He raised up on his elbow threateningly, but Katy, shaking her head saucily, flew out the door and down the staircase in a flutter of delicious fear. Ernest got to his feet blusteringly. "Mother said you kids were to keep out of my room and you can just go get that book for me or I'll tell her when she comes home." He made a grab for his sister's arm, but she eluded him skilfully and darted after Katy, chanting maliciously: "Get it yourself--get it yourself--old cross patch!" An exciting chase followed. Ernest tearing out the front door almost knocked over Gertie who was just coming in. He quickly righted her with a smile--he was fond of little Gertie who never bothered. The momentary delay gave the girls a start and Ernest saw Katy's flying skirts disappearing round the kitchen ell, with Chicken Little close behind her, as he turned the corner of the house. Once at the back he found Chicken Little had sought sanctuary with Alice, the maid, who was sitting under a tree peeling peaches, but Katy had vanished. "Which way'd she go, Alice?" Alice shook her head teasingly, at the same time glancing toward the kitchen door. Ernest bolted in, but a swift search of the house revealed no Katy. Jane still clung to Alice clapping her hands derisively. "Has she gone home?" he demanded. Chicken Little shook her head. "Am I hot or cold?" "Hot! My, you're just burning!" Gertie, who had followed, stared up into the branches overhead, but Ernest, gazing after, caught no glimpse of Katy's pink gingham or mischievous face. "Bet you can't find her," jeered Jane; "boys aren't smart as girls if they are so stuck on themselves." "Bet Alice hid her." "Bet she didn't." At this moment a whistle at the side gate interrupted them. Ernest trilled in answer and a moment later Carol Brown and Sherman Dart, Ernest's two sworn cronies, came round the corner with a whoop. "You smarties can have the old book. Mother'll make you give it back tonight, anyway." A chuckle overhead punctuated his sentence, and some fifteen feet above him, seated gracefully astride the comb of the low roof, Katy waved the book at him tantalizingly. "Gee, how'd you get up there?" By way of reply Katy opened the book at random and began to read: "The third crusade which had opened so disastrously, was at last to be prosecuted with vigor. The eight days' truce was over and Philip of France again led the assault upon the walls of Acre. King Richard slowly convalescing was borne to the scene of conflict where----" Here the boys interrupted with cat calls, and Ernest shied a green apple which Katy successfully dodged. "How'd you get up?" "For me to know and you to find out." "Say, Alice, how'd she get up?" "Climbed." "Oh, say, honest how did she?" "The same way that Philip and Richard got into Acre." "Ladder?" "Yes, the man who fixed the eave troughs this morning left a ladder here. It's on the other side." [Illustration: By way of reply Katy opened the book and began.]