“After you have finished the work, girls,” directed Miss Elting, “be sure to extinguish the last spark of the fire. Harriet, will you come with me?”
“Thay, where are you going?” cried Grace. “Pleathe don’t go away and leave uth here alone. It ith going to be dark, pretty thoon.”
“Don’t you want a place to sleep?” smiled the guardian.
“Yeth, but it’th getting dark,” Tommy insisted.
“All the more reason for finding sleeping quarters,” smiled Miss Elting.
“Are you thinking of trying the barns?” asked Harriet, as she and the guardian stepped away.
“Yes. I don’t see anything else to do.”
“We’re going to have a storm,” Harriet went on thoughtfully, “so of course we shall do well to secure more shelter than we could get by making a brush lean-to.”
“I don’t believe we are in the least danger of being disturbed in the barn,” the guardian continued. “I don’t imagine there are any other human beings within several miles of this place. This is certainly a very lonesome bit of country. It is the first day since we have been out that we haven’t met some one. That may be because we have kept away from the roads to-day. We haven’t been on a highway more than an hour all day long.”
“This is what I like,” answered Harriet. “I just love to strike out across country and blaze new trails. It’s ever so much more interesting. But, Miss Elting, are you certain there is no one about?”