the small lantern.

After a time a voice cried, "Who goes there?"

"Hans Hartman, my good friend," replied the forest-keeper.

"All right!" and another forest-keeper stood before them, much surprised
to see seven instead of one.

"Have you captured poachers?"

"No, the older ones are gypsies," for in the dim light of the cabin he
was quite sure that they belonged to that army of rovers.

"Are we then so dark?" asked the basket-maker, amused at the mistake.

"All animals look dark at night."

"Except a white cow," suggested the butcher.

"But, Hartman, you have three boys with you," continued the
forest-keeper. "So young and yet night-strollers!"

"No, these boys are all right. They have been passing their holiday in
Frankfort, and are on their way home. They got lost in the forest, the
rain came up and they took shelter in the abandoned cabin. One of them
tells me that he is the son of Forest-keeper Krupp."

The forester said good-night, and they walked on for some distance and
at length came to a clearing in the forest. Looking up, they could see
the unchangeable stars, the same that looked down upon Mother Earth when
she was fresh from the hands of her Creator. A tinkling brook lay across
their path, which the forester cleared at a bound, and the three
apprentices followed. The triplets halted to view the situation, but
Pixy sprang across, then looked back as if to say, "It is nothing. Just
give a spring and you are on this side," and they ran back, gave a long
jump and were over.

A short distance beyond was the forest-keeper's cottage, a comfortable
place for weary travelers on a wet night.

"I cannot give you all a sleeping place in my house," he said, "but can
make room for the three smaller boys. You larger ones can go to the
straw shed. You will find plenty of clean, dry straw, and there you can
sleep until morning and shall have a good breakfast before you leave.
But before we part for the night, you must turn your pockets inside out
that I may see that you have no matches or anything else that will
strike a spark."

They agreed willingly, and he then led the way to the shed, took from a
feed box a number of coarse sacks for covering and said good-night.

"We are thankful to you for giving us this comfortable place to sleep,"
said the blacksmith. "We thought it harsh treatment to make us leave the
cabin, but you have given us better quarters and we are truly obliged to
you. You are certainly