supper, eaten under such novel surroundings, would long be
remembered; for while these boys were old hands at camping, up to now
they had never spent any time in the open while Jack Frost had his
stamp on all nature, and the earth was covered with snow.

It was, all things considered, one of the greatest evenings in their
lives.

CHAPTER XVI

THE FIRST NIGHT OUT

"Well, it's started in to snow!"

Jud Elderkin made this surprising statement after he had gone to the
door to take a peep at the weather.

"You must be fooling, Jud," expostulated Tom, "because when I looked
out not more'n fifteen minutes ago the moon was shining like
everything."

"All right, that may be, but she's blanketed behind the clouds right
now, and the snow's coming down like fun," asserted Jud.

"Seems that we didn't get here any too soon, then," chuckled Bluff.

"Oh! a little snow wouldn't have bothered us any," laughed Jack. "We'd
never think of minding a heavy fall at home, and why should we worry
now?"

"That's a fact," Bobolink went on to remark, with a look of solid
satisfaction on his beaming face. "Plenty of wood under the shed near
by, and enough grub to feed an army. We're all right."

After several of them had gone to verify Jud's statement, and had
brought back positive evidence in the shape of snowballs, the boys
again clustered around the jolly fire and continued to talk on various
subjects that chanced to interest them.

"I wonder now," remarked Bobolink, finally, "if Hank took Mr. Briggs'
money as well as set fire to his store."

As this was the first mention that had been made concerning this
subject Tolly Tip showed considerable interest.

"Is it the ould storekeeper in Stanhope ye mane?" he asked. "Because I
did me tradin' with the same the short time I was in town, and sorry a
bargain did I ever sacure from Misther Briggs."

"Plenty of other people are in the same boat with you there, Tolly
Tip," Sandy told him with a chuckle. "But his run of good luck has met
with a snag. Somebody set fire to his store, which was partly burned
down the other night."

"Yes, and the worst part of it," added Bobolink, "was that Mr. Briggs
accidentally, or on purpose, let his insurance policy lapse, so that
he can get no damages on account of this fire."

"And the last thing we heard before coming away," Phil Towns went on
to say, "was that the safe had been broken open and robbed. Poor old
Levi Briggs' cup is full to