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Tess winced What had Jack and Airls tosoftly, she said, "You can leave your books and lunch pails here That's the first rule of having fun You need your hands free"

They went to the porch and plunked their lard tins and books down on the bottom step Then, slowly, they turned around

Tess so"

She tried to keep up a steady streah the sheep pasture The indigo rays of a late afternoon sun glanced off the grass hillside, illu dozens of multicolored flowers A soft breeze carass

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"That's a wild rose," she said, pointing to a scraggly little bush that was just beginning to bud "I'll have to pull that up and plant it by the house That e'll be able to see the floe sit on the porch at night"

"We ain't never sat on the porch at night," Savannah said matter-of-factly

"Well, that's about to change Oh! Look!" Tess clutched Caleb htly and hurried toward the small cluster of maple trees up ahead "What?"

"Coirls closed ranks around her Frowning, they watched as she picked through the winged seedcases for just the right ones and then stood Shifting Caleb to her left arm, she flicked a seedcase

into the air The booht breeze like a helicopter before it floated slowly to the grass

"Here" She placed soirls' hands

Savannah stared down at the seeds in her palm "You want me to throw them in the air? Why?"

"It's fun"

Savannah frowned "Oh"

Tess took another seedcase and flicked it hard to the right It twirled around and hit Tess in the eye "Aagh!" She claround