Randy and Her Friends   By: Amy Brooks

by

AMY BROOKS

Author Of Randy's Summer , Randy's Winter , A Jolly Cat Tale , Dorothy Dainty

With Illustrations by the Author

Boston Lee and Shepard

1902

Norwood press J.S. Cushing & Co. Berwick & Smith Norwood, Mass. U.S.A.

Popular Stories

BY AMY BROOKS.

Each Beautifully Illustrated by the Author.

THE RANDY BOOKS.

THREE VOLUMES READY. 12MO. CLOTH. STRIKING COVER DESIGN BY THE AUTHOR.

RANDY'S SUMMER. Price $1.00 RANDY'S WINTER. Price 1.00 RANDY AND HER FRIENDS. Price 80 cents, net

For Younger Readers.

A JOLLY CAT TALE. Large 12mo. Cloth. Profusely Illustrated. Price $1.00

DOROTHY DAINTY. Large 12mo. Cloth. Cover Design by the Author. Set in large English type. Price 80 cents, net

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I Through the Fields

CHAPTER II A Cheerful Giver

CHAPTER III Gossip

CHAPTER IV The District School

CHAPTER V Randy's Journey

CHAPTER VI New Friends

CHAPTER VII The Little Travelers

CHAPTER VIII Just a Rose

CHAPTER IX A Scotch Linnet

CHAPTER X The Party

CHAPTER XI Timotheus and His Neighbors

CHAPTER XII Home

ILLUSTRATIONS

Randy and Snowfoot (Frontispiece)

"I'll tell you just one thing more," said Randy

As she looked from the window and saw the flying landscape

As the smoke flew backward the flaming torch revealed the sleeping children

Randy urges Polly to sing

Randy and Prue sat under the shadow of the blossoming branches

CHAPTER I

THROUGH THE FIELDS

The sunniest place upon the hillside was the little pasture in which the old mare was grazing, moving slowly about and nipping at the short grass as if that which lay directly under her nose could not be nearly as choice as that which she could obtain by constant perambulation.

A blithe voice awoke the echoes with a fragment of an old song. The mare looked up and gave a welcoming whinny as Randy Weston, Squire Weston's daughter, crossed the pasture, her pink sunbonnet hanging from her arm by its strings.

"Glad to see me, Snowfoot?" asked Randy as she laid a caressing hand upon the mare's neck and looked into the soft eyes which seemed to express a world of love for the girl who never allowed a friendly whinny to pass unnoticed.

"My! but this August sun is hot," said Randy, vigorously wielding her sunbonnet for a fan.

"And before we can turn 'round it will be September, and then there'll be lessons to learn, yes, and plenty of work to be done if I mean to keep the promise I made myself when I won the prize in June.

"A five dollar gold piece for being the best scholar, Snowfoot, and to think that I haven't yet decided what to do with it!

"I've spent it, in my mind a dozen times already, and to day I'm no nearer to knowing just what I'd rather do with it than on the day it was given me. Did you ever know anything so silly?"

The horse sneezed violently, as if in derision, and Randy laughed gaily at having her plainly expressed opinion of herself so forcibly confirmed.

Leaving Snowfoot to crop the grass and clover, Randy crossed the field and followed a well trodden foot path which led to a little grove and there in the cool shade she paused to look off across the valley, and again her thoughts reverted to the shining gold piece. Once more she wondered what it could buy which would give lasting satisfaction.

"If I were in the city," she mused, "I should probably see something which I'd like to have in the first store I came to, and I could buy it at once."

A moment later she laughed softly as it occurred to her that in the large city stores of which she had heard it would be more than probable that a dozen pretty things would attract her, and her bewilderment would thus be far greater than it had been at home with only a choice of imaginary objects.

"If old Sandy McLeod who gave the prize could know what a time I've had deciding what to do with it, I believe he would laugh at me and say in that deep voice of his,

"'Hoot, lass! Since the gold piece troubles ye, I wonder if ye're glad ye won it?'"