water at the spring.
"Would you care to have him stay?" asked Mrs. Brown.
"Yes," said Sue. "He's nice. I like him."
"Well, we'll keep him for a while," answered Mrs. Brown. "He needs help,
I think."
Tom Vine told more of his story after supper. He had never been away
from the city's pavements in all his life before he went out to the
country with the farmer who hired him. He had never seen the ocean, or
the woods. He did not even know that cows gave milk until he saw the
farmer's hired man milking one day.
"I just don't know anything about the woods or the country," the boy
said to Bunny and Sue, "so you can fool me all you like."
"Oh, we won't fool you," said Bunny kindly. "We'll tell you all we
know."
"Thanks," said Tom Vine.
He had offered to travel on, after supper, and try to get back to the
city.
"I don't want to be a trouble to you folks," he said to Mrs. Brown. "In
the city I know some fellows, and they'll lend me money enough to buy
some papers, and start in business."
"You had better stay with us awhile," said Mrs. Brown. "We have enough
room for you, and you can help about camp."
"I can wash and dry dishes!" cried Tom eagerly. "I worked in a
restaurant for a week once, and I know how to handle dishes."
"Then we can give you plenty of work," said Mrs. Brown, with a laugh.
"For if there is one thing, in camp or at home, that I don't like it is
washing dishes."
"I'll do them for you!" cried Tom, "and I'll be glad of the chance,
too!"
"All right then. You'll be the head dishwasher of Camp Rest-a-While,"
said Mr. Brown, smiling.
And that is how Tom Vine came to stay with the Browns while they lived
in the woods near Lake Wanda.
Tom, indeed, knew very little about the country. As he said, he had
never been away from the city pavements, winter or summer, in all his
life before. The first night in camp, when he was sleeping next to
Bunker Blue, in a little part of the tent that had been curtained off
for them, Tom awakened Bunker, by reaching over and punching him in the
ribs.
"Hey, listen to that!" cried Tom.
"To what?" asked Bunker, only half awake.
"Somebody is outside the tent, calling: 'Who? Who? Who?'" said Tom. "I
didn't do anything, did you? What do they holler 'who' for?"
Bunker listened. Surely enough he heard very plainly:
"Who? Who? Too-who?"
"Hear it?" asked Tom.
"Yes, it's only an owl," Bunker answered. "There's lots of 'em in these
woods."
"Wh
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