gratitude. "Say, doctor, it's awfully decent of you.
You see, I won't see Marjorie again till Christmas, likely--and--you
know----"

"Yes, yes, I understand," said Gilbert sympathetically. "I wonder if I
might ask to take your sister there, and you'd have two drives with
Miss Scott," he added, with wonderful generosity.

"I thought of that myself," said Malcolm ingenuously, "but mother
wouldn't let Elsie do that, and it would just be like Mrs. Scott to
object, too; but they won't say anything about just driving home.
You'll ask Elsie at the show, will you? You're a brick; and don't give
it away, or she'd pull all my hair out when we got home."

The Elmbrook fair was held in the Agricultural Hall, about two miles
from the village. Those who had no horses started off on the happy
means of transportation called "chancing it." This consisted in
walking along the highway for a short distance, on the sure chance of
being picked up by some passing vehicle, for an Oro buggy was like a
city street car, and always held one more.

Gilbert started out alone, and overtook Hannah and Jake Sawyer straying
along the dusty roadside, early for once in their lives, having been
spurred to the unusual achievement by the energy of the orphans.

Little Joey trotted between them, but Tim had gone to the show in the
morning, with Keturah, the cow, and Isaac and Rebekah and the pumpkins;
and the twins were far ahead, their parents knew not where. Gilbert
took Hannah and Joey in with him, and they joined the long line of
vehicles that had already formed and was winding swiftly down the
highway.

Overhead the sky was deeply brilliant, and near the horizon a tender,
misty blue. The golden landscape was lit with patches of gay woodland,
and here and there by the roadside a scarlet maple, a clump of flaming
sumach, or the blood-red vine of the woodbine. High up on the top of a
dead tree-trunk, in the center of a smoky hollow, a flicker was
shouting out derisively, "Tut, tut, tut, tut, tut!" in scorn of all
this frivolous humanity gone a-fairing.

The procession crossed the railroad track just as the afternoon express
went thundering past. The conductor caught sight of the doctor's
buggy, and blew him a salute that set all the horses upon their hind
legs in indignant alarm.

A smart vehicle dashed past in a cloud of dust. It was Miss Long,
driving her own horse, with Sawed-Off Wilmott by her side, his chestnut
driver having been se