is throat put an end to his mumbling. But despite our
efforts, he passed on at dawn. Just as the first warm light of the sun
glowed above the mountains, he breathed his last.

* * * * *

Now you know why my private den is just cram full of the things you
fellows like. You may also guess where I procured the black wolfskin
rugs and the rare bead and porcupine quill decorations. Yes, that
long-barrelled rifle hanging on the buckhorn rack is the famous Patrick
Mullen gun. It is a rifle that Washington, Boone or Crockett would have
almost given their scalps to possess, because it is the same pattern as
the ones they themselves used but more scientifically and skillfully
made. It's a flint-lock, too, and that is the funny part about it that
interests all the Scouts of our Troop. It is my good-turn mascot, for as
long as it hangs there I am under the influence of my wild uncle and can
quarrel with no man.

Now you know why the gun is preserved as a trophy for my old Scouts and
is an object of veneration upon which they love to gaze when they sit
cross-legged on the skins of the black wolf pack before the crackling
fire of their Scoutmaster's private den.

Big Pete? Oh, he now runs the Pluto Ranch in Paradise Valley.

THE BEARD BOOKS FOR BOYS

_By_ DAN C. BEARD

THE AMERICAN BOY'S HANDY BOOK. Or, What to Do and How to Do It
_Illustrated by the author_

Gives sports adapted to all seasons of the year, tells boys how
to make all kinds of things--boats, traps, toys, puzzles,
aquariums, fishing-tackle; how to tie knots, splice ropes, to
make bird calls, sleds, blow-guns, balloons; how to rear wild
birds, to train dogs, and do the thousand and one things that
boys take delight in.

THE OUTDOOR HANDY BOOK. For Playground, Field, and Forest
_Illustrated by the author_

"How to play all sorts of games with marbles, how to make and
spin more kinds of tops than most boys ever heard of, how to
make the latest things in plain and fancy kites, where to dig
bait and how to fish, all about boats and sailing, and a host of
other things ... an unmixed delight to any boy."--_New York
Tribune._

THE FIELD AND FOREST HANDY BOOK. Or, New Ideas for Out of Doors
_Illustrated by the author_

"Instructions as to ways to build boats and fire-engines, make
aquariums, rafts, and sleds, to camp in a back-yard, et