Oh, what a lovely place!" as they came out upon the shore of the pond, a tiny sheet of clear still water surrounded by woods and hills except where a rivulet entered it on one side and left it on the other.
"Yes," assented Jim, "it's a right nice place, is Miller's Pond, and has lots of nice fish in it." The boys laid down their rods, Lulu her basket, and all three fell to digging for earth-worms.
When they deemed that they had a sufficient quantity of bait, the lads seated themselves on the roots of a fallen tree close to the water, each, with fishing-rod in hand, and Lulu, picking up her basket, wandered off among the trees and bushes.
"Don't go too far away and get lost," Max called after her.
"No," she answered, "I'll not go out of sight of the pond; so I can easily find my way back.

But don't you go off and leave me." "No; if you're not here, I'll hallo when we're 'most ready to start." What treasures Lulu found as she wandered here and there, every now and then turning to look for the pond, and make sure that she was not losing herself, there were acorn-cups, lovely mosses, beautiful autumn leaves--red, orange, golden and green; there were wild grapes too, and hazel-nuts, brown and ripe.

Of all these she gathered eagerly until her basket was full, thinking that some would delight Gracie, others propitiate Aunt Beulah.
And now she made her way back to the spot where the boys still sat, each with his line in the water.
"Have you caught any ?" she asked.
"Yes," said Max, "I've caught six and Jim has eight.

There! I've got another!" giving his line a jerk that sent a pretty speckled trout floundering in the grass.
"I'll take it off the hook for you," said Lulu, springing forward and dropping on her knees beside it.

"And then you'll let me try, won't you ?" "Yes," Max answered in a half-reluctant tone, getting up to give her his place.
"There are hazel-nuts right over there a little way," Lulu said, pointing with her finger.
"Oh, then I'll have some!" cried Max, starting on a run in the direction indicated.
He came back after a while bringing some in his hat, picked up some stones, and seating himself near the others, cracked his nuts, sharing generously with them.
Presently Lulu had her first bite, succeeded in bringing her prize safely to land, and was quite wild with delight.
Max rejoiced with her, taking brotherly pride in her success.
"You'll do for a fisherman or fisherwoman," he said gayly.