We worked very half-heartedly the rest of the day , and it was not until we assembled in the orchard in the evening that our spirits recovered something like their wonted level . It was clear and slightly frosty ; the sun had declined behind a birch on a distant hill and it seemed a tree with a blazing heart of fire . The great golden willow at the lane gate was laughter-shaken in the wind of evening . Even amid all the changes of our shifting world we could not be hopelessly low-spirited -- except Sara Ray , who was often so , and Peter , who was rarely so . But Peter had been sorely vexed in spirit for several days . The time was approaching for the October issue of Our Magazine and he had no genuine fiction ready for it . He had taken so much to heart Felicity 's taunt that his stories were all true that he had determined to have a really-truly false one in the next number . But the difficulty was to get anyone to write it . He had asked the Story Girl to do it , but she refused ; then he appealed to me and I shirked . Finally Peter determined to write a story himself . `` It ought n't to be any harder than writing a poem and I managed that , '' he said dolefully . He worked at it in the evenings in the granary loft , and the rest of us forebore to question him concerning it , because he evidently disliked talking about his literary efforts . But this evening I had to ask him if he would soon have it ready , as I wanted to make up the paper . `` It 's done , '' said Peter , with an air of gloomy triumph . `` It do n't amount to much , but anyhow I made it all out of my own head . Not one word of it was ever printed or told before , and nobody can say there was . '' `` Then I guess we have all the stuff in and I 'll have Our Magazine ready to read by tomorrow night , '' I said . `` I s ` pose it will be the last one we 'll have , '' sighed Cecily . `` We ca n't carry it on after you all go , and it has been such fun . '' `` Bev will be a real newspaper editor some day , '' declared the Story Girl , on whom the spirit of prophecy suddenly descended that night .
She was swinging on the bough XXXXX an apple tree , with a crimson shawl wrapped about her head , and her eyes were bright with roguish fire .
about amid because behind for like of that to with