It was on the second floor of a very attractive red brick building; it had five rooms, quite too small, father thought, but then one can't have everything, they had found, and every room was light and sunny and cheerful. But the part about it that Mary Jane and Alice liked the best was the back porch. To be sure there was a front porch, a pretty, little porch with a stone railing and a view way down the street toward the park and lake. But off the dining room the girls discovered a small balcony that overlooked the back yard next door, a back yard that had a garden laid out and a chicken house and everything so homey and comfortable looking that the girls immediately wanted to sit out and watch. "I think if we'd stay here maybe some children would come out to play," suggested Mary Jane in a whisper. "I think they would, too," agreed Alice. "And I think if we lived here maybe we could get acquainted and play with them." "Let's live here!" exclaimed Mary Jane and she ran back into the house just at the very minute Mr. and Mrs. Merrill decided to rent the apartment. "So you think you'll like it, do you?" said Mrs. Merrill, smiling; "the rooms are pretty small." "I know we'll love it," said Alice eagerly, "and you should see the back porch." But Mr. Merrill laughed when they showed him the porch. "Do you call this a porch," he exclaimed, "why it's not half big enough for a porch! I'd call it a balcony." "Yes," agreed Mrs. Merrill, "and then when you watch folks in the yard down there,--for you _are_ planning to watch and get acquainted, aren't you?--then you can pretend that this is your balcony seat and that the folks down there are in a play for you--wouldn't that be fun?" The girls thought it would, but there was so much to plan and think about that they didn't stay on their little balcony any longer just then, which was something of a pity, for right after they went indoors, somebody came out into the yard-- But then, there's no use telling about _her_ for Mary Jane didn't see her. So Mary Jane and Alice went with their father and mother into the room that was to be theirs and they planned just where each bed should be and where was the best place for the desk and dressing table and who should have which side of the closet. And by that time, it was nearly six o'clock--time to go back to the hotel for dinner. Mr. Merrill stopped at the desk for mail as they went up to their room and there he found a message telling him that their furniture had arrived in Chicago and that it must be taken out of the freight house the next morning. "Dear me!" exclaimed Mrs. Merrill with a gasp of dismay, "I think it's a good thing we found that flat! What ever would we have done if we hadn't! Well, girls, I think we'd better eat a good dinner and then go to bed early for we'll have to get down there and clean up the flat while father tends to getting our things delivered."