"Goodness, what a wet blanket!" cried Laura reproachfully.

"Well, I'd rather be a wet blanket," retorted Billie desperately, "thanto plan for a lot of fun and then be disappointed. I--I've beendisappointed enough, goodness knows."

There was a quiver in Billie's brave little mouth and instinctivelyViolet and Laura put an arm about her.

"We know what you mean," said Violet, soothingly. "And if you don't wantus to, we'll try not to hope too hard."

"0r if we do, we'll keep it to ourselves," added Laura, and Billiehugged them fondly.

"I don't want you to stop hoping," she cried plaintively. "And I don'twant to be a wet blanket, either. I'm just afraid, that's all."

The girls swung back and forth in silence for a few minutes. Then it wasLaura who spoke.

"When are you going out to look over your property, Billie?"