n the
air, and Maggie had to be sent for to take him away from the table.

The ride up the mountain had been so fatiguing that by eight o'clock all
the Dunlees, little and big, were glad to find themselves snugly in bed.
They slept late, every one of them, and even the woodpeckers, tapping on
the roof next morning, failed to arouse them with their "Jacob, Jacob,
wake up, wake up, Jacob!"

After breakfast Edith happened to leave the dining-room just behind Mrs.
McQuilken, who held her two cats cuddled up in her arms like babies,
and was kissing their foreheads and calling them "mamma's precious
darlings." As Edith heard this she could not help smiling, and Mrs.
McQuilken paused in the entry a moment to say:--

"I guess you like cats."

"I do, ma'am. Oh, yes, very much."

"That's right. I like to see children fond of animals. Now, I've got a
new kitty upstairs, a zebra kitty, that you'd be pleased with. It's a
beauty, and _such_ a tail! Come up to my room and see it if you want to.
My room's Number Five. But don't you come now; I shall be busy an hour
and a half. Remember, an hour and a half."

Edith thanked her and ran to tell Kyzie what the "knitting-woman" had
been saying.

"Go get your kodak," said Kyzie. "Nate Pollard is going to take us all
out on an exploring expedition. You know he has been in Castle Cliff a
whole week, and knows the places."

"First thing I want to see is that mine," said Lucy, as they all met
outside the hotel.

"The mine?" repeated Kyzie, and looked at Eddo. "I'm afraid it isn't
quite safe to take little bits of people to such a place as that. Do you
think it is, Nate?"

"Rather risky," replied Nate.

Eddo had caught the words, "little bits of people," and his eyes opened
wide.

"What does _mine_ mean, Jimmum?"

"A great big hole, I guess. See here, Eddo, let's go in the house and
find Maggie."

"Yes," chimed in Edith, "let's go find Maggie. There's a _beau_-tiful
picture book in mamma's drawer. You just ask Maggie and she'll show you
the picture of those nice little guinea-pigs."

Though very young, Eddo was acute enough to see through this little
manoeuvre. It was not the first time the other children had tried to get
him out of the way. They wanted to go to see a charming "great big hole"
somewhere, and they thought he would fall into it and get hurt. They
were always thinking such things--so stupid of them! They thought he
used to run after "choo choos" and talk to them