. Her voice and her shoes, the latter well displayed by her
short skirt, creaked, but her gray eyes were bright, and moved about after
the manner of searchlights.

"Well," said she to Miss Raybold, "what do you want?"

Corona turned her head and placidly gazed up at her. "I simply wished to
let you know that you might join this company here if you liked. The two
men guides are coming, you see."

Mrs. Perkenpine glanced around the group. "Is there any hunting stories to
be told?" she asked.

Mr. Archibald laughed. "I don't know," he said, "but perhaps we may have
some. I am sure that Matlack here has hunting stories to tell."

Mrs. Perkenpine shook her head. "No, sir," said she; "I don't want none of
his stories. I've heard them all mostly two or three times over."

"I dare say you have," said Phil, seating himself on a fallen trunk, a
little back from the fire; "but you see, Mrs. Perkenpine, you are so
obstinate about keepin' on livin'. If you'd died when you was younger, you
wouldn't have heard so many of those stories."

"There's been times," said she, "when you was tellin' the story of the
bear cubs and the condensed milk, when I wished I had died when I was
younger, or else you had."

"Perhaps," said Miss Raybold, in a clear, decisive voice, "Mr. Matlack may
know hunting stories that will be new to all of us, but before he begins
them I have something which I would like to say."

"All right," said Mrs. Perkenpine, seating herself promptly upon the
ground; "if you're goin' to talk, I'll stay. I'd like to know what kind of
things you do talk about when you talk."

"I was just now remarking," said Miss Corona, "that I am very glad indeed
to meet with those who, like Mr. and Mrs. Archibald, are willing to set
their feet upon the modern usages of society (which would crowd us
together in a common herd) and assert their individuality."

Mr. Archibald looked at the speaker inquiringly.

"Of course," said she, "I refer to the fact that you and Mrs. Archibald
are on a wedding-journey."

At this remark Phil Matlack rose suddenly from the tree-trunk and Martin
dropped his pipe. Mr. Clyde turned his gaze upon Margery, who thereupon
burst out laughing, and then he looked in amazement from Mr. Archibald to
Mrs. Archibald and back again. Mrs. Perkenpine sat up very straight and
leaned forward, her hands upon her knees.

"Is it them two sittin' over there?" she said, pointing to Margery and
Clyde. "Are they on a hon