o, if I thought we wouldn't be in the way," said Jack, his
eyes lighting.

"You won't be in the way," said Dick. "I know they'd be glad to see
you. Come on over to Scout headquarters and we'll see what we've got
in the way of equipment for your hike."

At headquarters they found everything they needed. They made up a
couple of packs for each them to carry, with a frying-pan, a coffee
pot, and the other cooking utensils necessary for their two days in the
open, since they would cook their own meals and travel exactly as if
they were in a hostile country, where they could expect no aid from
those whose houses they passed.

"Let's take sleeping bags instead of a tent," said Jack. "I think it's
much better fun to sleep that way. The weather seems likely to be
good, and, anyhow, if it gets very bad, we can find some sort of
shelter. They're a lot easier to carry, too."

Scout-Master Durland, when he heard of the plan, approved it heartily.

They planned to ride for the first twenty miles of their journey by
trolley, since that would take them out into the real country and
beyond the suburbs, where there were many paved streets, which were
anything but ideal for tramping.

"Now we're really off, Jack," cried Pete, as they stepped off the car
the next morning. They had taken the car on its first trip, and it was
but little after seven o'clock when they finally reached the open road
and started off at a good round pace.

"It's fine to travel on a regular schedule," said Pete. "Now we don't
have to hurry. We know just when we ought to reach every place we're
coming to, and how long we can stay. That's much better than just
going off for a long walk."

"Sure it is! It's systematic, and it pays just as well to be
systematic when you're starting out to have a good time as it does when
you're at work. I've found that out."

"I never used to think so. When I first went to work I hated having to
do everything according to rules. But now I know that it's the only
way to get things done on time. The work's been much easier at the
office since we began doing everything that way."

"Look at our Scout camps, Pete. If we didn't do things according to a
system we'd never get through with the work. As it is, we all know
just what to do, and just how to do it. So it takes only about half as
long to cook meals and clean up after them, and we have lots more time
for games and trailing and swimming and things like th