r?" and the children raced through the house,
looking into every room on the way.

"Here, Willie; what do you want?"

"O, mother, we are to have a holiday. Miss Mortimer has gone home."

"Isn't it fun!" cried Ada, swinging on her mother's arm.

"That depends upon how you spend it," Mrs. Constant replied.

"Why, a holiday means to have fun, and do just what you please,"
asserted Willie.

"And not get any lessons," said Dolly, snipping the tape with her
mother's scissors.

Mrs. Constant took them from her, and smiled on the excited three.

"I hope you will have a pleasant day, and try to be good."

"Not too good, mother," expostulated Willie.

"No, only don't get into mischief."

"What shall we do first?" asked Ada.

"I don't know," replied Dolly. "Isn't it fun to have one whole day
which is not Christmas or Thanksgiving?"

For a short time the children remained in Mrs. Constant's room,
upsetting her baskets, tangling her silk, and plying her with
numberless questions.

"I think you had better take a run in the garden," she finally said.
"You are so restless and full of holiday, I think the fresh air would
relieve you."

"What a dear mother!" they cried; and having tumultuously kissed her,
they repaired to the garden.

They lived in a country town, and had a large plot of ground at the
back of the house, through the farther end of which flowed a brook.
Each one had his garden bed, and at one side was a summer-house, where
they kept their garden tools and many of their playthings, also a pet
rabbit, named Blackhawk. It was too late in the fall for flowers, only
a few sturdy asters and hardy verbenas being in blossom, and they
played tag, hide-and-seek, and chased each other with handfuls of dead
leaves. While they were thus occupied, their mother called them, and
told them that aunt Clara had sent for her to come and spend the day;
she had sprained her ankle, and wanted some one to sit with her.

"Won't you be home to dinner?" they asked in despairing chorus.

"No; but Mary will take care of you, and you can enjoy yourselves; but
don't do foolish things, or your holiday will be spoiled. Now, you
must all be mother to each other, that I may find you well and happy
when I come home."

For a while after she had gone, they amused themselves being mother to
one another; but Willie made such a failure that they gave it up.

"Let us play with the dolls a little while," suggested Dolly.

The proposition