at the little girl's heart. Of course Flaxie
didn't care a bit what day of the week it was; she only felt so very
unhappy that she could not endure the slightest contradiction.

Before another word had been spoken, she sprang up and flew out of the
room. About two minutes afterward the front door slammed, and Freddy saw
her dashing down street with her hat and cloak on, swinging her valise
in one hand and her umbrella in the other.

[Illustration: FLAXIE LOOKED BEWILDERED. Page 60.]

CHAPTER IV.

LUCY'S MITTENS.

Aunt Charlotte ran to the door with the baby, calling out:

"Flaxie, come back! come back!"

But the little runaway would not even turn her head.

"Crazy," said Freddy, still laughing.

"I do believe," exclaimed his mother, "that child is going to the depot!
Run after her! You and Johnny both run!"

The boys did their best, but Flaxie was already far ahead, and never
once paused till she reached the station, where she nearly ran the
baggage-master through the body with her little umbrella.

"Now look here, my little lady," said he, catching her in his arms, "I
ain't used to being punched in this style, like a passenger-ticket; and
you'd better stop to explain."

"Oh, don't hold me, don't hold me! I'm going on the cars to my mamma.
_Let_ me go to my mamma!"

"Why, certainly," said the man, winking to Johnny and Freddy, who had
reached the platform and stood there panting. "_To_ be sure! We let
little girls go to their mothers. But you didn't think of starting on
ahead of the cars, did you?"

Flaxie looked bewildered.

"You see the cars haven't come," said Johnny, coaxingly. "You'd better
go back with Freddy and me, and wait awhile."

"No, no, no," said Flaxie, brandishing her umbrella. The boys were too
anxious to get her away, and she wouldn't trust them.

"The cars won't be here till two o'clock," said the baggage-man. "Now
I'd advise a nice little lady like you to eat your dinner before
starting on a journey. Or would you like it any better to have me lock
you up in the ladies'-room till two o'clock? But I should think you'd
get rather hungry."

He held up a big key as he spoke, and Flaxie gazed at it in dismay. Was
this the way they treated little girls that wanted to go to see their
mothers?

"Come, Freddy," said Johnny, "let's hurry home, or there won't be any
apple-dumpling left. If Flaxie doesn't want to come she needn't, you
know."

Johnny spoke with such a show of indi