“Now,” said Mr. Boone, “I’d like to get a look at this hermit of yours.”
The boys looked around for the old man, but, mysterious as ever, he had disappeared!
CHAPTER XIX
CONCLUSION
So the quest of the boys to discover the Timber Thieves was ended. Mr. Boone hailed Garry’s suggestion with delight, and Howells, who protested that he had done nothing to deserve the big promotion, was installed as camp manager, with the faithful lumberjacks as a nucleus, to get the camp going full blast again.
“And you can depend, Moose Boone, on our doing everything we can to make up for what has happened before,” one of the old timers shouted.
Only one remained to be rewarded for his help. That was King, the squatter. Mr. Boone immediately agreed when Garry told him of the promise that had been made, and offered to send some food and clothes to Misery Camp.
A suggestion by Dick proved good. He asked why the Misery Camp men could not be hired to take some of the places left vacant by the men who had turned traitor. This was put to King and he thought it over a minute.
Then he said:
“Squatters hain’t lazy; it’s just that every man’s hand is turned against ’em because they haven’t got homes and land o’ their own; but you people seem different. I’ll have all the men here in a couple o’ days, ready to go to work and earn a livin’.”
It took some time for all to tell their stories. Since Garry and Phil had worked separately from Dick, they had to tell him all that befell them since the evening they had left to go and visit the scene of the timber stealing; and Dick was made to tell how he had become a captive.