d been taken from the wood; the
whole collection of buildings fitted well in their wild surroundings;
there wasn't a jarring note.

But Temple Camp was unique not only in its extent, its rustic character
and its magnificent situation; it was the fulfilment of a grand dream
which John Temple had dreamed. Any troop of scouts could, by making
timely application to the trustees, go to Temple Camp and remain three
weeks without so much as a cent of cost. There was to be absolutely no
favoritism of any kind (and Jeb Rushmore was the man to see to that),
not even in the case of the Bridgeboro Troop; except that troops from
cities were to be given preference over troops from country districts.
Jeb Rushmore was to be the camp manager, working with the trustees and
the visiting scoutmasters; but as it turned out he became a character in
this scout village, and if he fell short in executive capacity he more
than made up for it in other ways. Before the first season was over
people came miles to see him. There were also a doctor and a cook,
though a troop occupying a cabin could do its own cooking and mess by
itself if it chose.

There were some rather interesting rules and regulations. If a scout won
a merit badge while at camp this entitled his whole troop to lengthen
its stay by two days, if it so elected. If he won the life scout badge,
four extra days was the reward of his whole troop. The star badge meant
an extra week, the eagle badge ten extra days. A scout winning the
bronze cross was entitled with his troop to occupy "Hero Cabin" and to
remain two extra weeks at camp. The silver cross meant three extra
weeks; the gold cross four extra weeks. If a troop could not
conveniently avail itself of this extra time privilege in the current
season it could be credited with the time and use it, whole or
piecemeal, in subsequent seasons.

On the lake there were to be several boats which were not yet ready, and
every scout winning a life saving medal was to have a boat named for
him. At the time the boys arrived there was only one boat and that was
named _Mary Temple_.

CHAPTER XIV

HERO CABIN

The history of Temple Camp during that gala season of its opening would
fill a book; but this is not a history of Temple Camp, and we must pass
at once to those extraordinary happenings which shook the little scout
community to its very center and cast a shadow over the otherwise
pleasant and fraternal life there.

By the midd