Will ye come, Randy? I do wish ye would."

"I'd like to, and thank you," answered Randy, sweetly, with a blush and a glance at Phbe Small, who pretended not to have heard, "but I promised to go in Mr. Gray's team with Miss Dayton, so I'll have to."

"I wish ye was goin' with us, but as ye can't, I'll see ye at the picnic," said Jotham, and he turned to get into his father's wagon; then, stepping back to where Randy was standing, he blushed, and from his pocket produced a little package.

"Here, Randy," he said, "I brought this a purpose for you to enjoy durin' the ride, so I guess I'll give it to ye now."

"Oh, thank you," said Randy, "how good you are," and that so completely overcame Jotham that he retired in confusion. By this time the party was about ready to start. The choir had decided to go in the first wagon and enliven the way by singing, and were still discussing as to a selection from their scant repertoire.

"Ye needn't ask me to join ye," said Silas Barnes, "and sing 'Chany,'"-he meant China-"for I don't think that's gay enough for a picnic."

Miss Hobson suggested that they might please Mr. Barnes by singing "Yankee Doodle." This was meant to suggest that Silas Barnes was too frivolous, but he did not, apparently, feel injured, as he laughingly answered that he would "rather be patriotic than mournful, and he reely guessed they'd better settle upon 'Yankee Doodle,' as Miss Hobson suggested."

On one end of the door-stone old Mrs. Perkins had just convinced her neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, that it was just the right time of the year to gather 'pennyroyal' and mouse-ear, and so have them a-drying, and Mrs.

Buffum had gathered the six little Buffums under her wing by uttering this awful threat:-

"Johnny! Johnny Buffum! do you and Hitty want to go to the picnic?

Katie! do you and Jack and Sophy and Ann want to stay at home? Well, then, come here, or the first thing you'll know the wagons'll go without ye!"

From all directions the six young Buffums rushed and crowded closely around their mother. Stay at home from their first picnic? Never!

At last every one had arrived, and they lost no time in clambering into the waiting wagons; then away they jogged toward the grove.

Farmer Gray had taken his wife and Helen Dayton, Randy and little Prue in one wagon, and had told his other boarders that they were welcome to fill his two remaining wagons, allotting places as they chose.

The wagon with the choir had started first, and Randy and Helen could still faintly hear the stirring strains of "Yankee Doodle." Randy sat with sparkling eyes, enjoying the ride as she had never enjoyed one before. Had she not a fine new hat? Was she not beside the beautiful Miss Dayton? and had not Jotham, to the envy of the other girls, given her a package purchased expressly for her?

"What you got in your bundle what Jotham gave you, Randy?" asked Prue.

"Will you let me see?"

"Yes, do let us see," said Helen Dayton; "I know it must be something nice."

So Randy untied the package and found a lot of huge pink and white peppermints, which Prue at once commenced to help her eat. Helen p.r.o.nounced them to be very nice, but as she never liked peppermints, politely excused herself from eating them by saying that she must save her appet.i.te for the spread at the picnic.

Along the dusty road they jogged, Randy never minding the heat, Helen feeling it intensely, even with the protection of her dainty ruffled parasol. Sometimes they rode under overhanging boughs which made long, cool shadows across the road, then over a sunny, dusty stretch with only a fringe of daisies by the roadside and a chain of hazy blue hills in the distance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: On the Way to the Picnic]

The occupants of one wagon would chat merrily with those in the wagon behind them; and so, with sunny and shady roads, with laughter and song, they at last reached the grove.

The horses were unharnessed and tethered with a rope long enough to permit them to graze. The baskets of lunch were all placed in one large wagon which stood in the shade of a huge tree. Then intimate friends and neighbors formed little groups and sat under the trees and chatted together, delighted to have this little outing. The children played hide-and-seek behind the tree trunks, and those farmers who had left their work to enjoy the holiday talked over their crops, their cattle, and the price of produce when disposed of at the village store.

The Babson girls were each trying in an awkward fashion to win favor in the eyes of Reuben Jenks, who Phbe Small declared "had a hull basketful of maple sugar stored away under the seat of his father's wagon."

When Reuben had spoken of the picnic his mother, who was, to express it mildly, a frugal woman, had said that she, for one, didn't approve of picnics. "Folks eat four times as much at a picnic as they do at home, and ain't no better satisfied," she declared; but after much urging she consented to go, saying: "A lot of maple sugar'll be all I'll take.

Sweets take away folks' appet.i.tes, and folks that eat my maple sugar won't want much else."

But try as they would, neither Belinda's nor Jemima's blandishments brought forward any of the desired sugar. Now Reuben liked the girls well enough, and his boyish vanity was pleased by their evident liking for his society. He was a generous little fellow and would gladly have treated his friends, but his mother's eyes were upon him, and he said afterward, he "just didn't dare."

Jotham Potts, hearing Helen say that she liked water cresses, gallantly offered to go and find some, a.s.suring her that he knew just where they grew.

Helen, Randy, and Prue sat under a large tree, and Helen promised, since Randy was so charmed with fairy tales, to tell some which she knew they had never heard. She told them tales from Grimm's wonderful book, pleasantly answering Prue's funny questions regarding them. When she related the story of the "Gold Children," little Prue's eyes dilated with wonder.

"It's just beautiful," said Randy.

"If they were clear, solid gold how could they move or stir?" asked Prue.

Helen laughed, and patted the little girl's cheek as she said: "Dear little girl, you mustn't ask questions which have no answers. Remember the fairy tales are not true, only amusing."

Having told story after story, Helen became a bit weary, and she proposed that the children should gather a few flowers, saying that she would twine them into a lovely wreath for Prue's curly head.

Off went the children to search for the finest blossoms to heap in Helen's lap. Soon little Prue hastened back with three large daisies and a b.u.t.tercup, asking if they were quite enough to make a wreath. "No, indeed," said Helen, "I must have ever so many more."

Away ran Prue, shouting to the children, "Miss Dayton says it takes a nawful lot more." Soon other children came running to Helen with little hands full of b.u.t.tercups and daisies, until she cried, "Enough, more than enough!" and commenced the weaving of the wreath.

The children watched her dainty fingers, as with airy grace they fashioned it, and when she twined the ends of the garland together, and placed the finished wreath upon Prue's head, their delight knew no bounds.

"Oh, Miss Dayton, you can do anything, can't you?" said Belinda Babson.

"Oh, no, indeed!" said Helen, "there are many, many things which I cannot do."

Then they spread the table-cloth upon the gra.s.s, and "put the picnic on it," as Prue said. Prue's idea of a picnic was a lunch out of doors, and until the luncheon made its appearance, she felt that the picnic had not even commenced. Then suddenly clapping her chubby hands, and dancing in a manner which threatened to dislodge her flower crown, she said, "May I wear this wreath while I eat my lunch?"

"Oh, do," said Helen, "it is really very becoming."

Every one seemed anxious that Helen should sit as guest of honor at the spread, so, with children on either side, she took her place, and deftly put each one present at ease with her bright, pleasant conversation; now saying a kind word to old Mrs. Dewing, that she might not feel neglected, or laughing lightly at Farmer Morse's clumsy wit, noticing Randy's gentle manner with her little sister, and at the same time, with ready tact, seeming unmindful of the practised hand with which Jack Marden handled his pie with his knife.

So with laughter and gay chatter the lunch was eaten and cleared away, and some one proposed some games.

"Let's play 'On the green carpet,'" said Phbe Small, and a chorus of voices echoed: "Oh, yes! Let's play that first;" so, joining hands, they sang the old tune as they danced about Helen, whom they insisted should first stand in the centre.

"And choose the one That you love best,"

sang the children.

"I choose Randy," said Helen, much to Randy's delight.

"Give her a kiss and send her away, And tell her you'll call another day,"

sang the gay little troop, and Helen stooped, and taking Randy's sweet face between her hands she kissed her and slipped from the ring. Around and about Randy they circled, and then she must choose. She longed to choose Helen, and turned toward her, but Helen said, "We must not keep choosing each other, Randy, because it is more fun to change about," so Randy turned with a puzzled face, wondering whom to choose. Seeing the little sister's eager face, she decided at once. "I choose you, p.u.s.s.y,"

said she.

Into the ring sprang Prue. "Oh, Randy," said the child, "you did love me best, didn't you?"

"Of course," said Randy; "but now we know, Prue, that you love me best, you choose the one you love next best, because that's the way to play it;" so, wondering much whom the child would favor, Randy left her in the circle. But it did not take dear little Prue a great while to decide.

"Next to Randy, I guess I like you, Jotham, so I choose you," said the child. Every one laughed except Jotham, who, seeing the little girl's lip quiver, said awkwardly, yet very kindly, "You're a nice little girl, Prue, and I'm real proud to have you choose me;" at which Prue's spirits rose, and, turning with one little hand in Jotham's, she said: "You needn't have laughed if I did choose a big boy. He's very nice, and 'most always gives Randy candy, and she gives some to me."

This so amused every one that they commenced to pet Prue, and, much to Jotham's delight, the game ended, for he felt that he could have chosen none but Randy as his favorite among his friends, and he realized that this would have been a trying ordeal for his diffidence.