October 3-6, 2001--Day 1: Cherry, savagely butters a piece of bread. Brandishing a knife held tightly in her fist, she says to Mark, "It's been a long time since we went on a picnic...I don't want to hear any excuses about not being able to go!" Mark says, "A picnic with you is something I would never pass up!" He holds Cherry's hands and adds that he misses being with her every moment. Cherry tells Mark that his flattery is getting better. At the picnic, Andy sleeps as Mark says, "My next assignment is to do a story on the Cloudy River...It's one of the last rivers used to float logs to the mill!" Foreground Wood Ducks watch as Cherry replies, "I've been planning a little trip myself, and since you won't be here, it will be a good time to go!" Mark asks her where she is going. Cherry is going to visit her aunt. She repeats that since Mark won't be home, it will be a good time to go. Mark says, "Good...I think you should go!" He is holding a huge sandwich at a strange angle. Cherry would feel a lot better if Mark left Andy home with Dad and Rusty. Mark agrees. Foreground Fish leaps after a milkweed seed or a bit of goose down. Mark is sure Andy won't mind being left behind once again. Back at Lost Forest, Cherry hugs Mark as he leaves, warning him to be careful on the river. Mark will. He asks Cherry to give her aunt his best--she's a great lady. He pats Andy on the head and tells him to take good care of Doc and Rusty, who are nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, an old man bearing a strong resemblance to Doc sits on a porch stoop and tells his dog he doesn't know what he'd do without his old friend. All he and the dog have is each other.
October 8-13, 2001--Day 1: The man, Matt Crawford, and his dog, Sarah, take their daily walk in the woods. Matt tells Sarah, "This is your favorite place to come every day, Sarah!" (Is this news to Sarah?)Sarah investigates a hollow tree. Matt tells her he doesn't think the old raccoon is home this morning. Sarah wouldn't know what to do if she did catch the raccoon. Meanwhile Mark joyfully paddles down the Cloudy River, saying, "This is a beautiful area!" An Erect Foreground Otter watches Mark add that, "I'm sure everything changes when the logs start coming down the river!" Meanwhile, Matt sits on his porch and tells Sarah that she was named after his wife. Matt guesses that the dog doesn't remember her or his son, Tom. (One has to wonder how Sarah the wife felt when Matt named the dog after her!) Matt adds, "My son Tom was a fine looking young man, but he got in with the wrong crowd and got involved with drugs! I got him a job at the lumber camp where I worked, and unfortunately, when he was on drugs, he stole the company payroll..." Foreground Otters look grim as Matt continues educating Sarah. The sheriff suspected Tom, and when some of the money was found in the Crawford automobile, Tom was arrested. Sarah loved her son and couldn't believe he would steal. As Foreground Mallards fly, Matt tells his dog that he also loved Tom and didn't want to see him go to jail. Matt took the rap, telling the sheriff that he took the money. He never told his wife the truth. She and Tom left when Matt was in jail. Matt has not heard from them since. Sarah the dog looks sad. Matt repeats that he hasn't heard from his wife or son. He is very fortunate to have Sarah. They will take care of each other. Meanwhile, loggers named Joe and Jim Faulkner are eating lunch under a tree. Jim Faulkner has a mustache. Jim, who is eating an immense sandwich much like the one Mark ate recently, says, "You know, Joe, we're never going to get rich using a chain saw!" Joe, still wearing a tiny hard hat, replies, "Yeah, but I'm afraid we're stuck in this job!" Jim would like to be on a beach in the Bahamas instead of in the tick-infested woods. Joe agrees. Foreground Squirrel watches closely as Jim says, "Did you notice that bundle of cash in the office when we picked up our pay? It must add up to over two hundred thousand dollars!" Joe replies, "Yeah, since there are no banks around here, the loggers all get paid in cash!"
October 15-20--Day 1: Jim, his sandwich gone, tells Joe that if they don't want to be cutting down trees all of their lives, they must do something about it. Joe asks what Jim has in mind. Jim ignores Foreground Chipmunk and says, "The armored truck delivers two hundred thousand to the lumber camp once a month...Only one man receives the cash and makes out the payroll!" Joe asks if Jim is suggesting that they steal the payroll. Jim says they can live it up for a long time with $200,000. Joe agrees, however he notes that they could spend a long time in jail if caught. Meanwhile, Matt's hand shrinks as he and Sarah the Dog see Mark's canoe. Mark asks if he may tie up to Matt's dock. Matt says, "Please do!" Sarah remains on guard, her tail at attention. After introductions, Mark comments on Matt's nice-looking friend. Matt tells Mark that his friend is Sarah. He and Sarah sort of take care of each other. Matt is glad to have Mark stop by, because he and Sarah get very few visitors on the river. Over coffee, Matt tells Mark that, "Sarah never had any puppies, but sometimes she thinks she's ready to deliver...She even makes a bed for them. Then she'll hang around it as if she's waiting for the puppies to come!" Mark pets Sarah and says, "It's called a false pregnancy! It's a hormonal imbalance...it's fairly common! I'm in this area to do a story on the last river where logs are still floated to the mill!" Matt tells Mark that logging is not like it was in the olden days when Matt worked in a lumber camp. Mark would like to include Matt in his story. Foreground Raccoon is chased by Foreground Sarah as Matt replies, "You may not want to do that, Mark, I have a prison record! (One wonders who sort of took care of Sarah while Matt was in the Big House! Remember, Sarah the Dog, according to Matt, was on the scene when Sarah the Wife lived with Matt!) Mark smiles. He cannot believe Matt was guilty of any crime. Matt says Mark is correct, but the story is sort of personal. Abruptly, Matt changes the subject, saying, "What can I do to help you with your story about the river?"
October 22-27--Day 1: As Mark photographs logs, he spies several booms on the river and wonders when the logs will be released. Matt doesn't know, but he wouldn't advise anyone to be on the river when they start moving. Foreground Snowy Goose flies as Mark asks why the river is called the Cloudy River. Matt speculates that logging has discolored the water as Sarah mounts him. Mark watches intently. Not too far away, Jim and Joe Faulkner drink beer and talk over plans to rob the lumber camp payroll. Joe now bears a striking resemblance to Maurice Minnifield ofNorthern Exposure fame. He points out that even if the robbery is successful, the sheriff will suspect them if they do not show up for work. Jim has that aspect all figured out; it's a great plan. Joe Maurice wants to know exactly what the great plan is. As Foreground Unidentified Logger nods over a huge empty beer mug, Jim lays out the plan. He says that once they have the money, they'll hide it and return to work as if nothing happened. Backtracking a bit he adds, "We'll grab the company truck, then abandon it in the woods...then we'll hide the money and hike back to camp! What do you say, old brother?" Joe says, "Okay, I'm in, but no one gets hurt! I hope stealing the camp payroll is going to be as easy as you make it sound!" As the men leave the tavern, Jim assures Joe it will be easy, but Joe again insists, "Remember, NO ONE GETS HURT!" Jim replies calmly, "No one has to!" Meanwhile Mark leaves Matt to explore the river. He will return in a couple of days. Matt tells Mark he is welcome anytime. A short time later, the lumber camp accountant makes out the payroll, holding his clipboard and dividing piles of currency. A man wearing a coat and a dark ski mask enters the accountant's office. Holding a pistol, he says, "Don't get excited, mister, just do as I say!" The accountant whirls spastically, money flying everywhere. Whirling his head once more, he says, "Y...yes'ir...anything you say...just DON'T shoot!" The masked man only wants the accountant to drop the money quietly into his bag. The accountant complies. The bandit says, "Now unless you want a lot of trouble, don't make a sound until we're out of here!" The accountant says, "Yes'ir!" Outside the building, the bandit shouts to his accomplice, who is waiting in the camp truck. "EVERYTHING'S GOING AS PLANNED--LET'S GO!," he shouts.
October 29-November 3--Day 1: The sheriff arrives at the Cloudy River lumber camp. There, the accountant tells him, "That's right, sheriff, they got the monthly payroll..it was about 200 thousand dollars! I didn't recognize them...they were wearing masks!" The sheriff looks incredulous as the accountant adds, "They also stole the camp truck...I think they headed south along the river road!" The sheriff tells the frightened man, "If any of your loggers don't show up for work today, you let me know!" The accountant promises to do this. Foreground Doe watches the unique camp truck approach. Jim Faulkner says, "So far, so good, eh, brother? I told you we could pull it off! Joe tells Jim to keep his fingers crossed and suggests they keep their masks on until they ditch the truck. Suddenly Jim hears a noise. Joe looks and shouts, "OH, NO...IT'S A HELICOPTER!" Jim did not count on that! Jim tells Joe to pull into deep woods. The helicopter pilot is probably in contact with the sheriff, so they had better leave the truck. Joe tells Jim he has wiped their prints off the truck. Jim says, "Now let's find a safe place to hide the money!" Meanwhile, Foreground Squirrel runs along a tree branch overlooking a road. The sheriff's car is passing by. A passenger in the car says, "The helicopter pilot said they have abandoned the truck!" Joe climbs a tree and reports that the sheriff and his men are at the truck. Jim shouts for him to hurry down so they can hide the money and get back to camp. He suggests they get a little deeper into the woods before they hide the money. As Foreground Squirrel keeps a close eye on us, the Faulkners race through the woods to escape the sheriff and his men. When they are far enough into the woods, they find a perfect place to hide the money--a hollow tree. Jim points at the tree and says that they can come back and get the money later. The tree cavity will be easy to find. Joe prudently rubs out their tracks around the area with a branch. Jim applauds him and shouts, "LET'S GO! We want to get back to work before they miss us." He leaps, deerlike, over a fallen log. Joe follows, paying no attention to the path in front of him.
November 5-10--Day 1 to Day 3: The sheriff tells his men that the robbers must be in the woods somewhere and exhorts the deputies to track them down. Later, Jim and Joe near the lumber camp. Jim says they will leave their coats in their lockers and pick up their equipment. Apparently doubting his brother's criminal abilities, he tells Joe to, "Try to act normal and look surprised when they tell us about the robbery!" The patient Joe's face betrays no emotion as he says, "I hope we can pull it off!" In the camp, logs are not rolling down the river to the mill as Mark had imagined. They are being loaded onto trucks. Jim asks a man why the sheriff is there. The man replies, "Didn't you hear? Two men stole the payroll!" Joe, wearing his small hardhat, replies, "WHAT?...Do they have any idea who they were?" The Man smiles wanly and says, "Not yet! The sheriff said they abandoned the company truck and disappeared in the woods...the sheriff is in the office now!" The Background Sheriff's Car has the word "SHERIFF" emblazoned in huge letters along most of the car's length. In the office, the sheriff tells the accountant that he will get the money back. The accountant is not hopeful, but is glad that the company has insurance. He made sure of that years ago after Matt Crawford took the payroll. The sheriff had forgotten about Matt's crime. He pensively places a hand on his chin. Matt lives not too far away from where the truck was abandoned. Mark returns to Matt's place a couple of days later (Day 3). Matt is glad to have Mark back. Did Mark get some good pictures of the river? Mark did. They will help his story. Mark says, "I appreciate you letting me come back and stay with you, Matt!" Matt, looking tired and strangely disheveled, replies, "Believe me, Mark, I'm grateful...old Sarah and me get lonesome around here!" Over coffee, Mark pets Sarah and asks Matt if he has friends at the lumber company. Matt knows a few people there. As Mark and Matt wash the dishes (Classic frame alert! Mark and Matt wash the dishes looking exactly like Mark and Doc when THEY wash the dishes!), Matt says, "As I told you, they think I stole their payroll about 10 years ago, so they don't want me around there! (To the best of our knowledge, Matt told Mark no such thing at any previous point. His only reference to his "crime" was that he had been in prison for a crime he did not commit. He added that the story was rather personal, and he gave no further details to Mark. Matt did, of course, tell Sarah the Dog the whole story! Perhaps Matt is confusing Mark with Sarah the Dog.) As the men wash the dishes, the old raccoon returns to her den, where the thieves hid the money. When Sarah the Dog goes out to wander, she picks up the raccoon's scent and it leads her to the den she has visited many times. The hole at the base of the tree is now large enough for Sarah the Dog to enter. The old raccoon isn't home, but she sees something that will help line her bed under Matt Crawford's house.
November 12-17--Day 3: Not realizing that she is carrying a bag of money, Sarah the Dog heads back home. Spotting the old raccoon, she drops the bag, then takes off after the elusive animal. Soon Sarah realizes she can't catch the grim little animal and gives up the chase. As she picks up the money bag, several bills fall to the ground. Foreground Jay watches the would-be mother dog hide the bag of money under Matt's house. The sheriff learns from the accountant that one of the robbers was average size and the driver didn't get out of the truck. The accountant says that since the abandoned truck was near Matt Crawford's house, perhaps old Matt robbed the lumber camp again. The sheriff will find out where Matt was at the time of the robbery. His eye wandering alarmingly, the accountant says, "Good luck!" At the Crawford homestead, Matt shakes the sheriff's hand and asks him what brings him out. The sheriff needs to ask Matt a few questions. He asks if Matt knows anything about the robbery. Matt didn't know there was a robbery. The sheriff says, "Two men stole the payroll and abandoned a truck they also took not too far from here!"
November 19-24--Day 3: Matt asks if the sheriff thinks he had something to do with the robbery. Sarah the Dog stands on her hind legs and licks Matt's shirt. The sheriff says, "I'm just doing my duty!" Referring to Mark, he says, "WHO are you, mister?" Mark says, "My name's Mark Trail...I'm an outdoor writer and I'm in this area on business!" Mark appears happy as he sits on the porch. The sheriff shouts, "WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS?" Mark replies dourly that he is researching a story about logging on the Cloudy River. The sheriff hopes that Mark is telling the truth. He will check out Mark's story. Mark replies, "Please do, sheriff!" The sheriff would like to look around. Matt would not mind at all. He has nothing to hide. The sheriff puts his hat at a rakish angle and says to is deputy, "You check outside, Joe...I'll go inside the house!" The deputy has a mustache and sideburns. He says, "Okay, sheriff!" As the men search, Matt tells Mark that he is always the first one checked out because of his prison record. Matt guesses that he would do the same thing in the sheriff's position. Matt is licked on the face by a very happy Sarah the Dog. In the nearby woods, Joe the Deputy spots several pieces of currency. His jaw drops and his sideburns lengthen as he sees three $50 bills. He shouts, "HEY, SHERIFF, LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" The sheriff confronts Matt, who says he knows nothing about them. He adds, "I'm telling you the TRUTH!" The sheriff will see about that. Mark interjects that he is sure Matt is telling the truth. The sheriff replies, "Oh, and how would YOU know?..You said you were down the river!" The sheriff will have to take Matt in. Matt knows the sheriff is making a big mistake. The deputy wonders if they should take Mark in also. The sheriff says that if Mark has been lying, they will find him. Matt says, "I CAN'T leave Sarah, she'll STARVE without me." The sheriff is sorry, but he doesn't take care of dogs.
November 26-December 1--Day 3: The sheriff is sorry that he can't take Sarah to jail with Matt. Matt sorrowfully says, "All she has is me...she won't know what to do here by herself!" Mark volunteers to stay for awhile and care for Sarah. Matt tearfully tells Sarah that Mark will take good care of her. He adds, "Hopefully I'll be back...maybe the sheriff will find the real thieves soon! I love you!" As he enters the squad car, Sarah tries to follow. Matt shouts, "NO, NO, SWEETIE...YOU STAY WITH MARK!" Nonetheless, Sarah runs off after the sheriff's car. Matt tells the sheriff to stop and has Mark restrain Sarah with a rope. Holding the dog's leash with both hands, Mark tells Sarah to relax. At the lumber camp, a man tells the Faulkner brothers that Matt has been arrested for the payroll theft. He suggests they all go get a beer. At the tavern, Joe asks if the sheriff brought in anyone besides Matt. The man wearing the hard hat doesn't think so. The deputy found three $50 bills and figures Matt has the rest of the money hidden. Joe Faulkner says, "Uh..yeah, the sheriff is probably right!" After the rest of the patrons leave, the Faulkners continue their conversation. Joe asks Jim, "Do you think the old man found the money we hid?" Jim says, "Who knows...we've got to be careful, this could be a trick to catch the real thieves! We'll wait a couple of days, then go back and check the tree cavity!" Meanwhile, Mark exhorts Sarah to eat.
December 3-8--Day 3: Mark watches Sarah lie inert outside the house next to her full dish of dog food. He tells her, "The deputy found 3 50-dollar bills...I wonder how they got separated from the rest of the stolen money! I feel confident that Matt Crawford is not the thief...but there has to be a reason for those bills being found near here!" Sarah ignores Mark. Mark explores the area where the money was found. He sees lots of raccoon and dog tracks. Foreground Squirrel watches, open-mouthed, as Mark continues his monologue: "It looks like some tracks around the tree with the cavity have been brushed out...m-m-m...I wonder why!" Exploring the hollow tree, Mark finds nothing, but notes that it would be a good place to hide money. Something is missing, but Mark does not know what it is. Back at Matt's, Sarah still hasn't eaten. Mark finds her in her den under the house. He again urges her to eat and admires her comfortable looking bed which includes old socks, a towel and a cloth sack full of something. Mark wonders what is in the bag. He opens it and says, "HOLY MACKEREL! It's full of MONEY!" Mark wonders HOW it got under Matt's house. Soon he figures out that Sarah must have brought the money there. Mark is now in a dilemma. If he turns the money in, the sheriff, he will think that Matt hid it under his house.
December 10-15--Day 3 to Day 5: Mark tells Sarah the Dog that he will get her friend back. If he is going to prove that Matt didn't take the money, he must either catch the thieves or get pictures of them. The only way to do that is to be at the tree when they return. Foreground Doe watches Mark intently. Mark guesses he had better get his camera and sleeping bag; he hopes he won't have to wait too long before they show up. Mark hopes the thieves are getting anxious about their money. Meanwhile, the Faulkners eat large sandwiches under their favorite tree. Jim says that they have to find out if the 3 fifty-dollar bills came from the money they hid. Joe replies, "Yeah, if someone else is living it up on our money, I want to know who!" Jim says, "We'll go tonight!" (We can therefore deduce that "a couple of days" has now passed. We are now at Day 5.) Foreground Doe watches the two. Jim says that the sheriff seems to suspect only Matt Crawford, so it is probably safe to go pick up the money if it is still there. Later, Mark brings his sleeping bag to the area of the hollow tree. He hopes that his hunch is right and the thieves will return soon. Mark will not be able to stay at Matt's house much longer, for he must finish getting material for his story. The Faulkners return to the site. Mark says, "They're here!" jumping out of his bedroll. Jim sticks his hand into the hollow tree and says, "It's gone...OUR MONEY IS GONE! The money is GONE! Hey, did you hear that?...somebody's out there!" Joe whirls his head indignantly as Mark holds up his camera and says, "Smile!" Jim shouts, "HE'S TAKING OUR PICTURE...LET'S GET HIM!" Mark throws his camera to the ground and proceeds to punch Joe in the nose, saying, "That's not going to be so easy!" He grabs Joe in a hammerlock, but Jim hits Mark over the head with the butt of his pistol, saying, "That should stop you, mister, whoever you are!" Joe observes Mark lying prone in front of the hollow tree and says, "He's unconscious...what are we going to do...he probably knows where the money is!" So Joe's worst fears are realized--someone GOT HURT!
December 17-22--Day 5: Joe looks down at the still form of Mark and tells his brother, "He's hurt pretty bad, we can't leave him here to die!" Pitilessly, Jim replies, "He CAN'T help us!" Joe points out that, "If this man knew where we hid the money, he must have it now! He's the only chance we have of getting our money back!" Joe pulls up Mark's right eyelid with his thumb as he discourses. Jim worries that hanging around the area could get the brothers caught. He says they should get out of there and forget the money. Joe replies, "NO, not until we are sure this man will be all right!" Jim thinks it's nuts to help a person who could put them in prison. Joe thinks that helping him might help the brothers get the money back. He tells Jim to help him carry Mark to Matt's house. Jim says that Mark is probably a friend of Matt's. Joe hopes that Mark lives. He sees that Joe has put a big gash in his head. Mark slowly regains consciousness. Jim asks him WHERE the money is. Mark replies, "WHAT money..what are you talking about?" Jim responds, "We saved your life, mister, now WHERE is our money?" Mark asks him what he is talking about. Jim realizes Mark is not going to tell them anything. In a fit of rage he rips open Matt's drawers and shouts, "LET'S TAKE THIS PLACE APART!" He knows the money has to be hidden there somewhere. Foreground Raccoon watches as a voice emanates from Matt's house. The voice shouts, "HEY, JOE, LOOK WHAT I FOUND...IT WAS IN THE WOOD BOX!" Joe neatly replaces the wood in the wood box, adding, "NOW we can get out of here!"
December 24-29--Day 5: Joe tells Mark he will be all right. He is sorry they had to hit Mark on the head. Jim says to forget Mark; they have the money and should get out of there. After the brothers leave, Mark is confused. He says, "I don't understand it...those guys nearly kill me, then they apologize for doing it!" The Faulkner brothers spy Mark's canoe. They can get away faster on the river. Jim says his next stop will be the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Mark hopes the thieves left his camera when they knocked it out; it has the proof that Matt is innocent. Mark is sporting bangs instead of his typical action curl. He looks vaguely French. Mark sees that his canoe is gone, so he decides to head down-stream on a beached log. He has not ridden a log in a long time, but it's his only chance of catching up to the thieves. He tells Sarah the Dog to hang on. He will get Matt out of jail. Mark pries the log into the river with a convenient pole. Riding the log, Mark hopes he can stay on long enough to catch up with the thieves. Meanwhile, Jim tells Joe to relax. When they are far enough downriver, they will put ashore, pick up their car and be on the way to their new life. He says, "Just think, in a short time we'll be living it up on a tropical beach!" Foreground Beaver observes the pair sternly and disapprovingly. Joe replies, "Yeah, I can feel that sun now!" Mark hopes the two are still on the river. Meanwhile, not too far away, two men are watching the logs jam up in the Cloudy River. The Foreman appears to be rather dull-witted. The second man is wearing a silly hat. The Foreman shouts, "THEY'RE STACKING UP...GET THE DYNAMITE!"
December 31-January 5, 2002--Day 5: The Foreman tells Sillyhat Man to blow the logjam. Meanwhile, the thieves near the tributary where the logs enter the main channel. Jim tells Joe, "We have no problems now." The logjam immediately explodes with a terrific "WHOOM!" Mark says, "Holy mackerel, WHAT was that?" The freed logs roar out into the main stream. Jim belatedly realizes that the logs are bearing down on them. Mark, who is glad he was upriver, spots the thieves. He rides his log in their direction. Jim can't believe Mark is coming on a log. Joe shouts, "HE'S NUTS...HE'S TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH US!" Jim says he will see about that. He shoots at Mark despite Joe's plea. With a terrific "POW," Mark flies into the air. Jim tells Joe that he merely shot over Mark's head. He figures that Mark lost his balance and will not bother them any more. He says, "Let's get away from these logs!" Joe thinks they should have stopped. He hopes Mark didn't drown. Jim tells him it was Mark or them. Joe should think of all the money they have. Foreground Mallard looks for Mark. Mark, hiding behind a floating log, is sneaking up on the thieves in the canoe. With a mighty lunge he grabs the canoe and tips the thieves into the Cloudy River, saying, "YOU FELLOWS GOING SOMEWHERE?"
January 7-12--Day 5: As Mark says he hopes the Faulkners can swim, Foreground Geese fly overhead. They are flying upside down.
(Perhaps an omen of Mark's next adventure!) Mark ignores this strange behavior. He realizes that Jim Faulkner can't swim, and pulls him onto the log he is riding, saying, "You guys helped me, I guess I should help you!" Jim tells Joe to try to get the money, which is in the canoe. Mark says, "Don't count on it!" Joe, in the river, looks baffled at this exchange. Jim has now had enough of Mark Trail. He stands on the log and pulls his gun. The men face each other from opposite ends of the log. Mark begins to dance and rolls the log with his feet; Jim splashes harmlessly into the Cloudy River. The log grows to an enormous size. Mark tells the Faulkners that they are beginning to make him mad, but his sense of right and wrong again asserts itself and he rescues Jim from the drink a second time. The Foreman and Sillyhat Man have observed the action from shore and ask what is going on. Mark tells them that the money from the lumber camp is in the canoe. As Sillyhat Man and another man hold a limp Joe Faulkner, the Foreman recognizes the Faulkners as lumber company workers. Mark says, "That's right...this bag of money is the payroll they stole! The sheriff is holding the wrong man...will you have one of your men contact the sheriff?" The Foreman replies, "SURE!" Mark says to Jim Faulkner, "Before the sheriff gets here, will you fellows tell me WHY, you don't fit the criminal type!" Jim says, "We got greedy...When I saw all of that money in the pay office I got carried away...I'm sorry about that, Joe!" (Joe has so changed in appearance that there is doubt that he is Jim's brother. He is smaller, with a thin face and a narrow frame)Joe replies, "I'm just glad no one got hurt!" Jim agrees; he doesn't think the lumber company will give the Faulkners their job back when this is over. Joe tells Jim not to worry; they will figure out something. He tells Mark, "You're right, we weren't meant to be crooks...the thoughts of living on a tropical island got the best of us." Mark is sympathetic. He tells Joe, "Well, for what it's worth, I'll tell the sheriff how you probably spared my life!" (Mark is not yet quite back to his "life is black and white" self, as evidenced by his sympathy for evildoers and the lack of his action curl. The messy bangs still covering his forehead arguably qualify as facial hair.) Joe says, "Thanks!" As the sheriff lead the two miscreants off in handcuffs, three Canadian Geese fly off in the background. Jim says, "We should have listened to Mom and gone to work for the government!" Joe replies dourly, "Yeah!" Mark has a satisfied look on his face; his action curl begins to re-appear.
January 14-18--Day 5: Matt is sitting mournfully in his cell. A deputy shouts, "Matt Crawford, you have a visitor!" The visitor is Mark. He tells Matt that he can go home now; the sheriff has the real thieves in jail. Matt wants to know how Sarah is. Mark tells him that Sarah will be fine when Matt gets home. The sheriff is sorry he had to lock Matt up. He explains that Mark caught the men who stole the money. Matt is very grateful to Mark. At Matt's home, Sarah is now much larger than Matt. Mark will visit the loggers and return home. Matt and Sarah the Dog can't thank Mark enough. Mark is encouraged to visit any time he is in the area. Mark tells Matt he can count on that. At Lost Forest, Mark brings Cherry up to date. Foreground Bears play as Mark says he is glad that Matt and Sarah were reunited. Cherry is glad that Mark is back home.