too, who brought armfuls of clean
towels and showed them which was the hot and which the cold water in
Aunt Polly's white and green bathroom.

The next day the four children and Mother Blossom and Aunt Polly, with
Linda and Jud part of the time and Spotty and Poots in constant
attendance, explored Brookside thoroughly.

They saw the poultry yard, where ducks and chickens and guinea-hens
and one lame turkey lived happily together. The other turkeys roamed
all over the farm, and Aunt Polly said that at night they slept out of
doors in the trees. She said they would be sick if cooped up in
houses, and that they had to roam half-wild to thrive.

The visitors called on Mrs. Sally Sweet, the beautiful gentle Jersey
cow that gave such wonderful rich milk; they saw the seven new little
white pigs; they took salt to the sheep that were in a stony pasture
and that came running when Peter called to them from the bars.

They made the acquaintance, too, of Jerry and Terry, the two faithful
farm horses, and Nelly Bly, the brown mare who had a small colt,
Felix, by her side. Meg had to be dragged away from the colt. She said
she had never seen such a darling little horse.

Jud Apgar was a tall, lanky boy, with the same pleasant drawling way
of speaking his father had, and the "evenest temper that ever was,"
Linda said. Linda should have known, because she was a great tease.

On their way back from the sheep pasture Aunt Polly and the Blossoms
stopped at the tenant house, and Mrs. Apgar asked them in to taste of
her fresh buttermilk. She had just finished churning, and the children
saw their first churn. They admired the firm yellow butter, but they
did not care much for the buttermilk, though Mother Blossom drank two
glasses of it and said it was delicious.

It was nearly dinner time now, for Aunt Polly, like many people who
live in the country, liked to have her dinner at noon, and they all
hurried home to get freshened up for the meal. Poor Dot, as usual, had
managed to soil her frock, and she had to be buttoned into a clean
dress.

"How'd you ever get that old egg on it?" scolded Meg, nevertheless
helping her to fasten the buttons.

"I didn't know eggs broke so easy," explained Dot. "I was looking in a
nest where a hen was sitting, and she flew up and scared me. And I
just touched one of her eggs and it broke."

Meg happened to glance from the window.

"Peter's brought the trunks!" she cried. "And the kiddie-car and a