y."

"Well, of all the nerve!" gasped Tom Reade.

"Hen," spoke Dave sternly, "if you can't wait for the coats to dry, then
you can sit up in a chair by the fire and throw on another log or two
every time you wake up with a chill!"

Finding that he couldn't have his own selfish way, Hen, with much
grumbling, arranged the coats on two chairs not far from the fire. When
he considered the coats dry enough he crawled into his chosen bunk,
grumbling at the coarse tick filled only with dried leaves, and was
covered by Dick and Greg. Then the other fellows, after replenishing the
fire, sat down to spin stories.

"You tell the first yarn, Dick," proposed Tom.

"Too bad," replied Dick, with a shake of the head. "All I can think of
is what the man on the clubhouse steps said."

"And what was that?" demanded Tom Reade, leaning forward.

"I can't tell you, just yet," replied Prescott.

"Go on! Yes, you can."

"No; it's a secret."

"What did the man on the clubhouse steps say?" insisted Dan, jumping up,
seizing the crowbar and poising it over Dick's head.

"Put down the curling iron, Danny," laughed Prescott. "What the man on
the clubhouse steps said is a secret, and I'm not going to tell you,
just yet, anyway. Some day I'll tell you."

So Harry Hazelton started the ball rolling with a story. When it was
finished Greg rose and went to the window at the rear of the cabin.

"I can't see any lights in the shack," he called back. "I guess Fits
must have turned in."

"I wish we had something better than glass windows between that
scoundrel and ourselves," muttered Hazelton. "After we're asleep all
Fits would have to do would be to smash a light of glass and jump right
in here on us. Chances are that we'd all go on sleeping soundly, too,
while he gathered up the tools and then he'd have us by the hair when we
did wake up."

"Well, then," proposed Darrin quietly, "we'll fasten the shutters."

"Quit your kidding," begged Dan.

"I'm not kidding."

"But you talk of closing the shutters. There aren't any--worse luck for
us."

"Aren't there?" challenged Dave. "Say, didn't you fellows know that the
cabin windows have shutters?"

"Have they?" asked Dick, jumping up.

"Surest thing going," Dave answered. "Come along and I'll show you."

He went over to one of the windows, which was set to run sidewise in top
and bottom grooves. On account of the snow and the cold the window stuck
a bit, but at last Dave had it open. The