The call to breakfast was even sweeter than the serenade had been. Father and Mother Jenkins were concerned at their jaded appearance. "Seems like parties don't agree with you young ones none too well. I reckon we won't have them very often," Father Jenkins remarked tartly. His own eyes smarted from loss of sleep. "I don't believe you ought to go to the picnic this afternoon if you are feeling so played out," Mother Jenkins added. "Your Ma will think I haven't taken good care of you. It was them good-for-nothing boys a-coming that wore you plumb out." Generous cups of strong coffee--a luxury not permitted to either Chicken Little or Katy at home--woke them up and they got through the morning nicely. Not for worlds would they have missed that picnic. But even the coffee could not carry them through the afternoon. They were the butts of the entire party on account of their dullness and heavy eyes. Ernest expressed his disgust with his sister openly. "Well, I think Mother'd better keep you at home till you're old enough not to be such a baby." Jane had been nodding in spite of herself. "Looks to me as if you girls had stayed up all night!" exclaimed Grant Stowe. Mamie roused enough to retort: "Well, I guess you didn't get any too much sleep yourself." "We can keep awake if we didn't. But if it has this kind of effect on you, we'll leave you out the next time we go serenading." It had been arranged that they should catch fish for the picnic supper. The girls had brought a huge frying pan and the butter and corn meal to cook them in. As soon as the teams were cared for, the boys got out fishing tackle and bait and the party broke up into small groups for the fishing. Grant Stowe offered to help Chicken Little with her line. She found this courtesy on his part embarrassing, for Katy and Mamie exchanged looks, and she was so utterly sleepy, that she would have preferred Ernest or Sherm so she wouldn't be expected to talk. Chicken Little had gone to school with Grant the preceding winter. He was always a leader in their school games and a great favorite. Grant found a snug place beside a deep pool that promised catfish at the very least, and might be expected to yield a few trout. He made her comfortable on the spreading roots of an elm growing upward with difficulty from a steep bank. Grant smiled at her as he handed her the rod and tossed the baited hook into the stillest part of the pool. "There, you ought to get a bite soon. This is one of the best places on the creek for catfish. Say, what did you girls do to yourselves that you are so used up to-day? You didn't take a five-mile walk or anything after we left, did you?" Jane laughed. "Don't you wish you knew?" "Oh, I'll find out, but I wish you'd tell me." Grant looked at her from under his long black lashes. His tone was distinctly wheedling. Chicken Little laughed again and shook her head.