A LITTLE MAID OF PICARDY BOOKS BY AMY E. BLANCHARD _REVOLUTIONARY SERIES_ A GIRL OF ’76. A STORY OF THE EARLY PERIOD OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE. 331 pages. A REVOLUTIONARY MAID. A STORY OF THE MIDDLE PERIOD OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE. 321 pages. A DAUGHTER OF FREEDOM. A STORY OF THE LATTER PERIOD OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE. 312 pages. Price, $1.50 net each. _IN THE GIRLS’ BOOKSHELF_ ELIZABETH, BETSY AND BESS. A STORY. 284 pages. ELIZABETH, BETSY AND BESS--SCHOOL-MATES. A STORY. 308 pages. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS OF BRIGHTWOOD. A STORY OR HOW THEY KINDLED THEIR FIRE AND KEPT IT BURNING. 309 pages. FAGOTS AND FLAMES. A STORY OF WINTER CAMP FIRES. 306 pages. IN CAMP WITH THE MUSKODAY CAMP FIRE GIRLS. A STORY OF SUMMER CAMP FIRES BY CABIN AND LAKE. 310 pages. A GIRL SCOUT OF RED ROSE TROOP. A STORY FOR GIRL SCOUTS. 320 pages. A LITTLE MAID OF PICARDY. STORY OF A LITTLE REFUGEE IN FRANCE. 338 pages. Each illustrated by Colored Frontispiece and with Colored Jacket. Cloth Bound. Price, $1.35 net each. _Also Books in the AMERICAN GIRL SERIES._ [Illustration] A Little Maid of Picardy BY AMY E. BLANCHARD _ILLUSTRATED BY_ FRANK T. MERRILL [Illustration] W. A. WILDE COMPANY BOSTON CHICAGO _Copyrighted, 1919_, BY W. A. WILDE COMPANY _All rights reserved_ A LITTLE MAID OF PICARDY Contents I. A GARDEN GROWS 9 II. THE FIRST BREAK 22 III. WE GO 37 IV. A LONELY NIGHT 53 V. WELL MET 68 VI. MORE WAYS THAN ONE 83 VII. A STRANGE GARRET 99 VIII. A BIT OF SKY 113 IX. SHOES 129 X. NENETTE AND RINTINTIN 146 XI. A DOG AND HIS DAY 166 XII. TERROR BY NIGHT 182 XIII. OLD FRIENDS AND NEW 198 XIV. LE-COIN-DU-PRES 215 XV. GASPARD 234 XVI. UPS AND DOWNS 250 XVII. THE RETURN 266 XVIII. OLD FOLKS AT HOME 283 XIX. JOY 303 XX. THE END IS PEACE 321 A Little Maid of Picardy CHAPTER I A GARDEN GROWS “Il y a dans ce village Une enfant a l’œil noir. C’est Jeanne au frais visage; Elle chant matin et soir. Elle est rieuse et belle, Et dans nos environs Tout le monde l’appelle La fillette au chansons. Tra la la--” sang Lucie as she sat on a stone bench under a sheltering cherry tree. The “tra la la” suddenly ceased at a stir of the branches on the other side. Lucie glanced up with a twinkle in her eyes and changed the song to “Way down upon the Swanee river.” “Lucie, Lucie, what are those funny words you sing?” called some one from over the wall.