said it was not worth the
trouble, and shortly afterward we turned off the main road into a lane,
seeking a place for our luncheon. Tish drove as usual, but she continued
to lament the gun.

"I feel keenly," she said, "the necessity of being fully armed against
any emergency. And I feel, too, that it is my solemn duty to salvage
such weapons as come my way at any and all times."

I called to her just then, but she was driving while looking over her
shoulder at Mr. Burton, and it was too late to avoid the goat. We went
over it and it lay behind us in the road quite still.

"You've killed it, Tish," I said.

"Not at all," she retorted. "It has probably only fainted. As I was
saying, I feel that with our near approach to the lines we should be
armed to the teeth with modern engines of destruction, and should also
know how to use them."

We were then in a very attractive valley, and Tish descending observed
that if it were not for the noise of falling shells and so on it would
have been a charming place to picnic.

She then instructed Aggie and me to prepare a luncheon of beef
croquettes and floating island, and asked Mr. Burton to accompany her
back to the car.

As I was sitting on the running board beating eggs for a meringue at the
time I could not avoid overhearing the conversation.

First Mr. Burton, acting under orders, lifted the false bottom, and then
he whistled and observed: "Great Caesar's ghost! Looks as though there is
going to be hell up Sixth Street, doesn't it?"

"I'll ask you not to be vulgar, Mr. Burton."

"But--look here, Miss Tish. We'll be jailed for this, you know. You may
be able to get away with the C. in C.'s tires, but you can't steal a
hundred or so grenades without somebody missing them. Besides, what
the--what the dickens are you going to do with them? If it had been eggs
now, or oranges--but grenades!"

"They may be useful," Tish replied in her cryptic manner. "Forearmed is
forewarned, Mr. Burton. What is this white pin for?"

I believe she then pulled the pin, for I heard Mr. Burton yell, and a
second later there was a loud explosion.

I sat still, unable to move, and then I heard Mr. Burton say in a
furious voice: "If I hadn't grabbed that thing and thrown it you'd have
been explaining this salvage system of yours to your Maker before this,
Miss Carberry. Upon my word, if I hadn't known you'd blow up the whole
outfit the moment I was gone I'd have left before this. I've got n