es sick."

"She means you, Mollie," teased Ruth.

"The coat doesn't fit me, however," retorted Mollie. "But I do love
marshmallows. Do we toast them over the flames of the candles?"

"No," replied Olive, as she placed the five-pound box of sweets on the
rug between them and the fire. The girls sat down on the rug, with their
feet curled under them. Each speared a marshmallow and thrust it close
to the fire. Little blue flames rose from the white cubes and a
tantalizing odor filled the air.

"Oh, dear me. Mine's gone into the fire," cried Mollie in distress. "It
just melted away."

"So did mine," answered Barbara, "but it melted in my mouth."

"How nice of you to think of this, Olive. Thank you ever so much,"
glowed Grace Carter.

"This isn't my treat. My part is to carry out the little surprise. Mr.
Stuart sent out the marshmallows to me, asking me to give you girls a
toast. It is a real treat, isn't it?"

"Glorious!" breathed the girls.

"Did you children ever do fire-gazing?" asked Olive after a moment of
silence as the girls helped themselves to the sweets.

The "Automobile Girls" confessed their ignorance of the game. Olive
explained that each girl was to gaze into the fire then describe what
forms or figures appeared to grow out of the flames or coals.

"I see a red automobile," cried Mollie, almost as soon as she had fixed
her gaze on the fire. "And, oh, look at the man driving it! He is all in
red, wears a pointed beard and has a cloven foot. Isn't he a frightful
looking creature?"

"Your imagination needs no encouragement," declared Olive. "Let us hope
that the gentleman with the cloven foot may drive his car up the chimney
flue and fly away. What do you see, Ruth?"

"I see a fiery pit with a lot of imps dancing about, hurling balls of
fire at each other."

"Your turn, Barbara."

Bab was gazing at the fire in wrapt attention.

"I see a black chest, but I can't see what it holds, for the cover is
down. There goes the cover! Oh, look, girls! See the gold and the
sparkling jewels! See the golden coins glitter in the light of the fire!
Oh, oh, oh!"

"Money? Money? Where?" cried Mollie. "I want some of that money."

The spell was broken in a merry laugh. Mollie laughed, too, then turned
her gaze toward the window, for her eyes were smarting from the heat.
Suddenly her face took on a frightened expression, the color fading from
it.

"Look! Oh, look!" she gasped, scarcely above a whisper.

Wh