he
would be sure and send him.

After our visitor had gone, the significance of his remarks flashed on
me. He still thought that Pomona was sick with something catching, and
that we were afraid to stay in the house with her. But I said nothing
about this to Euphemia. It would only worry her, and our vacation was to
be a season of unalloyed delight.

CHAPTER X. WET BLANKETS.

We certainly enjoyed our second day in camp. All the morning, and a
great part of the afternoon, we "explored." We fastened up the tent
as well as we could, and then, I with my gun, and Euphemia with the
fishing-pole, we started up the creek. We did not go very far, for it
would not do to leave the tent too long. I did not shoot anything, but
Euphemia caught two or three nice little fish, and we enjoyed the sport
exceedingly.

Soon after we returned in the afternoon, and while we were getting
things in order for supper, we had a call from two of our neighbors,
Captain Atkinson and wife. The captain greeted us hilariously.

"Hello!" he cried. "Why, this is gay. Who would ever have thought of
a domestic couple like you going on such a lark as this. We just heard
about it from old John, and we came down to see what you are up to.
You've got everything very nice. I think I'd like this myself. Why, you
might have a rifle-range out here. You could cut down those bushes on
the other side of the creek, and put up your target over there on that
hill. Then you could lie down here on the grass and bang away all day.
If you'll do that, I'll come down and practice with you. How long are
you going to keep it up?"

I told him that we expected to spend my two weeks' vacation here.

"Not if it rains, my boy," said he. "I know what it is to camp out in
the rain."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Atkinson had been with Euphemia examining the tent, and
our equipage generally.

"It would be very nice for a day's picnic," she said; "but I wouldn't
want to stay out-of-doors all night."

And then, addressing me, she asked:

"Do you have to breathe the fresh air all the time, night as well as
day? I expect that is a very good prescription, but I would not like to
have to follow it myself."

"If the fresh air is what you must have," said the captain, "you might
have got all you wanted of that without taking the trouble to come out
here. You could have sat out on your back porch night and day for the
whole two weeks, and breathed all the fresh air that any man could
ne