e they have fed on hazel nuts
for a month or two, make a luscious good stew."

Addison had just come out and kindled a fire; and before we had our
trout dressed, ready to fry, Willis came in with a string of four
partridges, but no squirrels.

"Are the partridges plenty?" Ad asked.

"Well, there's some. They seem a little shy, though," replied Willis,
taking the cap off the tube of the gun, which had a percussion lock. "I
shouldn't wonder if some hunter had been firing among them, by the way
they fly," he added. "But we can get all we shall want."

"Aren't the girls up yet?" said Thomas. "Wonder what they would say if
they knew the fire all went out by eleven o'clock! There's lots of bears
round here, too."

"That's so," said Willis. "I've seen bear sign out here in the opening
this morning in more'n a dozen places."

"Well, keep quiet about it," said Thomas. "We'll call it _deer_. When
any of us speak of _deer_, we boys will know that it's bear. It's of no
use to scare the girls; and the bears won't touch us this time of year
anyway."

We began getting breakfast. Potatoes were put to roast in the embers;
but the chief dish was to be trout. Thomas began frying them in butter
and meal and set a big tin platter down by the fire to keep them hot,
after he had taken them from the pan. Willis tended the fire and kept
the embers banked over the potatoes; and Addison got on water for
coffee. About this time the door of the girls' cabin was heard to creak;
and we saw Catherine and Theodora peeping out.

"What lazy things girls are!" Addison exclaimed, derisively. "Here it is
nigh seven o'clock and you sluggards are not out yet."

"Oh, we've been awake and up a long time," said Kate. "It was fun to lie
and hear you boys pottering about, trying to get breakfast, and to hear
you talk, too. I suppose we shall all be obliged to go down to the brook
to wash our faces," she added. "I don't believe any of you boys have
thought of washing your faces yet! Tom looks frowzy; I won't say
anything about the others."

"No," said Addison. "We don't think of such a thing as washing our faces
up here!"

"Well, then, you had better, if you are going to take breakfast with us;
hadn't they, Theodora?"

"Indeed, they had!" cried Theodora. "I decline to sit down to breakfast
with any fellow who hasn't washed his face."

Thereupon the three girls set off for the ford, with combs, soap and
towels.

"You will see a lot of _deer_ track