reachery."

"Oh, dear, only hear the big words roll out!" cried Halse. "Ad's a
walking dictionary."

"Well, dictionaries are always handy to have about," said Theodora,
smoothing away the rudeness of this ill-natured remark. Addison did not
mind, however; it was only occasionally that Halse's flings disturbed
him.

"Yes, let's all go," said he. "We will get our milking off early and our
chores done. Then we will take a lantern and start; for it will be nine
o'clock before we get back home, and we shall have to go through the
little piece of woods between here and the Aunt Hannah lot."

The girls had prepared a nice supper. Ellen had been making pop-overs,
and Theodora had fried a great panful of crispy doughnuts. They cut a
sage cheese to go with these; and rather unwisely Ellen made a pot of
fresh coffee. It tasted much better than that which we ordinarily had at
breakfast; for she roasted the coffee, then ground it smoking hot from
the oven, and poured it into the pot before it had time to lose its
delicate aroma. They set on a brimming pitcherful of cream to put in it;
and we each had two cupfuls, at table, in consequence of which we all
felt very bright and jolly throughout the evening. But this was not a
wise procedure, from a hygienic point of view; I scarcely slept at all
that night.

In the twilight we loaded our pockets with early apples, then went
across the fields, through the pasture and over the hill, toward the
fort. The great trees in the Aunt Hannah lot pasture favored a covert
approach, and we drew near, very quietly, to surprise our friends. It
was now dusk, and halting under a great beech, we reconnoitered the
rocks on the knoll for some moments. Smoke was rising from out the fort;
at least we could smell it; and presently a pale gleam of firelight
shone up into the leafy top of a great black cherry tree which stood
within the space enclosed by the rocks. But not a word could we hear
spoken inside, or about the fort.

"Perhaps Kate hasn't come down from the house yet," Ellen said. "Let's
steal up softly till we are at the foot of the knoll; then you boys rush
up the path and surprise Tom. Shout 'Surrender, your fort is ours!' as
you rush in."

We approached, apparently without being discovered, and then emerging
suddenly from under the shadow of the great trees, ran up the path and
around the corner of the rock at the gateway with tumultuous cheers!

But we soon found that instead of surpris