The others listened in order to catch the reply of the scout master, for of course they were one and all interested in what was being said.
"I don't see any particular reason why we shouldn't," Elmer answered; "we found it possible to take the wagon all the way to the nut grove when we wanted to load our sacks; and by watching out smartly I reckon we'll find a way to push through the woods there."
"I only mention it," continued Toby, as though he thought some explanation were necessary, "because we've got a raft of stuff along this time, and if we had to tote the same on our backs to and from the wagon, it'd mean a lot of hard work, all of which could be saved."
"And I think it a good idea too," chimed in George; "though of course I'm always willing to shoulder my share of the hard work when it's got to be done."
There was more or less chuckling and nudging among the other scouts when this broad statement was made, because George had a reputation a little bit along the line of a "shirk," when it came to hard labor, though always ready to do his duty manfully when a meal had to be disposed of.
"Well, we ought to get there in about twenty minutes more, if only Nancy doesn't drop dead with heart disease," Toby went on to say.
"Not much danger of that, Toby," ventured Ted, from the rear of the wagon; "I alwayth did thay that Nanthy wath the toughest thing that ever wore the iron on her hoofth. And I expect to thee her doing duty yearth after I come back with my diploma from college. And they tell me thereth only one hoth older than Nancy in the county, which ith owned by that Connie Mallon's dad, the mathon."
Somehow the very mention of that name which had been associated with considerable of tumult in the past history of the scouts' organization seemed to remind Toby and George of the remarkable events connected with their late nutting expedition. Elmer, therefore, was not in the least surprised to hear George immediately voice the feeling of detestation he entertained toward Connie Mallon.
"I hope that gang enjoyed the treat we fetched home for 'em the other day; and which I believe you and Toby here distributed like a pair of Thanksgiving Santa Claus," he remarked, with a vein of satire in his voice that was almost as natural to Doubting George as breathing was; "but I never did take any stock in the game, though I agreed to assist out, to please you, Elmer. And to my mind it was a flat failure in the bargain. We might as well have handed all that lot of good nuts to some poor family, or turned the same into the pig-pen for the porkers."
"Oh! I don't know," Toby said, with his favorite drawl. "Elmer here seems to be of the opinion that it's done some good. Anyhow, none of us has had any trouble with that Mallon crowd since then. They seem to slide away every time they see us coming down the street, or across the campus at school."