their cruel Uncle
Gloucester, and so Liddy and I decided they should have a little frolic
by way of a change."

"Has _he_ gone from the neighborhood, I wonder?" thought Donald (strange
to say, neither he nor Dorry had known that the Danbys' boarder and the
"long, lank man" were the same), but he said aloud: "We're ever so glad
to hear it, Uncle. Now, whom shall we invite?"

"Oh, _do_ hear that 'whom'!" exclaimed Dorry, in well-feigned disgust,
while Don went on gayly:

"Let's have plenty of girls this time. Don't you say so, Dorry?"

"Oh, yes, let's have fifteen girls and fifteen boys. Let's invite all
the Danbys; may we, Uncle? It would be such a treat to them; you know
they never have an opportunity to go to a party."

"Just as you please, my girl; but will not ten of them be rather a large
proportion out of thirty?"

"Oh, no, Uncle dear. They can't _all_ come--not the very littlest ones,
any way. At any rate, if Don's willing, I'd like to ask them."

"Agreed!" assented Don.

"The ayes have it!" said Uncle George. "Now let us go to supper."

Dorry ran on ahead, so as to have a word with Liddy on the delightful
subject of house-picnics; but Don, lingering, startled his uncle with a
whispered:

"I say, Uncle, has Jack thrashed that fellow?"

"I have heard nothing to that effect," was the reply. "The man was
called away suddenly."

"Oh," said Donald, in a disappointed tone, "I hoped you had given him
his walking papers."

"I have, perhaps," returned Mr. Reed, smiling gravely, "but not in the
way you supposed."

Don looked up, eagerly, hoping to hear more, but his uncle, without
another word, led the way into the supper-room.

CHAPTER XV.

THE HOUSE-PICNIC.

THE house-picnic proved a complete success. In the first place, not only
the original thirty came, but other boys and girls whose names had been
added to the list; secondly, a lovely snow-storm, one of the bright, dry
kind, had come during the night, and evidently had come to stay;
thirdly, the guests made it a frolic from the start, and every
sleigh-load driven to the door by Jack came in singing and cheering;
fourthly, Uncle George, as Dorry said, was "splendid," Jack was "good as
gold," and Liddy was "too lovely for anything;" fifthly, the house from
top to bottom was bright, home-like, and beautiful; and lastly, hardly
anything was broken, not a single child was killed, and the house wasn't
burned to the ground,--all of which Liddy