ystack Mountain. Come on, fellows, get ready; half the
morning will be gone before we start," said Bruce, and in a twinkle a
half-score of scouts were donning mackinaws and sweaters and making
themselves generally secure against a temperature that hovered very close
to the zero mark. And five minutes later the entire crew, armed with
axes and snowshoe-shod were to be seen leaving headquarters in single
file and heading up Otter Creek Valley over three feet of December snow.

Woodbridge had once more honored the Quarry Troop. But the lads had
earned the honor by suggesting that the town hold a public celebration in
the square in front of the Town Hall on Christmas Eve. Moreover, they
had worked their hardest to gain the interest of village officials,
ministers, and men and women of the community in such a celebration and
it could well be said that through the efforts of the khaki-clad
youngsters, Woodbridge, as a community, would for the first time welcome
the coming of Christmas. Neighbors and friends, rich and poor, young and
old, would stand shoulder to shoulder this Christmas Eve and sing the joy
and happiness of the Yuletide.

And for their share in the organization work the scouts had been granted
the privilege of providing the town with a big community Christmas tree,
which was to stand in the center of the square and be decorated from
bottom to tip with colored electric lights. This decorating was an
affair of the Quarry Scouts also. They had been given the commission by
Mayor Worthington and the councilmen to do all the electric wiring and
the stringing of the bulbs.

Of course the lads welcomed such an important task, for they were eager
to demonstrate how useful they could be. Also they were pleased to
display their knowledge of mechanics. So it can be easily understood why
Bruce and his chums were eager to get an early start the Saturday morning
a week before Christmas. They intended to search the woods for the
tallest and straightest fir tree in the township.

In spite of the fact that their ears tingled with the bitter cold and the
wind whistled through the valley, whirling the powdery crystals of snow
into their faces, the scouts were a happy lot of youngsters as they swung
their way northward. Who could be other than happy with Christmas but a
week off? Snowballs flew thick and fast among them, and now and then
snowshoe races were run, too.

The lads chose the valley bottom for their journ