he did not look too
closely after them, for it was a day to be happy and free from care,
with no thought of school or lessons.

"We'll make Snap do some tricks when we get to the grove," said Flossie.

"Yes, we'll have a little circus," added her brother.

"Can he stand on his head?" one girl wanted to know.

"Well, he can turn a somersault, and he's on his head for a second
while he's doing that," explained Freddie, proudly.

"Can he roll over and over?" a boy wanted to know. "We had a dog,
once, that could."

"Snap can, too," said Flossie. "Roll over, Snap!" she ordered, and the
dog, with a bark, did so. The children laughed and some clapped their
hands. They thought Snap was about the best dog they had ever seen.

No accidents happened on the way to the grove, except that one little
boy tried to cross a brook on some stones, instead of the plank which
the others used. He slipped in and got his feet wet, but as the day
was warm no one worried much.

Finally the grove was reached. It was in a wooded valley, with hills
on either side, and a cold, clear spring of water at one end, where
everyone could get a drink. And that always seems to be what is most
wanted at a picnic--a drink of water.

Mr. Tetlow called all the children together, before letting them go off
to play, and told them at what time the start for home would be made,
so that they would not be late in coming back to the meeting place.

"And now," he said, "have the best fun you can. Play anything you
wish--school games if you like--but don't get too warm or excited. And
don't go too far away. You may eat your luncheon when you like."

"Then let's eat ours now," suggested Flossie. "I'm awful hungry."

"So am I," said Freddie. So Nan and Bert decided that the little ones
might at least have a sandwich and a piece of cake. Nor did they
forget the two little Jones children, who had no lunch. The Bobbseys
were well provided and soon Sammie and Julia were smiling and happy as
they sat beneath a tree, eating.

Then came all sorts of games, from tag and jumping rope, to blindman's
bluff and hide-and-seek. Snap was made to do a number of tricks, much
to the amusement of the teachers and children. Danny Rugg, and some of
the older boys, got up a small baseball game, and then Danny, with one
or two chums, went off in a deeper part of the woods. Bert heard one
of the boys ask another if he had any matches.

"I know what they're going to