Stella and Molly both came after school, and the list for the party invitations was soon made out.  Uncle Steve wrote the invitations, and sent them to the mail, but he would not divulge any of his plans for the party, and though Midget was impatient to know, she could get no idea of what the plays or games were to be.

But it was not long to wait for the day of the party itself.  The guests were invited from three to six in the afternoon, and though the Maynards knew some of them, there were a number of strangers among the company.  However, Stella and Molly knew them all, and it did not take long for the Maynards to feel acquainted with them.

The first game was very amusing.  Uncle Steve presented each child with a Noah’s Ark.  These were of the toy variety usually seen, but they were all empty.

“You must find animals for yourselves,” said Uncle Steve, who was never happier than when entertaining children.  “They are hidden all about, in the drawing-room, library, dining-room, and hall.  You may not go upstairs, or in the kitchen, but anywhere else in the house you may search for animals to fill your arks.  Now scamper and see who can get the most.”

The children scampered, and all agreed that hunting wild animals was a great game.  It was lots more fun than a peanut hunt, and they found elephants, lions, and tigers tucked away behind window curtains and sofa pillows, under tables and chairs, and even behind the pictures on the walls.

There were so many animals that each one succeeded in filling his or her ark, and after they had declared they could find no more, each child was told to take the ark home as a souvenir of Marjorie’s party.

“The next game,” said Uncle Steve, as they all sat round, awaiting his directions, “is out of doors, so perhaps you had better put on your coats and hats.”

“Oh, Uncle Steve,” said Marjorie, “the air is so soft and warm, I’m sure we don’t need wraps.”

“Yes, you do,” said Uncle Steve; “this is a peculiar game, and you must have your coats on.”

So the children trooped upstairs, and soon returned garbed for outdoors, and two by two they followed Uncle Steve in a long procession.  Mr. Maynard was with them, too, but Uncle Steve was general manager, and told everybody what to do.

He led them across the lawns, down through the orchard, and then they came to a large plot of soft, newly-dug earth.  It was a sandy soil and not at all muddy, and the children wondered what kind of a game could take place in a ploughed field.

“It has just been discovered,” Uncle Steve began, “that this field you see before you is the place where Captain Kidd buried his treasures!  For many years the site was undiscovered, but documents have been found recently, proving beyond all doubt that the greater part of his vast treasure was concealed in this particular piece of ground.  Of course, if this were generally known, all sorts of companies and syndicates would be formed to dig for it.  But I have carefully kept it secret from the world at large, because I wanted you children to be the first ones to dig for it.  Bring the spades, please, Carter, and let us set to work at once.”