I love you with all my heart;" and she kept the bank-notes.

And thus with one member of the Biddles family an everlasting friendship was cemented.

CHAPTER V.

TOO MANY COOKS SPOIL THE BROTH.

HE stay-at-homes, Solomon, Jacob,

THE

and David, conducted the household matters, during the three days they were left alone, in a highly original manner.

But to begin at the beginning. No sooner had they watched the travellers out of sight, over the brow of the hill, than they all scampered to do their mother's last bidding- - the taking the beans out of soak, and the getting them on to boil.

In their zeal, Jacob and David, both plunging at the same instant into the dark little pot-closet for the kettle, bumped their heads together with a terrific crack.

David roared out with pain, and Solomon, setting down his pan of beans hastily upon the edge of the kitchen table, rushed to their

assistance, for in their first agony they were unable to move, and still remained crouched on their knees, half in and half out of the little pot-closet.

Solomon dragged them forth into outer daylight again by their heels. The kettle, with considerable racket, came with them, for they each had hold of the handle. Groaning, with their bumped heads in their spare hands, they carried the kettle towards the stove.

Not seeing their way very clearly, they hit against the corner of the table, and away went the pan of beans, with a great spatter of water upon the floor.

Solomon made a rueful face, but he was honest enough to own that he was to blame for this.

"Never mind, boys," said he; "that's my fault. I didn't set the pan on far enough; but nothing's broke!”

"Only our heads," replied Jacob; and then the boys all laughed heartily, and set to work scooping the beans off the floor with their hands, and throwing them into the kettle.

"Hold on!" said Solomon, reaching for the fire-shovel; "this'll take 'em up in no time" - which it did; and as not one of the

three objected at all to the coating of soot and ashes which some of the beans, in consequence, put on, nobody outside need sniff at Solomon's very bright idea.

It certainly did save time. And, then, they were to eat the beans, not we.

After this job was thus happily disposed of, Solomon swung the kettle to its place, put on the cover with a snap, and then broomed the puddle of water, and the few remaining beans, under the stove.

"What'll we do next?" asked Jacob.

The dishes," said Solomon; for the table stood in all the disorder the breakfast party had left it in.

There was a platter half full of cold meat. "Kitty, kitty, kitty," cried David; and a great yellow .cat, with green eyes, dashed through the window.

Come, kit," said David, again; and so encouraged, she jumped upon the table,

and, in this elevated position, attacked the meat with great relish.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" all at once sounded desperately through the doorway; and into the kitchen marched an army of grandfatherly roosters and motherly hens, halfgrown, greedy-faced chickens, and downy little bantams, just out of the shell. And strutting along on each side, as stately as drum-majors, were two great big turkey gobblers.

"Cluck, cluck! chirp, chirp! peep, peep! gobble, gobble, gobble!" sang the feathered tribe, in its loudest key.

"Go get them some corn," said Solomon, who, being the oldest, was naturally given to ordering about his brothers.

But Jacob and David were aiming at the gobblers' heads with little junks of bread and potatoes that they took from the table.

The turkeys were dancing, the hens and chickens scuffling, the little banties all in a whirl.

Solomon was not proof against this..