CHAPTER I.
EXCITEMENT IN THE FOOTHILLS The foothills of the Kentucky Mountains echoed to the strains of a rollicking college song, as Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders rode into a laurel-bordered clearing and dismounted to make their first camp of this, their third summer's outing in the saddle.
Only one of the party remained on his mount.

This one was Washington Washington, the colored boy that they had taken on at Henderson to be their man of all work, guide and assistant cook, for Washington had declared that, "Ah knows more 'bout de mountings dan any oder niggah in Kaintuck." On his own recommendation, Grace and her party had accepted him.
Washington, however, already had shown a love of leisure that was not wholly in keeping with his further recommendation for activity, and, instead of assisting the girls of the Overland unit to unload their ponies, the boy sat perched on the pack mule that he had been riding, playing a harmonica, swaying in his saddle in rhythm with the music, and rolling the whites of his eyes in ecstasy.
"Just look at him, girls," urged Grace Harlowe Gray laughingly.

"If that isn't a picture!" "I call it a nightmare," objected Emma Dean.

"Oh, if I only had a nice ripe tomato, and could throw straight enough." "Impossible!" declared Elfreda Briggs, whereupon Anne Nesbit and Nora Wingate broke forth into merry peals of laughter.
"Laundry!" roared Hippy Wingate.

"We didn't hire you for a moving picture.