The crowd made a break for the door, and in a moment more they were
inside, laughing and shouting. Five minutes later they might all have
been found splashing around in the swimming-pool, making up for the lost
swims of the past few days, their bodies brown as berries, and as healthy
as free, camp-life in mountain air could make them. Mr. Allen shook
Willis by the hand.

"I never had a better time in my life; and such a gang of royal good
fellows! Willis, old man, I always want to be a boy if age takes such
real pleasures away from man. I missed you, boy, every day, and needed
you so often. How's the aunt, and how's the Department? Say, Willis,
while I take a little swim, will you 'phone to all the Cabinet members
and tell them it's Bruin Inn for supper on Saturday night?--a very
important meeting! Meet here at five o'clock. And say, I want you to go
along with us. I have decided to add an out-of-door committee to the
Cabinet, and I want you to represent that phase of the work, will you?"

Camp was the favorite topic of conversation on Saturday night as the
little group of older fellows walked up the canyon road. Mr. Allen was
telling one group about some of the funny things fond mothers had sent
to camp with their boys, while just behind another group were listening
to an exciting tale of how the only night-shirt in camp, together with
the Leader's razor-strop, were hung on the topmost branch of a great
spike-topped pine that stood just in the middle of the camp.

So the talk ran on, from one thing to another. The stars twinkled in
countless numbers above, giving just enough light so that they could
see the mighty column of granite on either side, and to silhouette the
gently-murmuring pines against the canyon wall. The air was chill and