Mother, when is my birthday?" asked Peter. "I wish I could be five years old soon."

"You will be five years old soon, Peter. Your birthday is the very last day of this month. It comes on Halloween. Do you know about that?"

"Yes, mother, I know. The big boys and the big girls go out with Jack-o'-lanterns and scare people."

"Sometimes they do," said mother. "I am going to let you have a birthday party this year. Are you glad?"

"Oh, goody, goody, mother! May Tim come?"

"Yes, Peter, and you may ask three other boys to your party. Which shall you choose?"

"I shall choose Ned and Jack and Will. When may I ask them?"

"Any time you wish, Peter. Ask them to come to your party on the last day of October. I will speak to their mothers about it."

Peter awoke early on the morning of his birthday. He called to Polly. Mother heard him.

She said, "Turn on the light, Peter. You may begin to dress, if you wish. There are some presents for you downstairs."

"Did Santa Claus leave them?" asked Peter. "I must hurry and look. May I go down before I dress?"

"If you wish," said mother.

When he ran downstairs, he found a sled, a pair of mittens, a book, and a new fur cap. He liked these very much.

All that day Peter was quite busy. First, he had to help father. Father was working in the barn. He was making Jack-o'-lanterns.

He made big ones and middle-sized ones and little ones. All had funny faces. All were smiling at something. Peter helped to scrape out the insides of the pumpkins.

He said, "I never before saw so many Jack-o'-lanterns. I am glad that you planted lots of pumpkin seeds. What shall we do with so many?"

"Mother will show you by and by," said father.

When the lanterns were done, Peter helped mother. They put the lanterns in the dining room. Some were on a table. Some were on a shelf. Some were on the sideboard. The room was full of smiling lanterns.

Next Peter helped mother wash and polish five apples. These were for an apple game. They hung by strings from the top of the room. They hung down into the middle of the room.

The boys would try to take a bite of these apples without touching them with their hands. This would be fun.

At last it was time for the party to begin. Tim came first. He wished to start playing at once. But just then the three other boys came. Then the fun began.

Tim tried to take a bite out of one swinging apple. But he got only some hard knocks on his nose. The apple was so slippery that he could not get a piece without using his hands.

"I do not wish a bite anyway," said Tim. "You play that game, Ned. I will do something else."

"Here is my train of cars," said Peter. "Let us play with that."

"I shall be the engineer," said Tim. But he ran the engine so fast that the train went off the track.

Then they all played tag. This was fun until Jack tumbled over a chair. He bumped his nose, but he did not care much.

Mrs. Howe said, "You must play a quieter game now. Try puss in the corner. There are four corners in this room and there are five boys."

"Peter, you must be the first one without a corner."

What fun it was changing corners! At last Tim was in the middle. He could not get a corner. He grew tired of trying.

He said, "May we play leapfrog? I will be the first frog."

All the boys but Peter could jump quite well. Peter got stuck. He had to be the next frog.

Then Ned tumbled over his back. So Ned had to be the frog.

At last Mrs. Howe said, "You boys must be hungry. You; nave worked hard. Supper is almost ready. There is time for one game of hide and seek. You may all hide. I will hunt for you. Hurry, while I count five hundred."

Off they ran. After a minute, they heard her call, "One, two, three; look out for me, for I am coming; one, two, three."

She uncovered her eyes and turned around. She saw Peter behind a chair. Then she said, "I spy Peter, and touch the goal before him."

Behind the door she found Will. So she said, "I spy Will, and touch the goal before him."

Just at that minute somebody under the couch sneezed and then somebody laughed. Mother found Jack and Ned there.

She said, "I spy Jack and Ned, and touch the goal before them."

Only Tim was left. He could not be found. Mother hunted everywhere for him. At last she called, "I give up, Tim. You are safe. Come out now."

Tim walked in from the hall. He had been hiding under Mr. Howe's long coat. It hung from a hook nearly to the floor.

"I beat, didn't I?" asked Tim.

"Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Howe. "Now come to the dining room. I hear grandmother. She and Polly have just come in. We were waiting supper for Polly."

She opened the door and the children looked in.

"Oh, oh, oh!" they cried. Then they began to laugh. You see, every Jack-o'-lantern was lighted. Everyone was grinning at them.

And besides, there, on the table, was Peter's birthday cake. That looked very good.

What fun those children had at supper! And the Jack-o'-lanterns must have had fun, too. Anyway, they smiled a great deal.

When the boys went home, each carried a large piece of Peter's cake and a box of candy with him.

The Jack-o'-lanterns stayed all night. They had never before been to a party. Perhaps they talked about it, when everyone had gone to bed.