a had finished telephoning.

"It's all right," spoke Walter, good-naturedly. "We have plenty of time."

Once more they were under way. The road was now not so good, and in places
positively bad. But they knew they would soon be on better ground, and
on a fine highway leading into Mooreville.

Later they were on a narrow thoroughfare, so narrow, and with such deep
ditches on either side, that it would take no small skill to pass another
vehicle in certain places. Then, as Cora made a turn, the road ahead being
hidden by a thick growth of trees, she saw straggling along the highway a
big flock of sheep, tended by a man and two beautiful collie dogs. The
fleecy animals straggled and spread out over the whole road.

"Oh dear!" Cora cried, as she slowed down. "Isn't this provoking! We can't
get past them."

"Why not?" asked Eline.

"Because they are so--so straggly. They take up the whole road, and if I
tried to pass I'd be sure to run over one of them. Oh! what a shame!

"We've got to take it slowly!" she called back to the twins, who were just
behind her. "I can't take a chance of threading my way through all these
animals."

"This is tough luck!" complained Jack, as he saw what the trouble was.

The herder looked up stolidly, puffing on a short pipe, and called to one
of the dogs, who leaped off to drive back into the flock a sheep that
showed a propensity to lag behind.

"Can't you try to pass them?" asked Eline. "I'm sure you could do it."

"I'd rather not," answered Cora.

"Don't you dare!" cautioned Bess, who heard what was said.

"But we'll be late for lunch--and it has been ordered," wailed Belle. "And
I'm so hungry!"

Cora resolved on an appeal.

"Do you think you could drive your sheep to one side, and keep them there
until we passed?" she asked the man. "It will take us only a minute to
shoot by."

"It would be a risky undertaking miss," the herder answered respectfully
enough. "Sheep is queer critters. You think you've got 'em just where you
want 'em, when, all to once they break out, and if one goes the others
follow."

"Yes, I know!" Cora was genuinely distressed. "But we simply must get
past!" she exclaimed. "Can't you think of a way?" She looked ahead at
the sheep. There were a hundred or more--quite a flock. The herder took
off his cap and scratched his head reflectively--looking the while
meditatively at his pipe.

"It might be done--it might," he murmured.

Cora brought her car to