rry, as she divided
Arethusa's contribution into equal portions between her offspring,
after the donor had succeeded in convincing her that she honestly
wanted none of it. "I will say this for my children. They might be
acting like hoodlums over this here food, but they ain't never seen
none just like it before," She bit into one of Mandy's beaten biscuit
sandwiches with the pink ham in between, herself, with relish. "Your
aunt must have a mighty good cook. She cert'inly must!"

Watching the little Cherry's devour her lunch and the garrulity of
their mother consumed so much time for Arethusa, that almost before she
knew it the little wave of excitement denoting the nearing of a
journey's end swept through the car. The conductor passed by and
gathered the little slips of stiff paper from the men's hats; every
passenger began his or her peculiar preparations for leaving the train.

Mrs. Cherry began gathering up her boxes and parcels. Helen Louise was
sent to the water cooler to wet a handkerchief and then her face and
Peter's were vigorously scrubbed. At any other time, Mrs. Cherry would
have dragged both children to the cooler, but she was not taking any
chances with pretty, unprotected Arethusa. No one else should have that
seat of hers.

The baggageman came through the car; calling as he went,
"Anybaggageyouwantdeliveredinthe-city, car-ri-age or omnibus."

It gave Arethusa a most delightful little thrill all down her spine to
hear him. She was not exactly sure he was the person to give her check
to, but decided it would be best to obey the letter of the law this
time. Miss Eliza had mentioned no baggageman, but she had been most
explicit in her directions to Arethusa that she give that check to no
one but her father.

She rescued her hat from its paper protection and put it on her tumbled
hair, from which some of the precious hairpins had fallen during the
excitement of the journey; unfolded her coat and donned it; drew on the
cotton gloves and clutched her purse and satchel once more as when she
had started, and with the death grip Miss Eliza had adjured for fear of
those pickpockets with which railway stations are always infested, and
Arethusa was Ready. And she was ready with a palpitating heart, for the
brakeman had accommodatingly called, "Lewisburg," right in her very own
ear, as if he wished her to be quite sure this was the right place to
leave her seat.

Mrs. Cherry had been very busy with her progeny