Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-05-24

| skipping gaily along, as they always
did upon such happy occasions AT
| last Grace stopped suddenly and said:
Nellie, don't feel good one bit.
| guess we'd better go back. don't
care if the boys were mean, we ought
not to be mean, too. and tbs awful
mean to run away like this. The
| lunch is as much theirs as ours. and
| it's most as bad as stealing for us to
| take it all. Come on. I'm going back.
And away she went on a run, with
| Nellie following as fast as she could at
| her heels.
| The boys had not missed them yet,
and so they knew nothing Of the girls
| intended treachery. They seemed to
have recovered their usual good
| humor; and it was very merry little
party that started few moments later
| for the woods. What good times they
did have that day. What treasures of
| woodland wealth they found! How
| good the lunch did taste, and what fun
| il was to eat it out there under the
green trees all alone. Yes, it was
long, glad, beautiful day. They en-
! loved every moment of it, and stayed
| lust as long as they dared. But at last
| they decided that they must start for
| home. for there were the flowers to ar
| range yet, and there would be hut little
time to spare II they hoped to finish
their tasks that night. 1t was even
| later than they mad thought, they
| found, when they came to the edge
of the woods and saw how low the
sun had sunk So they hurried along
as fast as they could. When they came
to the fallen tree upon which they had
crossed the noisy little creek in the
| morning, perhaps they were little
careless, and when it came Nellie's
turn she slipped, and, with little
| frightened cry, down she went into the
water The creek was high with the
| spring rains, and the water was over
| Nellie's mead; so it was no wonder
| that it was frightened, as we'll as
| shivering little girl that Frank drag
| ged out upon the bank, moment
| later
"Oh-oh, dear!" she cried; Il am so
wet and cold, and all my flowers are
lost" and she pointed trembling fin
ger at the basket which held all her
| pretty blossoms and was sailing gaily
away with them to some unknown
| port. ..
| Never mind" said Frank, cheerily,
! I'll get it for you. I can't get any
wetter than l am now" and in he
| plunged again, and in twinkling the
| flowers were rescued, and they were
on their way home; but Nellie's wet
clothes were very uncomfortable, and
her teeth fairly chartered before she
had taken many steps.
Suddenly Fred stopped and said:
Here, sis; why didn't l think be-
fore? You take my coat, and then
Frank and will take hold of your
hands and run, and well be home in
a jiffy. There, that's right-one, two.
three, and away we co.
A few hours later, Nellie and Grace,
who had returned before the others,
were sitting alone, finishing the last of
the garlonds, when Nellie said, sud
denly:
| oh, Grace, how glad am that we
DIDN'T run away from the boys this
morning. I am sure 1 would lave
been drowned, if we had" and sne
shivered again at the thought of her
icy bath.
Eyes, l am glad. too returned
Grace. AMI, Nellie, I was glad all
day. I am sure we had a much nicer
time than we would if we had gone
alone, and we would have felt SO mean
if We had taken the boys lunch away
from them
Eyes, so we would. And, Grace, do
you know, after this when the boys are