d chatter and ejaculations that issued
from that quarter made even Alec curious. Going around the house he
hung on to the window-ledge and begged to be let into the secret.

"We want to surprise everybody!" said Debby revengefully.

Alec dropped to the ground and walked away in high amusement. Let them
keep their secret then; he was sure he knew a surprise worth two of
it. Then he betook himself to the Mexican quarters to note the
progress of his own gift for Blue Bonnet.

CHAPTER XVIII

SOME ARRIVALS

THE birthday celebration really began on the day before the birthday.
Uncle Cliff had driven to the railway station early in the day, and
long before it was time for him to be back, five pairs of eyes began
searching the road for a sight of the returning buckboard. The We are
Sevens, observing Blue Bonnet to be as expectant as they, became
apprehensive lest their great secret should have leaked out. For her
part, Blue Bonnet had become so used to seeing the girls impatient for
the arrival of the mail, that their frequent running to the veranda to
peer down the road, occasioned her only amusement.

How little they suspected what a valuable package that buckboard would
contain!

This was the twentieth of August. Every time Blue Bonnet thought of
the great surprise in store for Alec, she grew first excited, then
afraid. How would he take his grandfather's arrival? One minute she
was sure he would be overwhelmingly glad, for Alec had a deep
affection for the "grand old man." The next, she was afraid he would
think she had shirked her bargain by throwing on him the burden of
telling the General his own bad news. Well, this time she had truly
done her best, let the results be what they might.

"Do what is right let the consequence follow!" she sagely remarked to
Solomon, and he put up his paw as if to say: "Shake on that!"

She was in her garden picking flowers for the table. Indoors was a
delightful flurry of preparation: from the kitchen came a clatter of
pans, and a variety of appetizing odors; above the cackle of Lisa and
Gertrudis rang the merry laugh of Juanita as she waited on the busy
cooks; while Miguel could be seen haunting the region of the back
door.

Out on the long-disused croquet-ground, which Uncle Joe had levelled
and tamped for Blue Bonnet years before, Alec and several of the
cowboys were working, converting it into a dancing ground, and hanging
Chinese lanterns on long wires strung betw