ig vine over on that tree by the rocks. It's in a
perfect thicket and there may be some left."

It was difficult forcing their way through the bushes. They were almost
tempted to give up but Alice was sure she smelled grapes and Chicken
Little and Katy were eager to carry back some booty to make the boys
curious.

So they plodded on getting so many scratches and slaps from overhanging
branches and interlacing bushes that they made a joke of them.

"Mr. Bush, if you catch my hair again, I'll break a piece out of you,"
and Chicken Little gave the offending bush such a shove that it promptly
rebounded, grazing her cheek.

"Never mind," said Alice. "I've got my thirteenth scratch and my hair's
almost down. I won't have a hair-pin left by the time we get out of
this."

"I guess Mother will feel bad about my dress, but maybe she won't mind
so much if we take her some wild grapes. She hasn't had any this year.
Oh, bother these burrs!" and Katy stooped down to pick a bunch from her
shoe strings and several scattered ones from her white stockings already
profusely streaked with green and brown stains.

Gertie bringing up the rear of the little procession was too busy
defending her head and face against briars and brush to say anything.

Alice crashed through a particularly matted growth of bushes and gave a
shout of triumph. "Here we are, children, and there are grapes--scads of
them!"

They found themselves under a low spreading oak that was fairly canopied
with huge wild grape vines that hung almost to the ground on three
sides, forming a big tent. The grapes were plentiful and the fragrance
delicious. But, alas, these were like the grapes the fox found sour,
most of them hung high above their reach.

"What a shame--if only the boys were here they might climb!" said Alice
disgusted.

"I can climb if you'll boost me, Alice," Chicken Little volunteered
quickly.

Alice was surveying the tempting fruit thoughtfully.

"I don't believe you could reach them if you did, Chicken Little. See,
you'd have to go clear out on the ends of the branches. Perhaps if we'd
go up on the hill above--it's pretty steep here--we could reach some. It
will be hard to get through--there's a perfect rat's nest of vines and
bushes."

Chicken Little was already crawling under the overhanging vines. She
soon shouted a discovery.

"Say, somebody's cut a little path here through the bushes. Come
on--it's easy after you get through a little w