One Saturday afternoon in January, Rose said suddenly to Hazel: "I wish I could do some of the things that you do, Hazel." Hazel looked up from her book in surprise.
"What can I do that you can't do, Rose?"
"You dance so beautifully, and I 've always wanted to know how. I feel so awkward when I see you dance the Highland Fling."
"Is that all?" Hazel laughed a happy laugh. "I can teach you to dance as easy as anything, if you 'll let me."
"Let you!" Rose exclaimed, flushing with pleasure; "just you try me and see. But where can we practise?"
"Oh, out in the barn," cried Hazel. "It'll be lots of fun; of course, it's awfully cold, but the skipping about will keep us warm. I 'll tell you what--I 'll play on the violin, and you and March and Budd and Cherry can learn square dances first."
"What fun!" said Rose.
"What's the joke?" asked March, coming in at that moment with Budd and Cherry.
"We 're going to have a dance in the barn; Hazel's going to teach us. She says she can do it easy enough."
"Oh, bully!" Budd threw up his tam-o'-shanter, and Cherry, attempting to charge up and down the long-room as she had seen Hazel at the Fords', tripped on the rug and fell her length. When March had picked her up she rubbed her nose, which was growing decidedly pink, and sniffed a little, then asked suddenly:--