il you compare notes with the other girls."

"Did he make love to you?"

"He broke my heart when he ran away. I cried a whole week. But I got over
it. He seemed so big and grown when he came home this last time. I was
afraid to let him kiss me."

"Did he dare to try?"

"No, and it hurt my feelings. You see, I'm not quite old enough to be
serious with the big boys, and he looked so brave and handsome with that
ugly scar on the edge of his forehead, and everybody was so proud of him.
I was just dying to kiss him, and I thought it downright mean in him not
to offer it."

"Would you have let him?"

"I expected him to try."

"He is very popular in Piedmont?"

"Every girl in town is in love with him."

"And he in love with all?"

"He pretends to be--but between us, he's a great flirt. He's gone to
Nashville now on some pretended business. Goodness only knows where he got
the money to go. I believe there's a girl there."

"Why?"

"Because he was so mysterious about his trip. I'll keep an eye on him at
the hotel. You know Margaret, too, don't you?"

"Yes; we met her in Washington."

"Well, she's the slyest flirt in town--it runs in the blood--has a
half-dozen beaux to see her every day. She plays the organ in the
Presbyterian Sunday school, and the young minister is dead in love with
her. They say they are engaged. I don't believe it. I think it's another
one. But I must hurry, I've so much to show and tell you. Come here to the
honeysuckle----"

Marion drew the vines apart from the top of the fence and revealed a
mocking-bird on her nest.

"She's setting. Don't let anything hurt her. I'd push her off and show you
her speckled eggs, but it's so late."

"Oh, I wouldn't hurt her for the world!" cried Elsie with delight.

"And right here," said Marion, bending gracefully over a tall bunch of
grass, "is a pee-wee's nest, four darling little eggs; look out for
that."

Elsie bent and saw the pretty nest perched on stems of grass, and over it
the taller leaves drawn to a point.

"Isn't it cute!" she murmured.

"Yes; I've six of these and three mocking-bird nests. I'll show them to
you. But the most particular one of all is the wren's nest in the fork of
the cedar, close to the house."

She led Elsie to the tree, and about two feet from the ground, in the
forks of the trunk, was a tiny hole from which peeped the eyes of a wren.

"Whatever you do, don't let anything hurt her. Her mate sings
'_Free-nigger!