Excerpt: ... Dotty and the rest. Oh, wasn't life nice with so many mysteries and good friends and everything and plenty of things to do! She would probably meet a number of the older girls at this party. It would have been more than human not to be pleased at notice from the juniors. But of course it was probably on account of Lucia. She needn't plume herself upon it. They had played a few games before starting back, but to walk back five miles and arrive in time for lunch, even a late one, precluded a long stay at the picnic grounds. Besides this was a hike. It was about ten-thirty when Betty received her invitation. The girls strolled along, not caring much whether they made any arecord timea or not. This would be their last hike, they supposed, while the country was still so pretty. Chet, who had asked the privilege of aseeing Betty homea with much fun and nonsense, had gotten separated from her group and was seen in the distance with Carolyn and Peggy. Kathryn was nowhere in sight. And now they had reached that wild stretch through which the early hikers had come and where Carolyn, Peggy, Lucia and Mathilde had rested, on one of the hills. That one they avoided but crossed the little stream on stones recently provided by the hikers. Lightly they jumped from one to the other, balancing uncertainly on the log which was left by former waters, turned from its proper position, as Marcella said. aThere must have been a big current here, a said Marcella, ato move that old thing that's been here for years!a aThere ought to be some flowers along the little stream, ought there not?a asked Lucia, whose English was often a bit formal. aI think those frosts were pretty bad on the wild flowers, Lucia, a replied Marcella. But Lucia was strolling up stream along a low bank lined with bushes, and the other girls followed her. Betty heard another meadow lark and turned to follow with her eyes the course...