Part 12 (1/2)
”Yes, but what did it look like?”
Her nephew stared doubtingly upon her
”Will you holler if I tell you?”
Aunt Corinne went through an i herself not to holler
”Will you be afraid all the rest of the night?”
No; aunt Corinne intithened by knowing the worst about that wagon
He pierced her with his dilating eyes, and beckoned her to put up her ear for the inforoin' to play any trick,” reot randmother, thith--thith--thith, and then hit ue?”
Robert was forced to chuckle at the recollection, but he assured aunt Corinne that grandrandhts He hesitated, with aunt Corinne's ear jogging against his chin Then in a loud whisper he co's _head on_ him!”
CHAPTER XII JONATHAN AND THRUSTY ELLEN
Aunt Corinne drew back into a rigid attitude ”I don't believe it!”
she said
Robert Day passed over her incredulity with a flickering sued aunt Corinne ”Did he grunt?”
”And he had a tush stickin' out froazed at each other in silent horror While this awful pantoett's tent was lifted, and a voice of co besides astonishment and alarm, startled their ears with--
”Children!”
Aunt Corinne leaped up and turned at bay, half-expecting to find theat her ear But what she saw in the sinking light was a fine old head in a night-cap, staring at them fro that their guardian was unable to make them explain their conduct as fully as she desired They slept so long in the ett called them out to breakfast
[Illustration: THE VIRGINIAN AND HIS CHILDREN]
Zene wanted the tent of aunt Corinne to stretch over the wagon-hoops
He had already hitched the horses, restoring the gray and the white to their former condition of yoke-fellows, and these two rubbed noses affectionately and had almost as much to whisper to each other as had Robert and Corinne over their breakfast
The darkened wagon was nowhere to be seen Corinne climbed a tall stump as an observatory, and Bobaday went a piece into the bushes, only to find that all that end of the cainians was also partly under way
Aunt Corinne felt a certain sadness steal over her She had brought herself to ad's head on hihten children She had fully intended to see hione like a bad dreairl was stolen She could only revenge herself on Robert Day for having seen into that darkened wagon, with the stove-pipe sticking out when she had not, by sniffing doubtfully at every headed ed to know if such a specimen of natural history had ever come under her eyes She would have questioned then about the walk that led to this discovery Her prejudices against children's prowling away fro
Aunt Corinne thought the pig-headed e when they were ready to start, instead of the Virginian