hyly joined them. They were neatly dressed, and Walter
was immensely tickled with Pat's manifest pride in them. It had been
decided to spend the day there to prepare for the trip into the woods,
and also to give Pat a day at home. They would take the train the next
morning over to Lower Chain, a twenty minute run, and from there they
would have to depend on their own good legs to take them the twelve
miles on the lake to Woodcraft Camp. One of Pat's first inquiries had
been as to whether there had been any snow during his absence, and great
was his satisfaction to learn that there had not. He explained that that
meant clear ice on the lake, for the heavy snows had come early this
year, before the lake froze, and they would be able to make practically
the whole distance on skates.

While Pat was attending to affairs at home the three visitors went out
to do the village. The sun was well up and as they stepped out into the
clear still air both Hal and Walter paused with a little gasp of
surprise and pleasure. This was not the ugly sawmill village of their
acquaintance. But for the tall stack of the mill and the whine and
scream of the saws there was nothing familiar. It was as if a good fairy
had touched the scene with a magic wand and all the sordid ugliness had
been transformed to beauty. Over everything lay the white mantle of
snow. It half buried the smaller cabins. It hid completely the stumps of
the clearings. It had buried the litter of the mill yard. It glittered
and sparkled in the rays of the sun. Beyond the clearing the evergreens
rose in great pyramids of white. No, Upper Chain was no longer a blot on
the landscape. It was beautiful.

As for Sparrer, he was dumb. While he could not appreciate the wonder of
the transformation he could and did appreciate the wonder of the scene,
and for the time being his tongue was tied. From the mill office they
called up Woodcraft Camp to tell Doctor Merriam of their arrival and
that they would be with him on the following day.

"Gee, didn't it seem good to hear the Big Chief's voice again?" said Hal
as they went out into the mill to show Sparrer how logs are transformed
into boards, timbers and shingles. "Sparrer, to-morrow you are going to
meet one of the finest men in the whole world, bar none. He's a great
old Scout."

Mrs. Malone was naturally disappointed that Pat was not to be home for
Christmas, but she said little and busied herself in helping the boys
prepare fo