after ttercups and violets, tiny starry grassflowers were everywhere.

  as soon as to be alloo run barefoot. at first t only run out around t. next day t a all day long.

  every nigo to bed. under ts t heir faces.

  trees in front of tree, and lauras playree. t grass made a green carpet for or ts of the blue sky.

  pa made a soug to a large, lo so be unselfis mary s o.

  mary o play iful cup of it. cte and nettie, and ttle e and nettie, and ttle leaf cups and saucers to set on table. table h rock.

  sukey and rosie, tued loose in to eat ttle calves in ttle pigs he pigpen.

  in t year, pa umps and putting in o laura:

  “ do you today?”

  s guess.

  “ell,“ pa said. “ tood a deer. s ; “a baby deer!“ laura and mary guessed togetheir hands.

  “yes,“ pa said, “ ty little test fa iniest feet, not muc tle legs, and test muzzle.

  “it stood t me s large, soft eyes,  afraid at all.”

  “you s a little baby deer, ; laura said.

  “no, never!“ ;nor its ma, nor its pa. no more ing, noill all ttle fres till fall.”

  pa said t as soon as o tooo. they were old enough now.

  ted, and next day tried to play going to to do it very quite sure oore in to tore.

  nearly every day after t, cte and nettle o to laura and mary al;no, dear, you cant go t year, if you are good, then you can go.”

  t pa said, “ell go to toomorrow.

  t nig up to tig of rag. ttle bumps all over

  tued on their hair would be curly.

  ted t t go to sleep at once. ma sitting as usual. sting everyt and laying out t stockings and petticoats and dresses, and pas good s, and tle purple flo.

  t t. it iful, clear spring moing.

  ma and s on tockings and s on t dresses-marys ctoned laura up ttoned mary.

  ma took t into long, round curls t t t dreadfully. marys ifully golden, but lauras -colored brown.

  ied ts under tened ting on e.

  ill t t on t. ma, up on t on a board fastened across t.

  time , cool smells came out of the leafy woods.

  rabbits stood up in ttle front paall, tctle ail. t trees.

  it o too he shore of lake pepin.

  after a long time laura began to see glimpses of blue er betrees. tued to soft sand. t deep do and ted. often pa stopped to rest for a fees.

  t once t of t  to thing

  but flat, blue er. very far aer met, and there was a darker blue line.

  t ty space all around s small and frig pa and ma here.

  suddenly t. t overy sky, and tood back from the big oods seemed smaller under so much sky.

  pa stopped tued around on t. ed ah his whip.

  “t; ;town of pepin.”

  laura stood up on toohere were so many houses.

  rig big building. t ore, pa told  made of logs. it . beore t home.

  standing among tumps, t.

  t made of logs, etore.

  laura ogetore. one of t ime to get gray; it wood.

  people  monday, some woman a wasumps by her house.

  several girls and boys ore and tump to t stump and sing.

  “ell, ts pepin,“ pa said.

  laura just nodded say a er a on.

  t tcied one to eacook laura and mary by the hand, and ma came beside

  to tore. tops of lauras shoes.

  tform in front of tore, and at one end of it steps up to it out of t ing so fast t seps. srembling all over.

  tore to rade in, torekeeper kne from beer and spoke to o ma, and to sheir manners.

  mary said, “; but laura could not say anything.

  torekeeper said to pa and ma, “ts a pretty little girl youve got t; and  say anyt laura, or about hey were ugly and brown.

  tore o look at. all along one side of it iful pinks and blues and reds and broers t, and t, and sacks of store sugar.

  in tore ering brigeel ax ing knives and skinning knives and butcs and little boots, big stle shoes.

  laura could seen all t store. s knohe world.

  pa and ma traded for a long time. torekeeper took dos and bolts of beautiful calicos and spread t for ma to finger and look at and price. laura and mary looked, but must not toucte tier t, and t know how ma could ever choose.

  ma ctes of calico to make ss for pa, and a piece of broo make some o make ss and underwear.

  pa got enougo make a new apron. ma said:

  “o really need it.”

  but pa laug pick it out, or urkey red piece te. ma smiled and flus a patte of rosebuds and leaves on a soft, fawn-colored ground.

  t for obacco to smoke in a pound of tea, and a little paper package of store sugar to  dark brohe maple sugar ma used for every day.

  rading orekeeper gave mary and laura eaconis t stood looking at t;thank you.”

  laura could not speak. everybody ing, and s make a sound. ma o ask her:

  “ do you say, laura?

  t;thank you.”

  after t t out of tore. bote, and flat and t-sing on tters. ma read it for them. marys said:

  roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is s, and so are you.

  lauras said only: ss to t.

  tly ting han marys.

  t back to ttom of ts for the picnic box.

  t on te bread and butter and c t and slid back hissing sound.

  after dinner, pa back to tore to talk ail s to sleep. but laura and mary ran along tty pebbles t il th.

  t in the big oods.

  ty one, laura put , and ttier t, t s full. to tc ime to go home.

  laura iful pebbles in . but hing happened.

  tore rig of fell, and ttom of the wagon box.

  laura cried because so dress.

  ma gave carrie to pa and came quickly to look at to place. t .

  “stop crying, laura,“ s;i can fix it.“ s t to at all, nor t. t tle bag, seo t, and . only t in again, as good as new.

  “pick up tty pebbles, laura,“ ma said. “and anotime, dont be so greedy.”

  so laura gat t, and carried t in mind very muc tle girl t sook more than she could carry away.

  not ever o mary. mary tle girl w and minded .

  mary looked very good and s, unrumpled and clean, sitting on t t was fair.

  but it  tiful lake, and to ao keep al oo pretty to eat.

  ted along on t, and t before t of twilighey were safe, because pa had his gun.

  t moonligreetops and made patc and sy-clop.

  laura and mary did not say anytired, and ma sat silently pa sang softly:

  “mid pleasures and palaces, t ever so heres no place like home.”