ted on a
batch of tramps.

"Of course, we'll be glad to have you to supper, and breakfast, too,
for that matter," she told them; "but I'm afraid I couldn't find beds
enough to go 'round, even if you all doubled up."

At that the elongated scout gave a loud laugh; the clouds passed from
his face like magic. If he could only be positive of his regular
rations it mattered nothing to Lil Artha where he laid his head.

"Oh! don't let that little thing bother you, Mrs. Trotter," he hastened
to say, thereby making himself spokesman for the crowd; "why, we're
used to camping out, you see, and in our time we've slept in the
queerest beds you ever heard tell of. We can bunk in any old place, I
give you my word."

"What's the matter with sleeping in the barn?" asked Toby, suddenly.

"That's so," added Landy, eagerly; "it's nearly full of nice sweet hay,
cut only a month or so back. Me to hit the hay every time."

In fact, the idea seemed to appeal to all of them. They had planned to
make their camp just as circumstances permitted, and this thing of
spending the first night in a hay barn was romantic enough to suit the
fancy of any scout who loved adventure and the Big Outdoors.

So it was quickly settled.

The boys were shown the barn by the eager Johnny, who could hardly
finish his numerous chores on account of the excitement surrounding
him. It was an event of prime importance, according to his mind, when
seven real scouts came and took the farmhouse of the Trotters by storm.

That supper was one never to be forgotten by the fellows.

Why, according to Lil Artha, and he ought to know as well as the next
one, the table fairly _groaned_ under the weight of good things which
the farmer's wife kept placing upon it.

"Talk about your festive board," the tall scout afterwards remarked to
several of his pards, "that table just talked, that's what it did, and
in the sweetest tones you ever heard. Yum! yum, wouldn't I like to
board with the lady of the Trotter Farm for just one long week. I'd
pick up flesh at the rate of five pounds per day. The only trouble
would be about getting into my clothes in the end."

Johnny had shown them where they were to sleep, so that each fellow
could fix himself to his best advantage. This was done ahead of time,
for all of them knew how difficult it was to manage such things by the
aid of a wretched stable lantern.

Elmer saw that Johnny was fairly itching to tell him something, a