r apron, turned up her sleeves, and fell to
work as gaily as if in her own kitchen, boiling the kettle slung on
three sticks, over a fire of cones and fir boughs; while the girls
spread the mossy table with a feast of country goodies, and the children
tumbled about in everyone's way till the toot of the horn made them
settle down like a flock of hungry birds.

As soon as the merry meal and a brief interval of repose were over,
it was unanimously voted to have some charades. A smooth, green spot
between two stately pines was chosen for the stage; shawls hung up,
properties collected, audience and actors separated, and a word quickly
chosen.

The first scene discovered Mac in a despondent attitude and shabby
dress, evidently much troubled in mind. To him entered a remarkable
creature with a brown paper bag over its head. A little pink nose peeped
through one hole in the middle, white teeth through another, and above
two eyes glared fiercely. Spires of grass stuck in each side of the
mouth seemed meant to represent whiskers; the upper corners of the bag
were twisted like ears, and no one could doubt for a moment that the
black scarf pinned on behind was a tail.

This singular animal seemed in pantomime to be comforting his master and
offering advice, which was finally acted upon, for Mac pulled off his
boots, helped the little beast into them, and gave him a bag; then,
kissing his paw, with a hopeful gesture, the creature retired, purring
so successfully that there was a general cry of "Cat, puss, boots!"

"Cat is the word," replied a voice, and the curtain fell.

The next scene was a puzzler, for in came another animal, on all-fours
this time, with a new sort of tail and long ears. A gray shawl concealed
its face, but an inquisitive sunbeam betrayed the glitter as of goggles
under the fringe. On its back rode a small gentleman in Eastern costume,
who appeared to find some difficulty in keeping his seat as his steed
jogged along. Suddenly a spirit appeared, all in white, with long
newspaper wings upon its back and golden locks about its face.
Singularly enough, the beast beheld this apparition and backed
instantly, but the rider evidently saw nothing and whipped up
unmercifully, also unsuccessfully, for the spirit stood directly in the
path, and the amiable beast would not budge a foot. A lively skirmish
followed, which ended in the Eastern gentleman being upset into a
sweet-fern bush, while the better bred animal aba