about it; and oh, I do
hope you will let Ruthy go too. Will you?"

"I can't answer until I know where you are going," Mrs. Warren
answered. "Does your papa know where you are going, Ruby?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am," Ruby answered promptly, glad that for once there was
nothing wrong about her plan. "He told me about it this morning. It
is only that I want Ruthy to know it the very first of all that I don't
tell you about it this very minute, Mrs. Warren. You don't mind, do
you?"

"Oh, no," Mrs. Warren replied. "If your papa knows about it, I am
quite satisfied."

Ruby jumped down and went in search of Ruthy, who Mrs. Warren said was
probably playing out in the barn.

"Ruthy! Ruthy!" called Ruby as she ran down and peeped in through the
great doors. "Where are you, Ruthy?"

"Up in the hay loft," answered a smothered voice. "Come up here, Ruby."

So Ruby climbed up and found Ruthy curled up in a little nest of
fragrant hay, with one of her favorite story-books.

"Oh, Ruby, tell me about last night," began Ruthy eagerly. "I was so
frightened when it began to get dark, and I remembered that you were
going to stay out-doors all alone by yourself; and I felt so bad that I
almost cried. I could hardly go to sleep, I kept thinking about you so
much. Did you go? Was n't it dreadful?"

Ruby was glad that Ruthy did not know how her papa had come over to
find if Ruby was with Ruthy.

"Oh, yes," she answered. "I went out and stayed a long time, but it
was n't very nice. Anyway, let's don't talk about that, Ruthy. I have
got something to tell you that you could never, never guess, I don't
believe, if you tried for one hundred times. Now I will give you six
guesses, and you can see if you can guess right. I am going somewhere
in about two weeks. Can you guess where?"

"Going somewhere?" echoed Ruthy. "Why, I don't believe I could
possibly guess, Ruby. Let me think first."

She shut her eyes and tried to imagine where Ruby could be going, but
she found it pretty hard work. Neither of the little girls had ever
been away from home in their lives, farther than over to the grove
where the Fourth-of-July picnics were always held, so it was not very
strange that Ruthy could not think of any visit that Ruby would be
likely to make. Perhaps Ruby was going to visit the grandmother who
sometimes came to stay with Ruby's mamma for a few weeks, and who had
sent the little girls their wonder balls when they learned to k