170 TOMMY AND HIS FATHER AFIELD 



to see their leaves growing so nicely in a circle 

 about the stems. I love these Wild Lilies and 

 was just going to point them out to father when 

 I saw that strange girl snuggling down among 

 them. She looked as though she were leaning 

 over to whisper something to them. Her hair 

 hung straight by the sides of her face just as it 

 did in Secret Valley, and she was as still as when 

 she stood there on the stump. 



" I gave father's coat-sleeves a tug and told 

 him to look. He did, but not at the Lilies I 

 meant, for at first he didn't see her. Then I 

 whispered to him to look at the Lilies where the 

 high Milkweed was in bloom and that time he 

 saw her quite plainly. 



" The queer thing about it was that when we 

 got close to those Lilies she wasn't there, yet 

 neither of us had seen her jump up and run away. 

 An Elder-bush near by was covered with large 

 flat bunches of fragrant, white blossoms, and I 

 thought perhaps she might have slipped In there 

 to hide, while father and I were talking. I ran 

 all around the bush and parted its branches, but 

 all I saw in them was an empty robin's nest." 



Grandmother laughed. " This time, Tommy," 

 she said, " your strange girl is the spirit of the 

 Meadow Lilies instead of Secret Valley." 



Just then Tommy's father came in. He said: 

 " She was no spirit, for in her hair she wore a bow 

 of white ribbon very like your little girl's. I 



