et the barrel over. Finally he had a happy
thought. He also braced both feet against the chopping log and giving a
sudden shove with all his strength sent the barrel over and the little
girls sprawling in all directions at the same time.

There was a chorus of protests from Chicken Little and Katy, but Ernest
and Carol acting as umpires declared that Sherm had kept his contract.
Furthermore, the boys were eager to light the furnace, dry or not.

[Illustration: Wiping his eyes ... as the puffs came thicker.]

To Chicken Little was granted the proud privilege of touching the
match to the heaped-up fuel. It took five matches to do the work and
when the paper and kindling finally caught, the smoke showed a
disposition to pour out the door into their faces instead of puffing
decorously up the chimney.

"I don't see what ails the old thing," said Sherman, wiping his eyes and
backing off as the puffs came thicker.

"Bet there's a crack some place near the top that spoils the draught."
Ernest was a student and strong on reasons.

"Holy smoke! I should say so," reported Sherman, investigating. "Look at
the top where the pipe goes in, you could put both hands down through
the hole. Carol Brown, I thought you undertook to plaster this darned
thing!"

"Well, I daubed on two bucketsful of the stuff--maybe you think it was
fun to fill in all those cracks. I can't help it if you fellows left
half acre spaces between the bricks so it falls through!" complained
Carol, who did not love work.

"Half acre nothing, your stuff was too thin and didn't stick!
Here--gimme your bucket."

Sherm stalked off disgustedly and was soon back with a gloriously messy
batch of clay which he dashed painstakingly into the crack and into
sundry other cracks that his keen eyes discovered.

"When you're doing a job, you might as well learn to do it right--it
saves time in the long run," he lectured with an absurd imitation of
his father's manner.

"Quit your preaching!" growled Carol.

"Alee samee, Sherm did the business, Carol," retorted Ernest. "Gee, it's
going with a whoop!"

And the furnace certainly proved the force of Sherman's words, for the
fire crackled merrily.

The children watched it, fascinated, waiting till the embers should be
ready for the apples and potatoes.

Katy had a bright idea. "Say, Jane, get your dishes and I'll ask Mother
if I can bring over our little table and we'll have a sure enough tea
party."

"Oh, shucks,