rected Romper, "and it's a good thing
school lets out at noon to-morrow."

"It'll be a sight for sore eyes. Say, fellows, I'll tell you what.
Let's bring old Nanny Haskell down and give her a seat on the visitors'
stand. I guess Mr. Ford could arrange that for us. It might cheer the
poor old soul up a little. How is she to-day? Any one been up to the
hospital?"

"Sure, Romper and I were up there. She's all well and ready to leave,
but the poor thing hasn't any place to go to, it seems. She's bluer than
all git out, too. Jiminy, but I feel sorry for her," said Jiminy Gordon.

"Well, then, by gollies! we'll see if we can't make her happy on
Christmas Eve at least. We'll have her all bundled up and bring her down
here. Listening to the kids sing and all the fun and things might help
her spirit a little."

"Fine idea, if she'll come," said Bruce.

"Oh, we'll arrange that, all right, I think," replied Romper. "I'll go
up to the hospital to-morrow. Perhaps Mr. Ford will go along, and we can
talk it over with Doctor Bassett."

"Good enough; I'll go with you. And now let's go home and get some
supper, fellows. It's getting dark," said Bruce. And presently the
scouts were tramping off through the snowy Winter twilight to their
respective homes.

Fortunately, Mr. Clifford allowed Bruce the use of Blossom, his big black
trotting horse, and a light box sleigh, or otherwise the lads would have
had to make a dozen trips up the steep, snow-covered Otter Hill to
headquarters to get their coils of wire and boxes of lamps to town next
day.

As it was, the spirited animal had to haul three sleigh-loads of
equipment to the Town Hall before the scouts could even start the task of
decorating. As soon as the coils of wire arrived a dozen scouts began to
swarm the big Christmas tree, looping the wires from branch to branch and
fastening them securely. Other scouts followed in their wake and screwed
red, white and blue, green and yellow lamps into the vacant sockets. And
while all this was going on, a crew of linemen and meter-setters from the
local electric light company were running an extension, or service line,
from the nearest street wires, for the electric company had promised to
furnish current free for the evening's celebration.

The square was a very busy place for several hours that afternoon, and
every one was working with a will for he realized that he must be
finished before dusk came. By half past thr