er close by the house, that had been roughly boarded
over and fitted up with bench and table by Master Ben, so as to make a
sort of workshop.

They all went over, accompanied by Charity Cora, and were received in
Ben's usual style, which consisted in simply ceasing to whistle aloud,
though he still held his lips in whistling position while he proceeded
with his work.

They watched him in silence for a moment (the young Danbys, at least,
knowing that they would be firmly, but not unkindly, ordered off, if
they interfered with the business in hand), and then, to their relief,
Ben drove in the last nail and laid down the hammer.

"What's that for?--to catch yab-bits?" asked Gregory George, nicknamed
'Gory by his brothers, for the fun of the thing, he was so fair-haired
and gentle.

"No; it's to catch little boys," answered Ben, whereat 'Gory grinned,
and looked at Don and Dorry to see if they were foolish enough to
believe it.

"Well, why don't you act perlite to your comp'ny?" asked Fandy, much
shocked at Ben's unconscious want of ceremony.

"Ha, ha!" laughed Ben. "Hallo, Donald!"

Dorry was softly talking to Cora, and at the same time coaxing the baby
from its sister's arms.

"Hallo yourself!" was Donald's quick response to Ben. "Did you have any
luck last night?"

"Yes, two! Got the skins out drying. Beauties! I say, Donald, can you
spare me your gun again, if you're not going to use it Thanksgiving
Day?"

"Certainly," answered Don; "you can have it, and welcome. Tyler and I
are going to fire at a mark in the afternoon, with Uncle and the girls.
But we'll use the rifle for that."

"What girls?" asked Charity Cora, eagerly, hoping, from Donald's plural
way of putting it, that she and Ella Elizabeth possibly were to have a
share in the sport; whereat Daniel David, guessing her thoughts,
answered for Donald, with a cutting, "Why, Queen Victoria and the royal
princess, to be sure. Who else could it be?"

Cora made no reply, but, feeling rather ashamed, rubbed her arms (a
habit of hers whenever the baby for the moment happened to be out of
them), and looked at Donald.

"Josie Manning and Ed Tyler are coming over after dinner," said Donald.

"I should think they'd rather come to dinner," spoke up Ella Elizabeth,
with hungry eyes. "Turkeys and things--Oh, my! Punkin pie!"

This called forth two exclamations in a breath:

_Dan. David:_ "'Punkin pie! Oh, my!' We're getting poetical. Call
'Mandy, quick. Punk