ng Hippy with Nora O'Malley on his arm marched gayly along
behind the forgiven, but wholly unappreciative Reddy.

CHAPTER XVIII

OLD JEAN'S STORY

"It's 'Ho for the forest!'" sang Tom Gray jubilantly, as he waved his
stout walking stick over the low stone wall that separated the party of
picnickers from Upton Wood.

"Isn't it magnificent?" asked Grace of Anne, her gray eyes glowing as
she looked ahead at the snowy road that stretched like a great white
ribbon between the deep green rows of pine and fir trees.

"Perfect," agreed Anne dreamily, who was drinking in the solemn beauty
of the snow-wrapped forest, an expression of reverence on her small
face.

"I wonder if the snow in the road is very deep?" soliloquized Jessica
unsentimentally.

"How can you break in upon our rapt musings with such commonplaces?"
laughed Grace. "To return to earth; I don't imagine the snow is deep.
This road is much traveled, and the snow looks fairly well packed. What
do you say, Huntsman Gray?" She turned to Tom with a smile.

"It isn't deep. All aboard for Upton Wood!" called Tom cheerily. "Come
on, Grace." He extended a helping hand to her.

But Grace needed no assistance. With a laughing shake of her head she
vaulted the low wall as easily as Tom himself could have cleared it.
Nora followed her, then Miriam, while Anne and Jessica were content to
allow themselves to be assisted by David and Reddy. Then the picnickers
swung into the wide snow-packed road that wound its way to the other end
of Upton Wood, a matter of perhaps ten miles. Being a part of the road
to the state capital and a famous automobile route it was sedulously
looked after and kept in good condition, and was therefore not difficult
to travel.

The cabin of old Jean, the hunter, was situated some distance from the
main road in the thickest part of the forest. The day before, the five
young men, with a bobsled filled with grocers' supplies, had driven to
the point of the road nearest the cabin and a brisk unloading had
followed. After their first trip to the cottage old Jean had returned to
the sleigh with them, his fur cap awry, gesticulating delightedly and
chattering volubly as he walked. Of a surety Mamselle Grace and her
friends were welcome. He deplored the fact that they had insisted upon
bringing their own provisions, but David, who suspected the old hunter's
larder to be none too well stocked with eatables, had quieted Jean's
remonstrances with