"Is her niece—is Miss Linda Barry here?" The eagerness of the question and of the very good-looking visitor was fully appreciated by the little maid who recognized a kindred spirit.
"Oh, yes, she's here,"—the freckled face shone radiant. "Ain't she grand?"
"The grandest ever. I want to see her. Aren't you ever going to open the screen door?"
Upon this the screen door opened. "But she ain't in the house," replied Blanche Aurora, coming out on the piazza. "There ain't anybody in the house, so I can't leave it to hunt for her, but I can tell you where I bet she is."
"You're a good—a particularly good child," was the earnest response as Blanche Aurora's finger pointed across the field.
"Do you see that clump o' trees and then there's woods beyond?"
"Yes."
"Near them white birches you'll likely find her. Mrs. Porter and she's got a secret place."
The visitor laughed. "Secret from whom?"
"Everybody but me, I guess."