anted;" and
she pulled out a great big black rabbit, Willie's especial pet. "It is
just as well that I have to go to the house again, for I forgot my
sun-umbrella, and I am sure the day is very hot."

[Illustration: The pet rabbit]

The sun-umbrella to which Ollie alluded was one of her birthday
presents, and she was always glad when the sun was hot enough to make it
useful. The rabbit being laid in Willie's lap, Ollie started off once
more, running as fast as she could to make up for lost time. In a few
minutes she reached the village. The sugar was soon bought and tucked
away in the basket.

Ollie ran along, and was just hesitating whether she should climb the
fence and run through Squire Thompson's lot, or go around by the road,
when she saw, just before her, Lucy Coit, walking along with her
school-books in her bag.

"There is Lucy," said Ollie; "I wonder what she is doing with her bag
of books at this time of day. I will run up and ask her."

[Illustration: Lucy]

Ollie soon overtook her schoolmate, and putting her arm around her waist
they walked on together.

"I could not imagine what you were carrying your school-books for," said
Ollie. "You can't have been kept after school, for you always know your
lessons so well."

"No," said Lucy, "I wasn't kept after, but I stayed myself. I couldn't
get a sum in fractions right, and Miss Palmer said if I would wait till
every one had gone she would show me about it. Now I know it, and I am
going down to the beach. Don't you want to go too?"

"Oh, yes," said Ollie; "but I must take this sugar to mamma first.
Let's climb over these bars and cut across this field. It is a great
deal shorter than by the road."

[Illustration: Geese]

There were some geese in the field, which evidently did not like to have
their privacy intruded upon, for they set up a terrible quacking as the
children passed them. Ollie and Lucy, however, quacked back again, and
the geese soon left them and continued to nibble away at the grass.

Ollie soon reached her home, and leaving her basket on the table she ran
up-stairs to find her mother, for she wanted permission to go to the
beach.

"Yes," said Mrs. Rogers, "you may go; but it looks a little showery, and
I don't want you to get wet. Watch the clouds, and if you see a storm
coming, hurry home, so as to get in before the rain."

Ollie promised to do as she was told and kissing her mother good-by she
ran down-stairs. She found Lucy s