seat declared with a yawn that she was too sleepy for any use. "I'm
going to sleep," she announced. "You girls can talk if you don't make
too much noise. Loud talking always keeps me awake. You may call me when
we get to Overton." With these words she bent over her bag, opened it,
and drew out a small down cushion. She rose in her seat, removed her
hat, and, poking it into the rack above her head, sat down. Arranging
her pillow to her complete satisfaction, she rested her head against it,
closed her eyes and within five minutes was oblivious to the world.

The three travelers obligingly lowered their voices, conversing in low
tones, as the train whirled them toward their destination. Their hearts
were with those they had left, and as the afternoon began to wane, one
by one they fell silent and became wrapped in their own thoughts. Grace
was already beginning to experience a dreadful feeling of depression,
which she knew to be homesickness. It was just the time in the afternoon
when she and her mother usually sat on their wide, shady porch, talking
or reading as they waited for her father to come home to dinner, and a
lump rose in her throat as she thought sadly of how long it would be
before she saw her dear ones again.

Far from being homesick, self-reliant Miriam was calmly speculating as
to what college would bring her, while Anne, who had quite forgotten her
own problems, sat eyeing Grace affectionately and wondering how soon her
friend would make her personality felt in the little world which she was
about to enter. And J. Elfreda Briggs, of Fairview, slept peacefully
on.