“Zerlina, you must have bewitched that animal,” cried Ruth. “But wasn’t it beautiful? If we had been lying down he would have waltzed right over our faces.”
“Girls,” proposed Grace, after they had recovered from the exhibition of the waltzing dog, “let’s go in wading.”
“What a great idea, Grace!” cried Ruth. In a jiffy they had their shoes and stockings piled together on the bank and had slipped into the little pool of clear, running water.
Zerlina watched them from the bank. Perhaps Miss Sallie was right, and water had no charms for this Gypsy child.
As they clung to each other, giving little shrieks of pleasure and making a great splashing, Mollie exclaimed suddenly:
“Look, look! Here comes a man!”
Sure enough there was a man emerging from the trees on the other side of the stream. The girls scampered excitedly out of the water, giggling, as girls will do, and sat in a row on the bank, tailor-fashion, hiding their wet feet under their skirts.
By this time the stranger had come up to the pool and stood gazing in amazement at the party of young women.
“Well, for the love of Mike!” he exclaimed.
It was Jimmie Butler, one of the major’s house party.