There certainly were plenty of green bushes out there."

The turn brought our friends out on the road they had been looking for,
and it took but a short time to reach the lane to Tanglewood Park.

Under the heavy trees it was almost like night, and it was not an easy
task to distinguish one bush from another, especially as Roland kept
hurrying everybody, in his anxiety to be on time at the dinner party.

Joe and Roger secured some fine branches of the spruces that Dorothy had
wished for, Ned got quite a supply of pine branches, which he declared,
"could go up just as they were," while the other boys devoted themselves
to the laurel hunt. Finally a large hedge of this all-winter green shrub
was discovered, and in a short time the Fire Bird was loaded up with a
splendid supply of Christmas evergreens.

"I guess that will do," announced Nat, as the little boys piled in their
armfuls. "We have to sit some place, you know."

"What's that?" asked Ned as something rustled along the path.

"A lady!" almost whispered Roland, as if fearful that they might be blamed
for their pillaging.

At that instant a small woman hurried down the other branch of the path,
and called lightly to some one on the roadway.

She evidently did not see the Fire Bird party, for she was on an opposite
path, with a deep hedge between them and her.