s. Baird and Miss Crosby.

"Do you think Polly knows anything about it?" Mrs. Baird asked. "I do
hope not."

"She hasn't the slightest idea," Lois assured her. "Betty just told me
she would be in the gym all afternoon, so there's no chance of her
seeing any of the preparations."

"Hadn't you better fix the table?" Miss Crosby asked. "Here's everything
for it, I think; do the rest of the girls understand?"

"I spoke to Miss Lane about the younger children eating at the Senior
table," Mrs. Baird said. "The girls all know I've told each one." Lois
was gathering up yards of pale green crepe paper as she spoke. "I think
it will be a lot of fun, don't you? And Polly will be awfully
surprised."

The mystery of this conversation was not explained until dinner time
that night.

Polly and Betty came in, hot and tired from playing and just in time to
take a shower and dress before study hour. It is true that Polly might
have noticed that some of the girls were exchanging mysterious glances
behind their desks, had it not been for the fact that a letter from Bob
claimed her attention. She found it on her desk.

"Dear Polly," she read.

"Hark to the joyful news. My foot is all well, and I've started
training. I haven't forgotten what you said, and every time I
think I'm no good I just say: Cheer up, May's a long way off. Wish
me luck.

"Bob."

Polly was so delighted that she spent the rest of study hour trying to
compose a fitting answer, and she was so anxious to tell Lois on the way
to dinner that she didn't realize she was being led into the lower
school's dining-room, until she was at the very door.

"Where are we going?" she asked, turning suddenly.

"Come and see; we're having dinner in here this evening," Lois answered,
as she opened the door and displayed a table decorated with green paper
with a centerpiece of pale pink roses.

Mrs. Baird was standing at one end, and Miss Crosby at the other. The
rest of the places were filled by the girls who had been on the eventful
straw-ride.

Lois led Polly, too surprised to speak, to her place at Mrs. Baird's
right, and there she found a big box tied with green ribbon with her
name on it. Every one was looking at it, and Polly realized in a dreamy
sort of way that she was expected to open it. All she could say was:

"Why, er, what--" she was so astonished.

She opened the box and discovered a bulky chamois bag packed in with
tissue pa