Chums of the Camp Fire

ep a stiff upper-lip, old chum! Hold u

th slower Toby bringing up the rear. The splashing had entirely ceased by thi

eve?" Bandy-legs continued, as thoug

called back ove

rything, and I guess he's gone and

et me tell you. There never was such a buster of a greenback croaker. If you could hear him sing out 'more r-rum! more r-rum

and surveyed his soaked figure,

n awful hurry to do things that you get into a muss. You certainly are a sight now, with all that mud on you. If pretty Bessie F

e all over; "better luck next time, I say. Here, Toby, what d'ye think of that for a saddle? Do the need

e long. You're soaked to the skin, chances are. It might be all well enough in the good old summer-time to let your du

ause he did not much fancy allowing the

or an answer either, eh, boys?" and Max winked toward the other t

retly appreciated this solicitude over his-health displayed by his chums. "P'raps I will feel some better

aid Max, who was accustomed to acting as leader, though never at a

ding fires; so that in a very short time the cheery flames were jumping merrily upward, and a genial warm

and we'll see about drying

-d-doing the same," added Toby, who was as generou

ee I ain't used to prancing around in April without my clothes on. Hang it on that branch, Max; it'll be

he proceeded to arrange all the other belongings of the unlucky chum on adja

, first warming one side and then the other, and all the while dancing up and down so as to keep

nts that had marked the companionship of these four lads, the various campfires they had shared in common stood out as oases in a desert. Toby was apt to figure past

rsion, for the mud had dried. Steve had the appearance of a tramp, as Bandy-legs assured him, knowing that the other was as a rule addicted to

and we won't be meeting up with anybody on the road. If we do I'll dodge in

s aim. With him the end always justified the means. And looking back over the experiences of the last two years his chums could remember m

ore of the big pond the balance of the way around, so as to pot such other incautious frogs as

id, boys," Max remarked, as they went on, Bandy-legs in

hat, Max?" demanded S

he other; "then if you look away over to the southwest you'll see a low bank of clouds. There's some wind in that b

is season; that's all I can say," Bandy-legs observed over his shoulder, for he could hear what his chu

ing on an agonized look, as though a sudde

now, Toby?" d

hat's expectin' to d-d-drop into Carson

dale, and a train will fetch the lot to Carson right after the last performance. If it storms the

d Toby; and of course none of the others saw anything wonderful about that, knowing his great love for

a treat it'd been to him, fellers, to stand there and check off all the animals big and little as they walked aboard the ar

m told," protested Toby; "and I guess my folks'd put th

cried the boy with the bow-legs; "wisht my troubles'd be as easy t

w us what you can do. Steve is high notch so far with his gi-gantic ma

ctim to those whose prized hinder quarters lay in a he

nty," Steve announced; "but if they were all whoppers like mine

the black bank of clouds that lay menacingly there, the frog hunters had completed the circuit of t

gest frog ever seen in that part of the country, the patriarch of the lot apparently; nor did the fact that his face was

thing of a favorite highway, and they were apt to meet various vehicle

and after the danger had passed overtake his companions by hurrying. Steve was always good at hurrying; it was his fav

f Carson could be easily seen in the near distance when all at once t

a runaway!"

what d'ye think of that, if the girl in th

opping in his intention to beat a hasty retreat,

h, I'm not so sure, because she knows how to handle horses first rate

wild desire to distinguish himself as a hero, in the eyes of the pretty girl whom he had been taking

between his teeth, if he had any left, and was renewing his youthful days; for they used to tell great stori

affair in his mind, like a good general, and cared not what risks he assume

but it was surely no time to stop and listen now, when a hum

whip. Steve did not take the trouble to ask himself these bothersome questions. He knew that real heroes act while other people are figuring things out. He must

urb the fiery steed; but what should he care so long as his object was accomplished. When he had brought old Bill to a complete standstill, he meant t

im, but supposed Bessie might naturally

was wonderful how quickly all the spirit went out of the

retty face of Bessie French clouded with a frown, and to hear her

er voice. "She said he couldn't run all the way to the cross-roads and back again in seven minutes, and I just knew he could. But now you've stopped us, and I'