Clover

the continual change of scenes and impressions to help them to forget; those w

mer's deck beside his sisters, waving good-by to the party on the wharf, that a new and sharp thrill of anxiety shot through his father's heart. The boy looked so young and helpless to be sent away ill among strangers, and round-faced little Clover seemed such a fragile su

se, when they reached it, seemed lonely and empty. Papa went at once to his office, and they heard him lock the door. This

do you suppose?

ing badly," responded Elsie, in the same hushed tone. "Oh, dear, how horrid it i

own, down into my boots. I think it must be the way people feel when they are homesick. I had it once before when I was at Inches

nie. Think if papa came out, and found us crying! Clover particularly said that we must make the house bright for him. I'm going to sow the mignonette se

me the tiny brown seeds were sprinkled into the brown earth of the borders, both the girls were themselves again. Dr. Carr appeared from h

look, whose import seemed to strike him, for he

Corners to see a boy who's had a fall, and I'll get a bite there. Order something good for tea, Elsie; and afterward we'll

sofa, Clover sitting by to keep him covered and see that he did not get cold. Late in the evening they changed to the express train, and there again, Phil, after being tucked up behind the curtains of his

asy, and they were carried off at once to the hotel where rooms had been secured. There they were rapturously received by Amy, and introduced to Mrs. Dayton, a sweet, spirited little matron, with

nice,-the one we are going out West in, you know? And this morning Mr. Dayton took us to see it. It's the cunningest place that ever was. There's one dear little drawer in the wall that Mrs. Dayton says I may have to keep Mabel's things in. I never saw a dra

covered that nothing annoyed him so much as being talked about as an invalid, and that he was very apt to revenge himself by doing something imprudent immediately afterward, to disguise from an obse

blurring the prospect with their smokes. Katy wondered how it happened that the early settlers who laid out Chicago had not bethought themselves to secure this fine water frontage as an ornament to the future city; but Mr. Dayton explained that in t

signed to private cars. It was of an old-fashioned pattern, and did not compare, as they were informed, with the palaces on wheels built nowadays for the use of railroad presidents and directors. But thoug

e-room, with a bed on either side, and then a large compartment occupying the middle of the car, where by day four nice little dining-tables could be set, with a seat on either side, and by night six sleeping sections made up. The rest of the car was arranged as a si

ome sort of good-by gift for the travellers,-flowers, hothouse grapes, early cherries, or home-made cake. They were all so cordial and pleasant and so interested

Sections were assigned to everybody,-Clover's opposite Phil's so that she might hear him if he needed anything in the night; and Mr. Dayton called for all the bonnets and hats, and amid much laughter proceeded to pin up each in thick folds of newspaper, and fasten it on a hook not to be taken down till the end of the journey. Mabel's feathered turban took its turn with the

and orange cups, like low-growing tulips; ranks of beautiful vetches and purple lupines; escholtzias, like immense sweeps of golden sunlight; wild sweet peas; trumpet-shaped blossoms whose name no one knew,-all flung broadcast over the face of the land, and in such stintless quantities that it dazzled the mind to think of as it did the eyes to behold

asten into the crown of hats, other sponges to breathe through, medicines of various kinds, sticking-plaster, witch-hazel and arnica, whisk brooms, piles of magazines and novels, telegraph blanks, stationery. Nothing seemed forgotten. Clover said that it reminded her of the mother of the Swiss Family Robinson and that wonderful bag out

berries and ice-cream,-the latter made and frozen on the car, whose resources seemed inexhaustible. The cook had been attached to Car Forty-seven for some years, and had a celebrity on his own road for the preparation of certain dishes, which no one else could do as well, however many markets and refrigerators and kitchen

begin to remember that we are thirsty, a tinkle is heard, and Bayard appears with a tray,-iced lemonade, if you please, made with Apollinaris water with strawberries floating on

l, and we could look out on the water and a green bank opposite, and we thought we were going to have such a nice night; but the authorities changed their minds, and presently to our deep disgust a locomotive came puffing down the road, clawed us up, ran us back, and finally left us in the middle of innumerable tracks and switches just where all the freight trains came in and

air of the prairie blowing in; and in no time at all we were so sound asleep that it seemed but a minute before morning. Phil's slumbers lasted so long that we had to breakfast without him, for Mrs. Dayton would not le

cting them. Clover's thoughts were so occupied with curiosity as to what she would turn out to be, that she scarcely realized that she was crossing the Mississippi for the first time, and she gave scant

tle old lady, with white hair frizzled and banged over a puckered forehead, and a pair of watery blue eyes peering from beneath, evidently in search of somebody. Her

aughter she said to me as I was coming away, 'Now, Mother, don't lose yourself, whatever you do. It seems quite wild to think of you in Canyon this and Canyon that, and the Garden of the Gods! Do get some one to keep an eye on you,

xplained Mr. Dayton. "Did you get yo

r would see to it for me I knew, and I wrote my daughter-My friend, Mrs. Peters,-I've been staying with her,

d dismay at this specimen of her future "matron." "We only stay here a few

y always has to tell me, and put me on the cars. I shall trust to you and your broth

man! Poo

belongings on her "young friends," as she called Clover and Phil. She had no sleeping section secured and no tickets, and they had to be procured at the last moment and in such a scramble that the last of her parcels was handed on to the platform

Car Forty-seven for tea, but Mrs. Watson did not at all like being le

they never do let me be alone much. I'm taken faint sometimes; and the doctor says it's my he

oor Clover; "he's been ill, you know,

at a day may bring forth, and you're all I have to depend upon. You're sure you must go? It seems as if your sister-Mrs. Worthing, is that the name?-might see to the medicine, and give you a little freedom. Don't let

ped. She entered Car Forty-seven with such a rueful and

?" asked Mr. Dayton. "Has your o

lady, under her charge," said Clover, trying to smile. B

s. Watson seems to depend on me to take all the care of her; and she says she has fainting fits and disease of the hear

you should have another person to look after. But I think you must mistake Mrs. Watson, Clo

hat I didn't mistake her at all. Oh, why did Mrs. Hall interfere? It would all see

lady was an inveterate talker, and her habit of only half finishing her sentences made it difficult to follow the meanderings of her rambling discou

e and company coming all the-It's lucky that there's plenty to do with. Henry's very liberal. He likes to have things nice, so Ellen she-Why, when I was packing up to come away he brought me that repoussé fruit-knife there in my bag-Oh, it's in my other bag! Never mind; I'll show it to you some other time-s

er, from very over-anxiety, had made a mistake, and complicated Clover's inevitable cares with a most undesirable companion, who would add to rather than relieve them. She could not decide what

s mind quite at rest as to any responsibility for Mrs. Watson, and also to have a talk with tha

last above five thousand; and still there seemed about them nothing but a vast expanse of flat levels,-the table-lands of Nebraska. There was little that was beautiful in the landscape, which was principally made up of wide reaches of sand, dotted with cactus and grease-wood and with the droll cone-shaped burrows of the prairie-dogs, who could be seen gravely sitting on the roofs of their houses, or turning sudden somersaults in at t

e American Continent," of which we have all heard so much in geographies and the newspapers. It was delightful, in spite of dust and glare, to sit with that sweep of magnificent air rushing into their lungs, and watch the great ranges grow and grow and deepen in hue, til

I see his

I hear hi

he walls of what seemed to her a sort of prison, as she realized that presently she should be left alone among them, Katy and Polly gone, and these new friends whom she had learne

n" unless she bought and paid for it ("and I only wanted to see the Washington news, my dear, and something about a tin wedding in East Dedham. My mother came from there, and I recognized one of the names and-But he took it away quite rudely; and when I complained, the conductor wouldn't attend to what I-"); and the bad piece of beefsteak which had been brought for her breakfast at the eating-station. Katy soothed and comforted to the best o

as not to be a worry to her. And we can take little excursions together, I dare say-Girls always like to go, and of course an older person-Oh, no, your brother won't need her so much as you think. He seems pretty strong to me, and-You must

erself with a long confidential chat with Clover in wh

all you can manage. You not only have to nurse him, you know, but to keep him happy. It's so bad for him to mope. You want all your time to read with him, and take walks and drives; that is, if there are any carriages at

small figure; "but doesn't it seem unnecessary that I should

Clovy. The old lady means kindly enough, I think, only she's naturally tiresome, and has become hel

ed for either. The last glimpse that Clover had of Katy was as the train moved away, when she put her head far out of the window of Car Forty-seven