The Boy Scouts Along the Susquehanna

n to nod their heads knowingly. It was evident that, once they had their suspicio

!" declared Bumpus, being the first to control his tongue, which was something remarkable, sin

r in the bargain

nd I can see that there ain't the first sign of an ol

much solid satisfaction. "All of us felt mean and sore because our fine tracking game had come to such a sudden end. Now

is feet wildly in the air, as though he felt that the situation might be beyond weak

e us we've made a mistake," remarked Thad; "and if w

e half dried mud close to the border of the road, evidently made by the two m

that we ought to know Wandering George any time we came up with him, simply because he's got a rag tied around his right shoe to keep it on his foot, i

ar that as it was so remarkable a thing for a road roamer to be weari

ooptown, an' he give us the shoes. Said he fixed 'em fur customers

ives us a hunky dinner, an' trows de trilbies in fur good measure. But dey hurts us bad, an' we was jest a-sayin' we wis

might be him. So go on with your cooking; and, Giraffe, where's that knuckle of ham you said you hated to lug any further, but which you

en Giraffe only too willingly extracted the said remnant of a half

e ain't a-carin' if we gits the same kind o' a skeer 'bout once a day reg'lar-like, hey, Jake? Talk tuh me

nger at the camp, but before leaving

army overcoat that was given to him by a lady who didn't know that her husband valued it as a keepsake. So we just offered

r," replied J

Unc Sam in the Spanish war, fool thet I was; but honest to goodness now I ain

y in his voice; "we've got to go on further, and run our quarry down. An

asked Smikes. "Air ye wha

ering George, and trade him a big silver dollar for the old coat the lady gave him when she

git on ter the trick, fur a fact. If 'twar me now, I'd rather b

raffe, who was unusually fond of eating; "but we get tired o

im, "but yuh'd think a heap different, let me tell yuh, if ever any of the lot knowed wat it meant tuh be as hungry as a wolf, and nawthin

ing along the order of a hobo philosopher; but he had no more t

saw of the two tramps was just before turning a bend in the road they looked back and saw that the men were apparently hard at w

lthough of course it was too early in the season for much work to be done by the far

we lay last night it seemed to me a million roots and stones kept pushing into my body till I was black and blue this morning. And I always did l

vorably," Step He

is good enough for

o rats around, I believe I'd enjoy s

h to have to roll up in your own blanket any old time; but spiders and hornets and all that horrible set are to be found in haylofts, they tell me. I'm

hear Smithy confess that he believed in the proph

like as not I'd hunt up the highest bed I could find to sleep on. I do everything on Friday I can think of; and when the thirteenth of the month comes around I'm a

the other adroitly; "I'm only explaining that I don't mean to let the

tle from his exertions; "and Thad, would you mind if we took a little breathing spell about now? Just see how inviting this pile of o

nything I rather think all the rest of us will be glad of a chance to rest up a l

was when he invariably brushed a board or other intended resting-place with his handkerchief before sitting down; but the other sco

well as the fact that he was able to see further and more accurately than his chums, he was sometimes designated as "Old Eagle Eye," an

en gave little heed to the possible result, but immediately felt impelled to put his scheme in

ffe might have been heard chuckling softly to himself, th

cerning a certain point before going any further. Then, when satisfied on this sc

ed Bumpus, who had now ceased puffing, and was looking rested, it might be set down as ce

ew how to go about his business in a w

started to "beating around the bush," seeking to first disar

out scout seemed to be unusually in earnest. Doubtless, this was on account of the sly assertions which Giraffe inflicted upon

it!" Bumpus was hea

onvinced by actual contact; "and tell you what I'll do to prove I'm in earnest. If you make it in three trials, straddling the limb while my watch is counting

ng like that? Well, you just watch m

d up over the rail fence, and dr

waddling sort of gait toward a tree that stood by itself some littl

iately stopped his chuckling, and tried to draw a sol

him to go over and get up in that tree while I held the watch on him. He's got to start climbing and make it insid

, as he turned again and watched the portly scout moving like a ponderous ma

loud bellow of rage from over in the field somewhere. Looking hastily through the bar

ently been taken from her by the butcher, for she was furious toward all humankind. Her tail was held in the air, and as she ran straight toward poor Bumpus sh