girls who understood the queer and humorous old gentleman.

He played his key-bugle for them, showed them how to bark birches
for the purpose of making canoes (he was building one for his own
use) and finally gave them a supper of wild duck, served on
birch-bark platters, and corn pone baked on a plank before the
embers of a campfire and seasoned mildly with wood smoke.

This incident cheered Rhoda up. She had begun to be dreadfully
homesick as the good weather came. She confessed to Nan that she
was very much tempted to run away from school and return to the
ranch. Only she knew her father and mother would be terribly
disappointed in her if she did such a thing.

"And besides that," Rhoda said, with a quiet little smile, "I want
company when I go back to Rose Ranch."

"Oh, yes," said the innocent Nan. "You do know people in Chicago,
don't you?"

"Humph! Mamma's friend, Mrs. Janeway. Yes," said Rhoda, still
secretly amused, "I don't want to go away out to Rose Ranch alone
and come back alone next fall. For I've got to come back, I
suppose."

"Why, Rhoda!" exclaimed Nan, "I can't see why you don't like
Lakeview Hall."

"Wait till you see Rose Ranch. Then you'll know."