might be expected on seeing the curious
tableau in her yard, but when she heard Diana's explanation she was all
sympathy. She hurriedly unlocked the back door, produced the axe, and
with a few skillfull blows set Anne free. The latter, somewhat tired
and stiff, ducked down into the interior of her prison and thankfully
emerged into liberty once more.

"Miss Copp," she said earnestly. "I assure you I looked into your pantry
window only to discover if you had a willow-ware platter. I didn't see
anything else--I didn't LOOK for anything else."

"Bless you, that's all right," said Miss Sarah amiably. "You needn't
worry--there's no harm done. Thank goodness, we Copps keep our pantries
presentable at all times and don't care who sees into them. As for that
old duckhouse, I'm glad it's smashed, for maybe now Martha will agree to
having it taken down. She never would before for fear it might come in
handy sometime and I've had to whitewash it every spring. But you might
as well argue with a post as with Martha. She went to town today--I
drove her to the station. And you want to buy my platter. Well, what
will you give for it?"

"Twenty dollars," said Anne, who was never meant to match business wits
with a Copp, or she would not have offered her price at the start.

"Well, I'll see," said Miss Sarah cautiously. "That platter is mine
fortunately, or I'd never dare to sell it when Martha wasn't here. As
it is, I daresay she'll raise a fuss. Martha's the boss of this
establishment I can tell you. I'm getting awful tired of living under
another woman's thumb. But come in, come in. You must be real tired and
hungry. I'll do the best I can for you in the way of tea but I warn you
not to expect anything but bread and butter and some cowcumbers. Martha
locked up all the cake and cheese and preserves afore she went. She
always does, because she says I'm too extravagant with them if company
comes."

The girls were hungry enough to do justice to any fare, and they enjoyed
Miss Sarah's excellent bread and butter and "cowcumbers" thoroughly.
When the meal was over Miss Sarah said,

"I don't know as I mind selling the platter. But it's worth twenty-five
dollars. It's a very old platter."

Diana gave Anne's foot a gentle kick under the table, meaning, "Don't
agree--she'll let it go for twenty if you hold out." But Anne was not
minded to take any chances in regard to that precious platter. She
promptly agreed to give twenty-five and Mis