“No,” replied Fred; “not even Polly knows. No one knows but me.”
“Not Mother or Dad or Dora or——” Ward was beginning in a sing-song tone, but Fred put a hand gently over his mouth.
“Do keep still,” he said good-humoredly. “All the mothers and fathers know. Now stop asking questions.”
“You said no one knew except you alone,” Artie protested.
“I meant no one in the Riddle Club except me,” explained Fred.
“Well, anyway, we have Hallowe’en to think about,” said Polly, the tactful. “If we’re going to wear costumes, it’s time we planned ’em.”
“I had a perfectly wonderful idea,” declared Jess. “But I don’t know that I’ll tell it now; I can keep secrets, too.”
“Oh, Jess, darling, this isn’t a secret—it won’t be one very long, at any rate,” said Polly, softly. “We’ll all know soon, and it is something we’ll just love to do. I’m sure of that. Tell us your idea, Jess! Please do.”
It was impossible to resist Polly when she spoke like that, and Jess yielded. As a matter of fact, she had kept her wonderful idea to herself about as long as she cared to. She had reached the point where she was eager to share it with some one.
“I think it would be a good idea,” she said proudly, “to come to the party dressed like animals!”