“But didn’t yer have no witness when the deed was made?” Tom asked as he put a high chunk of rock maple in the stove.
“Certainly, but it happens that they’re both dead,” Mr. Golden replied sadly. “By the way, boys, I received a letter this morning from Colonel Break stating that they have had a fire at the Fortress and college will not open for at least two weeks later.”
“Hurrah,” Jack shouted, and then suddenly stopped. “I didn’t really mean that,” he said soberly. “Of course I’m mighty sorry for the colonel and all that, but just think of having two whole weeks more up here.”
As they were about to separate for the night, Mr. Golden told the boys that he had promised Edna, their sister, that he would bring her some spruce gum.
“I’ll have to leave right after dinner in order to catch the afternoon train, so you boys had better take the forenoon and get it for me. You know what Edna will say if I come home without it.” And he smiled as though it was something not greatly to be feared but to be avoided if possible.
“All right, sir, we’ll get it,” Bob said smiling. “I know where there’s a dandy gum tree. I saw it this morning and if I’m any judge it’s good for several pounds.”
A half hour after daylight, the next morning, found the boys on their way toward Big Ben’s camp.
“That tree is about a hundred yards this side of where that Frenchman was standing when I shot his jug,” Bob said as they trudged along. “I could see big lumps of gum sticking out of the seam as far up as I could see, and it looked like dandy gum too. We’ll get a lot of it and take some back to college with us. I’ll bet half of the boys never chewed spruce gum or even heard of it for that matter.”
The going was excellent and in a short time he stopped at the foot of an immense spruce.
“Here it is,” he announced, as he stopped to take off his snow-shoes. “I’ll climb up first and you hand the shoes to me,” he proposed as he leaped for the lowest branch. “I don’t like the idea of leaving them on the ground,” he explained as Jack joined him. “I wouldn’t put it past some of those fellows to swipe ’em if they got the chance, and I feel safer with ’em up here,” and he carefully tied them to a branch about twenty feet above the ground.