hem together by
the fringe, and hung them up as a curtain across the middle of the tent.
The front apartment served nicely as a kitchen, and the provisions and
crockery were moved in there, in spite of Tom's ungallant remark that he
and Mr. Hallam should never see any of the pies he knew.

By way of recompense, he took the guns, and all dangerous implements,
under his own care.

The afternoon was nearly spent, when their preparations were at last
completed, and they were ready to begin house-keeping.

"Let's have supper," said Gypsy. Gypsy was always ready to have supper,
whenever dinner-time was passed.

"We haven't a single trout," said Tom.

"It is rather late to fish," said Mr. Hallam. "The little girls are tired
and hungry,--indeed we all are, for that matter,--and I guess we will have
supper."

Gypsy installed herself as housekeeper-in-general, and she and Sarah lost
no time in unpacking the cake and bread and butter. Tom collected some
light, dry brushwood for a fire, and he and Mr. Hallam made the coffee. It
seemed as if no supper had ever tasted as that supper did. The free
mountain air was so fresh and strong, and the breath of the pines so
sweet. It was so pleasant to sit on the moss around a fire, and eat with
your fingers if you chose, without shocking anybody. Then the woods looked
so wide and lonely and still, and it was so strange to watch the great red
sunset dying like a fire through the thick green net-work, where the
pine-boughs and the maple interlaced.

For about five minutes after supper was cleared away, when the great
shadows began to darken among the trees, Sarah discoursed in a vague,
scientific way, about the habits of bears, and Gypsy had a dim notion that
she shouldn't so very much object to see her mother come walking up the
mountain, seized with an uncontrollable desire to spend a night in a tent.
But Tom was so pleasant and merry, and Mr. Hallam told such funny stories,
that they were laughing before they knew it, and the evening passed
happily away.

Gypsy could not sleep for some time that night, for delight at spending a
night out doors in a real tent on a real mountain, that was known to have
an occasional real bear on it. She did not feel afraid in the least,
although Sarah had a very uncomfortable way of asking her, every ten
minutes, if she were perfectly _sure_ it was safe.

"Oh, don't!" said Gypsy, at last. "I am having such a good time thinking
that I'm really here.