tle party of scouts turned up again in Asheville, they found
plenty to do there to keep them over until another day. First of all,
Mr. Quail underwent a complete transformation at the hands of a barber;
for he declared he believed the sight of him, in his present condition,
with such long hair and beard, would be enough to send his poor wife
into a fit, or else have her drive him from the door as a pretender.

And when he appeared before the scouts, decently dressed in a new suit,
which Bob's money paid for, as he had none himself just then, Bumpus
voiced the sentiments of the entire patrol when he declared that Mr.
Quail was as fine looking a gentleman as he knew.

Of course a message had been sent to Cranford, to apprise Bob's mother
of the glorious result of his hike down in the Blue Ridge country, which
they had once upon a time called home. It had to be very carefully
worded, lest the shock to her nerves prove too great. And in another
day, father and son hoped to be once more with the one who would not
sleep a wink until her own eyes beheld the loved form which she believed
had gone from her forever.

Then there was that affair concerning little Bertha to be considered.
Great had been the indignation of Mr. Quail when, on examining the paper
which Bob had secured through the help of the girl, he realized all the
rascality that Reuben Sparks had been guilty of.

They held an interview with a well-known lawyer, who, on hearing the
facts, and seeing the legal document, advised them to leave it all in
his charge.

"I promise you that this party will be summoned to appear forthwith,
bringing his ward with him," this legal gentleman had declared; "and
once within the jurisdiction of the court, it will be an easy matter to
dispossess him. Indeed, should he show fight, we can have him sent up
for a term of years."

With such a pleasant prospect before them, did the scouts leave the Old
Tar-heel State. They had come down here for an outing, and to see what
Bob had once called his home; but the tour had turned out to be a more
serious affair than any of them could ever have anticipated.

And now they were on the way home again, filled with memories of the
many events that had seasoned their brief stay in the Land of the Sky;
home to familiar scenes and to look upon faces that were dear to them.

A jolly party they were on the train that bore them away toward the
North. Bob and his father sat by themselves, for they