"Oh, Spring-keeper!" he cried when Mr. McRae came hunting him, "we uns has found something more beautiful than sunsets and flowers--prettier than birds--prettier than pink--prettier than blue or yellow. It shines like dew and tastes like honey--Oh, Spring-keeper, listen!" "Yes, my boy, it is beautiful. And now I think you have found enough things for today and we must go home." "Go home and leave this!" and Tom Tit embraced the Victrola. "We uns can't leave it." "Listen, my boy! I will get one for you. I don't know why I never thought of it before. Within a week you shall have one all your own and play it as much as you choose." Of course Bobby had to be instructed in the rudiments of jew's-harp playing first, according to agreement, and then with many expressions of mutual regard our young people parted from the spring-keeper and Tom Tit. CHAPTER XIX A DISCUSSION August was over and our girls were not sorry. The camp had been like an ant hill all during that month of holidays. Not that it had been a month of holidays for the Carters, far from it. There had been times when they did not see how they could accomplish the work they had undertaken. They were two hands short almost all of the month which made the work fall very heavily on the ones who were left. Gwen was taken up with Aunt Mandy, the kind old mountain woman who had been so good to the little English orphan. Now that Aunt Mandy was ill, Gwen felt it her duty to be with her day and night. Susan was so busy waiting on Mrs. Carter that she never had time for her regular duties in the kitchen. Lewis and Bill were terribly missed. They had done so many things for the campers, had been so strong and willing and untiring in their service that the girls felt the place could hardly be run without them. Skeeter and Frank did all they could but they were but slips of lads after all and there were many things where a man's strength was necessary. Mr. Carter was glad to help when he was called on, but he did not seem to see the things that were to be done without having them pointed out. When there was much of a crowd he rather shrank from the noise and the girls felt they must not let him be made nervous by the confusion. Of course there was much confusion when twenty and more boarders would arrive at once, have to be hauled up the mountain and assigned tent room and then as Oscar would say, "have to be filled up." The girls would do much giggling and screaming; the young men would laugh a great deal louder than their jokes warranted, and the boys seemed to think that camp was a place especially designed for practical jokes.