vidently made by sharp
claws, gave evidence as to the truth of their wonderful story. And all
of the stay-at-homes united in the fervent hope that Polly Dady might be
grateful enough to bring Bob the news he yearned to possess.

Several of the boys had been dispatched to the cabins across the valley,
where they managed to purchase some dozens of eggs, but could get no
bacon. They did secure a couple of fowls, however, which were even then
plucked, and ready for the pot.

As evening settled down soon afterward, the scouts prepared to make
themselves as comfortable as the circumstances allowed.

And certainly not one among them so much as dreamed that other peculiar
events were on the calendar; ready to take their places upon the stage;
and advance the interests of the fellow scout, whose yearning to look
again on the familiar scenes of his younger years had influenced the
others to hike through the Blue Ridge Range.

CHAPTER XX.

THE AWAKENING OF STEP HEN.

"Say fellers, did anybody see that----"

Step Hen had just managed to get that far in what he was about to say,
when he was rudely interrupted by a combined shout from Giraffe, Davy
Jones, and Bumpus.

"Don't you dare accuse us of taking any of your old traps, Step Hen!"
said the last named scout, severely.

"We're sure gettin' awful tired of that war cry," declared Giraffe.
"It's always this thing or that he's lost, and never by his own fault at
all. A sly little jinx is hoverin' around, ready to grab up a thing just
as soon as Step lays it down. Still, I notice that every single time, it
turns out he put it there himself. Get a new tune for a change, Step
Hen, and ring it on us."

"By the way," remarked Smithy, who was very polite, and never joined in
the loud and boisterous jeers that greeted some break on the part of a
comrade; "what fresh misfortune has overtaken you now, Step Hen?"

"Oh!" replied the other, with a broad grin, "when our funny friends
broke in on me that way, I was only going to ask if any of you
wide-awake scouts had noticed that I had my badge turned right-side up,
early this morning?"

There was a general laugh at this, even the three culprits joining in.

Among all Boy Scouts, it has become the proper wrinkle to turn the badge
upside down to start the day; and the wearer has no right to change its
position until he has done an actual good deed toward some one else; or
even helped an animal that was in distress. Many are