VALLEY

70 RAINBOW VALLEYgrimace.Mary was past mistress in the art of "makingfaces."She could givegrotesque and unearthly appearanceher countenance a mostout of which herstrange, brilliant, white eyes gleamed with weird effect."I won't," gasped Rilla, frightened"You let me go, Mary Vanth."Mary letgobut staunch.for a minute and looked around her.Just inside the gate was a small "flake," on which halfa dozen large codfish were drying. One of Mr.Meredith's parishioners had presented him with themone day, perhaps in lieu of the subscription he wassupposed to pay to the stipend and never did. Mr.Meredith had thanked him and then forgotten allabout the fish, which would have promptly spoiled hadnot the indefatigable Mary prepared them for dryingand rigged up the "flake" herself on which to drythem.Mary had a diabolical inspiration.She flew to the"flake" and seized the largest fish there a huge, flatthing, nearly as big as herself. With a whoop sheswooped down on the terrified Rilla, brandishing herweird missile. Rilla's courage gave way. To be lambastedwith a dried codfish was such an unheard-ofthing that Rilla could not face it. With a shriek shedropped her basket and fled. The beautiful berries,which Susan had so tenderly selected for the minister,rolled in a rosy torrent over the dusty road and weretrodden on by the flying feet of pursuer and pursued.The basket and contents were no longer in Mary's