Lib called, "Come here, Mollie, it's a trick of those boys." We went in, and there we found the interloper to be a scarecrow from a neighboring field, ingeniously arranged so as to appear very human. At that moment, a loud laugh above our heads betrayed the presence of the boys in the trees, who clambered down with hilarious expedition, and fairly rolled themselves upon the ground with delight. They had seen all our perturbation; had heard my cowardly cries and expressions; Lib's looking in the window, and her fearful hesitation and scamper behind the fairy bower! The best thing to do was to laugh, and that we did right heartily; we girls, were internally thankful that the intruder was only a scarecrow after all. We ordered the boys take their silly joke out, and to come in like gentlemen, and make a formal call, and probably they would be invited to take some refreshments. This news caused them to work with great alacrity. They were dressed up too; Fred having chosen to wear his school uniform, with a gorgeous crimson sash and his sword. We were never so delighted with any thing as with that afternoon's adventure. For hours we chatted and laughed, and ate our refreshments, until the western light began to take on a ruddy hue, and we closed our little bower and proceeded homeward. What was our surprise, when we reached there, to find that three young friends from the city with their servant had come to visit us. Merryvale was not dull after that, I can assure you. [Illustration: THE NEW SERVANT AT MERRYVALE.] AUTUMN LEAVES, AND WHAT KATIE DID. ALEX DUKE BAILIE. "Oh, Bessie! I've such an idea, _such_ a good one, and _so_ sure, you can't think how it came either, if you guessed and tried for a week!" "Child, you are always having ideas, but they amount to nothing; you have enough to do at home, without continually fretting your head about what you cannot carry out." "But, Bessie, this is _just splendid_, and it came to me all of a sudden, and I'm sure as sure can be that it is a real _good_ idea. Now wont you listen!" "I suppose I must, if I want any peace; but I'm very tired, so if it is like your latest--to catch fish and sell them in the town, or to have your curls cut off and let some city hair-dresser pay you for them--there will be no use to tell it to me." "Tain't neither, Bessie dear, it's a real clever idea, and I know you wont say 'no' to it. I was looking over some of the old picture papers this morning, and I found a funny picture of a gentleman that had gone fishing with, oh! the greatest lot of lines, and a fine rod, and a basket swung at his back, and he looked ever so nice; but he hadn't caught any thing and he was ashamed to go back to the city with an empty basket; and then there was another picture where he was buying a great string of fish from a bare-footed little country boy, that had caught them all, and had only a rough old pole and an old line on it."