children all went with you because nobody's
going to be willing to be left out?"

"I can take five nicely and have plenty of room for guns and lunch
baskets besides. By the way, please tell your mother that Wing Fan will
never forgive me if he is not permitted to get up the lunch for all the
young people at the very least."

"Have you a gun with you?" he asked Sherm as they were going.

"No, but Ernest said I might take his."

"I have a new shotgun. I should be glad if you would share it with me."

They found Alice and Dick, Marian, Katie, Gertie and Jilly, not to
mention Huz and Buz, waiting for them on the Morton side of the ford.

"What luck?"

Sherm didn't give Jane a chance to reply.

"Oh, Chicken Little just put on her company smile and the Captain held
out his hands and said: 'Handcuffs, please.'" He was meeker than Buz.

"Sherman Dart, you old--" Chicken Little flicked Caliph lightly by way
of revenge, and Sherm had his hands full for several seconds, for Caliph
resented the indignity.

It was arranged to start early the following Saturday morning. Mrs.
Morton and Annie were up soon after daylight busy with the mysteries of
fried chicken and fresh rolls. The men of the party were equally busy
cleaning guns and routing out all sorts of hunting toggery. The girls
tried to help everybody impartially, succeeding for the most part in
making a general nuisance of themselves.

At exactly seven-thirty Captain Clarke drove up with a wonderful team of
blacks. His hunting jacket was belted in with a formidable looking
cartridge belt, two shotguns were slid in on the floor of the spring
wagon, and lunch baskets and a great earthenware jug of lemonade were
wedged in under the seats. He gave a shrill hunting halloo as he drew up
at the gate.

Mrs. Morton was a little disturbed at the gay looking team.

"Are you quite sure they are safe with the guns? You know young people
are often reckless and this is a very precious load."

"My dear madam, I think I can answer for Jim and Jerry. I took them out
for an hour yesterday and used the gun over their heads to make sure
they hadn't forgotten their manners."

The Captain met the strangers of the party in his usual courteous
reserved fashion, but his eyes lighted when Chicken Little ran down the
walk. He established Ernest and Katie and Gertie on the back seat and
swung Jane up in front to the driver's seat with Sherm on her left.

"Ernest, I'll handle the ribbons