ld houses, near here, where one can secure old bits
of furniture, or antique objects?"

The man chuckled. "Say, Madam, if I have one person ask me that same
question, I have dozens stop to question me. I tells them all, the same
as I tells you now--the only antique I can send them to anywhere about
Springfield, is that old church on the corner, where you can see the hole
blown in the side by a cannon ball, when the British were here. And over
yonder, you will find a burial ground where many old Indians are buried,
with their stone arrow-heads and other trophies with them. The crumbling
grey-stone slabs and the ancient tombs found there, will give you the
dates. Some go as far back as two hundred, or two hundred and fifty
years."

Mrs. Fabian thanked him and returned to the girls to repeat the
conversation she had had with the shop-keeper. They all declared for a
visit to the old church, and then to the cemetery, so Carl drove back and
they visited both places.

In the ancient burial ground, they read many queer epitaphs on the head
stones, and some of these the girls copied down. Then they got back in
the automobile and Carl was told to drive on to Morristown.

This place was found to be so dreadfully modern, that no hope of
discovering antiques was left alive in their hearts. But it was noon and
they were hungry, so they discussed the advisability of going to a
lunch-room, or driving into the country and having the picnic lunch.

"As long as we brought such a nice luncheon with us, why stop at a hotel
or restaurant to eat?" asked Polly.

"There really isn't any sense in doing that, but there certainly isn't
any picnic place in this town," declared Eleanor.

"Well, then let's start out and find one away from here," suggested
Polly.

"I'll make another proposition, girls," said Mrs. Fabian. "Why not stop
at that Public Library we just passed, and find out if there are any
notable spots in the vicinity of this town, where we might find old
houses or old objects?"

"Well, the idea is good, but really, Mrs. Fabian, this town impresses me
most emphatically with this fact: that the residents have as much desire
for antiques as we have; and most likely, they started in years before we
ever were born, to rake over the country-side, which must have been rich
with old furniture and other things from Washington's days here, so as to
collect all those things for themselves," was Dodo's sensible remark.

The others smile