blossoms, and wooed the bee and humming-bird to their gay bowers.
Over this stream a narrow bridge led directly to the school-house;
but the homeward side was so attractive, that the children
always tarried there until they saw the teacher on the step,
or heard the little bell tinkling from the door. Tidy remained
with them till the last minute, and there her bright face might
invariably be seen when school was dismissed in the afternoon.
A large flat rock between the woods and the flowery edges of Pine Run
was the place of rendezvous.

One summer's morning they were earlier than usual, and emerging
from the woods, warm and weary with their long walk, they threw
themselves down upon the rock over which in the early day,
the shadows of the trees refreshingly fell. Amelia turned her face
toward the Run, and lulled by the gentle murmuring of the water,
and the humming of the insects, was soon quietly asleep;
Susie, with an apron full of burs, was making furniture for
the play-house which they were arranging in a cleft of the rock;
and Tidy, who carried the books, was busily turning over the leaves
and amusing herself with the pictures.

"My sakes!" she exclaimed presently, "what a funny cretur!
See that great lump on his back!" and she pointed with her
finger to the picture of a camel. "Miss Susie! what IS that?
Is it a lame horse?"

"Why no, Tidy, that's a camel; 'tisn't a horse at all.
I was reading that very place yesterday,--let me see,"
and taking the book she read very intelligently a brief account
of the wonderful animal.