Chums of the Camp Fire | Page 8

throwing an arm over the shoulder of
his friend; "we know that if it had been a sure-enough runaway you'd
have covered yourself with glory, and saved her life in the bargain.
Who'd ever expect girls to be wagering candy pulls about an old nag
making time? And anybody to see old Bill tearing along would say he
was running away. It's all right, Steve; forget it now. You made a great
stop, there's no getting around that."
"I should say he did!" added Bandy-legs; "and when Bessie comes to
think of how you risked your precious life, just because you thought
she was in danger, why, I don't see how she can help but feel sorry for
being so sharp with her tongue. But then all girls think of is candy-pulls,
dancin' and such things as dress. Nope, it don't pay for a feller to play
the hero any more. You wouldn't ketch me adoin' it, for a fact."
Toby started to say something that may have had to do with his opinion
concerning the impossibility of any one built like Bandy-legs being
agile enough to run alongside a racing horse; but he made such a mess
of it, or else on second thought felt it would be mean to say it, for he
stopped short, gulped several times, and relapsed into silence.
Sometimes that affliction of Toby's saved him from getting into trouble
and controversies, which proved that it was after all not an unmixed

evil.
After that they went on toward home, chattering like a lot of magpies
about the glorious times they expected having in the following week,
should the weather permit of their going off to the woods, on their first
outing of the season.
Before separating they divided the spoils of the frog hunt. After due
consideration Bandy-legs concluded that it would be best for him not to
bother his folks with any of the proceeds of the expedition to the big
pond.
"I'll drop over to your house to-morrow, Toby," he said, as he handed
the other his share of the trophies in the shape of five saddles, "and
p'raps you'd be kind enough to save me a couple of these, no matter if
they are cold. I don't dare upset our cook. She's the boss of the kitchen
in our house, and if you rub her the right way you c'n get whatever you
want; but she does everlastingly hate the looks of frogs' legs, and
vowed the last time I fetched some home she'd leave before she cooked
'em again. Besides, mebbe next week we'll run across our fill of the
same when we're campin' out, and then I can have all I want."
Toby readily agreed to this, for he was a most accommodating fellow.
He even made Bandy-legs promise to eat dinner with him when the
wonderful dish of frogs' legs would be served.
"I'll have the s-s-same, even if I have to c-c-cook 'em m-m-myself!"
Toby promised, in parting.
"If you look over there," remarked Max, casually, "you'll notice that
bank of dark clouds has climbed up a little now. Seems like it might be
going to whoop things up some before morning comes along."
"Well, it's Sunday, and all we could do would be to hang around the
house, or walk down to see how the old circus was coming on," Steve
observed, with the calm philosophy of a boy.
"It's going to clear the air for next week, and give us the greatest time

ever," Max went on to say, in his optimistic way, for he was ever ready
to see the bright side of things, and no trouble could come along but
what Max quickly discovered that the gloomy cloud had a silver lining.
In this spirit the boys separated, each one heading for his particular
home, for it was close on supper time; and Steve wanted to change his
clothes before he allowed his folks to see him.
Toby too knew that he would have certain chores to look after
connected with the feeding of his pets. He was too tender-hearted a boy
to let them go hungry when it could be helped; and besides, his mother
always insisted that if he must keep such a little menagerie in the back
yard he should always have the place tidied up, and under no
circumstances allow his captives to suffer from lack of attention on his
part.
The 'coon was glad to see him, and even allowed Toby to pat his sleek
back, although the boy could remember many occasions in the past
when he had been nipped by those sharp teeth, or else felt the angry
animal's claws.
His red fox was also very tame, and would eat out of his hand, though
Toby did not