bed her eyes and sat up--it crossed the lawn to her.

"Good morning, Merry Sunshine," said Willard, ironically.

"I wasn't asleep."

"You were."

"I heard you coming."

"You did not."

"I did so."

These formalities over, she made room for him eagerly on the steps.
Willard looked fatter to Judith after a meal, probably because she knew
how much he ate. His clean collar looked much too clean and white in the
dark, and he was evidently in a teasing mood, but such as he was, he
was her best friend, and she needed him.

"Willard, guess what I'm going to do?"

"I don't know, kid." Willard's tone implied unmistakably that he did not
want to know.

"To-night!"

Judith's voice thrilled. Willard stared at her. Her eyes looked wider
than usual, and very bright. She was smiling a strange little smile, and
a rare dimple, which he really believed she had made with a slate
pencil, showed in her cheek. The light in her face was something new to
him, something he did not understand, and therefore being of masculine
mind, wished to remove.

"You're going to miss it to-night for one thing, kid," he stated
deliberately.

"Oh, am I?" Judith dimpled and glowed.

"We're going to stay out until ten. Vivie's not going." Willard's big
sister had chaperoned the expedition the year before. Now it was to go
out unrestrained into the night.

"That's lovely."

Willard searched his brain for more overwhelming details.

"We've got a dark lantern."

"That's nice."

"I got it. It's father's. He won't miss it. It's hidden in the Drews'
barn. We're going to meet at the Drews, to fool them. They'll be
watching the Wards'."

"They will?"

"Sure."

"The--paddies?"

"Sure."

Judith drew an awed, ecstatic breath. He was touching now on the chief
peril and charm of the expedition. Hanging May-baskets, conferring an
elaborately-made gift upon a formal acquaintance, was not the object of
it--nothing so philanthropic; it was the escape after you had hung them.
You went out for adventure, to ring the bell and get away, to brave the
dangers of the night in small, intimate companies. And the chief danger,
which you fled from through the dark, was the paddies.

She did not know much about them. She would not show her ignorance by
asking questions. But there were little boys with whom a state of war
existed. They chased you, even fought with you, made a systematic
attempt to steal your May-baskets. They were mixed up in her mind wit