He selected that as a safe proposition. Peaches grasped the idea readily enough. Mrs. Harding gathered vegetables for her to see. When they reached the strawberry bed Mickey knelt and with her own fingers Peaches pulled a berry and ate it, then laughed, exclaimed, and cried in delight. She picked a flower, and from the safe vantage of the garden viewed the cows and horses afar; and the fields and sheep were explained to her. Mickey carried her across the road, Mary brought a comfort, and for a whole hour the child lay under a big tree with pink and white clover in a foot-deep border around her. When they lifted her she said: "Mickey, to-night we put in the biggest blesses of all." "What?" inquired Mickey. "Bless the nice people for such grand things, an' the berries; but never mind about the cow." Then Mickey took her back to the house. She awoke from a restful nap to find a basket of chickens waiting for her, barely down dry from their shells. She caught up a little yellow ball, and with both hands clutched it, exclaiming and crying in joy until Mickey saw the chicken was drooping. He pried open her excited little fingers; but the chicken remained limp. Soon it became evident that she had squeezed the life from it. "Oh Peaches, you held it too tight!" wailed Mickey. "I'm afraid you've made it sick!" "I didn't mean to Mickey!" she protested. Mrs. Harding reached over and picked the chicken from Mickey's fingers. "That chicken wasn't very well to begin with," she said. "'You give it to me, and I'll doctor it up, while you take another one. Which do you want?" "Yellow," sniffed Peaches, "but please hurry, and Mickey, you hold this one. Maybe I held too hard!" "Yes you did," laughed Peter. "But we wanted to see what you'd do. One little chicken is a small price for the show you give. It's all right, Butterfly." "Peter, you make everything all right, don't you?" "Well honey, I would if I could," said Peter. "But that's something of a contract. Now you rest till after dinner, and if Ma and Mickey agree on it, we'll go see the meadow brook and hear the birds sing." "The water!" shouted Peaches. "Mickey, you promised----" "Yes I remember," said Mickey. "I'll see how cold it is and if I think it won't chill you--yes." "Oh gee!" chortled Peaches. "'Nother blesses!" "What does she mean?" asked Peter. Mickey explained. "Can't see how it would hurt her a mite," said Peter. "Water is warm, nice day. It will be good for her." "All right," said Mickey, "then we'll try it. But how about the plowing Peter, shouldn't I be helping you?" "Not to-day," said Peter. "I never allow my work to drive me, so I get pleasure from life my neighbours miss, and I'll compare bank accounts with any of them. To-morrow I'll work. To-day I'm entertaining company, or rather they are entertaining me. I think this is about the best day of my life. Isn't it great, Ma?"