“Why, are you tired of picking up nuts?” asked Nan, with a smile.

“No, not ’zactly,” Flossie answered, “but I’m hungry, and——­”

“Oh, I see!  And you remember that George brought the lunch,” said Nellie.  “Well, I guess we can all eat now.  Come on down, George, and we’ll eat the picnic lunch.”

“All right,” her brother answered, and a little later he slid down the small tree.  The bags of nuts were laid aside, George being given a share of the others, and then Nellie and Nan set out the lunch on top of a flat stump, which was like a little table.

Mrs. Parks had put sandwiches, cake and apples in the box, and there was enough for all.  The children ate the lunch and had a good time, sitting around the stump-table.  Then Flossie said: 

“I’m thirsty!  I want a drink!”

“Hum.  Well, I’m afraid my mother didn’t put any drinking water in the box,” said George, looking carefully.

“Well, I can drink milk,” Flossie said.

“There’s no milk, either,” answered George, while the others laughed.

“There’s a spring of water over there,” said Charley Mason, pointing off through the trees.  “We could get some water if we had a cup.”

“I can make a cup out of paper,” Bert said.  “We learned how in school the other day.”

With some of the waxed paper which was in the lunch box Bert made a pretty good cup.  Then when the thin skim of ice on top of the spring was broken, water could be dipped up, and every one had a nice drink.  Flossie had two cupfuls, she was so thirsty.

They played tag and some other games under the trees after the lunch, and then, having gathered a few more nuts, they started back through the woods toward Lakeport.

As Flossie came near the little hollow in the ground where she had found the pile of nuts she cried out: 

“Oh, look at the little squirrel!  He’s trying to find the nuts I took.  Oh, I’m so sorry I took them.”

“That isn’t a squirrel, it’s a chipmunk,” said Bert.  “You can tell it’s a chipmunk by the stripes down its back.  It does seem to be looking for the nuts though; eh, Charley?”

“Well, maybe he is,” said George.  “Here, I’ll toss him a few.  But there are lots more in the woods he can get, so he won’t starve.”

From his bag George threw a few nuts to the chipmunk.  But the little fellow was not as tame as some squirrels to be seen in the city parks, for they will perch on your shoulder and eat nuts from your hand.  The chipmunk, however, made a loud, chattering noise, with a sort of whistle in between and scampered up a tree like a flash of sunshine.

“Oh, he’s gone!” cried Flossie, who liked to watch the lively little chap.

“Yes; he doesn’t like company,” said Bert.

Shouting and laughing, the Bobbsey twins reached home with their chestnuts.

“My, you did get a lot!” said their mother, as she looked into the opened bags.  “I never thought you would get so many.”