“Paul,” Hilary asked suddenly, “what are you smiling to yourself about?”

“Was I smiling?  I didn’t know it.  I guess because it is so nice and peaceful here and because—­Hilary, let’s start a club—­the ’S.  W. F. Club.’”

“The what?”

“The ‘S.  W. F. Club.’  No, I shan’t tell you what the letters stand for!  You’ve got to think it out for yourself.”

“A real club, Paul?”

“Indeed, yes.”

“Who’s to belong?”

“Oh, lots of folks.  Josie and Tom, and you and I—­and I think, maybe, mother and father.”

“Father!  To belong to a club!”

“It was he who put the idea into my head.”

Hilary came to sit beside her sister on the step.  “Paul, I’ve a feeling that there is something—­up!  And it isn’t the barometer!”

“Where did you get it?”

“From you.”

Pauline sprang up.  “Feelings are very unreliable things to go by, but I’ve one just now—­that if we don’t hunt Impatience up pretty quick—­there will be something doing.”

They found Patience sitting on the barn floor, utterly regardless of her white frock.  A whole family of kittens were about her.

“Aren’t they dears!” Patience demanded.

“Mrs. Boyd says I may have my choice, to take home with me,” Hilary said.  The parsonage cat had died the fall before, and had had no successor as yet.

Patience held up a small coal-black one.  “Choose this, Hilary!  Miranda says a black cat brings luck, though it don’t look like we needed any black cats to bring—­”

“I like the black and white one,” Pauline interposed, just touching Patience with the tip of her shoe.

“Maybe Mrs. Boyd would give us each one, that would leave one for her,” Patience suggested cheerfully.

“I imagine mother would have something to say to that,” Pauline told her.  “Was Josie over yesterday, Hilary?”

Hilary nodded.  “In the morning.”

As they were going back to the house, they met Mr. Boyd, on his way to pay his regular weekly visit to the far pasture.

“Going to salt the colts?” Patience asked.  “Please, mayn’t I come?”

“There won’t be time, Patience,” Pauline said.

“Not time!” Mr. Boyd objected, “I’ll be back to supper, and you girls are going to stay to supper.”  He carried Patience off with him, declaring that he wasn’t sure he should let her go home at all, he meant to keep her altogether some day, and why not to-night?

“Oh, I couldn’t stay to-night,” the child assured him earnestly.  “Of course, I couldn’t ever stay for always, but by’n’by, when—­there isn’t so much going on at home—­there’s such a lot of things keep happening at home now, only don’t tell Hilary, please—­maybe, I could come make you a truly visit.”

Indoors, Pauline and Hilary found Mrs. Boyd down-stairs again from her nap.  “You ain’t come after Hilary?” she questioned anxiously.