Grace Harlowes Junior Year at High School | Page 8

girl and some of her juvenile friends. I'm very glad
to see so many Oakdale children out to-day."
"How dare you take possession of the very spot we had our eye on?"
asked Grace, as she shook hands with David.
"I came over to try my bird before I have it sent home for the winter,"
replied David. "I was just locking up."
"And the exhibition is all over," cried Grace in a disappointed tone.
"I'm so sorry. You see, I still have a hankering for aëroplanes."
"There wasn't any exhibition, after all," said David. "It wouldn't fly
worth a cent to-day. I shall have to give it a complete overhauling when
I get it back to my workshop. What are you girls doing out this way?"
"Oh, we just came out to walk, because it was too nice to stay indoors,"
said Anne. "And now we are particularly glad we came."
"Not half as glad as I am," replied David, looking at her with a smile.
"Speaking of walking," remarked Hippy, "I have decided to go in for a
little on my own account. Object, to become a light weight. Is there any
one who will encourage me in this laudable resolution, and beguile me
while I go 'galumphing' over the ground?"
"Oh, I know something that would be perfectly fine!" exclaimed Nora,
hopping about in excitement.

"Watch her," cried Hippy. "She is about to have a conniption. She
always has them when an idea hits her. I've known her for years
and----"
"Make him stop," appealed Nora to David and Reddy, "or I won't tell
any of you a single thing."
"I'll desist, merely to please the Irish lady, not because I'm afraid of you
two long, slim persons," said Hippy, cleverly dodging both David and
Reddy.
"Suppose we go on a walking expedition," said Nora. "We can start
early some Saturday morning, with enough lunch to last us all day, and
walk to the other side of Upton Wood and back. My sister would be
glad to go with us, so that will settle the matter of having an older
person along. We can have the whole day in the woods, and the walk
will do us all good. We won't have many more chances, either, for
winter will be upon us before we know it. It's a shame to waste such
perfect days as these."
"What a perfectly lovely stunt!" exclaimed Grace. "We'll write to Tom
Gray, and see if he can't come, too. The walking expedition wouldn't be
complete without him."
"I'll write to him to-night," said David. "I certainly should like to see
the good old chap."
"Will there be plenty to eat?" asked Hippy. "I always feel hungry after
such strenuous exercise as walking. I am not very strong, you know."
"Hear him," jeered Reddy. "One minute he vows to walk until he
reaches the skeleton stage, and the next he threatens to kick over all his
vows by overeating."
"I didn't say anything about overeating," retorted Hippy. "I merely
stated that there are times when I feel the pangs of hunger."
"Stop squabbling," said Jessica, "and let's lay some plans."

"Where shall we lay them?" innocently asked Hippy.
"Nowhere, if you're not good," said Nora eyeing him severely.
Then an animated discussion began, and the following Saturday was
agreed upon, the weather permitting, as the best time to go.
Saturday turned out fair, and by nine o'clock the entire party were
monopolizing the Harlowe's veranda.
"Well, are we all ready?" said Tom Gray, as he glanced at his watch.
"Everybody scramble. One, two, three, walk."
Eight highly excited boys and girls accompanied by Miss Edith
O'Malley, hustled down the steps, waving good-bye to Mrs. Harlowe as
she stood on the veranda and watched them out of sight.
The lunch had been divided into four packages and each boy strapped a
package to his shoulder. Grace wore a little knapsack fitted to her back
with two cross straps. "There's nothing in it but some walnut fudge that
I made last night, but I couldn't resist wearing it. It belonged to my
grandfather," she confided to the girls when they had exclaimed over it.
"My, but it's great to be here," said Tom Gray to Grace as they entered
Upton Wood. "I'm so glad I could come."
"So are we," she replied. "A lark in the woods wouldn't be half the fun
with our forester missing."
"Back to nature for me, every time," he exclaimed, taking a deep breath
and looking about him, his face aglow with forest worship.
"I love the woods, too," said Grace, "almost enough to wish I were a
gypsy."
On down the shady wood road they traveled, sometimes stopping to
watch a squirrel or a chipmunk or to knock down a