422 



RECREATION. 



the sleep of the innocent. The next morn- 

 ing I was up long before any of the boys 

 were out. I had my Kodak rigged for a 

 flashlight, and hid away in the willows, 

 just back of the fishing hole. It was 

 swampy on one side and quicksand on the 

 other, around the willows, so I felt sure 

 no one would find the camera during the 

 day; still I was rather uneasy all day, and 

 mighty glad when night came. 



would take the lower side I would go 

 around the upper trail. As soon as he was 

 out of hearing I cut across to my Kodak 

 in the willows. I was afraid I'd step on a 

 dead branch or make some noise, but Prov- 

 idence was on the side of the righteous. I 

 got through all right, and the creek made 

 so much noise no one could hear much 

 anyhow. 



Did I find them? I did. Peeping 

 through the willows I could catch thi 

 outline of a ark coat sleeve around a 

 slender white waist and a dear little head 

 chucked down under the rim of George's 

 old hunting hat. It was a pretty picture, 

 with the moon sliding up over the dis- 

 tant mountains and casting little glimmers 

 over the ripples in the creek. I repented 

 and wished I hadn't gone into the thing, 

 even if George had made fun of me and my 

 Kodak. I would have turned back but I 

 knew Frank would soon be along with his 

 lantern and it was too late. Then a coyote 



BEECHER'S LUCKY SHOT. 



At 8 o'clock George and I turned in as 

 usual. At 9 o'clock George stole out, as 

 I was sure he would, and joined the White 

 Fawn. At io o'clock I lay tossing on my 

 bunk. At ii o'clock I got up, went to the 

 tent where Frank and Doc were sleeping 

 and woke them, telling them George had 

 not yet returned to camp; that he left the 

 tent alone, at noon 'that day, took his fish- 

 ing rods, and hadn't been heard of since; 

 and that I was afraid he had started home 

 late and got caught in the quicksand or met 

 with some accident. Do^ and Frank had 

 been at the hotel all the afternoon playing 

 cards with a crowd of Denver teachers, 

 and they didn't know I was lying to them. 



They were up in a hurry. Doc took the 

 trail up the creek, while Frank and I took 

 the lantern and went to look down the 

 creek by the swamp and quicksand. Just 

 before we got there I told Frank if he 



howled over on the bluff and gave me 

 courage again. I could see Frank's light 

 coming up the trail. Nearer and nearer 

 he came, but they didn't hear, as I almost 

 hoped' they would. Still nearer, and he 

 caught sight of them ! He stopped as if 

 he had been shot, held his lantern above 

 his head and looked ! I swallowed a lump 

 in my throat and touched off the flashlight ! 



A little scream! And I felt as mean as 

 I did the day the dogs caught a wounded 

 fawn ; but, as I said, it was too late to re- 

 pent, and I didn't wait to make any apolo- 

 gies. I grabbed my Kodak outfit, rushed 

 back to camp, packed up, and reached the 

 station just in time for the midnight train 

 home. 



I got my picture developed and printed 

 by the time the boys reached home the next 

 week, and had prints displayed in all the 

 store windows. There were several camp- 



