to connect with it, and that made
a dandy stove and chimney. My cousin and his chums used to do a lot of
cooking there. Then they laid down more old boards to make a floor, and
boarded most of the wall space, too. Last of all, they took up an old
table and old chairs, and they had just a dandy camp! Say, fellows, why
couldn't we have a camp like that?"

"It would do all right for springtime," declared Tom Reade, "but we
couldn't work it in winter."

"Why not?" challenged Dan.

"Not unless, Danny, you want to be the strong man who's going to dig
down into the ground through two or three feet of frost."

Dan looked a bit crestfallen.

"Besides," declared Dick thoughtfully, "every time there was a thaw or a
big rain the cave you're talking about making would be nothing but a big
cistern, half-full of water. But we could dig and fit up such a cave
somewhere in the woods in springtime, fellows."

"Only we don't have much vacation in the spring," broke in Greg
disappointedly, "and it certainly would be grand to go into camp right
after Christmas Day, if we could be warm enough and have enough to eat."

"It would be great sport," nodded Dick.

"Then let's do it," glowed Greg.

"I suppose you have the camping place all picked out, and permission to
use it," smiled Prescott.

"Well, no," admitted Greg. "But why can't we fix up some sort of
place?"

"How?" Dave Darrin wanted to know. "If we try going into camp at this
time of the year we want, first of all, some place above ground, with
enough daylight and sunlight. We want a weather-tight place that we can
keep properly warm."

"All of that," agreed Dick.

"Why can't we build a place, out in the woods somewhere?" Greg insisted.

"For one thing," objected Tom Reade quizzically, "there are no leaves at
this time of the year."

"What do we want leaves for?" queried Greg.

"To lay on the roof, like shingles."

"Bosh!" snapped Holmes. "We'd build our camp of wood."

"Well, where'll we get the wood?" came from Dave.

"We can carry it from home," proposed Greg.

"No lumber pile in our yard. Is there in yours?" Dave insisted.

"We can use the boards from old boxes and things," went on Greg
desperately.

"Oh, excuse me!" mimicked Tom Reade. "I am not camping out in any
grocery boxes at this cold time of the year."

"You might go home nights, then," hinted Greg disdainfully.

"The whole camping idea is a great one, if we could only put it
through," declared