ls; but, alas! kind ladies, we're obliged to regret your
invitation as we're not in proper society garb."

Suddenly the boys became aware of their flannel shirts and old hats and
general fishermanlike appearance.

"We'll forgive that for once," cried Dotty; "we'll pretend we're a
rescue party and you're a lot of starving soldiers, so we won't mind
your tattered uniforms."

"Rescue party!" cried Bob; "I like that! Aren't you the sly ones who
raided our commissariat department? Own up, now!"

"What makes you think so?" And Edith Holmes looked the picture of
injured innocence.

"Oh, yes! 'What makes us think so!' What makes us think that's our
coffee boiling in our coffee pot! Fair ladies, we invite you to lunch
with us, on our coffee and our bacon and eggs. And if you'll wait a few
minutes, we'll cook our trout for you."

"Well, I'll tell you what," and golden-haired Dolly settled the
question; "we'll eat our luncheon now, as it's all ready, and then, if
you like, you can cook your fish afterward."

"That suits me," said Bob, "and I'm free to confess that I can't wait
another minute to attack this Ladies'-Own-Cooking-School Lay Out! Take
seats, everybody-- I mean you girls sit down, and us chaps will wait on
you."

"All right," laughed Dolly; "we resign in your favour. I can tell you
girls get hungry, too."

So the girls sat around, and the boys quickly passed plates and napkins
and then the dishes of delicious food.

Then they served themselves, and sitting down by the girls, rapidly
demolished the contents of their well-filled plates.

"I'm not going to rub it in," said Dolly, dimpling with smiles, "but for
boys who don't want girls along on their picnics you seem to enjoy our
society fairly well."

"It isn't our society they're enjoying," said Nellie North; "it's our
stuffed eggs and cold chicken."

"It's both, adorable damsels," declared Bob. "Just let us appease our
hunger, and goodness knows you've enough stuff here for a regiment, and
then we'll show you how we appreciate the blessing of your society.
We'll entertain you any way you choose."

"That we will," agreed Guy. "We'll give you a circus performance, a
concert, lecture, or song and dance, as you decree."

But it took a long time to satisfy the boys' appetites. It seemed as if
they could never get enough of the various delicacies, and though they
pretended to make fun of what they called the fiddly-faddly frills, they
thoroughly relished t