crop."

Both Mrs. Morton and Marian looked up anxiously.

"You don't think----?" Marian hesitated. She did not wish to burden Katy
and Gertie with family worries.

"No, I don't think, not being in the weather man's confidence. But a
rain inside of the next three days would mean hundreds of dollars to the
Morton family and the whole Eastern half of Kansas as well."

Chicken Little's mind flew instantly to Ernest's cherished hopes. "Oh,
can't Ernest go to college if we don't have rain?"

"Don't bother your head, Chicken, we'll find some way to take care of
Ernest. Go back to your decorations."

Ernest and Sherm had spent the preceding evening erecting a remarkable
arch over the front gate with "Welcome to Our City" done in charcoal
letters a foot high on a strip of white paper cambric, depending from
it, and an American flag proudly floating above. The girls completed
this modest design by trimming up the gate posts with boughs.

Mrs. Morton's preparations were more practical. Three peach and three
custard pies crowded a chocolate cake and a pan of ginger cookies on the
lowest pantry shelf. The bread box lid would not shut, the box was so
full, and a whole boiled ham was cooling down at the spring house, not
to mention six dismembered spring chickens which had been offered up in
place of the regulation calf.

"I shouldn't mind if they had cooked two of the pigs," groaned Katy.
They were giving their charges an extra big feed, being fearful lest
they should forget them in the excitement of the guests' arrival.

"Neither would I," Chicken Little replied with a sigh. "I'm sick of the
sight of 'em!"

Gertie threw a carrot and hit the one time beauteous white one with the
curly tail, so smart a rap on his snout that he squealed his disapproval
while his relatives bagged the carrot.

"I don't care if I don't get any money for my share of 'em," said Katy
after a pause of disgusted contemplation of the pigs. "I'd have to spend
it for something useful like as not, or give some of it to the heathens.
Let's give them back to your father."

"I'd just as lief, only Frank and the boys would tease us everlastingly
if we backed out now--and we've worked so hard!"

"I don't care. I'd just as lief quit." Gertie's discouraged expression
was so funny that Chicken Little laughed and Gertie, the patient,
flared. She hated to be funny.

"Stop it--I am not going to help you feed those horrid pigs another
time, Chicken Little Ja