“It’s the ’Biters’—­I know it is;” he gasped.

At first he was tempted to run right into the house, then something inside of him seemed to say, “Don’t be such a coward, Chalmers!  Don’t you remember what the teacher told you today about General Washington and other brave men?”

So Chalmers stood still a minute.

“I’ll not be a coward!  Besides, there’s mother sitting and sewing on the side porch.”

So Chalmers climbed over into the meadow and went toward the wagon.  When he got to the rear of it and peeped in, what do you think he heard and saw?  Oh, such a lot of chuckles and giggles, and there, seated in a row were his cousins—­plump little Marjory, laughing Sharley and cute little Jim!

[Illustration:  There seated in a row were his cousins!]

“We’ve come to spend the day with you and we thought we’d hide and surprise you!” cried Sharley, while Marjory added.  “Oh, isn’t this wagon the jolliest old place to play in!  You must have lots of fun with it.”

“Well, I’m going to have some fun with it now,” Chalmers replied as he climbed up to take a seat beside her.

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Ruth’s Pretty Dress.

“My dress is so pretty,” said Ruth, smoothing its soft fold and patting her own curls as she looked at her pretty reflection in the big mirror.  “Yes,” said the mother, “your dress is pretty, dear, and let mother tell you something about how many helped to make your dress.

“First, a little brown seed baby was put into the ground and it grew up to be a plant with flowers on it.  Then the flowers dropped off and little green pods came in their places.  These pods made a nice little house for the seed babies, but when the little seeds got ripe they burst their house open and it was all full of soft, white cotton.  Some little boys and girls picked the cotton out, and then some men put it in a machine and took the seed all out of the soft white stuff, and then it went to another big house and was made into thread, and then into a beautiful piece of cloth, and mother and auntie made your pretty dress out of the seed babies’ cotton blanket.  Isn’t it nice that everybody helps Ruthie girl to have pretty things.”

—­Written for Dew Drops by Francis McKinnon Morton.

Our lesson.—­For August 23.

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Prepared by Marguerite Cook.

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Title.—­The Wedding Feast.—­Matt. 22:1-14.

Golden Text.—­O Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings!—­Luke 13:34.

Golden Text for Beginners.—­We love him, because he first loved us.—­1 John 4:19.

Truth.—­The great love of Jesus is for even those who would harm him.