lations.' The cheerful soul now embraced
the three children, and when he had a hand free he slapped the old
uncle, who now looked the very picture of happiness, several times upon
the back.

[Illustration: THE TRIPLETS ACCOMPANY THE ARMY]

Cheers were raised again and again at the unheard-of wisdom of the King
of Troy. The old uncle completely exhausted himself by leaping high into
the air over and over again, while the triplets were beyond themselves
with joy at such a successful end to their troubles.

So delighted were the triplets with their new friends that, during
breakfast the next morning, they announced their intention of
accompanying them to their journey's end, and entrusted the care of the
Blowdripping estate to their old uncle until they should return. The
camp packed up and when every one was ready to continue the journey,
they all took an affectionate leave of the old man and marched on.

[Illustration: tailpiece]

* * * * *

[Illustration: GOOD AUNT GALLADIA]

[Illustration: headpiece]

GOOD AUNT GALLADIA

At first the King seemed disposed to be not a little irritable towards
the triplets, murmuring something to himself about the extra expense. A
good lunch, however, soon put him to rights, and he was his old cheerful
self again.

In the afternoon they met upon the road a long thin man with a grin of
the greatest self-satisfaction widening his otherwise narrow face. In
one hand he carried a cage containing a miserable old bird that could
hardly boast an egg-cupful of feathers on its whole shrivelled body; in
the other he carried a large wooden box. He very good-naturedly stood
aside for the army to move on, but the King, whose curiosity had been
aroused, would not allow him to be passed unquestioned, so he rang a
little bell he always carried with him for the purpose, and the whole
force at once stopped short. In obedience to a signal from the King, the
long man stepped jauntily before him. 'Anything wrong, old chirpy?' said
he, addressing the King rather rudely as some thought. 'Not with me,'
the King replied with much dignity. 'My only reason for calling you
before me is to learn why you are so extremely pleased with yourself.
Such a secret would be of the greatest value to us all.' 'Because she's
given these back to me,' answered the long fellow as he opened his box
and disclosed, all neatly arranged, a beautiful collection of birds'
eggs. Every kind