r Aunt
Martha had said, and Mrs. Cary and Amos were greatly interested. Amos said
that he knew where he could get a fine pole, and Mrs. Cary said that the
little girls could gather flowers and fasten them to the pole with vines
and strings before it was set up.

"And there must be a big wreath fastened on top of the pole," said Mrs.
Cary, "and by rights there should be long bright streamers coming down
from the top for each to hold and twist in and out as they dance around
it."

"Can we not take long strings and fasten flowers about them?" asked Anne.

"Why, yes, indeed!" replied Mrs. Cary. "'twill be better than any bright
ribbons. Now we must surely have a May-day party. Near the spring will be
the very place."

As they searched for thoroughwort, and picked the tender spruce and pine
tips, they all talked of the coming May-day, but Amos soon began to look
about for a good place to make his fire. He had brought the fish in a
covered basket, and said that he knew he could cook it as well as if he
had a kettle to boil it in. He made a fire at a little distance from the
woods, and then busied himself in putting up two crotched sticks, one on
each side of the fire; a third stick rested across these two, and from it
hung the fish, directly over the blaze.

Amos watched his fire very carefully, and kept a brisk blaze until the
fish began to grow brown and steam. Then he declared that it was nearly
cooked, and so let his fire die down until only a bed of smouldering coals
remained.

They all thought the fish tasted as good as if it had been cooked in a pan
or kettle, and Mrs. Cary had a fine cake of Indian meal, and with Anne's
molasses cake they all said that it was the best dinner any one could
have. The April sky was soft and blue, the sun warm, and Amos was sure
that in a few days he could go in swimming.

"And it's only the nineteenth of April," said Anne.

Afterward these children always remembered the nineteenth of April, and
would say, "That was the day we had our picnic at the marshes," and on
that day the minutemen were gathered at Lexington and Earl Percy was
urging his tired men to meet them, and the great battle which did so much
to settle the fate of the Americans was fought.

But the people at Province Town did not know of this until long afterward.
If Anne had known on the day when she was so happy, thinking of the
May-day to come, and watching Amos cook the fish over the fire, that her
dear father