The Luckiest Girl in the School

tumn

ooks and exercises in the evenings till even Aunt Harriet-indefatigable worker herself-would tell her to stop, and wax moral on the folly of burning the candle at both ends. The coaching from Miss Lever was of inestimable value. It supplied just the gaps in which she was deficient, and gave her an adequate grasp of her three toughest subjects. Slowly she began to make headway, she saw light in mathematical problems that had before been meaningless formul?, chemistry wa

he asphalt courts during the winter and spring terms, whenever the weather was suitable, and basket ball was constantly going on in the playground. Athletics was decidedly the fashionable cult of the school. Kirsty Paterson, as Games Captain, made it her business to see that nobody slacked without justifiable cause. She would break up knots of chatting idlers, and cajole them forth to

rs' time they'll be crack players. Yes, I know it's looking far ahead, and we prefects won't be here to see the result, but the school will reap the benefit some day and that's the main thing to aim at. I'm proud of

gave her a tingling sense of satisfaction. It was delightful to feel that she was a factor in this big school, and that she was doing her bit-however insignificant-to help up the athletic standard. In physical agility Winona was superior to Garnet. She could beat her easily at tennis, and there was already a wide gap between their gymnastic achievements. It was a fortunate circumstance, f

lves in the school. As Garnet had foreseen, the part they had taken in the Symposium won them favorable recognition. To be singled out as soloists and to have the honor of playing an accompaniment for the prefects had raised them above the common herd, and though a few were jealous, more were ready to extend the hand o

s. She found the knitting a soothing occupation, it could be taken up and laid down so easily; it often went to school with her, and would come out during the interval, or while she was waiting for a class. The Photographic Union was beyond her, for as yet she had no camera, but she thought she was justified in joining the Natural History League. This society did not for the present demand papers from its members, but contented itself with encouraging the collection of objects for the school museum. Its main activities would be during the summer term, though a weather record was kept throughout the year, and any nature notes that were worthy of being written down were duly chronicled in the Field Book. Linda Fletcher and Annie Hardy, two of the prefects, were the leading spirits

se in the country round about remained almost in their October glory, and in sheltered woods some were still green. The persistent sunshine encouraged the Natural History Leag

at station for the 12.45 train to Powerscroft, returning by the 5.30 from Chartwell. Tea at farm-house. Walking distance five miles. Lea

letc

. S

ntry lover, so she forthwith secured Aunt Harriet's per

through the private part of the woods-there's no shooting this autumn, you know-so that will be simply glorious, and she says we ought to find some fossils in the quarry, if we've luck. I hope the weather will keep up.

on together. The latter had an early lunch, and was ready dressed and waiting for her friend by twenty minutes

gins, but it wasn't my fault!" she apologized.

first on the pavement and then on the road, dodging round stout females bearing baskets, avoiding hooting motors, and finally making a dash down a back street that led to the railway bridge. They clattered down the steps to the booking office, secured their tickets and rushed on

"I thought we'd miss it! I never had such a run in my

sly. "We have it all to ourselves! What luck! Hope the

Miss Lever to explain. I suppose the others are further al

be a surprise packet fo

made up their minds

n well as far as they were concerned. Their satisfaction was short-lived, however. When they neared Barnhill, the train, i

ted. "I verily believe we've

st have been five minutes late. In their hurry they had mistaken it for th

d Winona. "We shall be carried on

the limit of hard luck-to see ours

eve we're stop

probably the idea occurred to both simultaneously, but in defiance of the law of the realm and the rules of the railway company, they opened the door of the carriage and climbed down on to the line. There were some railings near, and they scrambled over

ur lives!" chuckled Garnet. "I believe we could b

own temerity, and had a nervous apprehension lest a guard or a signalman or some other rai

struck a path which led th

on, and if we turn to the left and through this village we shall get there sooner than the others, I

p out all the sa

wood, and sat down on a wall to wait. Their fast train and short cut had given them an advantage: it was nearly half an hour before they spied the rest of the party strolling leisurely up

. "It just dropped us in the field over there. Very

r to Miss Lever's inquiries, give a precise

inona, "but I'm sure she'd have done the same thing herself in the circumstances. I could see ad

sorts of delightful things to be found-acorns lay so plentifully in the pathway that the girls could not help scrunching them underfoot. A few were already sending out tiny shoots in anticipation of spring, and these were carefully saved to take home and grow in bottles. A stream ran through the wood, its banks almost completely covered with vivid green mosses, in sheets so thick and compact that a slight pull would raise a yard at a time. Some resembled tufted tassels, some the most delicate ferns, and others showed the split cups of their seed-vessels like pixie goblets. Annie Hardy, whose experienced eyes were on the look-out for certain botanical treasures reported to grow at Monkend, was searching among the dead twigs under the hazel bushes, and was rewarded by finding a clump of the curious little birds-nest fungus with its seeds packed like tiny eggs inside. Some orange elf-cups, a bright red toadstool or two, and a few of the larger purple varieties that had lingered

he heron sailing overhead, and noticed the gold-crested wren's nest hanging under the branch of a fir, a little battered with autumn rain, and too high, alas! to be taken, but a most interesting i

s set on fossils, and if we don't go on to Copplestones at once we shall be cau

e, and tapping likely-looking stones with their hammers. Garnet and Winona knew nothing of geology, so they listened with due meekness while the instructed few discoursed learnedly on pal?ozoic rocks, stratifie

this quarry, and my watch tells me we ought to be go

ly for the farm close by, and the nature-lovers were soon hard at work co

erries, twelve species of birds noticed, also rabbits and squirrel, one bird's nest and one per

in November!" added Annie. "It will be som

two nice little schemes on hand for the spring, so the League must look forward to next Apri

by the twinkle in her eye. She'll ruminate over it all winter, and drop it on us as a surprise some day. Oh, thunder! Yes, we ought to be starting! Come