Dorothy's Triumph

s heard the boy's story. Len Haley had by this time thoroughly recovered from his fright, and he r

rked for years in a truck garden. Neither James Haley or his wife had experienced any affection for the lad

d feed the horses, and was not allowed to retire until the same services had been performed late at night, with hours of drudgery in the field, during the inter

lved to run away. He kept this purpose to himself, howev

it was necessary to fill a prescription at the drug store. Why Len was not selected for this mission he coul

to bed, but lay there thoroughly dressed. Soon after his uncle left the farm, the boy had crept softly down the stairs in his stocking feet, then out of the house. Putting

resolved not to turn back. He knew full well that the beatings he had received in the past would be a

hysterics by the dreadful lonesomeness about him, he had cried out for help, hopin

"Hello!" So overjoyed was Len at hearing a hu

nk calmly over the matter, he feared that his cries had been heard in the valley, and it

unt Betty, were with the unfortunate boy, and what action was to be tak

ged, while they were discussing the matter.

les of human nature to stand by and see a young boy like you abused. You shall stay with us, Len; you sh

's eyes, and he flashed

altimore with us and find hi

rned Aunt Betty. "Ephraim is getting old, and Metty is occupied with the care o

imself. He would work hard for Mrs. Calvert, he said

ng Camp Breck from either direction. Aurora had brought a bundle of reading matter, including several illustrated papers, and these were placed at Len's disposal. The boy had had several years of schooling previous to t

nd resolved to circumvent James Haley shou

m any deliberate untruths-send him off on a false scent. Aunt Bett

t was bad enough to make Len take to the mountains in the night

or the forenoon was barely half gone when two horsemen rode out of the woods

e first to

lease don't turn and 'rubber,' for there ar

ed Molly.

et on in any way that you've seen those horsemen, you need never call me your friend again. We must act like we haven't seen them, until they hail us. Ephraim, you sneak int

of mind very well, considering the fact that

under a heavy quilt. It mattered not that the weather was excessively warm this time of day; the old negro figured tha

Ephraim was sitting calmly in a chair, an illustrated

greeted the larg

pleasantly. Then he and Gera

ividual, with a long, drooping mustache, dismou

ey. We're searching for a boy named Len Haley-Mr. Haley's nephew, in fact. He left hi

ces of surprise, which was part of th

m we heard cry out in

d. "Too bad we didn't

sheriff asked, while the man on the horse eyed the

ame from somewhere down the mountainside. We listened and heard someone crying out at intervals for help. But having no

ime was

n the neighborhoo

a questioning gla

y, nodding. "He's only a kid and I s'pose he got

going at that time?" asked the sh

got farther, and finally ceased altogether. We all heard them, including

sheriff; "I didn't q

rs of a camping party from Baltimore. We arrived in t

eriff. "Blank? Any relat

ather," sa

h Gerald shook. "I knew him years ago. Didn't realize he had a boy as old as you. W

IFF OF THI

hy's T

r down the mountainside. "Then they grew fainter and seemed to be moving off to the east. We'd like very much to help you,

ile. "Come, Haley, let's be off. He can't have gone far between midnight and now, so we're

he ladies out of courtesy for

aid Jim, as he stood with Gerald

une moment. If they ever found Len in our

some papers filed in the court of this county, appointing James Haley his guardian. Just merely because h

he riders had disappeared from view. "You handled the matter perfectly. Wait till I t

d his clothes were not as thin as they might have been. But he was smiling bravely through the perspir

don, and he's a mighty good man. He knows very well the way I was treated, so Uncle James must have pulled the wool

pend most of your time in the tent, with someone constantly on watch outside. I

in the tent, I mean. I'd do anything to escape my

n a further appearance at the camp. Aunt Betty cautioned Len, however, to keep out of sight until the en

o put into practice their oft-repeated resolve to go fishing. Dorothy and

image. Here, in the spot where Molly had discovered the fish swimmi

d by the other girls, and stated her intention of

ng, planning to spend the better part of the day in enticing the denizens of the deep to nibble at th

e bank of the stream, poles in hand, a

n spite of the warning from Jim and Gerald that if

laughing aloud at the w

ld exchanged glances

have left 'em at hom

only through the kindness of my he

ang out over the water so loudly, that Jim and Gerald, with sighs of resign

poles apart, and stowing the sections away in their fishing bags, they realized that they ha

, soberly. "You boys

we?" deman

, rather curtly. "Where did you t

have known Molly and

it," Molly chimed in

as carrying a joke t

irls, Gerald," said Jim. "Let's tak

had this long jaunt for nothing, but there's an old s

away in their canvas cases, the boys pi

cried Dorothy. "I had counte

hoed Molly-"su

said the bo

idn't," J

dn't," ech

't our fault,"

could take a j

re willing to admit it's on us. You asked to com

ought you knew at least t

ugged her

o think I started it all by remarking that fish have no e

gue with a gi

replied. "Let's ge

h, and fish I shall until I get ready to stop, and you're a bigger 'it' than I think yo

ere," said Jim, in the most mat

nodded

and acted as if they were going to leave-

d Dorothy, and noticing that she made no move to wind in her li

to keep still, it won't be ne

f that before we wound in

te to let them out again

mise to be qu

nothing,

ow; don't a

contrary, and you

to camp. Why don't you go?" Mo

have no right to treat us this way. We brought you with us to give you a good time, and it seems that y

't bother us," ad

he reel began to revolve at a high rate of speed, as Mr. Fish, evidently aware that in snapping what app

rising on the bank and

aid the boys, exchangi

old him! We'll show these young gentlemen that fish can be c

r found he had again encountered resistance, he renewed his struggle for freedom. Once he nearly jerked the girl off the bank into the water, greatly to the delight of Jim and Gerald, who had settled in a comfortable nook under the trees with the av

ntil, with a quick jerk of her pole, the girl lifted him c

e-pound trout, struck him squarely in the face, bowling him over in the grass, and causing him to

to laugh, and they did no

"Well, I trust you now see the error of your judgment. I caught him, and

was forced to join them. They laughed so loudly that Jim first smiled, then burst into a guffaw himself. He had been inclined to be angry at the humiliation imposed upon him by the fish, but

squirming catch, which she detached from the hook and drop

her line, she cast it far out into the stream. "Better

afternoon. And the strangest part about it was that nobody-not even the girls-said a word! Silence reigned supreme. So, although Dorothy had triumphed in

sket. Lunch was forgotten, so eager was each to beat the other's record, and so nearly equal were the number

n would soon be gone, with the pangs of hunger gnawing at their

seventeen trout of various sizes. Gerald came a close second, having sixteen, whi

nously hungry-in the shade of the big trees on the ban

were up the mount

easy to carry th

ld and I will have to carry all

that," Dorothy said, laughin

urned. "Next time I come fishing I hope I sh

e invited ourselves," sai

d not been for us they would have gone back to camp before t

pooh!"

ooh, pooh!"

ys picked up their loads and the

lly weary from the day's strenuous outing, but soon the odor of fried fish mad