Come meet the four Melendy kids-Mona, Rush, Randy and Oliver! Randy and Oliver Melendy awake one morning full of gloom. Their brothers and sisters are away, the house seems forlorn and empty, and even Cuffy, their adored housekeeper, can't pick up their spirits. Will they have to face a long and lonely winter? But a surprise message in the mailbox starts a trail of excitement and adventure that takes them through the cold season. When summer comes around, the children have found fourteen messages in all, and the end of the search brings them a rich reward. Here is the fourth in Elizabeth Enright's classic children's series telling the tales of a long and glorious summer in the country with the resourceful, endearing Melendy bunch!