ty, "what does make everything so pretty?"

"You ask mother a hard question."

"And oh, Mrs. Reece," exclaimed Jack, his thin, eager face shining with
excitement, "everything in the world is so wonderful!"

"It's all so different in the winter," said Peter, in between bites of
bread-and-butter. "It isn't half so nice, but I suppose it would be
lovely if we could have you and Mr. Gile--"

"You dear child!"

"It is about three miles above here," the guide spoke, "on the last of
the Dead River Ponds, where we shall find our first camping ground. I
want you to look at it."

"And we'll be gone days and days."

"Goody! goody!" called Betty, clapping her hands. "And we'll sleep
out-of-doors, cook out-of-doors, and do everything out-of-doors."

Every one smiled with her, for there was not a person there who was not
looking forward with happiness to this trip.

"Before we start on I'll smoke my pipe," said the old man.

"Then, please, sir, won't you tell us something else?" asked Betty.

"Why, I have nothing left in my head, you child."

"Oh, please, sir, you said there was another cousin called the
caddis-worm."

"So I did," said the old man. "Fetch me that stone, Jack." He pointed to
a stone lying in the water. Jack brought it to him, and he broke
something off from it. "What's that?"

"That's a stick," answered Betty.

"No, that's not a stick, that's a caddis-worm. This little fellow,
unlike some spoiled children I know, has to find its own dinner, change
its own clothes, tuck itself into bed, and build its own house. And it
is brighter than some children I know," said the old man, looking kindly
at Peter. "The caddis-worm builds itself different kinds of houses. Some
of the houses are shaped like the horns you blow on the Fourth of July,
and one kind of house is made of the finest sand, fastened together with
bands of finest silk, which the caddis spins. Our caddis-worm has
patience," said the old man, shaking his head and looking at
Jimmie--"patience, plenty of patience." He puffed away at his pipe for a
few seconds. "Some build rougher houses, choosing small pebbles instead
of sand. Of these it builds a long tube. Others make a little green
summer cottage with twigs, grasses, and pine-needles, from which they
build an attractive bungalow by laying down four pieces and crossing the
ends like this: # These cottages are built about an inch long, and in
them the young caddis-worms have a cool and cosey summer