ion of getting the money, and the consent of our parents and
guardians. I guess the money part could be taken care of, all right; but
when it comes to getting permission to really leave Cranford, and go
down to the Blue Ridge mountains, that's another thing. It might be
done; but my father is a lawyer, and hard to convince."

"You're wrong there, Davy," said Thad, with a laugh; "he was the
easiest proposition of the whole lot to fix. There'll be no trouble in
that quarter. What we can do about Smithy's mother is another thing."

"But why the Blue Ridge mountains; whatever put that notion in your
head, Thad?" demanded Giraffe, deeply puzzled.

"I did, suh," announced Bob White, drawing himself up; "you see, I came
from that section, and I've been telling my chums so much about it that
they've become wild to make it a visit. And I invited them to drop in on
my old home there, you understand. It would be very nice for me to have
you all there as my guests; and to tell you the truth, my mother has
been telling me that I ought to go down there right soon now on
particular business. If you all could be with me, I should be mighty
glad of it. And it might be a splendid thing foh me, I confess."

"The Blue Ridge!" repeated Bumpus, as if to see just how it sounded.
"Say, I've read a lot about the Alleghanies, the Big Smokies, and the
Blue Ridge mountains down there in North Carolina, where Bob White came
from; but honest now, I never expected to find myself there, at least
not till I grew up. The Blue Ridge! Well, if so be you can win my folks
over to letting me go along, say, won't I wake up the echoes in them old
mountains with the merry notes of my bugle? But there goes the
scout-master to start the fire building, and water boiling test. Come
along boys and see who can beat Giraffe at his pet game!"

CHAPTER XI.

THE SCOUT WHO USED HIS EYES.

"Hold on," called out Step-hen, "let's start even all around. Has
anybody seen my tin cup? Funny how _my_ things are always the ones to
take to hiding. Now I give you my word, fellows, I laid that cup in a
safe place after we washed up the breakfast dishes this morning. And I
just can't run across it anywhere. If we're all going to take part in
that water-boiling, fire-making test I can't enter unless I have my cup,
can I? So if anybody's trying to play a joke at my expense, call it off,
won't you, please?"

"You put it in a safe place, did you, and then forgot where that