Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders Among the Kentucky Mountaineers

song, as Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders rode into a laurel-bordered clearing and di

n at Henderson to be their man of all work, guide and assistant cook, for Washington had declared that, "Ah knows more

ty, and, instead of assisting the girls of the Overland unit to unload their ponies, the boy sat perched on the pack mule that he

ed Grace Harlowe Gray laughing

Dean. "Oh, if I only had a nice ripe to

whereupon Anne Nesbit and Nora Wingate

moving picture. Shake your lazy bones and get busy. If yo

ed Tom Gray. "Why

is laundry and laundry is wash in the neck of the woods where I was reared," explained Hippy, at the same time narrowly observing the colored boy, who, following Lieut

about it, we don't hire a brass band. We at least would not be obliged to listen to

Emma Dean, taking careful ai

t reached another and a fully as satisfactory one. The pebble hit Washington's pack mule o

t they did see, however, was Washington Washington lifted from the ground and pitched he

at was in the mind of each of her companions, and

somewhat dazed when they

referring to the harmonica that he

hope not, for he surely would have musical i

in the Cumberlands," observed Tom Gra

mule kick me? Hain't nevah done nothin' laik that b

t Emma, whose

it on, hitting you with his foot. That mule must have played tag when he was a child. I'

harmonica, and his first act, after getting to his feet, was to go in sear

"Dat fool mule ain't done

epping over and laying a firm hand on the lad'

ent. Hit's a 'moni

et me see you touch it again until you ha

-hu

at we did not hire you for an ornament. Emma Dean, let this be a warning to you," admonished Grace, tur

ad shuffled away and had leisu

se I am the only real ornament

way in the garret with broken chair

f his companions. Emma had scored again, as she frequently did, and Hipp

s I have remarked before, you should have a man for a guide, a man who knows these mountains a

nd girls by this time should be quite able

liberty according to our standards. My friend, Colonel Spotsworth, of Louisville, strongly advised against you folks crossing t

a. "In an emergency he is worth h

dcraft, a necessary accomplishment in one who is going to pilot a pa

eutenant Wingate from the campfire where h

ly repeated wh

th emphasis. "When I smell wood burning in the kitchen stove I know i

py. But what about the rest of

in a few weeks. How long do you reckon it will take you to finish

our weeks.

e vicinity of Hall's Corners on that date, and if you are not there we will wait for you. You will do the

e eastern section of the mountains. Not only were they planning their routes, but they were critically examining a portion of the map that was encircled with

tune Hippy had inherited while fighting the Germans in the air in France. He now proposed to look

first vacation was spent in an exciting ride over the Old Apache Trail in Arizona, following this with a venturesome journey on horseback across the arid waste of the Great American Desert. Lieutenant Wingate's de

him to Lieutenant Wingate's tract, where Tom was to make a survey and examination of i

dered it to be worth much of anything," said Tom reflectively. "From what little I know of that

ind still another fortune await

his head a

or have I the slightest hope that he will find anything of value there. The twenty-fifth, then, it is. I shall make Ch

d again, Grace Harlowe?" teased Hipp

ked husband. What would you do were you a henpecke

"I think that would dep

at Hall's Corners three weeks from to-day, or as near to that date as possible. We will then make a pilgrimage to the lands of one Lieutenant Winga

l value there, the Overland Riders should share in it. This is a sort of explo

ook hi

e offer, but I could not permit it for myself, and I am

ant I get a brilliant thought they promptl

n being liberal, you may cook our meals for us three times a day. However, so far as sharing i

s unselfish offer to share with them whatever good fort

Hippy," declared Anne

s, he can give us three good meals a day, cooked by his own fair hands,

e Harlowe. Emma warned them that Hippy had better not offer her a

or you on the range!' Ha-ha. How is that? I reckon I can stand it to cook a meal for you if you can stand it to eat it. Speaking of food reminds me that I sme

e ground by the campfire to eat their supper, the first warm meal the

camp by an irate mule, and the Overland girls admitted that the little colored boy did know how to cook af

e on the beauties of neatness and cleanliness, it having been discovered

ying back in the shadows, only the whites of his eyes and the reflection of the light from the campfire o

Nesbit. "I should think he would weary of blowing th

monica is played with a grunt and a sigh. I could

"I am long-suffering, but I cannot tol

your wife while you are absent from this outfit. If you have half as difficult a time managing her as I do, I don't envy you your lot. The o

med of you," rebu

rassed after I have put my foot in it, nor anything. Nora does all of that for me. Really, Tom, you ought to train Grace to be ashamed f

an," observed Emma, whereat ther

s, don't you think this conversation is growing rather personal? I would

er. The music from Washington's harmonica ceased suddenly in the midst of a lof

d the music bo

m. They were amazed to see the colored boy charging across the camp, his feet barely touching the ground, his eye

king a grab for the boy, and

ter than she had hoped, for Washington tripp

e a rubber ball and made a mad dash for the