"You can't always tell about these things," Sam would frequently remark. "You don't know what there is in a fellow until he has been tested. It isn't the bully of the town, the loud-mouthed braggart, or the ruffian who is always ready to fight somebody smaller than himself who stands up to the rack when it comes to such business as Oscar Preston had on hand that January afternoon. I always knew that boy had uncommon nerve. He has made a reputation already that will last longer than he will."
Our friend Oscar had indeed made a name for himself. He was the lion of the village, and, strange to say, nobody was jealous of him.
That miserable spirit of detraction which so often comes to the surface on occasions like this never exhibited itself but once, and then it was promptly knocked out of time by Sam Hynes, who "laid out" one of the "river boys" for saying that he didn't believe that Oscar Preston had brought any bear back with him, but if he had it had been killed by a silver bullet.
The young hunter heard words of commendation and encouragement on all sides, but we doubt if any of them sent such a thrill to his heart as the simple, "Thank you, Oscar; I shall keep it always to remember you by," which he heard from the lips of Sam Hynes' pretty sister when he presented her with the antelope-skin he had brought home on purpose for her.
There was another thing that astonished everybody, and that was the fact that Oscar had found his brother Tom, the defaulting bookkeeper, hidden away in those Western wilds, and that he had returned some of the money out of which he had swindled Smith & Anderson.
Tom, as we know, had hired out to herd sheep for Ike Barker. He did his duty as well as he knew how, and every few weeks a letter arrived from his employer, containing the welcome intelligence that he was faithfully living up to every promise he had made his brother.
Oscar was very glad to find himself in Eaton once more. After the toil and excitement of his winter in the hills he thoroughly enjoyed the quiet comforts of his home.
Everything in and about the village looked just as it did when he left it. All his old friends were there to greet him, including Bugle, who was so overjoyed to see his master once more that he could not be induced to leave him for a moment. He kept close at his heels during the day, and slept beside his bed at night. Oscar took two weeks to rest in, and that gave him and Sam Hynes two Saturdays to spend together.
The first they passed in the woods, in company with Bugle; and although they took their guns with them, they brought back the same loads that were in them when they started out.
They did not go into the woods to shoot. They wanted to be alone, so that they could talk over old times and tell each other everything that had happened during their long separation.