re excited than he was as they filled
the boys' stockings and arranged things that were too big to go in them.

"These are your own Christmas gifts, I know," said the girl, "and you
haven't hung up your stocking."

"I don't need to. I have had my Christmas present."

"And what is that?"

"A chance to make a merry Christmas for you and your little brothers,"
answered Henry, and his heart was light.

"How long do you suppose we will have to stay here?" asked the girl.

"I don't know. I suppose they will try to dig us out to-morrow.
Meanwhile we have nuts, oranges, crackers, and little cakes, to say
nothing of the candy, to live on. Now you go to bed and have a good
sleep."

"And what will you do?"

"I'll stay up for a while and read one of these books and keep the fire
going."

"You are awfully good to us," said Mary, turning away. "You are just
like a real Santa Claus."

"We have to help other people--especially people in trouble," answered
the boy. "It is one of the first Scout rules. I am really glad I got
left behind and found you. Good-night."

The girl, whose experience that day had been hard, soon fell asleep with
her brothers. Henry did not feel sleepy at all; he was bright and happy
and rejoiced. This certainly _was_ an adventure. He wondered what Dick
and Joe and Spike and the other fellows of his troop would think when he
wrote them about it. He did not realize that he had saved the lives of
the children, who would assuredly have frozen to death in the cabin.

When he was satisfied that Mary was sound asleep, he put some things in
her stocking and then piled in the rack over her head two books he
thought the girl would like. It was late when he went to sleep himself,
happier than he had dreamed he could be.

He awoke once in the night to replenish the fire, but he was sleeping
soundly at seven o'clock in the morning when the door of the car opened
and half a dozen men filed in. They had not made any noise. Even the big
snow-plough tearing open the way from Kiowa had not disturbed the four
sleepers.

The first man in was the conductor. After the trainmen had discovered
that the coach had been left behind they had managed to get into Kiowa
and had started back at once with the rotary plough to open the road and
to rescue the boy. Henry's uncle had been in town to meet Henry, and of
course the trainmen let him go back with them on the plough. The third
man was Mr. Wright. He had been caught by th