abin
door, "is a good one. I've already tried a hairpin on it," she added
shamelessly.

They sat awhile in silence. A wandering breeze had found its way into
the clearing, and with it came the fragrance of flowers blossoming under
the sun. The chicken family were pursuing a worm with more energy than
Val decided he would have cared to expend in that heat, and a heavily
laden bee rested on the lip of a sunflower to brush its legs. Val's
eyelids drooped and he found himself thinking dreamily of a hammock
under the trees, a pillow, and long hours of lazy dozing. At the same
time a corner of his brain was sending forth nagging messages that they
should be up and off, back to their own proper world. But he simply did
not have the will power to get up and go.

"Nice place," he murmured, looking about with more approbation than he
would have granted the clearing some ten minutes earlier.

"Yes," answered Ricky. "It would be nice to live here."

Val was beginning to say something about "no bathtubs" when a sound
aroused them from their lethargy. Someone was coming down the path.
Ricky's hand fell upon her brother's shoulder.

"Quick! Up here and behind the house," she urged him.

Not knowing just why he obeyed, Val scrambled up on the tiny platform
and scuttled around behind the cabin. Why they should hide thus from
Jeems who had given Ricky directions for reaching the place and had
asked her to come, was more than he could understand. But he had a
faint, uneasy feeling of mistrust, as if they had been caught off guard
at a critical moment.

"This the place, Red?" The clipped words sounded clear above the murmurs
of life from swamp and woods.

"Yeah. Bum-lookin' joint, ain't it? These guys ain't got no brains; they
like to live like this." The contempt of the second speaker was only
surpassed by the stridency of his voice.

"What about this boy?" asked the first.

"Dumb kid. Don't know yet who his friends is." There was a satisfied
grunt as the speaker sat down on the step Val had so lately vacated.
Ricky pressed closer to her brother.

"What about the cabin?"

"He ain't here. And it's locked, see? Yuh'd think he kept the crown
jewels there." The tickling scent of a cigarette drifted back to the two
in hiding. "Beats me how he slipped away this morning without Pitts
catching on. For two cents I'd spring that lock of his--"

"Isn't worth the trouble," replied the other decisively. "These trappers
have no money e