Page 49 (1/2)

"We'll have our picnic here," she decided

The ravine at this point received another little gulch into itself, and

where the two caether the bottom widened out into alrass-plot encroached upon by nu noisily in the

shade of saplings and of ferns

Bennington unsaddled the horses and led therass-plot,

where he picketed them securely in such a manner that they could not

becoled When he returned to the brookside he found that Mary

had undone her bundle and spread out its contents There were various

utensils, some corn meal, coffee, two slices of has wonderfully preserved by ton eyed all this in dished

"Can't you cook? Well, I can; you just obey orders"

"We won't get anything to eat before night," objected Bennington

dolefully as he looked over the decidedly raw ry!" she teased "Never htened He had one outdoor knack--that of lighting

refractory wood to burn His skill had

often been called into requisition in the igniting of beach fires, and

the so-called "cas from the

sunny places, cut slivers with his knife, built over the whole a

aainst which he leaned his

firewood Then he touched off the cos set fire to the aton's honour was vindicated He felt proud

Mary, who had been filling the coffee pot at the creek, approached and