the diplomatic assertion that the affair having been
planned by the "Eight Originals Plus Two," as they had now agreed to
call themselves, and given in honor of the old hunter himself, it was
their privilege to pay the piper. Jean had shaken his head rather
dubiously over the miscellaneous heap of groceries that spread over at
least a quarter of his floor, but his first protest had been laughingly
silenced by the five sturdy foresters, who threatened to turn him out of
house and home if he did not allow his friends to celebrate in peace.

On this particular morning Jean had been up and doing since five
o'clock. He had decorated his cabin walls with ground pine and
evergreen, and as a last touch had, with many chuckles, suspended from
the ceiling an unusually perfect piece of mistletoe, which he had
tramped into Oakdale early that morning to secure. He had cleaned his
rifle first, then swept and scrubbed his cabin floor, and the pine table
off which he ate, until the most critical housekeeper could have found
no fault with the shining cleanliness of the place. The rousing fire
that he built in the big fireplace soon dried the floor, and after
arranging his few household effects to the best advantage, Jean busied
himself with getting in a good supply of wood before his young guests,
who had set the hour of three o'clock for their arrival, should appear
upon the scene.

It was precisely ten minutes to three when the little company reached
the top of the hill at the foot of which nestled old Jean's cottage, and
halted for a moment before descending.

"Sound the call of the Elf's Horn, Tom," demanded Grace. "I only wish I
could sound it. I've tried over and over again, but I can't do it."

"It is a gift which the fairies reserve for only a few favored mortals,"
teased Tom.

"Then I am not one of them," declared Grace. "I have watched for fairies
since I was a little girl and never met with one yet. I know every
individual fairy in Grimms', Andersen's and Lang's by reputation, too."

"What about your fairy prince?" was Tom's quick question. The two pairs
of gray eyes met. Grace smiled with frank amusement.

"I have never looked for a fairy prince," she said lightly. "I never
cared half so much about the fairy princes and the clothes and weddings
as I did about giants, witches and spells, mysterious happenings and
magic mirrors. I loved 'The Brave Little Tailor' and 'The Youth Who
Could Not Shiver and Shake.'"

"I al