re off in a fortnight. Yet he was popular with teachers as well as
pupils. His head was crowned with a mass of sandy hair and his
impertinent face plastered with freckles. The boy was quick and full
of grace as a wildcat and so well built and lithe that he was a
terror on the football team.

Dick was often too busy to attend to his studies and fell behind in
his lessons, until the good doctor sent for him and gave him an
earnest but understanding talk which sent the boy back to his books,
filled with remorse and determined to get to the head of his class
in a hurry. One of these resolves was usually effective for about a
week. After which Dick generally suffered a severe relapse.

During his last winter at school, he frequently took long tramps in
the woods in the hours when he should have been at his books, and
was finally taken to task by his chum for the bad example he was
setting the younger boys by playing truant.

"But, Ned," said Dick, "I just can't keep away from the woods, and
they do me good, I know they do. I am a whole lot better every way
after a good long tramp by myself through the thickest woods I can
find. I'd like to camp out in them to-night and I believe I will."

"That's all right, Dick. I'll camp with you; only we've got to have
Doc's permission. He trusts us a lot, and we can't go back on him."

"Nice chance we've got of getting that. Maybe he'd camp with us!"
said Dick satirically.

"Shouldn't wonder if he would. You don't understand Doc. Did you
ever know him to refuse a fellow anything he squarely asked for,
unless he simply had to do it? Come along."

And the boys walked together to the study.

"Doctor," said Ned, "Dick and I want to camp out to-night in Farmer
Field's woods, if you have no objection."

"Want to camp out? Well, so do I, only I am afraid I might be needed
here. Do you know how to camp? What do you expect to take with you
and how will you keep warm?"

"We thought of taking a hatchet, a blanket for each of us and some
potatoes to roast. Then we will make a bed of hemlock boughs, build
a fire near it and roll up in our blankets."

"Well, you may go, and I will help out your commissariat with a
loaf of bread and a chicken. But be sure you have plenty of fuel
ready before dark. It will be a cold night and you will have to
replenish your fire three or four times before morning."

"Thank you, Doctor. You don't know how much obliged we are to you
for your kindness."

"