for their little outing, Bud had probably figured that the chances
of their being disturbed or spied upon by any of the curious town
boys would be very slight. And, like all modest inventors, Bud was
very shy about showing off until he could be certain that he had
actually something worth talking about to display.

The sun had seemed to hesitate upon the horizon, but now it took a
sudden dip below the earth's rim, and Bud exclaimed:

"Say, did you see the sun just slide out of sight then, as though he
was ashamed to leave us in the dark? This place has all grown up
since I was here last, so I hope we'll get to the shack before night
really sets in."

"We will all right, Bud, so don't worry any," laughed Hugh, whose
aim it seemed to be to take things as philosophically as possible,
especially when they could not be changed. "Right now I'm beginning
to recognize some familiar things around us. There is that chestnut
that has thrown out three young suckers. When it gets big, it will
make a land-mark worth talking about. I noticed it the last time I
was through these woods."

"Yes, like as not," grumbled Bud, who was very tired, "if the old
chestnut bug that's killing all the trees in the next county doesn't
get up here next year and put the kibosh on our fine nut trees for
keeps. Oh! look at that rabbit spin out of that brush pile! He's
on the jump, let me tell you! Hugh, I'm beginning to recognize some
things around here, too, that I remember must have been close to the
shack. There's the meadow clearing that I had in my mind when
choosing to come away up here to try out my latest wonder. Yes, and