ne of the cardinal principles
of a true scout."

"Yes, sir, that's what it is," responded Josh, eagerly. "I've got the
whole twelve points of scout law on the tip of my tongue right now.
Here's what they are: A scout has got to be trustworthy, loyal,
helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean and reverent."

"Whew! that's going some!" declared Felix, who being prone to put
things off to a more convenient season could readily see that he
was sure to run up against a good many snags if he tried to keep
the scout law.

"Then you can easily understand," continued Mr. Henderson, "what a
treasure-house the woods is going to be to every observing boy who
spends some time there, and becomes interested in seeing all that
is going on around him."

"I'm sure of that, sir," responded Tom, earnestly. "I know for one that
I've never paid a quarter of the attention to such things as I ought to
have done."

"No, you are right there, my lad," the hermit continued, being
evidently on a favorite subject, "the average boy can walk through
a mile of forest and hardly notice anything around him. In fact, he
may even decide that it's only a gloomy place, and outside the cawing
of the crows or perhaps an occasional squirrel at which he shies a
stone he has heard and seen nothing."

"Then it's different with a scout, is it, sir?" asked George Cooper.

"If he has been aroused to take a keen interest in nature the same
woods will be alive with interesting things," the other told them. "He
will see the shy little denizens peeping curiously out at him from a
cover of leaves, and hear their low excited chattering as they tell
each other what they think of him. Every tree and moss-covered stone
and swinging wild grape-vine will tell a story; and afterwards that
boy is going to wonder how he ever could have been content to remain
in such dense ignorance as he did for years."

"Mr. Henderson do you expect to remain in town over night?" asked Tom,
suddenly.

"Why yes, I shall have to stay until to-morrow," came the reply; "I
am stopping with my old friend, Judge Stone. We attended the same red
school house on the hill a great many years ago. My stock of provisions
ran short sooner than I had counted on, and this compelled me to come
down earlier than usual. As a rule I deal over in Fairmount, but this
time it was more convenient to come here. Why do you ask, Tom?"

"I was wondering whether you could be co