Mrs. Norton. "I did n't
know the rest of you were as tired as me."

Mrs. Wright, despite she was the smallest of the number, was evidently
the hardiest; she had calmly turned her stone over and sat down upon it.

"It's a wonder you don't all blame it on me," she said philosophically.

"Well, whatever I learn about this stone I 'll never forget," remarked
Mrs. Dix. "Never as long as I live. Let's take them back."

"Yes; but it's farther to go back than it is to keep on," said Mrs.
Harmon. "And we certainly can't leave them here. We are responsible
for them."

A very evident state of affairs. Being begun it had to be done.

"Come on, stone, we're going," said Mrs. Wright, taking hers up again.

The others followed. Again the rock-laden ladies went manfully onward.

When next they reached the limit of endurance, Chase's big red gate was
so near that they hung on with final determination, and when they were
almost to it they rushed forward to get inside the goal before the
rocks fell. They all succeeded except Mrs. Plympton, who lost hers in
the middle of the road and then finished its journey by rolling it.

"I was never so glad in my life before that I am not a horse," she said.

Virginia Chase had come down the path to shut the gate, which some one
among the earlier arrivals had not properly fastened, and she was the
bearer of bad news. The Professor, after all, would not be able to be
present. He had one of his sick headaches again.

"And who else do you think is sick?" added Virginia. "Aberdeen Boy. I
wish Jonas Hicks was back, because Uncle Israel does not know very
much, really, about stock. I am so worried. He held his head out so
funny, I thought maybe it was something the matter with the ring in his
nose. But it wasn't. He is just sick."

"I am su-u-u-ure," said Grandma Plympton, "that if Jonas Hicks were
back he could give him something that would relieve him."

When the specimen-hunters had recovered from their labors they
accompanied Virginia up the driveway, explaining, as they went, the
whole case of the abducted rockery. In the Chase's big sitting-room
the earlier contingent was drawn together in conversation as close as
chairs would permit, and as the belated ones entered they were greeted
with exclamations in which there was an extra touch of the joy of life,
it being in the very nature of gossip to seek new openings and exploit
itself in mystery and surprise.

"Hurry up, S