A MIDSUMMER EXCURSION It was that wonderful week after the middle of June.

The week that holds the best of everything; the longest days of the whole fly-away year; the biggest strawberries and the sweetest roses.

Everything at its height; birds in full song; bees in the flowers; children in hammocks under the trees, and a Wise Man humming happily to himself as he breathed it all in.
"I don't think that anything nicer than this can happen," said Nat, swinging so hard in his hammock that he rolled out into the long grass.
"It doesn't seem as if it _could_" answered Dodo; "only here at Orchard Farm there is so much niceness you never can tell what is the very nicest." The Wise Man laughed to himself, and then whistled an imitation of the White-throated Sparrow's call--at which sound Dodo promptly rolled out of her hammock and bumped into Nat, who was still lying in the grass; then both the children sat up and listened.
"All day--whittling--whittling--whittling," whistled the notes.
"You ought to be further north building your nest," said Nat.

"Don't you know that, Mr.Peabody ?" "It's Uncle Roy!" cried Dodo, spying him back of the apple-tree perch.
"How would you like to go down to the seashore to-morrow, little folks ?" "There!" exclaimed Dodo; "you see there is more niceness yet!" "I suppose by that you mean 'yes,'" laughed the Doctor.

"Olive and I have planned to take the six-seated surrey, with a hamper of good things to eat, and drive down to the sandy shore where the river broadens into salt water.