tcher's Lake.

"Straight down the main pike," he replied, pointing to a gravel-coated
road winding away toward the top of an adjacent hill; "but it's better'n
three miles, and if you're aimin' to give a free show and sell Injun
Bitters or somethin' you'd a heap better stop right here, because you'd
git a bigger crowd than you would up at the lake."

Rendered pettish, possibly irritable, by the display of an ignorance so
dense and incomprehensible, I waved him aside without deigning to
answer.

"Fall in!" I bade my followers in a military manner; and then, when they
had gathered up their belongings: "Forward--march!"

In his crude vernacular, which I have endeavoured to reproduce
faithfully, the aged rustic had said Hatcher's Lake was better than
three miles distant. I am convinced what he meant was not better but
worse.

As we marched away over the brow of the hill the sun shone down with
excessive and caloric fervour and the dust rose in thick clouds, coating
our lineaments, which already were bedewed with perspiration.
Momentarily the articles that filled my arms and hung on my shoulders
and back grew more cumbersome and burdensome, and speedily I developed a
blistered and feverish condition of the feet or pedal extremities.

I think it must have been at about this time I dropped my shaving
outfit, a wash-rag and my toothbrush out of the breast pocket of my
blouse, and lost, presumably from under my arm, the small parcel
containing my bedroom slippers and a garment intended for nightwear
exclusively. A vial of cold cream, all my spare pocket handkerchiefs,
and the brochure on the peculiarities of the poison ivy also
disappeared during the journey--but at exactly what point I know not and
could not, with propriety, undertake to say. Throughout the march,
however, though well-nigh spent and exhausted, I clung to the other
burdens, holding in my hands and under my arms, among other things, the
bow and arrows, the flag, the axe, a blanket, a cake of soap, and a
small sofa pillow of pale pink which Mrs. Dorcas had insisted on my
bringing with me.

I have not at my command words proper to describe my profound relief
when, after travelling what seemed a great distance, mainly uphill, we
reached a point where, advised by a signpost, we turned off the main
highway into a wooded bypath traversing aisles of majestic forest
monarchs, which seemed to extend for vast distances in every direction,
and came at length to our