Molly herself drew near to hear the answer. She was wondering at the
fact of their jolly comradeship, which was now so evident; and at
Monty's pride over a little money--he who had cared so little for it
once. She was wondering at many things, and when Melvin did not at once
reply she repeated Monty's question.

"Melvin, how did you happen to take the bugle?"

"Why--why--I don't know, but I fancy my mother would say that Providence
put it into my mind. My mother believes that Providence has a Hand in
everything, don't you know? Anyhow, I'm glad I did take it. Without it
and you hearing it we might have wandered right past that very
place--one spot looks so much like another in the woods at night."

"Melvin, would you sell me that bugle? It was that saved my life, maybe,
if the animals I thought about had come or if--Would you?" asked Molly,
softly, and with a pathetic clasping of her hands, which trembled again
now, as she recalled past perils.

"No, Molly, I won't sell it to you. I'll give it to you, if you'll take
it that way, and only wish it were a better one. It's the cheapest made.
It had to be, don't you know?"

For a moment the girl hesitated. She did not like to rob the lad of his
only musical enjoyment and she felt that he could not afford the gift.
Then she remembered that there were other bugles in the world and that
she had but to suggest to her father a sort of exchange for the better,
and so satisfy both herself and Melvin. So she said simply:

"I shall prize it as the greatest treasure in the world, and I thank
you, I--I can't say much--I can't talk when I feel most--but don't you
know how I feel? About my teasing you whenever I had the chance and--and
lots of things? I'll take the bugle if--if 'you'll call the slate washed
clean,' as Dolly says, and we can begin all over again?" She held out
her hand, entreatingly, and the shy lad took it for a moment, then
dropped it as if its touch had burned. A sudden wave of his old
bashfulness had swept over him, for though he had gained much
self-confidence during those weeks in camp it would be a long time
before he conquered the timidity of his nature, if he ever did.

Then she asked Monty how he had earned money in such a place as that and
he answered proudly:

"Made myself generally useful. The Prex hired me to wait on him and keep
his traps in order sometimes--when the other old 'Boys' would let him
be 'coddled.' Every man for himself, you know, out h