once started a game. He established
himself as chief of a tribe of wild Indians, with the modest title
"Bravest of the Brave". And he led his warriors to victory with such
shrill battle-cries that the veriest coward would have felt compelled
to follow him. The absence of enemies was the chief want that
afternoon. They had to pretend that some iron railings on the other
side of the field were an army advancing towards them in the distance.

"But it is much more fun when the enemy is alive, so that he runs away
and we can hurt him," explained Madge. "Next time we will try to drive
the pigs up to this end of the field when we are coming here. They
make capital enemies, they scream so beautifully while they are running
away."

It seemed to be taken for granted by everybody that in future Lewis
would often join the three Wests in their games.

"And I'm sure Mama won't mind your coming to play with us when she
hears how cruelly you are treated at home," observed Betty.

"You don't mean to say you were going to tell anybody that you met me
here!" cried Lewis excitedly. "Now, that's just like a girl! They
never can keep the least bit of a secret. If you say a single word
about me to anybody at all I shall never be able to come here any more.
And very likely something dreadful will happen to me."

"But Mama would not tell Mrs. Howard if I asked her not. Besides, she
doesn't even know her," argued Betty, who was rather frightened at the
prospect of keeping such a very large secret for an indefinite period.

"I tell you I shall be put in that dark cellar, and fed--" Lewis
suddenly broke off, and whispered in a tone of real terror, "Lie down
flat! Keep still! There she is!"

All four children happened to be on the Eagle's Nest at the moment,
having just returned from a most violent raid against the Iron-Railing
tribe, which, however, did not seem in any hurry to avenge its wrongs
by pursuing the enemy back to his stronghold. At Lewis's words they
all crouched down on the sticks, making themselves as small as
possible. And they looked in the direction to which he silently
pointed.

From the height of the Eagle's Nest it was possible to see over the
boundary wall into Mrs. Howard's domain. It is a fact, however, that
until to-day the children had found this view exceedingly uneventful.
At the bottom of the wall there was a small orchard, beyond that a
glimpse could be caught of an old-fashioned garden and the