you,
Daddy?" said Genie.

"Course I will, chickabiddy," and Mr. Rose whistled in gay contentment
as he took books from their boxes and arranged them on the table.

When supper was announced, Maria informed the family that she hadn't
been able to manage the flap-jacks that night.

"But you-all sho'ly will hab 'em for breakfast, dat you will,--you
suttinly will. But you see huccum I jes' didn't hab de proper
contraptions unpacked for 'em to-night."

"That's all right, Maria," said Mr. Rose, good-naturedly; "we don't mind
what we have to-night. To-morrow we'll get a good fair start. Sit down,
children, we'll manage to make out a supper."

The supper was sort of a makeshift of sardines and herring and crackers,
with coffee for the older people.

Dolly had no wish to be critical, but the viands were not tempting and
she ate very little, being conscious all the time of an ever-growing
lump in her throat. She tried hard to be merry and gay, but she couldn't
feel the enthusiasm with which the others overflowed.

"Shall we have a fire to-night, Daddy?" asked Dotty as they left the
table.

"Oh, not to-night. It's pretty late, and we're all tired out. We'll
leave that for to-morrow night. You see, Dolly Fayre, the curtain
doesn't really rise on the glories of Camp Crosstrees until to-morrow.
Can you wait?"

"Yes, indeed, Mr. Rose," and Dolly smiled bravely. "Where is it that
we're going to sleep?"

"I'll show you," said Mrs. Rose, and amid shouts of glee and peals of
laughter, Dotty and Genie ran upstairs, and returned with their arms
full of blankets and other things.

"Grab a pillow and come on," shouted Dotty as she herself picked up a
pillow from the couch. Genie took one, too, and Dolly did also and then
the whole tribe left the house.

They walked across some very uneven ground and Dolly would have stumbled
in the darkness had not Mrs. Rose clasped her arm firmly.

"Here we are!" she said, and Dolly saw a large tent, but it wasn't
exactly a tent. It was a platform of boards raised not more than a foot
above the ground. It had a roof and three sides of canvas, but the front
was entirely open. On the floor were piles of balsam boughs and on these
the Roses arranged the blankets they had brought.

"I envy you girls," said Mrs. Rose, as she tucked up the impromptu beds.
"It is Heavenly to sleep out here, but we older people dare not risk
rheumatism. You'll love it, Dolly. Perhaps you'll hear an owl or two
hoo