had a thousand
things to talk about, that concerned only their private interests. But
the rest clustered at one end of the sleeper, and eagerly reviewed the
stories they would have to tell.

"Oh! we'll have the greatest time ever, just showing the fellers how we
did it," declared Bumpus. "First of all, we'll get Giraffe to wade into
a creek, and explain how he was bein' pulled down by that sucking
quicksand, when the prompt arrival of the rest of the bunch saved his
precious life. I always heard that when one's just born to be hanged
there ain't no use tryin' to get rid of him by any other means; which I
guess stands for quicksand too."

"That sounds mighty fine, Bumpus," remarked Giraffe, unmoved by the
laughter greeting the proposition; "but just think what a great stunt
it'll be when we get Davy Jones here showing 'em what he c'n do dropping
down head-first into a bully old camp-fire, and swimmin' in red coals.
That ought to bring down the house; if only we c'n coax him to do it
over again."

"Not much you will," declared the said Davy, looking ruefully at sundry
red marks on both his wrists, that served to remind him of the accident.
"Once is enough for me; and I tell you right now, fellows, if ever I
_do_ climb a tree again, to exercise, I'm going to be mighty careful I
don't hang down over a blaze. There's such a thing as takin' too many
chances."

"A burnt child dreads the fire," sang out Step Hen.

"Hello! are you there, old sobersides?" remarked Giraffe, pretending to
be surprised; "now, we all of us thought you might be busy writin' out
in your mind a treatise on how to be happy watching a tumble-bug try to
roll his big ball uphill; or else what lessons can be gained by watching
the humble beetle in his never-say-die act as a gymnast. But I see
you've got your badge right-side up to-day, all to the good, Step Hen;
what wonderful stunt have you been pulling off now?"

"Oh! it didn't amount to much, I guess, fellows; but then even a little
speck of kindness counts, they say," remonstrated Step Hen.

"I happen to know," remarked Thad, breaking into the conversation; "for
I was just coming into that other ordinary car, when I saw our comrade
doing himself proud. Perhaps it _is_ only a little thing for a boy to
notice that a poor woman with three kids clinging to her skirts, and a
baby in her arms, wants to get a bottle of milk warmed, and don't know
just how to manage it; and to offer to do it for her; but