nce cast wistful eyes up and down the side of the house; then she
went out on the lawn, at the side, and looked up. "Dimple, come here,"
she called, and her cousin obeyed. "We could get in as easily as
anything," said Florence. "See, that's a very easy tree to climb, and
that long branch goes right over the upper porch. We could reach that;
then we could go in by raising the window."

"If the window is not fastened down. Maybe there is some one in the
house, after all. I shouldn't think they would leave it with no one ever
to look after it. We might go around to the back door and see."

"Let's try climbing the tree anyhow. It will be easy enough to do that,
and won't do a bit of harm. See, I'm going," and Florence put her foot
against the rough bark, and swung herself up, reaching the porch
without difficulty. But Dimple would not follow and her cousin climbed
down again, not, however, as easily as she had gone up.

"It was nothing at all to do," she declared. "I think you might try it,
Dimple. I'll tell you what we'll do: let's bring our dolls to-morrow,
and go up there and play. I'm sure if I had a pretty place like this, I
should be glad if two little girls, like us, could come and enjoy it.
Ah, Dimple, you don't know how fine it is on that upper porch. It would
be the finest place in the world to play in."

The idea took such possession of her that the next morning she broached
the subject again.

"I'll ask mamma," said Dimple, at last consenting with this proviso. But
Mrs. Dallas had gone out to spend the morning with a friend, and finally
Florence's persuasions overcame Dimple's scruples, and with Celestine
and Rubina they set forth.

At first Florence was contented to play on the corner porch, but the
memory of the day before was too much for her, and she again climbed to
the upper porch. "Do come up, Dimple," she coaxed. "You've no idea how
fine it is, with the tree all around. It's just like a nest," and Dimple
decided that she would try it too.

"Wait, we mustn't leave the dolls," Florence said. "I wish we had a
piece of string. See if you can find a piece, Dimple."

After much searching Dimple hunted up an end of rope, which she found by
the kitchen shed, and brought around. "Will this do?" she asked.

"Finely. Can you throw it so I can catch it?"

"I don't know. Maybe I could if I tied a stone to it. Don't let it hit
you, Florence."

After several attempts the rope was landed, and when the dolls