ted, the boat suddenly
disappeared around a corner of the rocks, in the opposite direction,
while there came ringing out on the air, in mocking tones, the words
of the old song:

"I saw the boat go 'round the bend."

No one saw Lyle when she returned, a couple of hours later, and not
even Miss Gladden knew that she was in the house until she made her
appearance at the dinner table, with a very demure face, exceedingly
pink fingers, and wearing an air of deep mystery that no amount of
joking could diminish.

After dinner, Lyle made two or three trips across the lake, carrying
mysterious baskets and dishes. In one of these journeys she was
intercepted by Miss Gladden, who was lying in wait for her, and who,
tempted by the delightful aroma, lifted the cover of one of her
dishes.

"Strawberries!" she exclaimed, "and wild ones! Where did you get them,
Lyle? They are the first I have seen out here."

"They are the first that have ripened," she replied, "I went over to
the gulch for them this morning, but don't say anything about them,"
she added, as she stepped into the boat with her treasures, "I'm going
to cache them until they are needed."

"Going to do what?" said Miss Gladden.

"Going to 'cache' them, hide them away among the rocks," she replied
laughing, and, taking the oars, she was soon speeding across the
lake.

It was a merry party that started out two or three hours later.
Houston carried the banjo, as Rutherford had his precious camera and a
lot of plates, having declared his intention of immortalizing the
occasion by taking a number of views for the benefit of their
posterity. Miss Gladden had her guitar, and to the great astonishment
of the gentlemen, Lyle appeared, carrying a fine old violin. It was
Mike's, which she had borrowed for the occasion at the suggestion of
Miss Gladden, and in reply to the expressions of wonder from the
gentlemen, Miss Gladden said:

"This is the surprise I planned for you, but wait till you have heard
her; I never heard her myself until a day or two ago."

With song and laughter they crossed the lake, and having reached the
landing place among the rocks and fastened their boats, proceeded up
the mountain. Here they found a flight of natural stone steps, at the
head of which a broad trail wound around the mountain, until, having
passed a huge, shelving rock, they suddenly found themselves on a
plateau, broad, grassy, and, as Lyle had said, "as level as