Willis came around the fire and stood by his side, silently taking in the beauties of the picture.  Mr. Allen turned, and placing his arm on the boy’s shoulder, said, “It’s great, isn’t it, boy?  It takes a night like this to make a man realize what the psalmist meant when he said, ’I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills whence cometh my help.’  Do you ever think of it when you look at these old mountains?”

After supper was finished the group gathered about the fire, and the business meeting, for which the trip had been planned, began.  More cedar sticks were piled upon the fire, while the fellows settled themselves comfortably.

“The meeting will please come to order.”  Dennis had taken his place at the head of the little company.  “The secretary will please read the minutes of the last meeting.”  Chuck jumped to his feet and made his report.

“Any objections to these minutes?  If not, they will stand approved as read.  Mr. Allen, will you explain to Thornton what ‘O.F.F.’ means and give him the oath of membership?”

Mr. Allen stepped to the side of the fire.

“Fellows, it is with an ever-increasing satisfaction that I meet with ‘O.F.F.,’ and I think it would not be out of place to-night to say just a few words that have been in my mind these last few days.  I am proud to be a member of such a club.  I am proud to call every fellow gathered here my brother.  I am proud to have a voice in so clean and democratic a government.  I am proud to be able to find my social amusement and social fellowship in such ways as this club employs—­in hiking and tramping in the woods and learning Nature’s secrets.  We will not always be together in this most happy and congenial group.  Fate will soon separate us.  Some will grow old; some will die before their time; some will perhaps be rich in this world’s goods; possibly some will experience poverty’s sting.  Yet none of us, fellows, need ever want for real friendship; and, after all, it’s that which makes life glad and beautiful for us, or sad and unhappy if we do not have it.  I have often warned my memory never to lose the picture of a single one of these simple meals, about the open fire together, so that in days to come I may go back and refresh myself at these springs of pure contentment.  It’s a beautiful thing in a fellow’s life to just be living for the welfare of others, as we are trying to do.  I’m wishing one thing to-night for you all, and that is, that there may never come a time in your busy lives when you will find it to your liking to follow any other standard than the one we have set for ourselves here in this little group.  I am hoping that we will never find any type of social fellowship any more attractive to us than this clean, wholesome, out-of-door life that we have learned to love so well.  The time will come, fellows—­did you ever think of it?—­the time must come when we will not be able to gather at these fires and chat together of our mutual interests and common woes.  But I hope the time will never come when we can forget the good things for which we stand, day by day, in our living.