The Boy Scouts of Woodcraft Camp

no enthusiasm in work or play. The old time jollying ceased. The rivalry between the tribes seemed falling into hopeless apathy. Even Spud Ely's success in te

ulders and with bony fingers choked back laughter and song and strangled the old freedom of speech. It sat at mess, and the chill of its presenc

pecter, this was construed as evidence of guilt. But still the specter would not down. The strain was telling not

the "recall," Chip was sent on an errand to the Durant lumber camp. As soon as evening mess was over he signaled Tug and Walter to meet hi

?" sa

right!" said Ch

tely sure?" Tug and W

at skeeters bite," replied Chip,

he pin?" asked

n sight, do you?" Chip's tone indicated his supreme disgust. "But," he continu

ld us your story yet? Come, out with it, you t

'd delivered it I thought I'd just look round a bit, and do a little scoutin'. Pat wasn't there. Fact is, the whole gang was in the woods 'cept the boss

. Nothin' special, I guess, only Pat plays tricks on him and raids his cooky

anging on a nail. 'What'll you take for the boots, cookie?' says I. Cookie grinned. 'Them ain't mine,' says he. 'They belong to that young rascal Pat Mal

ked sharply. "You don't suppose-you-say, do

" said he. "Found his name

ach other blankly, while C

of string. They're just the size of those prints we found under Mother Merriam's window, and there's three nails m

egan to throw chips. "L

shut, iron-bound, no-loophole evidence!

ant cookies better eat

. "They are pretty good," he admitted as he passed one to each of the others. "Might as well admit that I followed P

appreciative silence. When the [91] last brown c

at ought we to

thi

lf in front of Walter. "Say, what's chewing you, anyway?" he deman

uilty until there is some pro

I given you proof enough? What more do you want?" Chip f

ntial evidence, and-an

emanded Chip.

is--" Walter

on! Out with it

] boots of the same size in our own camp, and

credulity. "Say," he demanded, "what kind of a bunco steer are you givin' us,

r tartly, "I said that there is another pair of

they?" Ch

we do about Mother Merriam's pin, but if I should tell you who he is you couldn't help but wonder, and wondering, that kind of wondering, leads to suspicion. You couldn't help it. Until this thing is cleared up you couldn't look that fellow straight in the face with

his was a detail he h

ow, and if we had both pairs of boots here what good would they do us? Without knowing which nails were missing in the prints we cou

man! I for one don't want to know who owns those boots.

o suspect one fellow outside the camp, and I should hate awfu

'm glad you fellows see it that way," he said. "We

ts, but I wouldn't listen now if you tried to tell me, for just as sure as little fishes have tails I'd get to thinkin' about that feller in a way I wouldn't want anybody to think of me. Funny about those boots of Pat's, ain't it? You don't suppose Hal gave 'em to h

it of you, Tug," drawled Chip. [95] "Hold it do

ead while that unfortunate helplessly thrashed on the

ders?" inquired Tug, holding his seat b

ranslated to mean assent

nging together to beat Hal at his own game? We all like fishin', and there's just as big fish in this little old lake as Hal has

But that young gentleman looked so innocent as he inquired, "What's your

d all that sort of thing. The big chief's got a lot of books about fish, and he'll be tickled silly to have us read 'em. Then we'll pump Big Jim and Tom Mulligan

morrow mornin' for our first scoutin'. I'll go right up t' the big chief's and borrow the book. Tug, you go hunt up Louis and get permissio

appeared in the gathering dusk a rough unkempt figure crawled from behind the wood-pi

i iver get yez alone Oi'll make yez chaw thim wurrds and shwaller thim. Oi'll-Oi'll--" He shook a grimy fist at the retreating figures. His eyes rest

Thot bye's all roight. He's so

esently hit the Durant trail. For the most part hi

an' me wid no chance ter say a wurrd? What show's a bye loike me got, anyway? Whin [98] thot Walt bye licked me he said Oi ought ter be a Bye Scout, an' Oi'd begun ter think ut must be somethin' foine. But if this is the way they be afther doin', callin' a bye

er bate Harrison, be yez?" He slipped a hand into a pants pocket and clinked some loose change there. "Oi wonder now, ha

et and held it up so that a ray from the rising moon was thrown up from it in a bright glea

khouse, and for once forgot to play a goo

d down upon a thousand tragedies among the little people of the night. It bathed the two camps in silvery light, and all unconsci

nd for a few hours even the specter