They were all on horseback,--John riding beside Puss Leek, protecting her; Luke riding beside Elsie, and protecting her; Jacob Isaac riding beside his shadow, and protecting the lunch-basket, carried on the pommel of his saddle. "I keep thinking about the 'snack,'" said Puss Leek's protector, before they had made a mile of their journey. "What do you think about it?" asked the protected. "I keep thinking how good it'll taste. Aunt Calline makes mighty good pound-cake. I do love pound-cake!" "_Like_ it, you mean, John," said his sister Elsie, looking back over her shoulder. "I _don't_ mean like," said John. "If there is anything I love better than father and mother, brother and sister, it's pound-cake." "But there isn't anything," said Puss. "My kingdom for a slice!" said John, with a tragic air. "I don't believe I can stand it to wait till lunch-time." "Why, it hasn't been a half-hour since you ate breakfast. Are you hungry?" Elsie said. "No, I'm not hungry; I'm _ha'nted_." John pronounced the word with a flatness unwritable. "The pound-cake ha'nts me; the fried chicken ha'nts me; the citron ha'nts me. I see 'em!" John glared at the vacant air as though he saw an apparition. "I taste 'em! I smell 'em! I feel moved to call on him" (here Jacob Isaac was indicated by a backward glance and movement) "to yield the _wittles_ or his life. Look here!" he added, suddenly reining-up his horse and speaking in dead earnest, "let's eat the snack now. Halt!" he cried to the advance couple, "we're going to eat." "Going to eat?" cried Elsie. "You're not in earnest?" "Yes, I am. I can't rest. The cake and things ha'nt me." "Well, do for pity's sake eat something, and get done with it," Elsie said. "But you must wait for me," John persisted. "I'll have to spread the things out on the grass. I keep thinking how good they'll taste eaten off the grass. There's where the ha'ntin' comes in." "Did you ever hear anything so ridiculous?" said Elsie to the others. "But I suppose we had better humor him; he wont give us any rest till we do; he's so persistent. When he gets headed one way, he's like a pig." Elsie began to pull at the bridle to bring her horse alongside a stump. "Puss and I can get some flowers during the repast." "I call this a most peculiar proceeding," said her protector, leaping from his horse, and hastening to help her to "'light." Jacob Isaac gladly relinquished the lunch-basket, which had begun to make his arm ache, and soon John had the "ha'nting things" spread. Then he sat down Turk-like to eating; the others stood around, amused spectators, while chicken, beaten biscuits, strawberry tart, pound-cake disappeared as though they enjoyed being eaten. "I believe I'm getting 'ha'nted,' too," said Luke Lord, whose mouth began to water,--the things seemed to taste so good to John. "Good for you!" John said, cordially. "Come along! Help yourself to a chicken-wing." "Why, Luke, you aint going to eating!" Elsie said.