The Boy Scouts of Bob's Hill / A Sequel to 'The Bob's Hill Braves'

by Charles Pierce Burton

We were beginning to be in a hurry to see our folks and the cave, after being away so long.

"Let's get home in time for breakfast," I said. "What do you say?"

"And go without eatin' until we get there? Not much!"

"We can have an early breakfast," Mr. Norton told us, "and start as soon as we can see; say, about four o'clock. We ought to be able to make it by seven, easily, and I feel sure that we shall be able to eat again, after our walk. I'd like to get home early, myself. It is time that I was going back to work after my vacation."

That is what we did, and we surprised everybody. They had not been expecting us before afternoon.

After that we didn't see anything of Mr. Norton for several days. Then he asked us to meet him at a campfire on Bob's Hill, Saturday evening.

"I have spoken to your parents," he told us, "and they have arranged for a picnic in Plunkett's woods, Saturday afternoon. We will eat supper together on the grass, at the edge of the woods, and afterward have a campfire at the old stone. I think that we owe it to your people to make a sort of official report of what we did on our trip; that will be a good time to do it."

That was some picnic, all right, and it was great fun, sitting there, talking and eating; then playing Indian in the woods, surrounding the palefaces, and all that. But, best of all, was the campfire, after the sun had gone down and the moon lighted up the hills and made old Greylock loom up big and shadowy. Of course, we had told our folks all about everything but they wanted to hear more, and we had to tell it all over again.

Finally Pa spoke up. "We have heard a great deal from the Scouts," he said, "and we have enjoyed it all. Now, we'd like to hear from the Scoutmaster, how the boys behaved. But first I want to tell him how grateful we all feel for what he is doing for these youngsters."

"I am enjoying it as much as they are," said Mr. Norton, looking fine as he stood there, with the moonlight on his face. "In fact, I think that I am getting more out of it than they are. I asked you fathers and mothers to meet me here to-night because I wanted to tell you how proud I am of these Bob's Hill boys, the Boy Scouts of Raven Patrol. I understand that in their cave at Peck's Falls they have a motto hanging, which says that 'The Boys of Bob's Hill are going to make good.' They have made good, Mr. Smith, every one of them."