"Queer what a noise a screech owl will make," the former remarked, after a moment's silence. "Dear me, was that a screech owl?" said Theodora. "Oh, I guess so," replied Addison carelessly. "They make an awful outcry sometimes." Tom did not say anything, but he told me next day that it was a bear which had made that cry, only a little ways from the camp; and that he had winked to Addison not to tell the girls, for they were looking nervously about them, after hearing the "screamer" story. It was not a cold night, for October; yet as the evening advanced the fire felt very comfortable. As we sat talking, several striped squirrels came out in sight into the firelight. There were hundreds of these little fellows there in the clearing, gathering the hazel nuts for their winter store. The hazel nuts were very large, nearly the size of those sold as filberts. The squirrels made their winter burrows in the ground about the old stumps. Kate had gathered a pint dipper full of the nuts before dark; and as we sat talking, we cracked them with round stones from the stream. Once we heard a great rushing and running, as of large animals through the bushes, at no great distance away. "Hear the deer go!" Willis exclaimed. Tom laughed. "We will pop over some of them to-morrow," said he. But he whispered to me a few minutes later, that he expected two bears were having a squabble over there in the brush. By and by we heard them running again; and this time they passed around to the south of our camping place, and we heard them go, splashing, through the stream and away into the woods on the other side. Willis jumped up and gave a loud _so-ho!_ which resounded far across the darkened wilderness; and then for a time all the wild denizens of the forest seemed to remain quiet, as if listening to this unusual shout. "Oh, don't, Willis!" cried Ellen. "It seems as if you were telling all these wild creatures where we are!" "So I am," said Willis; "if they want to call on us, they will find a load of buckshot all ready for them." "What time is it, Kate?" Addison at length asked. "Twenty-five minutes to ten," she replied. "Well, we want to get an early start to-morrow morning," said Addison. "So I guess we had better go to bed and try to get as much sleep as we can. I'm for one." "So am I," said Theodora. "But I don't believe I shall sleep much." "Oh, you need not be the least bit afraid," said Addison. "We'll look out for you, girls," said Thomas. "I will kindle up a good fire, so that it will shine right into your cabin; and you can close and button your door. You need not be one bit afraid to go to sleep. Nothing will come near this fire." "You are going to keep the camp-fire burning all night, Addison, aren't you now?" said Theodora.