with her most grown-up air. "I
suppose they think they sound funny."

Dot and Twaddles apparently did not care how they sounded, and they
stayed in the kitchen, stirring and tasting, till Linda flatly
declared that she'd put pepper in the pressed chicken instead of salt
if they didn't stop bothering her. Jud came just at that moment and
asked the twins to help him see if the new catch on the chicken yard
gate worked all right, and the two little torments readily followed
him.

Nearly everything was ready for the picnic by that night, and every
one went to bed hoping for a clear day.

"The sun is shining, Meg! Meg, get up!" shouted Dot early the next
morning. "We're going on a picnic!"

She made so much noise that she woke up Aunt Polly and Linda, as well
as Bobby and Twaddles, and then, of course, there was nothing to do
but to get up and have breakfast.

The four little Blossoms found Peter and Jud busy in the barn, putting
clean straw in the bottom of the box wagon that was used to haul logs
and brushwood in in the winter.

"Be ready in two jerks of a lamb's tail," announced Peter, using one
of his favorite expressions.

When the heavy wagon rattled up to the front door, the four little
Blossoms were already sitting on the straw. Aunt Polly and Linda were
helped in by Jud, who also lifted in the boxes of lunch, and then
Peter clucked to Jerry and Terry, and away they went, over the meadow
into the woods, and up the narrow wagon road.

"See, isn't this pretty?" asked Aunt Polly, as the road suddenly came
out into a clearing, and they saw the brook a bit ahead of them.

They all jumped out, and Peter turned the horses' heads toward home at
once. He was anxious to get back to his work, but was coming for them
at half-past four.

"We must get some flowers for the table," said Aunt Polly, after she
had helped Linda put the boxes in a low branch of a tree where nothing
could touch them. "Come, children, let's get a bouquet of flowers."

They gathered wild flowers, and also found some late blackberries
which, placed on a wide green leaf as a dish, looked very pretty.
Linda spread a white cloth presently, and was opening the boxes when
the sound of a rattling wagon attracted her attention.

"If that doesn't sound like Mr. Sparks' old rig," said Linda
curiously.

"It is," announced Dot complacently. "Twaddles and me asked him to
come to the picnic, 'cause he gave Meg and Bobby the calf."

Although Aunt Poll