ily find a spring where we
can drink all we want," said Bessie. "I guess we've got to look out for
ourselves now, Zara. There's no one else to do it for us."

And Bessie, the meek, the quiet, the subdued, from that moment took
command. Always before Zara had seemed the plucky one of the two. She
had often urged Bessie to rebel against Maw Hoover's harshness, and it
had been always Bessie who had hung back and refused to do anything
that might make trouble. But now, when the time for real action had
come, and Bessie recognized it, it was she who made the plans and
decided what was to be done.

Bessie knew the woods well, far better than Zara. Unerringly she led the
way to a spot she knew, where a farm had been allowed to drift back to
wild country, and pointed out some cherry trees.

"Some berries aren't good to eat, but I know those cherries," said
Bessie. "They used to be the best trees in the whole county years
ago--Paw Hoover's told me that. Some believe that they're no good now,
because no one has looked after the trees, but I know they're fine. I
ate some only the other day, and they're ripe and delicious. So we'll
have supper off these trees."

Zara, as active as a little cat, climbed the tree at once, and in a
moment she was throwing down the luscious fruit to Bessie, who gathered
it in her apron and called to Zara when she had picked enough of the
big, round cherries.

"Aren't they good, Zara? Eat as many as you want. They're not like a
real supper of meat and potatoes and things like that, you know, but
they'll keep us from feeling hungry."

"They certainly will, Bessie. I'd never have known about them. But then
I haven't lived long enough in the country to know it the way you do.
I've been in cities all my life."

"Yes, and if we get to the city, Zara, you'll know lots of things and be
able to tell me all about them. It must be wonderful."

"I suppose it is, Bessie, but I never thought of it that way. It must
have been because I was used to everything of that sort. When you see
things every day you get so that you don't think anything about them. I
used to laugh at people from the country when I'd see them staring up at
the high buildings, and jumping when an automobile horn tooted anywhere
near them."

"I suppose it must have seemed funny to you."

"Yes, but I was sorry when I came out here and saw that everyone was
laughing at me. There were all sorts of things I'd never seen or thought
about. I