a goin' ter bother
yer up here."

So there was one troublesome matter settled to Tom's satisfaction. He
had wanted to consider Barnard as his particular guest on their
hillside retreat and not as a pay guest at the camp. He was glad for
what Uncle Jeb had said. But he was rather surprised that Barnard had
not protested against this hospitality. What he was particularly
surprised at, however, was a certain uneasiness which this scoutmaster
from the west had shown in Uncle Jeb's presence. But it was nothing
worth thinking about, certainly, and Tom ceased to think about it.

CHAPTER XXII

AN ACCIDENT

The time had now come when each day brought new arrivals to the camp,
and August the first loomed large in the near future. It was less than a
week off. The three new cabins stood all but completed, and thanks to
the strenuous and unfailing help of his friend from the West, Tom knew
that his scout dream of atonement was fulfilled.

"When they get here," he said to Uncle Jeb, "just tell them that they
are to bunk in the cabins up on the hill. Barnard will be here to meet
his own troop, and he'll take them up to the new cabins. Roy and the
fellows will like Barnard, that's sure. It'll be like a kind of a little
separate camp up on the hill; two troops--six patrols."

"En yer ain't a goin' ter change yer mind en stay, Tommy?"

"Nope," said Tom; "I don't want to see them. I'm going down Thursday.
They'll all be here Saturday, I suppose."

In those last days of the work, little groups of scouts would stroll up
from the main body of the camp to watch the progress of the labor, but
the novelty of this form of entertainment soon passed, for the big camp
had too many other attractions. In those days of hard work, Tom's liking
for his friend had ripened into a feeling of admiring affection, which
his stolid but generous nature was not slow to reveal, and he made the
sprightly visitor his confidant.

One night--it might have been along about the middle of the week--they
sprawled wearily near their camp-fire, chatting about the work and about
Tom's future plans.

"One thing, I never could have finished it without you," Tom said, "and
I'm glad you're going to stay, because you can be a kind of scoutmaster
to both troops. I bet you'll be glad to see your own fellows. I bet
you'll like Roy, too, and the other fellows I told you about. Peewee
Harris--you'll laugh at him. He has everybody laughing. Their own
scoutmaster,