l over. Oh, it would
be lovely!"

"What a cheerful view you do take of things, Laura," said Elsie Morris.
"Now, you know it's just as likely not to rain as to rain."

"More likely," said Nan. "It doesn't rain twice as often as it rains. Now
I believe it would be a beautiful bright day, or moonlight night,
whichever you have the party, and nobody will get their clothes spoiled,
and the lanterns will burn lovely, and you will have a big crowd, and it
would be a howling success, and you'd make an awful lot of money."

"That picture sounds very attractive," said Polly Stevens, "and I say
let's do it. But somehow I don't like a lawn party--it's so tame. Let's
have something real novel and original. Nan, you must know of something."

"I don't," said Nan. "I'm stupid as an owl about such things. But if you
can decide on something to have, I'll help all I can with it."

"And Nan's awful good help!" put in Bumble. "She works and works and
works, and never gets tired. I'll help, too; I'd love to, only I'm not
much good."

"We'll take all the help that's offered," said Elsie Morris, "of any
quality whatsoever. But what can the show be?"

No amount of thinking or discussion seemed to suggest any novel
enterprise by which a fortune could be made at short notice, and at last
Nan said: "I should think, Patty, that Mr. Hepworth could help. He's
always having queer sorts of performances in his studio. Don't you know
the Mock Art exhibition he told us about?"

"Oh, yes," said Patty; "he'd be sure to know of something for us to do;
and I think he's coming out with papa to-night. I'll ask him."

"Do," said Elsie; "and tell him it must be something that's heaps of fun,
and that we'll all like, and that's never been done here before."

"All right," said Patty. "Anything else?"

"Yes; it must be something to appeal to the popular taste and draw a big
crowd, so we can make a lot of money for the babies."

"Very well," said Patty; "I'll tell him all that, and I'm sure he'll
suggest just the right thing."

Mr. Hepworth did come down that night, and when the girls asked him for
suggestions he very willingly began to think up plans for them.

"I should think you might make a success," he said, "of an entertainment
like one I attended up in the mountains last summer. It was called a
'County Fair,' and was a sort of burlesque on the county fairs or state
fairs that used to be held annually, and are still, I believe, in some
sections