“Oh, boys, is that all?”

“What shall we do?”

“We’ve only a few house-flowers, and all those baskets to fill,” cried the girls, in despair; for Merry’s contribution had been small, and Molly had only a handful of artificial flowers “to fill up,” she said.

“It isn’t our fault:  it is the late spring.  We can’t make flowers, can we?” asked Frank, in a tone of calm resignation.

“Couldn’t you buy some, then?” said Molly, smoothing her crumpled morning-glories, with a sigh.

“Who ever heard of a fellow having any money left the last day of the month?” demanded Gus, severely.

“Or girls either.  I spent all mine in ribbon and paper for my baskets, and now they are of no use.  It’s a shame!” lamented Jill, while Merry began to thin out her full baskets to fill the empty ones.

“Hold on!” cried Frank, relenting.  “Now, Jack, make their minds easy before they begin to weep and wail.”

“Left the box outside.  You tell while I go for it;” and Jack bolted, as if afraid the young ladies might be too demonstrative when the tale was told.

“Tell away,” said Frank, modestly passing the story along to Gus, who made short work of it.

“We rampaged all over the country, and got only that small mess of greens.  Knew you’d be disgusted, and sat down to see what we could do.  Then Jack piped up, and said he’d show us a place where we could get a plenty.  ‘Come on,’ said we, and after leading us a nice tramp, he brought us out at Morse’s greenhouse.  So we got a few on tick, as we had but four cents among us, and there you are.  Pretty clever of the little chap, wasn’t it?”

A chorus of delight greeted Jack as he popped his head in, was promptly seized by his elders and walked up to the table, where the box was opened, displaying gay posies enough to fill most of the baskets if distributed with great economy and much green.

“You are the dearest boy that ever was!” began Jill, with her nose luxuriously buried in the box, though the flowers were more remarkable for color than perfume.

“No, I’m not; there’s a much dearer one coming upstairs now, and he’s got something that will make you howl for joy,” said Jack, ignoring his own prowess as Ed came in with a bigger box, looking as if he had done nothing but go a Maying all his days.

“Don’t believe it!” cried Jill, hugging her own treasure jealously.  “It’s only another joke.  I won’t look,” said Molly, still struggling to make her cambric roses bloom again.

“I know what it is!  Oh, how sweet!” added Merry, sniffing, as Ed set the box before her, saying pleasantly,—­

“You shall see first, because you had faith.”

Up went the cover, and a whiff of the freshest fragrance regaled the seven eager noses bent to inhale it, as a general murmur of pleasure greeted the nest of great, rosy mayflowers that lay before them.

“The dear things, how lovely they are!” and Merry looked as if greeting her cousins, so blooming and sweet was her own face.