lm Beach for the winter holidays!"

The girls sprang up at the news and crowded around Grace.

"Palm Beach!" gasped Rhoda almost breathlessly.

"Why, Gracie Mason!" exclaimed Nan, "you must be talking in your sleep."

"You don't really and truly mean Palm Beach, Florida?" cried Laura,
nearly choking on the big chocolate that slipped down her throat at the
astounding news.

"I really mean Palm Beach, Florida," reiterated Grace, thoroughly
enjoying the sensation she had created.

"Oh, you lucky, lucky girl!" breathed Bess, who until now had seemed too
stunned by the news to utter a word.

"Lucky. Well, I should say," chimed in Laura. "Some people are born
lucky, and Grace Mason is the luckiest of them all."

"How I wish I could go with you!" mourned Rhoda enviously.

"You can just guess we all wish that," acquiesced Nan. "You surely were
born with a golden spoon in your mouth, Grace."

"It has been the dream of my life to go to Palm Beach," put in Rhoda.

"Now, Grace, just sit down here and tell us all about it," commanded
Nan. "Every syllable. Do you hear?"

She piloted Grace to the biggest chair in the room and seated herself on
one arm of it, while the others clustered around as closely as possible.

"Well," began Grace, "mother and dad have been thinking about it for
some time, but they wouldn't tell us about it until the last minute
because they wanted to surprise us. Just as soon as I got the news, I
flew right over here to tell you girls about it."

"It's too splendid!" exclaimed Laura. "Where are you going to stay while
you are there? Or perhaps it's too early to have settled that yet."

"At the Royal Poinciana," replied Grace happily. "Oh, my!"

"The Royal Poinciana!" exclaimed all the girls in one breath.

"Why, Grace," marveled Rhoda. "That's the very swellest hotel even in
Palm Beach."

"Well, what of that?" smiled Grace. "Can't we go to the swellest hotel
if we want to?--and if dad's cash holds out?"

"No reason in the world, if you're lucky enough to be able to," was
Rhoda's envious reply. "It costs a small fortune to live there even for
a short time, as I suppose you know."

"I suppose," chaffed Laura, "that you'll be so stuck up when you get
back that you won't speak to your old friends."

"No danger of that," laughed Grace, as she looked lovingly about at the
eager faces of her friends.

"How long are you going to stay?" queried Nan.

"I don't know yet," answered Grace slowly. "