n the
piece of paper, "THIS IS ENOCH."

"Oho!" cried Ned. "Alf and Halse did that!"

"Yes, these are Enoch's clothes, sure," said Addison. "There's his hat
on a big pine knot for a head, with his pocket handkerchief tied round
it for a face, and great daubs of wheel grease for mouth, eyes and
nose."

"Well, that's a queer sort of joke!" remarked Willis.

"I'm glad they didn't carry Enoch's clothes clean home with them," said
I.

"I was afraid they had," Addison remarked; "and I was thinking whether
or not he could make it out as stealing, against them."

"Had we better take them down and send them back to him?" I asked.

"No, sir-ee," said Addison. "We will not meddle with them. Enoch may
send the sheriff up here by morning. It would be a pretty go if the
clothes were found in our possession. Let them hang right where they
are, I say, and let's be going, too, before any one comes along and
catches us here!"

We drove on accordingly, and reached home without further adventures.
The house was dark; all had retired, except Theodora, who was sitting at
her window looking out for us. She came down stairs quietly, lighted a
lamp and had set on a lunch for us by the time we came in from the
wagon-house. They had gathered three quarts of field strawberries that
afternoon and had saved a quart for us. They were the first strawberries
of the season. How good they did taste, hungry as we were that night,
along with some big slices of Gram's new "mug bread" and butter, and a
plentiful swig of lemonade, a pitcherful of which Theodora had also set
aside for us.

"Doad!" cried Addison, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "You are the
boss girl of this county!"

"Oh, I wanted to hear all the Fourth o' July news," said Theodora. "Now
tell me. But don't talk so loud, or you will wake Gramp and Gram."

"The news, well, jingo, I don't know whether we ought to tell it all, or
not; what think?" said Addison to me, doubtfully.

"Has Halse got home?" I asked.

"Yes, he came just before supper. He said he rode up _with a fellow_ as
far as the forks of the road," replied Theodora.

"Did he say why he left us and came home so early?" asked Addison.

"Yes; he said there was nothing going on, and he had got tired of
loafing around."

Addison laughed; so did I.

"But I knew there was something behind it all," Theodora continued. "Now
what was it?"

"Nothing--much," replied Addison, evasively.

"Oh, but there was," exclaimed T