have been waiting to investigate on just such a day as this. Besides, the wind blows so gloriously that it will be possible to return by another route if we prefer."

"The railroad track, on its wooden, iron back!" sang Miss Brighton.

"All in favor run for your things, and be here on the west end of the campus in thirty minutes," was the unique order put by Andrews, the selfappointed chairman of the meeting for the mo

ment.

Then there was a scampering in every direction, for all the world like a conclave of rats broken up by the appearance of Sir Thomas Cat. Minutes before the time-limit all were present, with Mr. Scott, who for some reason had been included to-day for the first time. Everything had been in readiness, and all they had to do was to pick up their baskets and traps and run. Mrs. Holmes's last words to her daughter were, "Keep your eyes well open for the trains!" And the reply was, "Yes, mother dear, we will; but we all know the schedule, and there is not the slightest danger." Nevertheless, to insure perfect safety, a signal was agreed upon, a long, loud whistle, and those in the front and rear at any time were to be the sentinels to warn the others.

It was the greatest day they ever had. The wind blowing a gale seemed to bring new life and fresh spirits. The world is divided into three classes as to their feelings towards the wind. Some love it, some dread it, and others are entirely in

different to it. To those who love it, there comes an ecstasy of joy; it thrills the nerves and fills the soul with a sense of spiritual power. God seems to be in it, and the holy angels, and the spirits of just men-a suggestion of everlasting life. It is instinct with power and life. Strange to say, all these young people were of the first class; they all loved the wind, though they never knew of their unanimity on this subject before; but the expressions of delight at the outset had been so numerous that the accord was soon discovered. We would not pretend to say that there was anything of moment in this coincidence; that there was any hidden spiritual meaning; that the underlying something in their natures that made them alike in this one respect was the invisible tie that drew them together and kept them there,-simply the fact, they all loved the wind, which "bloweth where it listeth," the sound of which we hear, "but know not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth."

The railroad which they followed was a singletrack affair, winding in and out among the hills, much after the same fashion as the creek that followed its devious channel-all that was left of the mighty water that once filled the valley. They walked briskly in order to keep the increasing coolness from getting into the blood. There were stops here and there, as something of interest was discovered. For a mile or two they walked as a compact body, but gradually and almost imperceptibly they began to string out as conversation became more interesting, and as the naturally fast

walkers kept their pace and the slower ones assumed theirs.

It was not at all the rule that the crowd "paired off" in the natural order. Andrews and Pierson forgot all about the others as they plunged into a heated discussion on the relative merits of the ministry and the profession of medicine, and the deeper the discussion became, the faster they walked, till they had left the party far behind. Last of all came Scott and Miss Holmes, while in between the others walked in little squads at varying distances from each other. Scott, being new to the company, was straightway forgotten at first; in consequence, he had the rare privilege of following in the wake of the crowd and of studying them to his heart's content. They would have been followed frequently, by the curious, if it could have been an invisible following. Scott, though a part of the company to-day, almost felt that he was doing an improper thing, and that he would better turn around and slip away, until Miss Holmes, ever watchful and thoughtful, looked around and understood the situation. Immediately she excused herself from the little group of which she seemed to be the center and dropped back for Mr. Scott, while the others exchanged knowing glances; for it was well understood that the young lady had little admiration for the man to whom she was now going to devote herself; he seemed to her frivolous and without thought of the great, deep things of life.

"Mr. Scott, you must have formed a poor opin

ion of this portion of humanity," were the apologetic words she used as he came up with her.

"O no; it was all my fault. I dropped back in order that I might study you when you were all together. I desired to discover what your secret was if I could-the secret of your good fellowship. You are somewhat of a mystery to the college and community. I think that I have found the secret: it is perfect congeniality. The feeling of restraint that is generally seen in society is wanting here. You understand one another; you do not stand on senseless ceremony; you seem like a happy family where unselfishness reigns."

"I believe you are making fun of us, Mr. Scott. I know that you are full of sport; but it is not kind for you to begin by making sport of us. Nevertheless, part of what you say of us is true. The reason for our dropping off together from the rest of the college is not an artificial one; it is perfectly natural: we are like a large and happy family."

"No, Miss Holmes, I never felt less like making fun than I do to-day. The fact that I am included in this company seems to impress me most peculiarly. I do not feel like myself; I want to get away from myself. Now, does not that sound serious? Look at Miss Brighton there; she is just as full of life as can be; but she is devoting herself to Mr. Schwartz, who can hardly keep from stumbling over the ties so bashful is he, just as naturally, and apparently as interestedly as if it were great fun to do the work of two people for

the sake of a bashful man; and here are you deserting a group that seemed to owe its existence to you see, they have already scattered since you left to come and talk to a stranger that he might not feel strange. I could tell you a good many things I know about this crowd. Sometimes you are laughed at and called unpleasant names; but you have a great influence in college, and I believe all the associations there are better and all the companionships a little holier because of the example set by this company of young people. I believe, further, that there is a certain influence on 'the upper ten,' even though they may be unconscious of it. And all this is sober earnest."

"I think that there is an undercurrent of mirth in you, even when you are most in earnest, Mr. Scott. But it is pleasant to hear you say these things, and to believe that you mean them. But, really, if you will excuse more personalities, I am pleasantly disappointed in you. I have seen you, and have known you to speak to, ever since you entered the preparatory school. And you have always appeared to me to be thinking of some fun. or perpetrating some joke on some one, and I have wondered if you were ever sober and earnest; and I have inquired concerning you, and the testimony has been almost without exception that you were 'jolly good company,' and all that; but it only tended to confirm my opinion. Now I enter upon my first real conversation with you, and I find you can be thoughtful in spite of the fun. Hear the peals of laughter in front of us? I believe we