In Camp on the Big Sunflower

ight fou

er from their keen disappointment over t

latter remarked, as they all lounged around

hion; "I've read that these p-p-pearls happen in a q-q-queer way. F

e struck the jolliest pl

legs o

-m-marked it, th

?" demanded the other pea

ed strangely quiet for him, a fact that gave M

here we did most of our tramp

ed rather

that's so,"

that you'd cleaned out that place pretty well; and as

d Steve located something like a pocket. If I take a turn in the morning

how you if you say

it, Max?" i

at that," came th

plans for the glorious future, as the che

he little scheme

in a tiny packet which he had placed in the

his plans Max had secretly managed to quietly slip the two really v

for he more than half expected that before anoth

ince Max had plainly announced t

pute the honor with him, beca

t, and by his heavy breathing th

owed suit, and

to-morrow will be the first of May,

only Max

ily upon Max that he had made up his mind to take

d to be

secrecy, Max began to relate the strange

en was prope

d great difficulty in believing that the other could ever d

y turned his head, Max," he declar

o believe," the other admitt

an we do ab

watch," repl

ht, you

d, Owen, d'ye know, I've read somewhere that some people are strangely affected by

have some sort of terrible

self, and you all heard

ount me in,"

y saying that, co

won't have to w

ompany. But we'd better be making preparation

re, so long as the fire ke

ap so I could keep an eye on the bag all the time. So Owen, l

op a little wood on the fir

watch we can talk in whisper

to keep quiet, I suppose,"

and lie low," replied the on

nkets, no one would be apt to notice us from the tent. Yo

where I was; and not discovering me in sight would b

tmare of a time

when I find myself suspecting Steve of such a nasty thing. But wait up and s

ngly lapsed

oys they seemed to be shod with

ax would crawl out, manage to toss an armful of wood upon t

nd so far nothing out of t

t sleepy, and in various ways he f

whispered when certain queer sounds floated t

the same cautious tone, which could

Owen, who knew all about these things from reading; wh

llow up above, who turns on the sprinkler when he takes a notion, don

two boys lapse

hose eyes were getting very heavy, so that he fou

impression that some snake or wild animal

s-s

rning in his ear. And, of course, it must be h

oo

r what they were lying there for. Accordingly he cr

the canvas flaps unusually far back, in order to admit ple

l, immediately succeede

some person might be advancing toward the

on a face, and Owen had no di

the two boys watched to see

y open the haversack and

ittle package, Max," whis

nched

made out to say i

have reached the ears of the prowler; but

task with a deliberation th

unable longer to keep still; "and Max, did you see where he p

ee pot we fetched along to use in case anything happe

"He's crazy, that's what. Who'd ever think of looking in that bum

up in the air myse

, didn't we! It wasn't a

prove it prett

demanded

out here, and looking it over,

y, looky here, perhaps now you really expe

e me one little b

n now and crib the cof

tes to settle down

tes he had ever known, Owen saw his agile cous

d. "He's going to fish for the coffee pot," whispered Owen, in more or less d

ook at the end of the pole had been inserted into t

old cooking utensil that thus far had not been needed, and might, if the o

d the coffee pot and t

," he said, drawi

now it only holds the three poor pearls found in the catch br

w his hand out, nor did

box you put the first

ry and open

to see what the contents of

fell upon the lost pearl! Yes, there it rested on its pink cotton bed, loo

ook. Max was pale and distressed, while his cousin, on the other hand, seemed