e--that's
all."

Tom watched the lithe, slim figure in the distance for a minute before
he went in to break the plan to the force of Boswell's. "He's no
gambler," said he to himself, "or I couldn't trust him the way I do.
He's queer, but I don't believe he has any other motive for this than
wanting to help us."

With which innocent faith in the goodness of the man who had already
seen more of the world than Tom Boswell would ever see, he rushed in to
tell Bertha and the rest of his excited family the astounding talk he
had just had with Perkins.

* * * * *

"Mother Boswell, you've got to come out on the porch--just one
minute--and look."

"No, no, child, I can't. I----"

"Not where the folks are--just out on Mr. Perkins's balcony. He told me
to take you."

"But I can't leave----"

"Yes, you can. Everything's all right. Come--quick. The first autos are
coming--you can see 'em miles off."

With one glance about the kitchen, where two extra helpers were busy
with the last preparations, over which Mrs. Boswell had kept a
supervising eye to the smallest detail, herself working harder than
anybody, the mistress of the place suffered herself to be led away. Up
the back stairs, through Mr. Perkins's empty rooms, out upon the
balcony, Sue hustled her mother, and then with one triumphant "There!"
swept an arm about the entire horizon.

"My goodness!" burst from the lady's lips, and she stood gazing,
transfixed.

At the foot of the mountainside, where lay the little village street
with its row of shops and houses, glowed a line of Chinese lanterns,
hung thickly along the entire distance. The winding road up to the Inn
was outlined by lanterns; the trees about the Inn held out long arms
dancing with the parti-coloured lights; the porch below, as could be
told by the rainbow tints thrown upon the ground beneath, was hung with
them from end to end.

"My goodness!" came again from Mrs. Boswell, in stupefied amazement.
"There must be a thousand of those things. How on earth----?"

But her ear was caught by a distant boom, and her eyes lifted to the
surrounding mountain heights. In a dozen different places bonfires
flashed and leaped, with an indescribable effect of beauty.

"They're firing dynamite up on West Peak!" explained Sue. "Jack
Weatherbee offered to do that. Tim's got boys at all those places to
keep up the fires--and put 'em out afterward. Oh, look!--now you can see
the para