ways be friends."

"Oh, yes," said Mitch, "but that's just the trouble--to be in the same
town and the same school and not to have her the same. I've got a funny
feelin', Skeet--it's bound to happen. And anyway, if it don't, we must
be up and doin' and get the treasure and then square off for somethin'
else. And if I get it and all goes well, maybe Zueline and me will marry
and be happy here. That's the way I want it."

[Illustration: We Sang and Threw Clods]

It must have been two hours before we got to the edge of the wood where
Joe Gordon lived. And I showed Mitch the oak tree where Joe had peeled
off the bark to make tea for the rheumatism or somethin'. My grandma had
told me. Finally we crossed the bridge over the creek, and climbed the
hill. "There," I said to Mitch, "that's my grandpa's house. Ain't it
beautiful--and look at the red barn--and over there, there's the hills
of Mason County right by Salt Creek." Mitch's eyes fairly glowed; so
then we hurried on to get to the house, which was about half a mile.

[Illustration: Going through the Hired Man's Trunk]

There wasn't a soul at home but Willie Wallace, the hired man. He was
shavin' himself, goin' to see his girl, and he let us play on his Jews
harp and smell the cigars he had in his trunk, which he had perfumed
with cinnamon or somethin'. Grandpa and grandma had gone to Concord to
church, and Uncle Henry was in town seein' his girl, and the hired girl
was off for the day. We were hungry as wolves, so I took Mitch into the
pantry where we found a blackberry pie, and a crock of milk, rich with
cream. We ate the pie and drank the milk. Then I showed Mitch the barn
and the horses, and my saddle. I took him into the work house where the
tools were. I showed him the telephone I made which ran down to the
tenant's house. And we got out my uncle's wagon and played engine; and
went up into the attic to look for books. Mitch found a novel by Scott
and began to read; and that was the last of him. I went back to the work
house and pulled a kite I had made from the rafters and got it ready to
fly.

After while grandpa and grandma came from church and when grandma came
out of her room where she had changed her silk dress for a calico dress
in order to get dinner, I stepped out from a door and said, "Hello,
grandma." "Why, child," she said, "you almost scared me to pieces. What
are you doin' here? Where's your popie and your momie?" Then I told her
Mitch and I had wa