When at last she spoke she said,

"Oh, Janie, how _could_ you make me look so nice?"

"I guess some of the good looks are your own, Randy," Janie answered,
which caused Randy to blush most becomingly.

Monday was a busy day at the farm-house, and Mrs. Weston had said, "I
can't spare the time to go over to Janie's this afternoon, but she wants
ye ter try on one of yer gowns and ye can run over there after school.
She'll know whether it looks right or not without any help from me."

So leaving Prue to trudge home with Johnny Buffum as an escort, she had
experienced great delight in seeing herself for the first time in a dainty
party gown.

"Won't mother be surprised when I try on the pretty party dress for her to
see?" thought Randy as she hurried on toward home.

Like many another bit of gossip set afloat in a country town, the story of
the letter from Boston together with descriptions of Randy's costumes
gained with every repetition, until one day on the way from the Centre,
Randy was astonished to be thus addressed,

"Wal, how be ye Randy? I hear ye're havin' a tremenjous lot er gaowns made
ter take ter Boston with ye."

The speaker was a woman whom Randy had seen but a few times, and she was
therefore surprised when the team stopped at the side of the road and its
occupant accosted her.

"It is true that mother is having Janie Clifton make some things for me,"
said Randy.

"Wal, I live on the other side er the place," the woman continued, "an' so
I'm a leetle out er the way er hearin' news, so I'd like reel well ter
know; _be_ ye goin' ter have twelve gaowns, five cloaks, an' a half er
dozen hats as they say ye be?"

"No, that isn't true," said Randy, her flushed cheeks showing that she
resented being thus questioned by a woman who was almost a stranger.
Turning, she hurried on toward home, and the curious one, giving the horse
a smart clip drove off muttering,

"Gitting uppish 'fore she gits ter Boston. Do'no what she'll be when she's
stayed there a spell."

At school, her mates were glad that Randy was to have so delightful a
winter, and many and varied were the comments and speculations regarding
it.

"It'll be stupid here without you, Randy," said Dot Marvin, "I don't know
but that we shall all go to sleep, while you're a flyin' round in the
city."

"I don't expect to do much flying," said Randy, laughing. "I shall be
working at school there instead of this school at home. You must all write
t