of
the old man's pride and obstinacy; for in another moment he was
squeezing Jim's hand convulsively.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

"HOME, SWEET HOME!"

"Yes, I'll go home with yer, Jim! I shore I'm sick fur a sight o' my
leetle gal. Lina's baby too--I'd be ther biggest fool in all Maine, not
ter give in, arter yer kim up hyar, riskin' yer ears ter tell me
_thet_! We'll jest try an' furgit what's gone by, Jim, an' start
fresh. An' yer kin help me raise my foxes fur ther company thet's hired
me fur five years ter run ther farm."

That was what Old Cale was saying as he pumped the hand of the delighted
and grinning Jim. And Thad was glad he was there to witness this joyous
reconciliation.

The fire had passed, and left them safe. Jim, when he could do so, made
his way back to the cabin; and on his return announced that it was only
a blackened ruin. Whereupon Old Cale sighed, and then seemed to look
forward to a new home, in which there would be an abundance of sunshine,
because Little Lina, and Caleb, the boy who was named after him, would
reign there.

They managed to spend the night somehow, and in the morning started back
to the camp on the border of the lake; though after leaving the region
where the fire had swept, they found the snow quite deep, and the going
bad. But apparently the coming of the storm had extinguished the last
lingering flames, so that the saving to the state of Maine was beyond
computation.

Arriving at the camp, Thad found the boys getting uneasy about him, and
Eli about to start out to see if he could get trace of the absent ones.
They understood that the distant fire, which had not come near them,
must have been in the neighborhood of Old Cale's cabin, as described by
Jim; and it was this that made them worry. But it was all right now, and
they received the wanderers with hearty shouts.

The story, upon being told by Thad, evoked renewed cheering, especially
for the old poacher who had reformed, and was now going to show what he
could do in a line that appealed to him especially, since he knew all
about the woods' animals.

Just as Thad had said while Cale was feeling his burns, and the bump on
his head, he declared that nothing serious was the matter with him; and
that even if there had been, the glorious news that Jim had brought, at
such risk to himself, would have cured him effectually.

"Well," said Giraffe, as they gathered around the supper that evening;
"This is our last camp