home. Often
these little houses have silken hangings inside. The little owners
fasten the hooks at the ends of their bodies to these and moor
themselves securely."

"What do you call it a worm for?" asked Mrs. Reece.

"Well, it looks a little like a worm. It has a long, slender body, but
it has six jointed legs, which real worms don't have. See this fellow!"
Ben Gile pulled the worm out of its case.

"Oh, see! part of the body is so pale and soft!"

"That, child, is because it is always covered by the little house. The
front end and the legs, however, are darker. That's sunburn, I suppose."

"When young Master Caddis-Worm goes out for a swim or a walk it pushes
its six legs out-of-doors, and walks along, carrying its house with it.
Very convenient, you see! No doors to lock! And if it gets tired it does
not have to walk home; it just walks in and goes to sleep under a nice,
smooth stone. Some roam about and some stay at home. These creatures are
pretty much like human beings in their ways.

"One of the young caddis-worms prefers fishing to walking, like some
other young fellows I know. On a stone near its house it spins a fine
web, turned up-stream, so that any tender little insects floating
down-stream get lodged in it. An easy way to get your dinner--just to go
to a net and eat."

The guide paused for a long time, clouds of smoke circling about his
white beard and white hair. The children thought he would never go on.
"I've had something on my mind for days," he said, "and I'll speak of it
now. The boy or girl who learns most about the ants before September
15th shall win a prize. This prize is to be a magnifying-glass, a book
of colored plates of the insects, very beautiful and very big, and a
five-dollar gold piece."

"A prize, a prize!" shouted the children, jumping madly about, while
Mrs. Reece and the guide smiled at each other.

"Now we've had our dinner, our rest, our pipe of peace, a plan for a
prize, and we must push on for the camping-ground. Get the canoes
ready."

And, with laughter and talking, the canoes were off up the river again.

X

A NAGGING FAMILY

"Do you know of a family around here whom no one likes?" asked Ben Gile.

The lanterns were burning brightly out on the lawn of Turtle Lodge, and
Mrs. Reece had just stopped playing so that the children might rest from
dancing. All the lanterns moved gently to and fro on the piazza; the
children were running about, and everybod