As Willis was explaining the plans to his mother the next morning his Uncle Joe came into the room.  He had seen an article in the morning paper to the effect that the Y.M.C.A. boys were to build a cabin, including the names and the probable route to be taken by the investigating party.

“What’s all this nonsense about a cabin in the mountains, Willis?  I saw an article in the Gazette this morning concerning it.  Now listen to me, boy.  I don’t want any relation of mine getting mixed up in any such a crazy, wild-goose chase.  Do you hear?  About the first thing you kids will do is to trespass on some one’s mining claims, and then you’ll be getting yourselves and some of the rest of us into trouble.  It’s a lot of foolish nonsense, such doings, anyway.  Isn’t home good enough for you?”

“Well, it seems to me you’re kind of mad about nothing, Uncle.  We’re not going to carry off any one’s gold mines,” replied Willis.  “Have you a few you are afraid we will steal?”

Mr. Williams flew into a fit of anger, saying something about, “If he was mine, I’ll bet I’d see if he’d insult his superiors in that way.  The next thing we know you will be off on a mountain picnic on Sunday, bringing disgrace on your respectable relatives,” snapped Mr. Williams.  “There are enough enemies now to a man’s good name, without adding any more by foolish kids like you, with heads full of nonsense.”

Mr. Williams stalked angrily out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Of all the strange men on earth, I think he is the strangest of them all,” remarked Mrs. Thornton.  “Something has upset him, and he has an ugly streak to-day.  I heard him at the telephone, storming about some old prospector that has come back to the city to make life miserable for him.  He had seen him on the street, talking with a man he said was a detective.  Lucy told me just the other day that Uncle Joe took awful chances on mining stock very often, and that she believed he would sell his very soul for a gold mine.  It seems so strange—­he has been angry at me every time I have let you go into the mountains.  He works hard, and I suppose he thinks you ought to be doing something, too, and if we stay here through the winter, my boy, I think it would be well for you to look about for something to do after school.”

As Willis left the house the next morning and started for the Association to complete plans for the trip, he met two men coming in at his front gate.  They asked for Mr. Williams.  Willis directed them, then hurried on, rejoicing in his heart that he was to have a real gipsy trip in the mountains with his gang.