were rapturously received by Amy, and introduced to Mrs. Dayton, a sweet,
spirited little matron, with a face as kindly as her husband's, but not so
worn. Mr. Dayton looked as if for years he had been bearing the whole
weight of a railroad on his shoulders, as in one sense it may be said that
he had.

"We have been here almost a whole day," said Amy, who had taken
possession, as a matter of course, of her old perch on Katy's knee.
"Chicago is the biggest place you ever saw, Tanta; but it isn't so pretty
as Burnet. And oh! don't you think Car Forty-seven is 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 drawer in a car before. There's a lovely little bedroom
too, and such a nice washing-basin, and a kitchen, and all sorts of
things. I can hardly wait till I show them to you. Don't you think that
travelling is the most delightful thing in the world, Miss Clover?"

"Yes--if only--people--don't get too tired," said Clover, with an anxious
glance at Phil, as he lay back in an easy-chair. She did not dare say,
"if Phil doesn't get too tired," for she had already discovered 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 observant world the fact that
he couldn't do it without running a risk. Like most boys, he resented
being "fussed over,"--a fact which made the care of him more difficult
than it would otherwise have been.

The room which had been taken for Clover and Katy looked out on the lake,
which was not far away; and the reach of blue water would have made a