fairy-like tread, for she stepped on it that very evening, and down
she went, but, as luck had it, she did nothing worse than scratch her
toes upon the very rough body of the bandit chief; although, be it
confessed, he fared worse by the encounter than she did, for he had both
legs broken beyond hope of saving. The next morning he was carefully
carried away to a hospital and devotedly nursed by one of Dimple's
dolls; but he never recovered, though he lingered for several days. His
funeral was quite a magnificent affair, and he was buried with proper
ceremonies under the very tree upon which he originally grew.

CHAPTER X

The Picnic

The children awoke on the morning of the day set for the picnic, to
view, with anxious eyes, a grey sky.

"Oh, if it should rain, wouldn't it be just too bad for anything," said
Florence. "I should be so dreadfully disappointed, shouldn't you,
Dimple?"

"Yes, I am afraid so," returned Dimple, despondently, watching the smoke
rising from a distant chimney. Then more cheerfully, "See Florence, I
don't believe it will rain, for that smoke is going straight up. You
know that is a sign it is going to clear. Maybe it is only misty and not
cloudy."

This it proved to be, for, as the day advanced, the sun came out and it
was as beautiful an afternoon as one could wish to see. Therefore very
gaily they started forth to meet the rest of the party down at the
river's brink.

"Oh, there's Mr. Atkinson," cried Dimple, catching sight of this
gentleman's pleasant face, "I am so glad he could come. I wonder if he
sees us. I hope we can go in his boat, don't you, Florence?"

"Yes, indeed, I do. He sees us. He is waving his hat."

The two little girls ran forward and to their satisfaction were helped
into Mr. Atkinson's boat with Mr. and Mrs. Dallas and Bubbles as
fellow-passengers, Bubbles grinning from ear to ear and looking very
spick and span in a clean pink calico frock and a white apron. A string
of blue beads adorned her neck; she had added it as a finishing touch to
her toilet.

The boats pushed off and, after an hour's rowing, the party of
picnickers landed at a pretty little island in the river. It was covered
with trees and underbrush, but not so densely as to prevent their
finding a space big enough for a camping ground where they could build a
fire and spread their supper.

Most of the party preferred to go out on the river to fish, for some
fine black bass could be caught