bed they had built on the snow, inhaled its fragrance as they
watched the eddying smoke of their camp-fire and the stars that
shone through the spreading branches above them and listened to the
voices of the night, from the distant cry of an owl to the whish of
falling snow, shaken from evergreen boughs by the breeze. They had
visions of camps, scattered from the equator to the poles, some of
which were destined to be realized. Ned formed a plan that night, of
which he wrote to his father, but of which he said nothing at the
time to his chum.

But as Dick stood beside Ned in their last hour at Belleville, and
the sadness of parting was in the face and eyes from which fun
usually bubbled, Ned said:

"My father owns a tract of land in the Big Cypress Swamp of Florida.
There is a lot of fine timber on it and he intends to set up a
lumber mill in the swamp and perhaps build a railroad from Fort
Myers to some part of it. A surveyor with a guide is going into the
swamp this fall to locate the best timber and I'm going with them.
You know how we have planned to do real camping and exploring
together. Well, here's our chance. I've written to Dad and he
invites you to go with me. We can start any time. When can you be
ready, Dick?"

"Ned, I'd give all I have in the world to go with you, but I
can't--I can't. Mother has spent more than she could afford to keep
me at this school and sometimes I'm ashamed when I think how I've
wasted my time. Now I don't mean to be an expense to her or anyone
else hereafter. I won't take a penny that I don't earn, from
anybody, and I won't go on any trip, even with you, until I can pay