“That’s what I say,” cried Sue.  “And if you wait until night I’ll make some muffins to eat with the roast corn.  Mother is going to show me how.”

“Well, don’t put any chow-chow mince-meat in your muffins,” begged Bunny with a laugh.

“I won’t,” promised Sue.  “But can’t we do something while we’re waiting for night to come so we can roast the corn?”

“Will you put up the swing you promised to make for us, Tom?” asked Bunny.

“Yes, if you have the rope.”

“We can row across the lake in the boat to the store at the landing, and get the rope there,” said Bunny.  “I’ll ask my mother.”

Mrs. Brown gave permission and Tom was soon making a swing, hanging it down from a high branch of a strong oak tree.  Then Bunny and Sue took turns swinging, while Tom pushed.

After dinner they decided it was time to go for the roasting ears, and again they were in the boat, as it was nearer to the farmer’s house across the water than by going the winding road.

Tom picked out the kind of ears he wanted, large and full of kernels in which the milk, or white juice, was yet running.  This was a corn that ripened late, and was very good for roasting.

With the corn in one end of the boat, and the children in the stern, or rear, where he could watch them as they moved about on the broad seat, Tom rowed the boat toward camp.  They reached it just in time for supper, and just as Mr. Brown got home from his trip to the city.

“We’re going to have roast ears of corn to-night!” called Sue as she hugged and kissed her father.

“Oh!  That makes me feel as if I were a boy!” said Mr. Brown.  “Who is going to roast the corn?”

“I am,” said Tom.  “I’ve done it many a time.”

“Well, I’m glad you know how.  But now let’s have supper.”

The children did not eat much, because they were so anxious to roast the corn, but Tom said they must wait until dark, as the camp fire would look prettier then.

However, it could hardly have been called dark when Tom, after much teasing on the part of Bunny and Sue, set aglow the light twigs and branches, which soon made the bigger logs glow.

“We have to have a lot of hot coals and embers,” said Tom, “or else the corn will smoke and burn.  So we’ll let the fire burn for a while until there are a lot of red hot coals or embers of wood.”

When this had come about, Tom brought out the ears, stripped the green husks from them, and then, brushing off a smooth stone that had been near the fire so long that it was good and hot, he placed on it the ears of corn.

Almost at once they began to roast, turning a delicate brown, and Tom turned them over from time to time, so they would not burn, by having one side too near the fire too long.

“When will they be ready to eat?” asked Bunny Brown.

“In a few minutes,” said Tom.  “There, I guess these two are ready,” and he picked out two smoking hot ones, nicely browned, using a sharp-pointed stick for a fork.  He offered one ear to Mr. Brown and the other to Mrs. Brown.