Oh, there might some of the boys be hanging round to steal the candy
when we put it out to cool," answered Sherm easily, trying to be
off-hand.

Alice set out the molasses and butter and sugar and went off up to her
room. The boys pulling the shades carefully down, set to work, and
became so absorbed in the candy that they almost forgot their foes for
the next ten minutes. Just as they were lifting the sticky mass from the
stove Chicken Little tore in.

"Boys, I guess they've heard you, because one boy came and told those
two boys something and they all ran round to the back of the house--just
now--and there were four! Oh, you must be awfully careful! Listen,
wasn't that somebody at the door?"

There was an audible crunching of the snow outside. The door was bolted,
but all four children stood for an instant with their gaze riveted upon
it as if they expected to see it burst open at any moment.

"Pooh, they can't do anything!" said Ernest coming to himself, "and the
candy'll be all spoiled."

"Say, let's go up to the north room and slip out on the kitchen room
while the candy cools. I bet we can see 'em from there."

The boys set the candy in a pan of snow to cool and bolted softly up the
stairs. Dr. and Mrs. Morton placidly reading in the sitting room were
blissfully unaware of the excitement.

"I wonder what makes the boys so quiet tonight?"

The boys followed close by Chicken Little had reached the north room and
were cautiously opening the window, inch by inch, lest the sound should
be heard outside. Then they quietly clambered out. At first there seemed
to be no trace of the intruders. But when Carol incautiously exclaimed
in a stage whisper: "Bet they've all vamoosed!" a distinct "Hist!" was
heard from below. Finally Sherm, who was flat on his stomach, holding on
to the edge of the roof, solved the mystery. He held up his hand in
warning to the others, and presently came crawling back and motioned
them all inside.

"They're all close against the kitchen windows trying to find out what's
going on. They like to caught us when Carol piped up that time. Gee,
looked like there was a dozen, but some of 'em are little fellers. I
wish we could make a rush at them, but I guess there's too many."

"Shucks, I hate to give up," growled Ernest.

"Well, we might as well go back and finish the candy!" said Carol after
a pause. "We can't do anything with such a crowd--a sweet time we'll
have getting home tonight," he