n't see her face.

"Not the one your aunt gave you, Sally!" exclaimed Clem.

"Yes--yes." Sally sniffed outright now. "Oh dear! I put it in
because--because--we were going to Silvia's--oh dear me!"

She gave up now, and sobbed outright.

"Don't cry, Sally," begged Polly, deserting her grass-tuft, to run over
to her. "We'll find it." Alexia was alternately picking frantically in
all the dust-heaps, and wringing her hands, one eye on the clock all the
while.

"Oh, no, you won't," whimpered Sally. "It flew right out of my hand, and
it's gone way off--I know it has--oh dear!" and she sobbed worse than
ever.

"Perhaps one of those old hens will pick it up," suggested Lucy Bennett,
pointing across the way to the station master's garden, where four or
five fowl were busily scratching.

"Oh--oh!" Sally gave a little scream at that, and threw herself into
Polly Pepper's arms. "My aunt's pin--and she told me--to be careful,
and she won't--won't ever give me anything else, and now those old hens
will eat it. Oh _dear_ me! what shall I do?"

"How can you, Lucy, say such perfectly dreadful things?" cried Polly.
"Don't cry, Sally. Girls, do keep on looking for it as hard as you can.
Sally, do stop."

But Sally was beyond stopping. "She told--told me only to wear it
Sundays, and with my best--best dress. Oh, do give me your handkerchief,
Polly. I've left mine home."

So Polly pulled out her clean handkerchief from her coat pocket, and
Sally wiped up her face, and cried all over it, till it was a damp
little wad; and the girls poked around, and searched frantically, and
Alexia, one eye on the clock, exclaimed, "Oh, girls, it's time for the
train. Oh misery me! what _shall_ we do?"

"And here it comes!" Lucy Bennett screamed.

"Stick on your hat, Sally, you've the pin part. Come, hurry up!" cried
the others. And they all huddled around her.

"Oh, I can't go," began Sally.

"You must," said Clem; "we've telephoned back to Mrs. Horne we're
coming. Do stick on your hat, Sally Moore."

Alexia was spinning around, saying over and over to herself, "I won't
stay back--I won't." Then, as the train slowly rounded the long curve
and the passengers emerged from the waiting-room, she rushed up to the
knot of girls. "Go along, Sally Moore, and I'll stay and hunt for your
old pin," just as some one twitched Sally's hat from her fingers and
clapped it on her head.

"Oh my goodness me!" Alexia gave a little scream, and nearly fell