"Oh, it is too long a journey. I never could go so far," Nan said,
wistfully it must be confessed.

But Rhoda nodded with confidence. "Oh, yes, you could," she
declared. "You spent your Christmas holidays in Chicago with Grace.
And before that, you say, you went up to a lumber camp in Michigan.
One journey is no worse than another--only that to Rose Ranch is a
little longer."

"A _little_ longer!"

"Well, comparatively. To going to China, for instance," laughed
Rhoda. "Of course you can go home with me."

But Nan laughed at that cool statement. She was quite sure Momsey
and Papa Sherwood would veto any such wild plan. And she had been
away so much from them during the past year. But she received fine
reports regarding her mother's health and Papa Sherwood's new
automobile business; and little Inez, under Momsey's tuition, was
beginning to write brief, scrawly notes to Nan to tell her how
happy she was in the little dwelling in amity.

Winter could not linger in the lap of spring for ever. The snow
under the hedges disappeared almost over night. The mud of the
highways dried up.

The sparkling surface of the lake was ruffled temptingly by the
light breezes and drew the girls of Lakeview Hall boatward. The
outdoor tennis courts, the croquet grounds, the basketball