ighty glad for the opportunity. We will have bear steak
for breakfast."

"Perhaps we shall have jail to digest it in. I am not certain whether or
not we are permitted to shoot bear at this time of the year. Do you know
what the Kentucky game laws with reference to bear are?"

Hippy said he did not, and did not care. Having made up his mind to have
bear for breakfast, no mere laws should interfere with his appetite he
said. The girls, not wishing to witness the operation, returned to the
camp and Hippy shot the bear.

Most of the balance of the night was spent by him in dressing the animal
and stringing it up by its hocks to let it cool. He was not an expert at
this sort of thing, but had Tom Gray been there he would have done the
job and been back between his blankets in an hour. However, there was
bear steak for breakfast, though Elfreda declared she wouldn't touch a
mouthful of it for anything. The others were not suffering from delicate
appetites, and did full justice to the meal.

Later in the forenoon, Hippy, who had declared himself too busy to go
for the milk the night before, started out for the Thompson cabin,
accompanied by Nora and Emma, to purchase a pail of fresh milk.

Upon their arrival there, Julie and the rest of the family, except Mr.
Thompson, gathered about the Overland Riders, full of curiosity. Julie
explained that "Paw" had gone away the night before and hadn't come
back.

"Paw's awful mad 'bout you folks," she announced. "Said as how ye had
better git out afore he got too het up 'bout ye."

"We shall be going in a few days," answered Nora. "Tell your 'Paw' not
to get excited."

"I'll tell you what," bubbled Emma. "Does he like bear meat?"

"Ah reckon he likes most any kind o' food," answered Mrs. Thompson.

"Good. Listen to me! We got a bear last night and we had part of him for
breakfast. For a time it looked like he was going to have us for his
breakfast, but we shot him and Lieutenant Wingate dressed him, and he
was fine," declared Miss Dean with enthusiasm. "I will send the colored
boy over with a fine bear steak for Mr. Thompson, and, if he is anything
like Lieutenant Wingate, he will be mad no longer."

The mountain woman smiled at Emma's temperamental enthusiasm.

"I reckon he'll be mighty glad to have it," she nodded.

Before leaving, Hippy Wingate chucked the two little children under the
chin and gave each a five-cent piece, promising to give them as much
more each time h