arp reproaches were necessary to
keep their heavy eyes open. They were too sleepy to care whether the sun
rose in the usual sedate way or pirouetted up chasing a star. In fact,
they forgot all about the expected sunrise. They wanted just two
things--sleep and something to eat.

The call to breakfast was even sweeter than the serenade had been.
Father and Mother Jenkins were concerned at their jaded appearance.

"Seems like parties don't agree with you young ones none too well. I
reckon we won't have them very often," Father Jenkins remarked tartly.
His own eyes smarted from loss of sleep.

"I don't believe you ought to go to the picnic this afternoon if you are
feeling so played out," Mother Jenkins added. "Your Ma will think I
haven't taken good care of you. It was them good-for-nothing boys
a-coming that wore you plumb out."

Generous cups of strong coffee--a luxury not permitted to either Chicken
Little or Katy at home--woke them up and they got through the morning
nicely. Not for worlds would they have missed that picnic.

But even the coffee could not carry them through the afternoon. They
were the butts of the entire party on account of their dullness and
heavy eyes.

Ernest expressed his disgust with his sister openly. "Well, I think
Mother'd better keep you at home till you're old enough not to be such a
baby." Jane had been nodding in spite of herself.

"Looks to me as if you girls had stayed up all night!" exclaimed Grant
Stowe.

Mamie roused enough to retort: "Well, I guess you didn't get any too
much sleep yourself."

"We can keep awake if we didn't. But if it has this kind of effect on
you, we'll leave you out the next time we go serenading."

It had been arranged that they should catch fish for the picnic supper.
The girls had brought a huge frying pan and the butter and corn meal to
cook them in. As soon as the teams were cared for, the boys got out
fishing tackle and bait and the party broke up into small groups for the
fishing. Grant Stowe offered to help Chicken Little with her line. She
found this courtesy on his part embarrassing, for Katy and Mamie
exchanged looks, and she was so utterly sleepy, that she would have
preferred Ernest or Sherm so she wouldn't be expected to talk. Chicken
Little had gone to school with Grant the preceding winter. He was always
a leader in their school games and a great favorite.

Grant found a snug place beside a deep pool that promised catfish at the
very