Phil Bradleys Mountain Boys | Page 9

to have a cartload of the same; I think
I'd call myself rich."
"If there's any suspicion fixed on the coin," Lub observed, ponderously,
just as he had heard his father, the judge, deliver an opinion in court,
"I'd rather be excused from carrying it around on my person. The law,
you know, does not look upon ignorance as innocence. Better toss that
thing as far away as you can in the morning, X-Ray. I'd hate to think of
you doing time for having it in your possession."
"Hanged if I do," muttered the other. "I'm all worked up now over it,
and mean to get the opinion of Mr. Budge, the cashier of our bank. He
can smell a counterfeit as soon as he sets eyes on one. He'll fix all that
up, believe me."
"But, Phil," Ethan remarked, just then, "what was that you were saying
about all the scorched places on the table? If these people were not

molding bullets they may have been using melted metal for another
purpose, and one not quite so lawful, eh?"
"It looks a little that way, I must say," Phil admitted.
"Give us something to do prying around while we're up here,"
suggested X-Ray; "seeing if we can run across their cache where
they've gone and hid away their molds, and other stuff."
"Oh! now you're only guessing," Lub told him. "It may be they were
game poachers after all, no matter if the coin is a bad one. I'm sorry this
had to crop up the first thing, when we aimed to have such a jolly time
of it here."
"We'll have that, all right, whether or no," said Phil; "and first of all
let's get busy with our duffle. If we're going to live in this shack it's our
duty to make it look like home to us. Ethan, suppose you attend to the
fire, and the rest of us will take care of the cooking."
"That's the ticket!" Lub ventured; "if I can do anything to help just let
me sit here, and peel potatoes, or make the coffee. I'm pretty tired, you
know; and besides it seems to me I get in everybody's way when I
move around."
"Because you occupy so much room, Lub," X-Ray told him, cheerfully;
"but it's all right, and we'll find some use for your hands. How about
water; shall I take our collapsible pail and fetch some from the lake?"
Upon being told that some one must go, the spry lad darted out of the
door, and reappeared a few minutes later with a brimming pail.
"I want to tell you all that it's going to be a dandy night," he chortled as
he set the pail carefully down so that Lub, who was holding the
aluminum coffee pot in his hands, could easily reach it; "moon's just
coming up over across the lake, and about as full as could be."
"Well, some of the rest of us are hoping to be in the same condition
before a great while," Ethan ventured, as he stepped over to the door,

and looked out, to immediately add: "I should say it is a glorious sight,
with that yellow streak shining across the water, and the little wavelets
dancing like silver. Phil, this is the greatest place ever. If you hunted a
whole year you couldn't beat it. And we ought to have the time of our
lives while we're up at Birch Bark Lodge."
All of them were filled with delight. Being only boys, and with no
particular cares weighing heavily on their minds, they refused to see
any cloud on the horizon. Everything was as clear and lovely as the sky
into which that full moon was climbing so sturdily.
Soon the delightful odors of supper began to pervade the atmosphere.
That made it seem more than ever like a real camp. Lub was doing his
share of the work like a hero. They had found a place where he could
sit at one side of the fire, and here he attended to the coffee, as well as
looked after the big saucepan of potatoes and onions that had been
placed on the red coals. Lub's round face was about as fiery as the blaze
that crackled and danced at the back of the hearth; and he often had to
mop his streaming brow; but he stuck heroically at his task to the bitter
end.
Then came his reward when they sat around, and every fellow had a
heaping pannikin between his knees, or on the small table, flanked by a
cup, also of light aluminum, filled with coffee.
Seeing that they were all helped Phil knocked on the table, and held up
his cup.
"Before we take our first bite, fellows," he