"
"Would you like to stay longer?" Tom asked.
"Foolish question, number three million. Haven't we had the time of our
young lives? I never knew two weeks to go so fast. Never mind, we've got
two days more--and two days _only_ unless I get some answers to my
'ad.'"
"Where's your patrol this morning?"
"Stalking; they've a date with a robin. I would have gone along except I
didn't see much chance of any of them imperilling their lives taking
snapshots of robins. So I stayed home to do a little packing--things we
won't need again. But no use thinking about that, I suppose; that's what
I tell them. We've had some good times, all right. Seems a pity we have
to go just when Mr. Temple and his daughter have come. You're a lucky
kid; you stay till the last gun is fired, don't you?"
"Yes, I'm going to stay till we close up. Come on, stroll up the hill
with me. I've got to raise the colors. If you've only two days more
there's no use moping around in here."
"All right, wait a minute and I'll be with you--dry the pensive tear, as
your friend Roy would say. He's an all-around scout, isn't he?"
"Yes, he came right off the cover of the Manual, Mr. Ellsworth says."
"You're a bully troop, you fellows. Gee, I envy you. Trouble with us,"
he continued, as they walked up the hill together, "is we haven't any
scoutmaster. I'm scoutmaster and patrol leader rolled into one. We're
going to get better organized this winter. There's only just the seven
of us, you know, and we haven't got any money.
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