorant, and yet quaintly innocent things
about our country life, which were widely repeated. It was Sarah who
said, when she was offered some honey at a village tea-drinking, "Oh,
will you please tell me what time you drive home your bees? and do
they give honey twice a day like the cows?" It was Sarah who, when
her brother was very anxious to see the pigs on Mr. White's farm,
said, "Oh, be quiet, Cobb, dear; it is too late tonight; the pigs
must have gone into their holes."

I think poor Cobb and Sarah might have had a pleasant time at the
picnic, after all--for my little Alice made friends with them, and
Mrs. Sim White's Charlie--had it not been for their mother's obliging
them to eat her hygienic biscuits for their luncheons. It was really
pitiful to see them looking so wistfully at the cake and pie. I had a
feeling of relief that all the rest of us were not obliged to make
our repast of hygienic bread. I had a fear lest Mrs. Jameson might
try to force us to do so. However, all she did was to wait until we
were fairly started upon our meal, and then send around her children
with her biscuits, following them herself with the most tender
entreaties that we would put aside that unwholesome food and not risk
our precious lives. She would not, however, allow us to drink our own
coffee--about that she was firm. She insisted upon our making some
hygienic coffee which she had brought from the city, and we were
obliged to yield, or appear in a very stubborn and ungrateful light.
The coffee was really very good, and we did not mind. The other
parcel which she had brought contained a health food, to be made
into a sort of porridge with hot water, and little cups of that were
passed around, Mrs. Jameson's face fairly beaming with benevolence
the while, and there was no doubt that she was entirely in earnest.

Still, we were all so disturbed--that is, all of us elder
people--that I d