heard. She had got to
her feet and was listening, was whinnying, as in no fear of whatever
thing it was. Molly could dimly see the old horse against the background
of gloom but her presence was vast comfort.

Hark! HARK!!

Molly was on her feet now, wider awake than in all her life
before, hands clasped to her breast, head bent forward,
listening--listening--listening.

"Toot! Toot! Tooty-ti-tooty-ti-toot!"

"A bugle! A bugle! The 'Assembly!' First call to meals! Melvin's coming!
Melvin--MELVIN!"

Nearer and nearer it came. It was at hand. On the other side the
murmuring stream. On this side. In her very ears; and screaming
"Melvin!" with all the agony of fear that she had pent within her brave
heart, Molly fell sobbing in the "Bashful Bugler's" arms.

A few minutes later she was in her father's; and not long thereafter sat
upon his knee before the camp-fire with her head upon his breast and he
clasping her close, close in an embrace that held within it almost an
agony of joy, so fierce it was.

CHAPTER XV

MRS. CALVERT PLANS AN INFAIR

Instead of being scolded for her escapade Molly found herself a sort of
heroine. Nothing could exceed the tenderness of her thankful father, nor
the interest of all the campers. The signal shots had brought them all
back to the camp, and there the two lads went immediately to work to
cook for the girl the most wonderful of suppers. Monty had caught some
of Melvin's deftness at the task and was most ambitious to show Molly
his newly acquired skill. Also, at the first opportunity, when the Judge
had for a moment released his darling's hand to rise and greet Farmer
Grimm coming through the woods, the boy proudly pulled from his pocket a
few small coins and displayed them upon his palm.

"See them, Miss Molly? Hmm. Those are mine. My own.
I--earned--them--myself!"

He paused so long to let this amazing statement sink into her mind that
Melvin called:

"Come on, Mont! No loafing! Fetch another bit of wood and get on your
hurry-up step! Merimee covered this fire so snug he nigh put it out,
but wise enough, too. A fire in the forest isn't a laughing matter.
Look out! Don't poke it, you clumsy, else you'll tip over that
coffee-pot. First time we've had a lady to visit us don't want to act
the blunder-head, do you?"

"Oh! hush, Bugle! No call to bulldoze a fellow just because you happened
to be first on the spot! What made you think of carrying that thing,
anyway?"