Part 7 (1/2)

”Those things are probably up in Chicago in some p.a.w.n shop long before this, Katy. It's only in stories that burglars hide things in caves.”

”Well, they might,” insisted Katy.

”Yes, the moon might be made of green cheese--but it isn't,” returned Alice.

”Well, anyway, we can play we find the things,” said Chicken Little.

Gertie surprised them all by saying: ”I'd like to find a weenty teenty bear cub.”

”Gertie Halford, whatever would you do with a bear cub? You'd be scared to death of it.” Katy looked at her sister in scornful amazement.

”I'd like to find those stock certificates Father lost,” said Alice.

”Perhaps we'll find them tied round your bear's neck, Gertie.”

This absurdity made the children laugh as they toiled through the underbrush, which was getting dense, planning merrily. They wandered and explored for about half an hour up and down the bank, finding nothing but a few haw-berries, some sumach leaves, and a pocket full of acorns which Gertie was taking back to Carol to carve into dishes, for her.

Carol was an expert with his knife.

Chicken Little had a big scratch on her arm from a thorn bush, and Katy a long tear in her blue gingham dress, which greatly annoyed her.

”Let's go back to Carol--this isn't any fun,” she complained.

But Alice had just spied something that interested her.

”I bet I know what we can find that you'll all like,” she said. ”Wild grapes! I see a big vine over on that tree by the rocks. It's in a perfect thicket and there may be some left.”

It was difficult forcing their way through the bushes. They were almost tempted to give up but Alice was sure she smelled grapes and Chicken Little and Katy were eager to carry back some booty to make the boys curious.

So they plodded on getting so many scratches and slaps from overhanging branches and interlacing bushes that they made a joke of them.

”Mr. Bush, if you catch my hair again, I'll break a piece out of you,”

and Chicken Little gave the offending bush such a shove that it promptly rebounded, grazing her cheek.

”Never mind,” said Alice. ”I've got my thirteenth scratch and my hair's almost down. I won't have a hair-pin left by the time we get out of this.”

”I guess Mother will feel bad about my dress, but maybe she won't mind so much if we take her some wild grapes. She hasn't had any this year.

Oh, bother these burrs!” and Katy stooped down to pick a bunch from her shoe strings and several scattered ones from her white stockings already profusely streaked with green and brown stains.

Gertie bringing up the rear of the little procession was too busy defending her head and face against briars and brush to say anything.

Alice crashed through a particularly matted growth of bushes and gave a shout of triumph. ”Here we are, children, and there are grapes--scads of them!”

They found themselves under a low spreading oak that was fairly canopied with huge wild grape vines that hung almost to the ground on three sides, forming a big tent. The grapes were plentiful and the fragrance delicious. But, alas, these were like the grapes the fox found sour, most of them hung high above their reach.

”What a shame--if only the boys were here they might climb!” said Alice disgusted.

”I can climb if you'll boost me, Alice,” Chicken Little volunteered quickly.

Alice was surveying the tempting fruit thoughtfully.