"Billy thinks that's the only interesting thing about Overlook!"
"Wait a moment, children," suggested Mrs. Lee to them, "one thing at a time! Keineth is tired, perhaps. Take her upstairs, Peggy, and let her slip on a blouse and your old serge bloomers--then go outside and play!"
Overlook really wasn't like a house at all--Keineth had never seen anything quite like it. There was one big living-room with a veranda running around it and with big doors opening from three sides upon the veranda so that the room itself was just like out-of-doors. One end of the veranda was enclosed in glass and used as a dining-room. Flowers in boxes were on the sills of the windows and over them the sun streamed through chintz-curtained windows. Upstairs were two rooms over the living-rooms, and opening from these were screened sleeping porches, with rows of little cots. Peggy explained that the rooms were used as dressing-rooms and that each one of the family had a little chest of drawers for their own clothes and that mother had brought the oak one in the corner out from town for Keineth's use.
"But where do you sleep when it rains?" cried Keineth.
"Oh, out there," laughed Peggy; "you see, the roof slants down so far that it keeps out the rain. That's your cot--between Barb's and mine."
Keineth caught a glimpse of a great blue stretch of water glistening in the bright sunlight a quarter of a mile away.
"Oh--is that the lake?" she exclaimed, eagerly.
"Yes--we'll go down to the beach in a little while. Can you swim? Mother will teach you--she taught each one of us. I'm going to try for the life-saving medal this year! We have sport contests at the club in August. Can you play tennis?" Keineth said no. Peggy's manner became just a little patronizing. "Oh, it's easy to learn, though it'll take you quite awhile to serve a good ball, but you can practice with Alice. Can you play golf?"
"My Daddy can."
"Well, you can walk around the links with Billy and me. Barbara plays a dandy game--she can beat Dad all to pieces. Let's go down now and see the garden."