The hours which followed were sweet with joy.  Mrs. Dunn busied herself in preparing the supper, and Archie hung around the kitchen, telling some of the many things he had planned to tell.  Mrs. Dunn was smiling, and Archie thought her the sweetest mother any boy could have.  She was changed somewhat, but she looked very young to-day.

Supper over, Archie went over the fence to see the Sullivan boys, and he found them looking much the same.  He was truly glad to see them, and they, of course, were glad to see him, too, though at first they were just a little bashful, remembering, no doubt, all the things which had happened to Archie since they saw him last.  The boys were soon telling all about the Hut Club, though, and Archie learned to his joy that it was still a flourishing organisation.  “We spoke of you every time we were together,” said Jack, “and we always wished you were back again.”  Archie was delighted to hear that he had been missed, and all at once an idea came to him which he put into execution three days later.  He determined to give an elegant dinner to this club of boys, and the very next day he sent to New York for a caterer to arrange it.  He wanted it to be something finer than any of the boys had ever seen, and it certainly turned out to be so.  The caterer did his best, and when, three days later, the Hut Club sat down together for the first time in more than eighteen months, they partook of a dinner which would have done credit to Mr. Depaw’s table.  It was a memorable night for them all, and every boy enjoyed himself.

Archie enjoyed this Hut Club dinner more than anything else while he was at home, though of course the great event of his stay was the public reception at the Town Hall on the second evening after his arrival.  This was a truly grand affair.  The town authorities hired a brass band, which played inside the hall and out, and there was such a crowd in attendance that many were turned away from the doors.  It was a night that Archie will never be able to forget.  He sat on the platform, in company with the mayor and other town officials, and he listened to several speeches congratulating him on what he had accomplished since leaving the town.  Then he had to get up and tell them all of his experiences, from the time he left until now.  He told it in a simple manner, but from the close attention he received it was evident his audience was deeply interested.  When he had finished, there were calls for “three cheers for Archie Dunn,” and they were given with a will.  Then Archie, rising from his seat, called for “three cheers for the President of the United States,” and they, too, were given, for Archie had told them all his feelings on the subject of the President’s policy in the war.  After this there were three cheers for Mr. Depaw, whom one man said would be the next United States Senator from the State.  The meeting closed with some cheers for the New York Enterprise, and then followed a long siege of handshaking for Archie, who stood beside his mother on the floor in front of the platform.  It was a happy night for them both, and Mrs. Dunn said afterward that she could never wish for anything more the rest of her life.