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 cheerful about it when he found that he'd guessed wrong.

Aunt Fannie told us not to spend much time primping for dinner, as she was having it early because she knew we would be hungry; so we hurried down, and when the gong sounded, we were not at all slow about getting into the dining-room.

The table looked mighty good to me. It was a small, round one, and just as dainty as could be. Uncle Fred took the head, to serve, and Aunt Fannie poured the coffee; Bess sat at the right, and was to look after the salad and I was opposite, with a big dish of green corn in front of me, which I was told to engineer.

Uncle Fred sniffed as he raised the cover from the great platter in front of him. "Smells like old times," he said.

I gave one look, and then my eyes turned toward Bess. She was talking to Aunt Fannie; but I knew she'd seen, by the way she kept her face turned away from me. That platter was plum full of a great big chicken pot-pie! Fine, plump dumplings, tender, white chicken, and the whole just fairly swimming in rich, thick gravy.