"Empty your bucket into my basket," said Stella to Marjorie, at the same time taking off the lid. Marjorie made a dive into the bucket and hastily secured a small package wrapped in paper, consenting to Stella's putting the two biscuits and the one banana that remained, into her basket.
"Don't begin to eat till we come back," called Alice as she and Marian started off.
"We won't," promised her sister.
The way through the open field was quite as hot, if not as dusty as the road, and Marian agreed with Alice that it was harder to walk through the stubble than the dust, so they were glad enough to reach the shade of the trees surrounding the little farmhouse. A woman was scouring tins on the back porch.
"Could we have some water from your pump?" asked Alice timidly.
The woman looked up. "Why, yes, and welcome. Where did you drop from? I ain't seen any carriage come up the road."
"We walked from Greenville," Alice told her.
"All the way this warm day? Well, I should think you would want water. You two didn't come by yourselves, did you?"
"No, my sister and another girl are over there by that big chestnut tree."
"Lands! then why didn't you go to the spring? 'T ain't but a step, just a ways beyond the tree down in that little hollow. I think the water's better and colder than the pump water, but you can have either you like. Perhaps, though, you'd like a glass of milk. But there, you just wait, I know something better than that. Just set down and cool off while I fetch something for you to take back. Don't take a drink till you set awhile; you're all overheated."