not seem to be
in the least ashamed of his singular appearance.

Edith said it was an "empty country," and indeed there were few houses;
but there must have been more dogs than houses, for the whole journey
had a running accompaniment of "bow-wow-wows."

The farther up hill the road wound the steeper it grew; and Jimmy
exclaimed more than once:--

"This coach is standing up straight on its hind feet, papa! Just look!
'Twill spill us all out backward!"

But it did nothing of the sort. It took them straight to Castle Cliff,
"nearly six thousand feet above the level of the sea," and there it
stopped, before the front door of the hotel. It was about half-past five
o'clock in the afternoon, and Mr. Templeton, who had been looking out
for the tallyho, came down the steps to meet his guests.

II

THE FIRST DINNER

Mr. Templeton's wife was just behind him. They both greeted the party as
if they had all been old friends. The house, a large white one, stood as
if in the act of climbing the hill. In front was a sloping lawn full of
brilliant flowers, bordered with house-leek, or "old hen and chickens,"
a plant running over with pink blossoms. Kyzie had not expected to see a
garden like this on the mountain.

At one side of the house, between two black oak trees, was a hammock,
and near it a large stone trough, into which water dripped from a
faucet. Two birds, called red-hammers, were sipping the water with
their bills, not at all disturbed by the arrival of strangers.

It was a small settlement. The hotel, by far the largest house in Castle
Cliff, looked down with a grand air upon the few cottages in sight.
These tiny cottages were not at all pretty, and had no grass or lawns in
front, but people from the city were keeping house in them for the
summer; and besides there were tents scattered all about, full of
"campers."

As the "bonnie Dunlees" and their elders entered the hotel, a merry
voice called out:--

"A hearty welcome to you, my friends, and three cheers for Castle
Cliff!"

Mr. and Mrs. Dunlee and the Sanfords walked on smiling, and the children
lingered awhile outside; but it was a full minute before any of them
discovered that the cheery voice belonged to a parrot, whose cage swung
from a tall sycamore overhead.

"Polly's pretty sociable," laughed Mr. Templeton. "Do you like animals,
young ladies? If so, please stand up here in a group, and you shall have
another welcome."

Then he clapped h