glowing blossom beside it.

"Thank you, dear," said Miss Rejoice; "I might have known you would
find the first blossom, wherever it was. Where was this, now? On the
old bush behind the barn?"

"Not in our yard at all," replied the child, laughing. "The smell came
to me a few minutes ago, and I went hunting for it. It was in Mrs.
Penny's yard, right down by the fence, close, so you could hardly see
it."

"Well, I never!" exclaimed Miss Vesta. "And she let you have it?"

"Of course," said the child. "I told her it was for Aunt Joy."

"H'm!" said Miss Vesta. "Martha Penny doesn't suffer much from giving,
as a rule, to Aunt Joy or anybody else. Did she give it to you at the
first asking, hey?"

"Now, Vesta!" remonstrated Miss Rejoice, gently.

"Well, I want to know," persisted the elder sister.

Melody laughed softly. "Not quite the first asking," she said. "She
wanted to know if I thought she had no nose of her own. 'I didn't mean
that,' said I; 'but I thought perhaps you wouldn't care for it quite
as much as Aunt Joy would.' And when she asked why, I said, 'You don't
sound as if you would.' Was that rude, Aunt Vesta?"

"Humph!" said Miss Vesta, smiling grimly. "I don't know whether it was