green-sward which extended gradually to the river.

"This Moses remains to dine," said Hugh.

The girls spread a white cloth on the ground and proceeded to unpack
the baskets.

Although they had made frequent stops on the road, Laura feared the
walk had over-taxed Ivy's strength, and wished her to rest; but she
refused to be left out of any activity. She it was who sat, a spirit
of prodigality, in the midst of the baskets, dealing out the good
things one by one, while Alene and Laura arranged them artistically,
piling in the center a pyramid of fruit, and placing the cakes and pies
and pickles in the most tempting proximity, not forgetting sandwiches,
and plain bread and butter. Indeed, as Mat remarked when he came up
from the spring with a pail of cold water, "The very look of it was
enough to give an imaginative person the nightmare."

"Then don't eat any of it, Mr. Matthew," cried Ivy.

"Thank heaven, I'm not imaginative! I think I'll try a snack of that
jelly-roll," he returned, reaching for the cake in Ivy's hand.

"I think you won't! Why, even those greedy children haven't been
allowed a taste of anything, though it's a wonder their eyes have left
a morsel! What are you laughing at?" she inquired, as Mat's glance
strayed beyond her.

Net waiting for an answer she turned her head to find her little
brother Claude standing at her shoulder, balancing in his out-stretched
palm a slice of brown bread from which he had just taken a huge bite,
whose buttered and jellied traces were seen on his plumped-out cheeks.
Not far away was Lois with a monster pickle. At a distance, with backs
discreetly turned, were two other small sinners whom Ivy eyed
suspiciously, and she turned at last with a hopeless shake of her head
to Laura, whom she suspected was to be blamed. But she was mistaken in
her surmise for Alene was the real offender. Not being used to the
always hungry state of a half dozen small brothers and sisters, she
could not withstand the children's pathetic glances.

"You don't suppose it will spoil their appetite for dinner?" she
inquired anxiously, when the truth was disclosed.

"I haven't the faintest fear that it will," returned Ivy, in a dry tone.

"The wisdom of the innocents! Wish I had tackled Alene instead of
you," deplored Mat.

At that moment he was hailed by Hugh:

"Come along, Mat! We boys are going to pick some wild strawberries for
dessert. I noticed some vines up there over the h