away and never thanked her!"

This was indeed an oversight which boys so well-bred felt must be
rectified, and they turned their faces again toward the cottage. But
they had not gone far when the forest-keeper, who had heard them
singing, joined them; and they told him their trouble.

"Oh, I will make that all right!" he said. "You need not go back. I will
tell her all that you wished to say."

"Tell her that we are very much obliged to her for her kindness to us,"
said Fritz, "and tell her our breakfast was first-class and we enjoyed
it."

"And tell her," said Paul, "that she made our clothes dry and clean and
it is not her fault that our hats could not be straightened to look like
they did before it rained."

"Nor," added Franz, "was it her fault that they are stained by the color
coming out of the bands and running into the straw. Please tell her we
are obliged, just the same."

"I will tell her all," replied Hartman, making a laudable effort to keep
from smiling, "and now good-bye, and a safe journey home."

The boys touched their hats, and turned their faces again toward the
road, when Paul halted and looked back. "There now!" he said, "we forgot
to thank the forest-keeper for his goodness to us, and we would have had
to sleep in our wet clothes and had no good beds or breakfast, had it
not been for him. Let us run back and thank him."

It seemed that Mr. Hartman had a presentiment that the triplets would
have something more to say, for he had halted and was looking after
them.

"We forgot to thank you for your goodness to us," they exclaimed when
within speaking distance; "and we ran back to tell you."

"That is all right," he answered heartily. "We were glad to entertain
you, and hope that you will come to see us again."

"Thank you; we will if we can," replied Paul, then all said good-bye,
touched their hats and set out again for the road.

Presently Mr. Hartman saw their heads together in earnest conversation,
and waited, believing that they had something more to say, and he was
not mistaken, for they ran back, and Franz this time was spokesman.

"We forgot to invite you to come to see us," he said earnestly. "Fritz
and Paul said that you would not care to visit boys not yet twelve years
of age, but I said that my father is a forest-keeper like you, and I
would invite you to visit him; so I do invite you and hope you will
come."

"I thank you heartily and would be glad to make his acquaintance