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  CHAPTER XV

  TOLLY TIP AND THE FOREST CABIN

  "Oh! that's too bad!" exclaimed Spider Sexton, "I've been tellingeverybody we'd taste venison of our own killing while off on thistrip, and there the first deer we've glimpsed gives us the merryha-ha!"

  "Rotten luck!" grumbled Jud Elderkin. "And me with a rifle gripped inmy fist all the time. But I only had a glimpse of a brown objectdisappearing in the brush, and I never want to just _wound_ a deer soit will suffer. That's why I didn't fire when I threw my gun up."

  "With me," explained Jack Stormways, "it happened that Bluff here wasjust in my way when I had the chance to aim."

  "Well," laughed Bobolink, "you might have shot straight through hishead, because it's a vacuum. I once heard a teacher tell him so whenhe failed in his lessons every day for a week."

  "Oh! there's bound to be plenty of deer where you can see one soeasily," Paul told them, "so cheer up. Unless I miss my guess we'llhave all sorts of game to eat while up here in the snow woods. Abesaid it was a big season for fur and feather this year."

  They kept plodding along and put more miles behind them. The moon nowhad to be relied on to afford them light, because the last of thesunset glow had departed from the western heavens.

  Phil was beginning to feel very tired, and feared he would have togive up unless inside of another mile or two they arrived at theirintended destination. Being a proud boy he detested showing any signsof weakness, and clinched his teeth more tightly together as hepressed on, keeping a little behind the rest, so that no one shouldhear his occasional groan.

  All at once a glad cry broke out ahead, coming from Sandy Griggs, whoat the moment chanced to be in the van.

  "I reckon that's a jolly big fire yonder, fellows, unless I miss myguess!" he told them.

  "It is a fire, sure thing," agreed Bobolink.

  "Tolly Tip has been looking for us, it seems, and has built a roaringblaze out of doors to serve as a guide to our faltering steps!"announced Jud, pompously, although he could hardly have been referringto himself, for his pace seemed to be just as swift and bold as whenhe first set out.

  "It's less than half a mile away I should say, even with this crookedstream to navigate," announced Bobolink, more to comfort Phil thananything else.

  "Keep going right along, and don't bother about me, I'm all right,"called the latter, cheerfully, from the rear.

  In a short time the scouts drew near what proved to be a roaring firebuilt on the bank of the creek. They could see a man moving about, andhe must have already heard their voices in the near distance for hewas shading his eyes with his hand, and looking earnestly their way.

  "Hello, Tolly Tip!" cried out the boisterous Bobolink. "Here we come,right-side up with care! How's Mrs. Tip, and all the little Tips?"

  This was only a boyish joke, for they had already been told by Mr.Garrity that the keeper of the hunting lodge was a jolly old bachelor.But Bobolink must have his say regardless of everything. They heardthe trapper laugh as though he immediately fell in with the spirit offun that these boys carried with them.

  "He's all right!" exclaimed Bobolink, on catching that boisterouslaugh. "Who's all right? Tolly Tip, the keeper of Deer Head Lodge,situated in Garrity Camp! For he's a jolly good fellow, which none candeny!"

  Amidst all this laughter and chatter the ten scouts arrived at thespot where the welcoming blaze awaited them, to receive a warm welcomefrom the queer, old fellow who took care of Mr. Garrity whenever thelatter chose to hide away from his business vexations up here in thewoods.

  The boys could see immediately that Tolly Tip was about as queer ashis name would indicate. At the same time they believed they wouldlike him. His blue eyes twinkled with good humor, and he had a drollIrish brogue that was bound to add to the flavor of the stories theyfelt sure he had on the end of his tongue.

  "Sure, it's delighted I am to say the lot av yees this night," he saidas they came crowding around, each wanting to shake his hand fiercely."Mr. Garrity towld me in the letther he was after sindin' up with thetame that ye war a foine bunch av lads, that would be afther kapin' meawake all right. And sure I do belave 'twill be so."

  "I hope we won't bother you too much while we're here," said Paul,understanding what an energetic crowd he was piloting on thisexcursion.

  "Ye couldn't do the same if ye tried," Tolly Tip declared, heartily."I have to be alone most all the long winther, an' it do be a greattrate to hav' some lively lads visit me for a s'ason. Fetch the packsalong wid ye into the cabin. I want to make ye sorry for carrying allthis stuff wid ye up here."

  His words mystified them until, having entered the capacious cabinbuilt of hewn logs, with the chinks well filled with hard mortar, theywere shown a wagonload of groceries which Mr. Garrity had actuallytaken secret pleasure in purchasing without letting the boys knowanything about it.

  A team had found its way across the miles of intervening woods, anddelivered this magnificent present at the forest lodge. It wasintended to be a surprise to the boys, and Mr. Garrity certainlyoverwhelmed them with his generosity.

  Bobolink alone was seen to stand and gaze regretfully at the smalledition of a grocery store, meanwhile shaking his head sorrowfully.

  "What ails you, Bobolink?" demanded one of his chums.

  "It can't be done, no matter how many meals a day we try to make waywith," the other solemnly announced. "I've been calculating, andthere's enough stuff there to feed us a month. Then, besides, think ofwhat we toted along. Shucks! why didn't Nature make boys with Indiarubber stomachs."

  "Some fellows I happen to know have already been favored in thatline," hinted Tom Betts, maliciously; "but as for the rest of us, wehave to get along with just the old-fashioned kind."

  "Cheer up, Bobolink," laughed Paul; "what we can't devour we'll beonly too glad to leave to our good friend Tolly Tip here. The chancesare he'll know what to do with everything so none of it will bewasted."

  "When a man who all his life has been as tightfisted as Mr. Garritydoes wake up," said Phil Towns, "he goes to the other extreme, andshames a lot of people who've been calling themselves charitable."

  "Oh! that's because he has so much to make up, I guess," explainedJud.

  While some of the boys started in to get a good supper ready theothers went around taking a look at the cabin in the snowy woods thatwas to be their home for the next twelve days.

  It had been strongly built to resist the cold, though as a rule theowner did not come up here after the leaves were off the forest trees.A stove in one room could be used to keep it as warm as toast whenfoot-long lengths of wood were fed to its capacious maw. The fire inthe big open hearth served to heat the other room, and over this thecooking was also done.

  Several bunks gave promise of snug sleeping quarters. As these wouldaccommodate only four it was evident that lots must be cast to seewho the lucky quartette would prove to be.

  "To-morrow," said Paul, when speaking of this lack of accommodations,"one of the very first things we do will be to fix other bunks,because every scout should have a decent place for his bed. There'splenty of room in here to make a regular scout dormitory of it."

  "Fine!" commented Tom Betts; "and those of us who draw the shortstraws can manage somehow with our blankets on the floor for onenight, I guess."

  "We've all slept soundly on harder beds than that, let me tell you,"asserted Bobolink, "and for one I decline to draw a straw. Me for thesoft side of a plank to-night, you hear."

  The other boys knew that Bobolink, in his generosity, really had inmind Phil and one or two more of the boys, not quite so accustomed toroughing it as others of the campers.

  That supper, eaten under such novel surroundings, would long beremembered; for while these boys were old hands at camping, up to nowthey had never spent any time in the open while Jack Frost had hisstamp on all nature, and the earth was covered with snow.

  It was, all things considered, one of the greatest evenings in theirlives.