Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
[Illustration: "Come on," said Bobby, "we have to capture the ducks." (Page 116)]
AUTHOR OF "FOUR LITTLE BLOSSOMS AT OAK HILL SCHOOL," "FOUR LITTLE BLOSSOMS AND THEIR WINTER FUN," ETC.
CHAPTER PAGE I THE RESCUE OF PHILIP 7 II AN INVITATION 18 III AUNT POLLY 26 IV THE WILLING PACKERS 36 V DOT'S ADVENTURE 45 VI BROOKSIDE AT LAST 56 VII THE WRECK OF THE RAFT 65 VIII LEARNING TO MILK 76 IX LOST IN THE WOODS 86 X THE BLOSSOMS GO BERRYING 94 XI THE HOME LAUNDRY 104 XII UP ON THE MOUNTAIN 114 XIII LINDA IS UNHAPPY 123 XIV THE PICNIC 132 XV WHAT MEG FOUND 141 XVI THE NEW CAT 153 XVII RAINY DAY FUN 163 XVIII THE END OF THE VACATION 173
The little girl curled up in the window-seat did not move.
"Meg, you know Mother said we were to go before four o'clock, and it's half-past three now. You'll wait till the twins come in, and then they'll want to go, too." Bobby Blossom looked anxiously at his sister.
Meg put down her book and untangled her feet from the window cushions.
"I'm coming," she promised. "I never do get a chapter all read, Bobby. Where's my hat? I see it. I'll get it!"
Meg's hat was on the lawn outside where she had dropped it, and now she raised the screen and tumbled through the window to the ground. It wasn't far to tumble, and Meg had done it so often she was sure of landing safely.
"Norah says no lady goes out of the house through a window," giggled Bobby, tumbling after Meg and closing the screen carefully. Bobby was always careful to leave everything as he found it.
"I don't care, long as I grow up to be a lady like Mother," she asserted. "Let's hurry, Bobby, and perhaps we can stop at the library."
The children had reached the two stone posts at the foot of the lawn when a loud shriek halted them.
"Meg Blossom, you said I could go! Wait for me!"
Down the slightly sloping lawn hurried a short, thick-set little girl with dark eyes and hair and the reddest cheeks you ever saw. She carried a doll whose blue eyes opened and shut snappily with every jump her small mother took. This was Dot, Meg's little sister.
"You said I could go," panted Dot, when she caught up with Meg and Bobby. "Wait for Twaddles, he's coming. He wants to take the kiddie car."