y get it done to-morrow morning."

"Yes; and, mamma," cried Marty, "we've got them out good. I don't
believe there'll ever be another weed here!"

"They'll be as bad as ever after a while," said Evaline, who knew them
of old.

Marty was pretty tired that evening and did not feel like running about
as much as usual.

"There now!" exclaimed Mrs. Stokes, looking at Marty as she sat on the
porch steps after supper leaning back against her mother, "there now!
you're all beat out. 'T was too hard work for you. I oughtn't to have
let you do it."

"Oh! indeed, Mrs. Stokes, I'm not so very tired," cried Marty, "and I
was glad to do it."

Another hour's work the next morning finished the weeding, and the girls
reflected with satisfaction that they had earned their flowers. Mrs.
Stokes said the work was done "beautiful," and Hiram, who was brought to
inspect it, said they had done so well that he had a great mind to have
them come down to the field and hoe corn.

Thursday morning early they gathered and put in water enough flowers for
seven fair-sized bouquets, thinking they had better have one more than
Miss Fanny mentioned in case an extra lady came. By four o'clock these
flowers--and how lovely and fragrant they were!--with Mrs. Ashford's
valuable assistance were made into tasteful bouquets, placed on an old
tray with their stems lightly covered with wet moss, and set in the
coolest corner of the porch. The children, including Freddie, all nicely
dressed, took up position on the steps, partly to keep guard over the
flowers and prevent Ponto from lying down on them, and partly to watch
for their callers.

Marty's bright eyes were the first to see the carriages.

"There they come around the bend!" she exclaimed, and shortly a carryall
driven by Jim Dutton, and containing three ladies and two children,
followed by a buck-board wherein sat Miss Fanny and Miss Dora, drew up
at the gate.

Evaline's shyness came on in full force and she hung back, but Marty,
with Freddie holding her hand, proceeded down the walk. They were met by
Miss Fanny, who had thrown the reins to her friend and jumped out the
moment the horse stopped. She kissed Marty, snatched up Freddie,
exclaiming, "What a darling little boy!" and called out, "Come down
here, Evaline! I want to see you."

Mrs. Stokes, who was too hospitable to see people so near her house
without inviting them in, now came forward to give the invitation, and
as they were oblige