d, strong face and sweet brown eyes, laid down her shuttle with a
smile of welcome.

"I want to know if this is you," she said. "You're quite a stranger,
ain't you? I kind o' looked for you when the gals come in."

"I meant to come, Mrs. Meadows, I truly did; but I was tidying up the
tent, and I am so slow about it."

"Mrs. Meadows," said Peggy, laughing, "she wipes every nail-head three
times a day, and goes over the whole with a microscope when she has
finished, to see if she can find a speck of dust."

"Doos she so?" inquired Mrs. Meadows. "I don't hardly dare to ask her to
set down in this room, then. What with the wool flyin' and all, it's a
sight, most times."

"Now, Mrs. Meadows!" exclaimed Gertrude. "When you know you are almost
as particular as she is! But, Margaret, do you see what we are doing? We
are having a spinning lesson. It is _so_ exciting! Come and watch."

"I came to bring your knitting-needle," said Margaret. "Look! it was in
my tent, just the end of it sticking out of a crack in the floor. If I
had not tidied up, in the way you reprobate, Bell, you might never have
got it again."

"Oh! yes, somebody would have stepped on it," laughed Bell. "But I
confess I am very grateful for this special attack of tidying. Now, Mrs.
Meadows, I shall be all ready for that new yarn as soon as you have it
spun."

"My land! don't you want I should color it? I was callatin' to color all
this lot."

"No, I like this gray mixture so much; it is just the color for the
boys' stockings. By the way, have you seen the boys, Mrs. Meadows? I was
looking for them everywhere before I came up."

"Let me see, where did I see them boys?" Mrs. Meadows pondered, drawing
the yarn slowly through her fingers. "Gerild and Phillup, you mean? They
passed through the yard right after dinner, I should say it was, on
their velocipedies; going at a great rate, they was. Here's Jacob, mebbe
he'll know."

Jacob, massive and comely, in his customary blue overalls, entered,
beaming shyly. "Good mornin', ladies!" he said. "Mother treatin' you
well?"

"Very well, Jacob!" said Bell. "We are having a spinning lesson, and
find it very interesting."

"I want to know. Well, I allers got on without that branch of edication
myself," said Jacob. He was standing near the door, and the girls
noticed that he kept his hands behind him.

"Mother, ain't you give the girls no apples?" he said.

"There!" cried Mrs. Meadows, apologetically. "I ne