"I'll go, not on account of the little brother though," quickly explained Madaline, to forestall a laugh.
But it was the little brother, Malcolm by name and Mally by adoption, who "happened to meet" the girls, just under the mountain.
"Where y'u goin'?" he inquired, winding up his kite string, regardless of the trees between the kite and his hand.
"Hunting," answered Grace. "Want to come?"
"Huntin' what?" asked Mally.
"We're not sure, but we'll take anything we can find, even little boys!" teased Cleo.
"Oh, will you!" Mally fired back. "You don't have to. Say, Madaline, I know where there's some Jack-in-the-Pulpits," he added, sidling up to Madaline. "The kind you were looking for the other day. Jack Hagan is going to meet me over by the creek at ten, and if you girls want to come along I'll show you where to hunt things."
"No bears?" protested Cleo.
"Well, there's weasles and mink in that creek, and you'd think they were bears if one of those grabbed you," Mally declared.
"Lead the way!" ordered Grace, mounting her staff on her shoulder, and the little hunters started off.