, because he said you were to come; and besides, here
are the girls." And there they were on the back porch, six or eight of
them in a group.

"Oh Polly, Polly!" they cried, "are you coming--can you really go?"
swarming around her. "And do get your hat on," said Clem Forsythe "and
hurry up."

"Where are you going?" asked Polly.

"The idea! Alexia Rhys, you are a great one to send after her," cried
Sally Moore. "Not even to tell her where we are going, or what we want
her for!"

"Well, I got her here, and that is half of the battle," said Alexia, in
an injured way; "and my goodness me! Polly won't hardly speak to me now;
and you may go yourself after her next time, Sally Moore."

"There, girls, don't fight," said Clem sweetly. "Polly, we are going out
to Silvia Horne's. Mrs. Horne has just telephoned to see if we'll come
out to supper. Come, hurry up; we want to catch the next car. She says
she'll send somebody home with us."

"Yes, yes, do hurry," begged the girls, hopping up and down on anxious
feet.

"I must ask Mamsie," said Polly. "Oh, how perfectly splendid!" running
off with a glad remembrance of lessons all ready for the next day. "Now
how nice it is that Mamsie always made me get them the first thing," she
reflected as she sped along.

Mamsie said "yes," for she well knew that Mrs. Horne was a careful
person, and when she promised anything it was always well done. "But
brush your hair, Polly," she said, "it looks very untidy flying all over
your head."

So Polly rushed off to her own room; Alexia, who didn't dare to trust
her out of her sight, at her heels, to get in the way, and hinder
dreadfully by teasing Polly every minute to "hurry--we'll lose the
train."

"Where are you going, Polly?" asked Phronsie, hearing Alexia's voice;
and laying down her doll, she went into the blue and white room that was
Polly's very own. "Oh, may I go too?" as Polly ran to the closet to get
out her second-best hat.

"Oh dear me!" began Alexia.

"No, Pet," said Polly, her head in the closet. "Oh my goodness! where
_is_ that hat?"

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Alexia, wringing her hands, "we'll be late and
miss the train. Do hurry, Polly Pepper."

"I'll find it, Polly," said Phronsie, going to the closet and getting
down on her knees, to peer around.

"Oh, it wouldn't be on the floor, Phronsie," began Polly. "Oh dear me!
where _can_ it be?"

"Here it is," cried Alexia, "behind the bed." And running off, she
picked it