[Illustration:  “‘I believe she’s gone dry,’ said Kit.”]

“I hope you girls brought along lots of goodies,” said Dick.  “Seems to me I never was so hungry in my life.”

“I believe boys are always hungry,” said Sarah Ketchum.

Val Duke was leading the party.  He got along faster than the others, because he wasn’t turning around every minute to say something.  He made an electrifying announcement: 

“A cow’s in the basket!”

“Gee-whiz!” said Dick, rushing at the cow.  “Thunder!” said Julius, and he gathered a handful of dried leaves and hurled them at the beast.  Kit said “Ruination!” and threw his cap.  Clara said “Begone!” and flapped her handkerchief in a scaring way.  Sarah Ketchum said, “Shew!  Scat!” and pitched a small tree-top.  It hit Dick and Valentine.  Constance said “Wretch!” and didn’t throw anything.  Mat didn’t say anything and threw her hickory-nut.  Val threw his basket, and hung it on the cow’s horn.  She shook it off walked away a few yards, then turned and stared at the party.

“Lunch is gone, every smitch of it!” said Kit.

“Hope it’ll kill her dead!” said Sarah Ketchum.

“We’d better have left it in the wagon.  Bob couldn’t have eaten it all,” said Clara.

“I wish Jule had taken it along,” said Dick.

“I wish Dick had taken it along,” said Julius.

“But what’re we going to do?” said Constance.

“We might buy something if anybody lived about here.”

“There isn’t any money.”

“Dick might give his note, with the rest of us as indorsers,” said
Julius.

“We might play tramps and beg something.”

“But nobody lives around here.”

“Hurrah!” said Dick, who had been prowling about among the slain. 
“Here’s a biscuit, and here’s a half loaf of bread.”

“But they’re all mussed and dirty,” said Sarah.

“You might pare them,” Mat suggested.

“Yes, peel them like potatoes,” said Julius.

“But what are these among so many?  The days of miracles are past.”

“What shall we do?” said one and another.

“Milk the cow,” said Mat.

Boys and girls clapped their hands with enthusiasm, and cried “Splendid!” “Capital!” etc.

“I’ll milk her,” said Dick.  “Hand me that cup.  I’m obliged to the cow for not eating it.”

The cow happened to be a gentle animal, so she did not run away at Dick’s approach, yet she seemed determined that he should not get into milking position.  She kept her broad, white-starred face toward him, and her large, liquid eyes on his, turning, turning, turning, as he tried over and over to approach her flanks, while the others stood watching in mute expectancy.

“Give her some feed,” said Mat.

“Feed!  I shouldn’t think she could bear the sight of anything more after all that lunch,” said Dick.  “Beside, there isn’t any feed about here.”