eat-ancestor in the dark."

"Oh, Vi, you give me the creeps," said Laura with a little shiver.
"Billie, do you think half a dozen middies' would do? We won't want to
dress up very much."

"No, the ghosts probably wouldn't know the difference," said Teddy
wickedly. "By the way, boys," he went on, imitating Laura's tone to
perfection, "that's one important thing we haven't decided, yet. What are
we going to wear?"

"You poor fish!" cried Ferd, throwing a cushion at him. "Who let you in?"

"Stop wrecking the furniture," exclaimed Billie, from her corner. "And do
stop talking all at once. You make my ears ache. And besides, I want to
say something."

"Silence," cried Chet, in a dramatically deep voice. "The queen is about
to speak."

"He said something that time," whispered Teddy in her ear, and a little
pink flush mounted to Billie's face, making her look prettier than ever.
It was so nice to have one's friends like you!

"Why, I was just thinking about the cooking," she said. "Do any of you
boys know how to cook?"

"Heavens, listen at her!" cried Ferd in alarm. "Is she going to set us to
work already--before we get there? What's the idea, Billie?"

"Well," replied Billie, biting off her thread calmly, "we have to eat
while we're there, you know."

"No!" cried Chet sarcastically. "You may, sweet sister, but not us. We
are too ethereal."

"Say, is he insulting us?" cried Ferd indignantly. "Say that again, I
dare you--"

"Oh, for goodness' sake keep still!" cried Laura, clapping her hands to
her ears. "You make me deaf, dumb and blind. Now, Billie, what were you
going to say?"

"Simply, that since we do have to eat, Chet or anybody else to the
contrary," she looked at her brother and dimpled adorably, "we will have
to decide who is going to do the cooking."

"Why, I suppose we'll take our turns at it, as we've done before when we
have been camping," said Laura, in surprise.

"I know. But what I want to find out is, are the boys going to do any of
the work?"

"Good land, is she asking us to cook?" asked Ferd. "Why, Billie, we don't
know a thing about it!"

"And don't want to learn," added Chet fervently.

"Oh, you big fibbers!" Billie's eyes danced as she looked at them.
"I remember--oh, I have a very good memory," and she glanced
sideways at Teddy, who was beginning to look uncomfortable. "I
remember a certain person telling me how beautifully you boys cooked
while you were at camp."

"Say, Billie,