“Nor a fox?”
“No, not so big.”
They sat up watching for the return of the little beast, but it was evidently not in a humor for making a second visit, so finally, getting drowsy, the two sisters moved nearer one another and in a short time fell asleep, not to waken till a call from Miss Lloyd announced that they must begin their mountain climb.
Then the identity of the mysterious visitor was discovered, for he had left a token of his presence in the shape of a porcupine quill which Jack found sticking in her blanket. She proudly secured it as a souvenir after finding out from ’Lish what it was.
“There’s quite a few of them porcupines around here,” the man told her, “and they ain’t so pleasant to meet up with sometimes, for they can throw their quills quite disagreeable. You was lucky not to git that in some part of your body ’stid of in your blanket.”
It was a long and arduous climb up the mountain. Two or three of the party, Jean among them, gave out and waited on the roadside till the others should come down. The rest reached the top just in time to see the red ball of the sun enter a bank of clouds.
“There; I knew it would rain,” exclaimed Florence.
“Where’s any rain?” demanded Carrie.
“You’ll see,” was the rejoinder.
“I suppose we may not rest too long,” said Miss Lloyd, “for I fear Florence may be right and that we are in for a rain.”