“We’re nearly starved,” added Dick. “Nothing much to eat in the old mill.”
“Yes, it was almost as bad as when we went on a strike in Elmwood Hall,” said Bert. “Get busy, Tom.”
And, at the meal, and beside the cheerful glow of the campfire, they lived over again the adventures through which they had passed in the strenuous weeks they had spent in camp.
“And there really was a treasure, after all,” said Bert. “I hardly believed it.”
“I don’t know whether I did or not,” said Tom, “but I made up my mind I’d prove it, one way or the other.”
“And you did,” commented Jack, with a laugh. “You generally do what you set out to, Tom.”
“Even to getting a meal up for a hungry crowd,” put in Dick.
“And as good a one as I could myself,” spoke Bert, passing his plate for more fried chicken.
“And now we’ll enjoy camp life, without worrying about hidden treasure,” said Tom. “Ho! for good times from now on!”
And they had them. They learned later, that the old hermit sold the plate and jewels, and wisely converted his treasure into cash, which he put in the bank. It was sufficient for his simple needs for many years. A distant relative induced him to leave the mill and live with him, and the old man passed the rest of his years in peace.