She was discharged from the R. S. S. Angry and mortified, and not knowing of any better way to annoy the girls, she told their secrets to the wide world. Grace had never dreamed of this. "What are we to do with that little black cow?" said Robert to Grace. "She always wants to be somewhere else. She's a regular tornado at tearing down fences. What say to her joining a secret society?" Grace was helping train a prairie-rose. "Don't know what you mean, Robin." "Just what I say. These strong-minded cows ought to form a Mutual-Improvement, Cows' Rights Society. I've thought of a good name," added Robert, with a twinkle in his eye: "Princesses of the Crooked Horn." "Now, Robin, what do you mean? Tell, this minute," cried Grace, dropping her ball of twine, and blushing. The boy whistled. "Tell me, Robin, have you heard something?" "I've heard something, yes." "What have you heard?" "Shan't tell. Reckon _you've_ heard of the Ruby Seal!" "That'll do, Robin," said Grace, suddenly looking down to watch an ant with threadlike limbs dragging off a cold shoulder of fly. "See here, Gracie: what cute hands girls are to keep secrets!" "Don't want to hear another word, Robin." "Cassy," said Grace, a little later, "what'll we do about the R. S. S.? Isa's been and spread it all over town!" "You don't believe it, do you? Why that makes me think what Johnny said to-day. He's sorry I'm such a broken-hearted old maid at this time of life. Now I know what he meant." "But what'll we do about our R. S. S.? I'm so mortified!" "Let it die: who cares?" "O, Cassy, I care. Don't let's give up at trifles." "Then turn it into a Soldiers' Aid." Grace clapped her hands and waltzed across the street. "So we will, Cassy; so we truly will! That's so very respectable!" "We'll marry, too, if they're going to make such a fuss," suggested Cassy. "I won't--unless I please. I'll never be married to keep people from laughing, Cassy Hallock." Here Grace set her little foot firmly upon a toad, which she mistook for solid ground. "Cassy," continued she, after a little scream, "let's work for those darling old soldiers in the hospital. What have we been thinking about? Don't you let on! After a little, you know, when school stops, Cassy! O, can we wait that long?" Meanwhile, we must attend to a new arrival. Uncle Edward Parlin dropped in suddenly, as good and smiling as ever, and with him little Prudy, blushing like a rose, but so dusty that she almost made you sneeze. But where was Susy? It seemed that Mrs. Parlin had not had time to prepare both the children for such a hasty journey. Horace shouted like a young Indian. Grace clapped her hands, and laughed in every note of the scale up to the second octave and back again. Prudy threw her arms about Mrs. Clifford's neck. "O, aunt Ria," she whispered, "bimeby I shall cry." "Aren't you well, darling?" "Yes'm; but I feel as if I wasn't _going_ to feel well."