have the jolliest of good times,"
remarked Bess, as they started down the road. "I never care what route
we take. Isn't it fine that the boys attended to all that arrest and
police business for us?"

"Very fine," agreed Cora, "but I like to have my say now about our
plans. We are going to take the main road along the New York side. We
will touch Bridgeport and Waterbury. You might like to know that much."

"There are the boys, and there is Miss Robbins! My, doesn't she look
smart!" suddenly exclaimed Bess.

"That's a smart outfit," Cora agreed, as they saw the party
approaching, Miss Robbins "done up" in a tan suit, with the exact shade
in a motor cap.

"I'm so glad we have all the things in the cars. It is so much better
to do that the night before," remarked Belle.

"But you didn't do it the night before; I did!" her sister reminded her.

"Did you bring the hot-water bottle?" asked Cora. "If Belle gets a
headache, you will surely need it."

This was not a joke, neither was it intended for sarcasm, for on
previous tours Belle had suffered, and the getting of reliable remedies
was one of the real discomforts of the trip.

"I put in the water bag and mustard, too," said Belle. "Bess is just
as likely as not to get a cold, and she has to have mustard."

"I suppose Cora brought cold cream," called Bess, with a laugh. "That
is usually the important drug in her medicine chest."

"I did," admitted Cora. "I will surely have to use a barrel of it
going through the changes in the hills. I cannot stand a stinging
face."

Mrs. Robinson had taken a notion that her twins were outgrowing their
twinship, consequently their outfits for the mountain trip had been
made exactly alike in material and effect. The result was, the boys
purposely mixed the girls up, asking Belle what made her so thin, for
instance, when they knew perfectly well that she was always thin, and
that it was Bess who had to own to being stout.

The twins' costumes were of hunter-green corduroy, with knitted green
caps. Cora wore mole-color cloth, with a toque to match, and as they
now stood before the garage, waiting the coming of the others, who had
stopped at the post office, many admiring eyes turned in their
direction.

"They have a lot of mail," remarked Cora gleefully, as Jack waved
letters and cards to her. "I hope it is nothing we don't want just
now."

"As long as the gypsy man is safe, we needn't fear anything
unpleasant,"