hook out some evergreen sprigs, half a dozen saxifrages, and two
or three forlorn violets with hardly any stems.

"I don't brag, but here's the best of all the three," chuckled Jack,
producing a bunch of feathery carrot-tops, with a few half-shut
dandelions trying to look brave and gay.

"Oh, boys, is that all?"

"What _shall_ we do?"

"We've only a few house-flowers, and all those baskets to fill," cried
the girls, in despair; for Merry's contribution had been small, and
Molly had only a handful of artificial flowers "to fill up," she said.

"It isn't our fault: it is the late spring. We can't make flowers, can
we?" asked Frank, in a tone of calm resignation.

"Couldn't you buy some, then?" said Molly, smoothing her crumpled
morning-glories, with a sigh.

"Who ever heard of a fellow having any money left the last day of the
month?" demanded Gus, severely.

"Or girls either. I spent all mine in ribbon and paper for my baskets,
and now they are of no use. It's a shame!" lamented Jill, while Merry
began to thin out her full baskets to fill the empty ones.

"Hold on!" cried Frank, relenting. "Now, Jack, make their minds easy
before they begin to weep and wail."

"Left the box outside. You tell while I go for it;" and Jack bolted, as
if afraid the young ladies might be too demonstrative when the tale was
told.

"Tell away," said Frank, modestly passing the story along to Gus, who
made short work of it.

"We rampaged all over the country, and got only that small mess of
greens. Knew you'd be disgusted, and sat down to see what we could do.
Then Jack piped up, and said he'd show us a place where we could get
a plenty. 'Come on,' said we, and after leading us a nice tramp, he
brought us out at Morse's greenhouse. So we got a few on tick, as we had
but four cents among us, and there you are. Pretty clever of the little
chap, wasn't it?"

A chorus of delight greeted Jack as he popped his head in, was promptly
seized by his elders and walked up to the table, where the box was
opened, displaying gay posies enough to fill most of the baskets if
distributed with great economy and much green.

"You are the dearest boy that ever was!" began Jill, with her nose
luxuriously buried in the box, though the flowers were more remarkable
for color than perfume.

"No, I'm not; there's a much dearer one coming upstairs now, and he's
got something that will make you howl for joy," said Jack, ignoring his
own prowess as Ed cam