WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEAR
THE Band, I mean the Ravens, don't know so very much about bears. That was the only bear we ever had come across and we had been berrying all over those mountains, although mostly on the Greylock side. Pa says that they usually keep away from the road, the few that are left, because they are afraid of folks.
Anyhow, it isn't any picnic to fall out of a tree at any time, especially when there is a bear at the bottom.
When the limb began to crack, Skinny knew that he was a goner. He yelled so loud that it surprised the bear and it looked up into the tree to see what was going on. Just at that second the leader of Raven Patrol landed on the cub's nose, like a thousand of brick. Boy and bear both went sprawling, one in one direction and the other in another.
Skinny was the first to get on his feet and the way he shinned up the tree again was a caution. He didn't stop to look until he had reached the limb where the rope was tied. Then he felt safe.
The bear had picked himself up and was standing close to the foot of the tree, looking up and whining, as if he didn't like being hit in the head by a boy very well.
It was the chance which Skinny had been waiting for. He gathered the rope up in his hands and opened the noose wide. Then, leaning down as far as he dared, until he was right over the bear, he dropped it. The noose fell as straight as a die and, spreading out around the cub's head, lay across his shoulders with the side nearest the tree almost touching the ground.
Just as the bear stepped one foot over the loop, Skinny grabbed the rope with both hands and gave a quick jerk. The noose tightened; and there was the most surprised bear you ever saw, tied fast to the tree! Skinny stood on the limb above like a big crow, cawing to beat the band and so excited that he came near falling again.
"Gee, but that bear was mad," said Skinny, when he was telling us about it. "He growled and he snapped and he rolled on the ground; then he ran around and around the tree, until he had wound himself up short, but he couldn't get away. It was great, only I didn't dare jump on him again. He was too crazy."
"Great snakes, Skinny!" exclaimed Bill. "You always have all the fun."
"I guess you wouldn't have thought it so much fun if you had been up in the tree and couldn't get down. I'd 'a' choked him with the rope, if he hadn't got his feet tangled up in it so that I couldn't."
"How did you get down, Skinny?" asked Benny, because Skinny had a way of stopping at the most interesting places and pretending that he was through telling about it.
In order to tell about that I'll have to go back a little in this history.
When Mr. Richmond told Skinny to go up to Savoy and to be careful not to let the bears get him, he was trying to scare a Boy Scout. He saysthat he hadn't any idea there would be a bear or deer around, or he shouldn't have let him go. But the next morning a man from Savoy drove past the house and told about seeing a bear on the way down. He didn't have his gun along and besides the bear ran into the woods when he saw him.
That made Mr. Richmond feel uneasy.
"I wish I hadn't let the boy go up the mountain," he said. "I don't suppose anything will happen to him, but I'd feel better if he hadn't gone. I guess, of the two, the bear would be the most scared if they should meet."
"He told me that he'd surely come in time for dinner," said Mary.
When dinner time came she put a plate on for him. He didn't show up, of course. He was up in the tree about that time, wondering how he ever would get down. After that Mr. Richmond grew real anxious and went to the house several times to see if Skinny had come.
"That boy looked to me," he said at last, "as if he wouldn't be guilty of missing a good dinner if he could help it. I am going after him. Hemay be all right, but I'm going to find out for sure."
With that, he hitched up a horse, took down his gun, and started.
"Let me go, too," Mary called after him. "I can hold the horse while you are looking."
"All right. Jump in. We'll probably meet him on the road somewhere."
The first they saw or heard of him was the yell which Skinny gave when the limb broke. It scared them.
"Take the reins," said Mr. Richmond. "There is trouble over there. Turn around and if anything comes run the old horse down the road."
Say, he was paralyzed, when he found the bear tied to a tree and Skinny standing on a limb, cawing.
"I was that flabbergasted," said he afterward, "that I hardly could pull the trigger."
But he pulled it, all right, and that was the end of Mr. Bear.
Skinny didn't like it because Mr. Richmond killed the bear. He wanted to tame it and give a showin our barn. He was bound to take it home, anyhow, so as to save the skin.
It took a lot of pulling and hauling to get the cub out to the road, and Mary had to help before they could lift him into the wagon.
"Jump in," said Mr. Richmond, when everything was ready. "It is time that I was getting home."
"I can't," said Skinny. "You see, I am doing a stunt for the Scouts and I have to walk."
Just before they started Mary thought of something.
"Say," said she, "maybe I'd walk, too, if anybody asked me; that is, if Grandpa would let me and it wouldn't make any difference with the Scouts."
"Come on, do," said Skinny. "May she, Mr. Richmond?"
"Well," said he, "seein' as how you've got a rope and it ain't very far, I'm willin'. But it will be mighty lonesome for me."
I never saw Skinny so chesty as he was over catching that bear. And he had a right to be, for everybody was talking about it and there was along piece in the paper. He even wanted to change the name of Raven Patrol to the Bears, but we wouldn't stand for that. We didn't know how to make a noise like a bear, anyway.
After that the folks told us to keep away from Savoy Mountain, rope or no rope, and we had to do it. But Skinny wanted to go back and get a bear for each of us.
"I think that our patrol leader has made good," said Mr. Norton, when Skinny had finished. "What I'm wondering is, who was the most frightened, Gabriel or the bear?"
"The bear was," said Skinny; "anyhow, after I jumped on him. Say, I'll bet you fellers wouldn't dast jump on a live bear, when he was growling and showing his teeth. It was great, just like jumping on a cushion, only the bear didn't like it very well."
The other boys didn't have much to tell, much that was exciting, I mean, but Mr. Norton made us all report what we did. Hank came last of all.
"Well, Henry," said Mr. Norton, "what haveyou to say for yourself? You went to Cheshire by the river road, I believe?"
"How about that new invention, Hank?" I asked. I'd forgotten all about it until then.
"Have you a new invention, Henry? Tell us about it."
"'Tain't nothin'," said Hank, squirming in his chair. "It didn't work just right. I guess I'll have to go home now. Ma said to get in by ten o'clock."
"We'll have time for your report," Mr. Norton told him.
Hank kept nudging me, trying to get me to go with him, but I wouldn't do it, so after a while he began.
You see his invention, the one he spoke to me about just before we started, was a Life Saver. When we were learning to be Scouts Mr. Norton taught us how to bring drowned people back to life again; that is, if they haven't been in the water too long. What Hank wanted to do was to invent something that would keep them from getting drowned in the first place.
"It's all right to bring them to life," he told me, "but it would be a heap better not to have 'em drown at all."
After doing a lot of thinking, he made a sort of balloon of oiled silk, with the mouth fastened to a hollow reed and a piece of potato to put over the end of the reed, instead of a cork. Hanging from the mouthpiece were two pieces of stout cord.
"What's it for, Hank?" asked Skinny, when he was showing it to us. "It looks like a bagpipe."
"It's a Life Saver," he said. "You carry it in your pocket when the air is out of it and look along the river until you find somebody drowning. Then you throw him the Life Saver, if he hasn't got one in his own pocket. He ties it around his neck, puts the mouthpiece to his lips, and blows the bag full of wind. Then he puts the potato on the end to keep the air from leaking out. He can't sink, can he? The balloon will hold him up."
"Great snakes, Hank!" said Bill. "You've got a great head—like a tack."
"A tack's head is level, just the same."
"Guess what," said Benny. "Let's go swimming up to the Basin, to-morrow, and try it."
"We can go swimming if we want to," Hank told him, "but I did try it. It worked and it didn't work."
"What's the answer?" I asked.
"Well, you see, I walked all the way to Cheshire Harbor, looking for a chance to use the Life Saver and I couldn't find anybody even in swimming, let alone drowning. The water isn't deep enough for drowning in most places, anyhow. But when I got to Cheshire Harbor I found a kid sitting on the bank of the race, fishing.
"'What you got?' he asked, when he saw me fooling with the Life Saver.
"'Jump in,' I said, after I had told him about it. 'I'll show you how it works.'
"'Jump in yourself,' he said. 'I don't want to get my feet wet. Let's see the old thing, anyway.'
"I handed it to him and he blew up the bag until I thought it would bust, and then tied it on with the strings.
"'Say, that's great stuff,' said he. 'I'll bet it will work all right.'
"When he said that, I don't know why I did it, but it seemed as if I couldn't help it. I felt as if I just had to save him. I pushed him in, balloon and all."
"Gee-e-ewhilikens!" shouted Skinny.
"You mutt!" said Bill.
Mr. Norton was too surprised to say anything, but he had the funniest look on his face.
"Did it work?" Benny asked.
"It worked all right, but——"
"But what?" I said, beginning to get mad because Hank kept stopping at the most interesting parts.
"He had tied it on to one ankle, instead of around his neck. It made his ankle float, but his head went under, and he couldn't swim. I rescued him, but I had to jump in after him and pull him out. It was hard work because he kept trying to hit me all the time. Then, after I'd got him out, I had to lick him before he would let me go on and do my stunt."
"I hardly think that was according to Scout law," said Mr. Norton, when the rest of us had finished laughing and pounding Hank on the back.
"I rescued somebody, just the same. Only it wasn't a maiden."
"We still have a few minutes," said Mr. Norton. "Suppose that we play a new game which I have here. It is a kind of invention of my own and is called baseball."
"Seems as if I'd heard of that game somewhere," said Skinny, poking me in the ribs.
"Not this one. This is parlor baseball and is brand new," replied the Scoutmaster.
He brought out a chart, marked off in squares to represent different plays, and laid it flat on the floor, about six inches from the wall, at the end of the room.
"Now," said he, "we'll choose sides, then stand off about ten feet and toss silver dollars at the squares. That is the same as going to bat. I mention silver dollars because I brought some with me. Any disk, or ring, about the same size and weightwould do as well and might be more convenient. The square on which the disk rests gives the result of your play. If the disk rolls off the chart it counts as a strike, and three strikes are out. Usually the Scoutmaster or Scout leader acts as umpire, calls off each play as made and keeps the score.To-night, however, as William is not able to play, we will make him umpire and I will take part in the game to make even sides."
HOME RUNSTRIKETHREE BASEHITFLYCATCHBATTERHITOUT ONFIRSTSINGLEBALLTWO BASEHITFOULPASSBALLBALK
"Let me illustrate," he went on. "We will suppose that the first man up throws three disks and all of them roll off the chart. That counts as three strikes and he is out. The second player may throw a two-bagger or a single. He then returns to his seat and the third player, by throwing a three-bagger, brings the second man home and gains third base for himself. The runners are advanced each time as many bases as the batter makes. They also are advanced one base by a pass ball, a fly catch or an out-on-first. The first two fouls count as strikes, of course, and four balls entitle the batter to first base. The arrangement of these squares is important. The home run is guarded on three sides by strikes and in front by a fly catch. The three-base hit is as carefully guarded."
"Say, that game is all right," said Skinny, after we had finished playing. "Three caws for Mr. Norton, our 'stinguished and celebrated Scoutmaster."
As soon as he could make himself heard, Bill spoke up.
"I think the secretary," said he, "ought to put how to play that game in the minutes of the meetin'."
"There ain't goin' to be any," I told him. "It's too much work."
"I think that William's suggestion is a good one," Mr. Norton said, "and I also appreciate the force of your secretary's objection. How would it be if I should do the work? I'll have typewritten copies of the rules of the game struck off, so that each of you can have one."
That is what he did, the very next day. I am going to put the rules into this history right here, just as he wrote them, because other Scouts may want to play the game.
Scouts' Parlor Baseball.—Rules for Play.
Divide the patrol into two equal groups and arrange them in batting order on opposite sides of the room. Place the baseball chart six or eightinches from one end of the room on the floor and indicate a mark ten feet from the chart for the "batter" to stand on. The Scouts having their inning then take turns at tossing a silver dollar (another metallic disk or ring of equal size will suffice) at the chart. Each player's record at bat is told by the square on which the dollar rests, off the chart entirely counting as a strike. If the dollar rests squarely across a line it is tossed again.
The rules of baseball govern the game. After a player finishes his turn, he takes position at the farther end of his side, and the next in line takes his turn, thus preserving the batting order. When three players have been declared out, that side is retired and the other side takes its inning. If time permits, a nine-inning game is played; otherwise the number of innings to be played should be decided before beginning.
When a "batter" wins a position on a base he is advanced at each play as many bases as the next player earns at the "bat." He also advances one base on out-on-first, fly-catch, balk, and pass-ball plays, and when forced. He must keep track ofhis supposed position on the bases and report to the official when making a score.
The official, usually the patrol leader or Scoutmaster, decides the plays and tosses the dollars back to the players. He also keeps the score, and may correct a player, if necessary, for being noisy, or for leaving his seat when not playing. In fact, he is in control of the game, but is not allowed to play except when there is present an odd number without him.
The chart should be made of stiff paper so as to lie flat on the floor, or of cloth, in order to be tacked down. Each square should be 9 x 9 inches, but a smaller size may be used if the room is not large. In that case the players should stand less than ten feet from the chart. The squares must be labeled as in the diagram. Young Scouts, or beginners, are sometimes allowed to stand eight, or even six, feet from the chart, in order to make the sides more equal. This and any other questions that may arise are decided by the official.
EAGLE PATROL JOINS THE SCOUTS
YOU must not think, when you read this history, that something all the time was happening to us Scouts. I am only telling about what did happen. Pa says that when it comes to starting things we have them all beaten to a frazzle and Ma told us that it would be a mercy if we ever lived to grow up, without losing any of our hands or feet. But we don't think so. Boys have to be doing something all the time, don't they? If they didn't they would get into mischief.
Anyhow, there didn't much of anything happen after Skinny lassoed the bear, for a long time, unless you count the Fourth of July. Nobody can help having the Fourth of July. It's part of the year. It is for our country.
One Fourth of July, long ago, even before Pa was born, they rang old Liberty Bell in Philadelphia,to beat the band, and they fired off guns. 'Cause why? 'Cause there was a paper signed on that day, which said that the United States of America should be free and independent. But England was like old Pharaoh, with the Hebrew children, that the Bible tells about. They didn't want to let us go. I don't blame them much for it, either, but Skinny does.
Anyhow, I guess God must have meant for us to go free, just as He did the Children of Israel because, although England was the greatest Nation in the world and the best one, too, it seems to me, and we were only a few scattering colonies without much money or anything, we came out ahead. That is why Skinny thinks that George Washington could have licked Napoleon Bonaparte with one hand tied behind his back.
So we have the Fourth of July, and we boys ring the church bells at four o'clock in the morning, when they don't catch us at it, just like old Liberty Bell was rung so many years ago.
One of Skinny's ancestors was killed in the battle of Bunker Hill. That is what makes him so fierceagainst the Britishers. Every Fourth of July he has us go up on Bob's Hill or somewhere and fight the battle all over again.
The time I am telling about we built a fire on the hill and rang the church bells and fired off firecrackers until we were tired and half starved; then went home to breakfast. Everybody promised to meet again at my house about nine o'clock.
Soon after nine we all were sitting on our side steps, talking over where we should go for our battle, when Skinny happened to stand up and look down the street.
We heard him make a noise like a snake and he dropped off the steps to the ground so quickly that we thought at first he had a fit or something, until he made a motion for us to follow him and began to crawl toward the fence.
We didn't know what the matter was, but knew that it was something important, so we crawled along after him as fast as we could. When we reached the pickets he pointed and we peeped over the top, careful not to let more than our eyes be seen.
What we saw was three members of the Gingham Ground Gang coming up the street, walking in the middle of the road and looking on both sides as they came, as if they were expecting trouble and wanted to be ready for it.
Two of them had red shirts, and that made Skinny mad because it made him think of his ancestor who was killed at Bunker Hill.
"The Redcoats are coming," said he in a hoarse whisper, so that they wouldn't hear, but fierce-like, just the same. "Wait until you can see the whites of their eyes; then, 'charge, the ground's your own, my braves. Will ye give it up to slaves? Hope ye mercy, still?'"
It was a part of his last day piece at school and sounded fine.
"Charge nothin'!" said Bill. "The Americans didn't do any charging at Bunker Hill, I guess. The Britishers did the charging. The Americans waited behind a fence until they got near enough and then let 'em have it, until their ammunition gave out. Then they ran. That's what they did."
That was true, too, but, just the same, it was avictory to hold the hill as long as their powder lasted, and Bill knew it, but he liked to get Skinny mad.
"Bill Wilson," said Skinny, "you are a nice patriot! You are a Scout and a half; that's what you are—not! So are we going to run but, bet your life, we're going to run toward the enemy. If you want to stay here behind the fence you can do it. The rest of us are going to charge."
Bill gave me a thump in the ribs and grinned, but didn't say anything. I saw Benny whisper something, his eyes shining with excitement; then Skinny motioned to us what to do.
Each of us lighted a firecracker and held it with the fuse sputtering and sizzling, until they were almost opposite. Then we threw the crackers under their feet. They went off like a volley of musketry. At the same time we gave a great caw and jumped the fence.
"Give it to 'em, fellers," yelled Skinny. "These are the guys that wanted to duck Benny in the mill pond."
Say, it was great. The firecrackers surprisedthem, for they hadn't seen us, and we were over the fence and upon them before they could run. Things were lively in Park Street for a few minutes. Then, all of a sudden, we heard a man's voice say:
"Scouts, attention!"
And there was Mr. Norton, looking surprised and sorry!
We all stood up with a jerk and saluted, and the Gingham Ground boys started to run. They only went a few steps, however, and then waited to see what was going to happen.
"Scouts," said Mr. Norton, sternly, "what sort of brawl is this, on the Fourth of July?"
He was looking at Skinny, he being Scout leader.
"'Tain't a brawl," said Skinny. "It's the battle of Bunker Hill; that's what it is."
"Oh, it is, is it? On which side are you Scouts fighting?"
"We are Americans, of course."
"Well, if I remember my history right, in that battle a little handful of Americans faced the British soldiers and held them back until their powdergave out. And here the American army seems to be attacking a handful of British."
"That's what I told him," said Bill.
"Anyhow," said Skinny, "those guys tried to duck Benny that time when he was coming home from his long hike. So we thought that we would duck them in the race. Didn't they try to duck you, Benny?"
Benny nodded.
"How about Scout law?" asked Mr. Norton.
"Scout law doesn't say we mustn't duck our enemies."
"It does, too," Bill told him. "It says that we must be kind to animals."
That was a hot one and it made us all laugh.
"How much more should we be kind one to another," said Mr. Norton.
"Well, it wasn't very kind to duck Benny," insisted Skinny.
"No, and they didn't do it. If I have been correctly informed, they let Benny go because John here was kind to a dumb animal."
That was true and I said so.
"Even if they had ducked him, don't you think that it would be better to heap 'coals of fire' upon their heads?"
It surprised Benny to hear Mr. Norton talk like that.
"We wouldn't do such a thing," said he. "Besides, we haven't got any hot coals."
"Yes, you have," laughed Mr. Norton. "The 'hot coals' I mean are kind words and kind actions. What I meant to say was that you should return good for evil and then your kind words would make those boys feel as if you were putting coals of fire on their heads."
"I don't believe we ought to do it," Skinny told him, "if it is going to hurt that bad."
"Suppose we try it and see. I think perhaps it will not be quite so painful."
"Boys," said he, turning to the Gingham Ground bunch just as they were starting away. "I have organized these eight village lads into a patrol of the Boy Scouts of America and we have planned to have a campfire this evening on Bob's Hill. These Scouts of mine mean all right. They aresimply working off a little misdirected patriotism. Now, what we want, is for you to meet with us, you and the rest of the Gang. Will you do it?"
They didn't want to at first.
"There are Boy Scouts," he went on, "in all parts of the civilized world; in England, too, Gabriel, as well as in this country, and the Law says that all Scouts are brothers to every other Scout. There are a half million in the United States alone. I have been appointed Scoutmaster for this district and I want to organize one or two more patrols so that I can have a troop. I have had you boys in mind ever since you so nobly turned out to help find William, the time he was hurt on Greylock. It will be much the same as the Gang, only better. You can keep the same leader if you wish, and I know a man who will buy uniforms for you all. Will you come to-night so that we can talk it over? What do you say?"
The uniform business settled it.
"We'll come, if the rest of the Gang will," they told him.
"Good! Shake hands on it."
"Attention, Scouts!" shouted Mr. Norton, after he had shaken hands.
"Salute enemy!"
We gave the Scout salute to the Gingham Ground boys, while they stood there grinning and not knowing what to do.
Then, after whispering together, they gave us the Gang yell. It was great.
"We'll be there," they called, as they started up the street.
They were, too, ten of them, with Jim Donavan at their head. They came across lots from the Quaker Meeting House, soon after we had gathered around the big stone where we have our fires, just as they had come two years before, the time we had our big fight and came to know Jim.
Mr. Norton saw them coming and went to meet them.
"This is fine," said he, after we all had sat down on the grass around the fire. "You are a pretty husky bunch of fellows, and Raven Patrolwill have to go some to keep up, after you get started. Skinny—I mean Gabriel—suppose you tell our visitors something about the Scouts."
"It's great," began Skinny. "We've been bandits and we've been Injuns, but Scouts beat 'em all. The woods are full of 'em all over the country, and they go about with uniforms on, doing good and having fun. They are like an army. We are one company, you will be another. I'm the same as captain, only they call me patrol leader. Mr. Norton is Scoutmaster, and there are officers above him, only we never saw them. We learn all about woodcraft and signs and signaling and how to do a lot of things, and we rescue people and do all kinds of stunts and get badges. The Ravens are going across the mountain on an exploring trip. I am going to look for a cave and maybe there is treasure in it. Our patrol animal is the crow, and it 'most ought to be yours because you live so near the Raven Rocks."
Skinny had run down by this time, although Bill was winding him up like a clock behind his back and making a clicking noise with his tongue.
"G'wan!" said he, turning around and catching him at it, "or I'll biff you one."
"Perhaps I'd better add a little to that explanation," said Mr. Norton.
Then he told all about it, much as he had told us that first time, and about Scout law; what it meant to be a Scout; how it made boys manly, and how much fun they would have.
"What I want is a troop," said he, when he had finished the story. "Several patrols together are called a troop. I would be in charge as Scoutmaster. Raven Patrol is now in pretty good shape. We are going on a camping expedition in a few weeks and we'll have a good chance to practise up on signaling, swimming, following trails through the woods, and things like that. Next year I should like to take a whole troop along. What do you say? Suppose you go over by that other stone and talk about it among yourselves."
"I know what I'll say, right now," said Jim, "but perhaps we'd better talk it over just the same."
We saw them whispering together for about five minutes. Then they came back.
"We'll do it," said Jim. "And we'll do the best we can, only we may make mistakes at first. We are going to take the American eagle for our patrol animal on account of this being the Fourth of July."
"Everybody makes mistakes," Mr. Norton told him, "but the boy or the man who has the right stuff in him never makes the same mistake twice. Suppose that you elect a patrol leader to-night before we separate, because we shall want to consult together a great deal in the next few days and I shall be too busy to see you all."
"Jim," they began to yell, all keeping time. "Jim! Jim! Jim!"
"Jim, you seem to be elected," said Mr. Norton, reaching out and shaking hands with him.
"Speech!" yelled Hank.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said Benny, getting up on his feet and bowing right and left, "the Honorable James Donavan will now say a few words, if he dast."
Jim looked as if he wanted to run, but in a minute he braced up.
"I never made a speech in my life," said he, "and I ain't going to make one now, but you will find the Gang true blue. We ain't much on clothes, and our folks haven't got much money, but we'll do the best we can, if you will tell us how. And we are much obliged for taking us in."
"Three cheers for Captain Donavan and Eagle Patrol," shouted Mr. Norton, waving his hat. "Now!"
I'll bet they heard us down in the village. After it was quiet again I saw Skinny whispering something to Bill. Bill nodded his head and passed it on to Hank, and finally it came to Benny and me, who sat at the end of the line. We nodded and began to creep nearer the fire while waiting for the signal.
"Caw!" yelled Skinny, all of a sudden, like you sometimes hear a big crow in the Bellows Pipe.
As he yelled, he grabbed a burning brand out of the fire, and the rest of us did the same. Then we formed a circle and danced a war dance aroundthe Gang, whirling our brands in the air until the sparks flew in the growing darkness and there seemed to be a ring of fire.
"Shall we eat 'em alive, my braves?" chanted Skinny.
"No," we shouted. "They are brothers."
"Shall we mop the earth with 'em?"
"No," we yelled. "They are Scouts."
"What shall we do?" asked Skinny, stopping in front of Jim, who was too surprised to say anything.
"Give them the glad hand," we answered.
"'Tis well," said he, grabbing Jim by the hand, while we did the same to the others.
"I'll tell you what," said Mr. Norton, a little later. "I feel so good over this that I'll buy. Lead me to a soda fountain."
PLANNING A CAMPING TRIP
WE boys often think of what a fisherman told us one summer day, out on Illinois River, at the foot of Buffalo Rock.
"IT GIVES ME PAIN," SHE SAID, "TO INFORM YOU THAT THE WOODBOX IS EMPTY.""IT GIVES ME PAIN," SHE SAID, "TO INFORM YOU THAT THE WOODBOX IS EMPTY."
"Play," said he, "is work that you want to do and don't have to do," or something like that.
Ma often says, when she sees us playing, that if she should make me work that hard I would think I was abused.
I guess, maybe, that is so. It surely is some work to chase uphill and around, play ball, and do all kinds of stunts, and sometimes when night comes we feel tired.
I went home to supper one day, all fagged out, so tired I hardly could drag one foot after the other, and flopped down in the nearest chair.
Ma heard me and put her head in at the door.
"It gives me pain," she said, "to inform youthat the woodbox is empty and I need a hotter fire to bake those biscuits that you like so well."
"Oh, Ma!" I exclaimed. "Can't you get along until morning. I'm all in."
"Why, you haven't done a thing to-day!" she told me.
I had climbed up and down Bob's Hill six times; been up to Peck's Falls and the cave once; followed the brook over rocks and fallen trees to where it tumbles out of a sunshiny pasture into the shade of the woods in a great watery sheet; been swimming in the Basin, on the other side of the valley; played a match game of baseball at the Eagle ground; played Indian in Plunkett's woods, tracking the enemy through the forest; played foot-and-a-half, until I thought my back would break, and wrestled with Skinny, until he fell on me like a thousand of brick. But I hadn't done anything all day! Oh, no!
"You don't want me to do it, do you?" she said.
Of course, I didn't want that; so, tired as I was, I dragged out to the shed and brought in an armful of wood.
Just then I heard a whistle, followed by the caw of a crow from in front of the house, and I chased out to see what was doing.
It was Benny. He had come over to tell me that there would be a Scout meeting at his house that night.
"John's too tired," Ma told him. "He hardly was able to bring in four sticks of wood."
"I feel better now," I hurried to say. "The exercise did me good. After I have had some of your delicious biscuits and some honey, I'll be all right again. Besides, I'd hate to miss a Scout meeting; I learn so much there. Will the wood I brought in last until morning?"
"I thought Mr. Norton was away?" she said.
"He is; but they are going to have a meeting, anyhow."
"Oh, please let him go, Mrs. Smith," put in Benny. "Pedro is our secretary. We can't have the meeting without him."
Ma likes Benny so well I just knew she would have to give in. She knew it, too, I guess, for shelooked at us a minute, sort of smiling to herself; then she said:
"Well, if he will come home at nine o'clock and promise to take a nap to-morrow afternoon, I'll let him go. He has been losing too much sleep lately."
I didn't think much of that nap business. Daytime wasn't made to sleep in, except, maybe, the early morning hours when you first wake up.
"I'll promise to lie down and shut my eyes," I told her, "but I can't promise to take a nap, can I? The sleep may not come."
That is true. I've laid awake a lot of times fifteen or twenty minutes and maybe more, at night, trying hard to go to sleep and not feeling a bit sleepy.
That is why I was in bed when Skinny came around the next afternoon. He knew that I would be, and instead of coming into the back yard and up on the stoop, as he usually does, he went up the drive between our house and Phillips' and whistled softly under my window.
With one bound I was out of bed and looking down at him. He had on his Scout uniform, and his rope was wound around his shoulders.
I was just going to tell him to wait until I could come downstairs, when he put one finger to his lips, then looked up and down the drive to see who was watching. There was nobody in sight. Ma was taking a nap in her room and I guess Mrs. Phillips was, too, across the way.
"S-s-t!" he hissed. "Are you alone?"
I nodded. It didn't seem safe to say anything.
"You ain't chained to the bed, or nothin', are you?"
"Nary a chain," I told him. "We are all out of chains."
"'Tis well!" said he, coiling up the rope in one hand and getting ready to throw. "Quick, now, and mum's the word!"
I caught the rope as it came in through the window and fastened one end to the bed. Then I threw out the other end, climbed out myself, and shinned down.
"What's the matter?" I asked, as soon as I had reached the ground.
"Let's go around and untie the rope; then I'll tell you."
A few minutes later he was showing me a letter which he had from Mr. Norton, who was away on business. This is what the letter said:
"Dear Fellows:—I shall be at home in a few days and should like to have a meeting of Raven Patrol to talk up our camping trip. Are you thinking about it and planning where to go? The pasture above Peck's Falls would make an ideal camp. There is water and sunshine and shade and old Greylock. That would suit me pretty well, but it is so near home it might not suit you. If not, I have a regular trip over the mountain in mind, one that will take a hike of several days to get us there. Talk it over among yourselves and ask your folks about it. Then meet at my house next Saturday night. We'll decide the matter and begin to get ready. Yours sincerely,"Charles Norton, Scoutmaster."
"Dear Fellows:—I shall be at home in a few days and should like to have a meeting of Raven Patrol to talk up our camping trip. Are you thinking about it and planning where to go? The pasture above Peck's Falls would make an ideal camp. There is water and sunshine and shade and old Greylock. That would suit me pretty well, but it is so near home it might not suit you. If not, I have a regular trip over the mountain in mind, one that will take a hike of several days to get us there. Talk it over among yourselves and ask your folks about it. Then meet at my house next Saturday night. We'll decide the matter and begin to get ready. Yours sincerely,
"Charles Norton, Scoutmaster."
"Ain't he a brick?" said Skinny, when he had finished reading. "What do you say, old Scout?"
"I say hike," I told him. "That pasture above Peck's Falls is where Tom Chapin tried to paralyze a bull by the power of the human eye, like the school reader says, and got thrown over the stone wall by the critter. No more of that for muh!"
"We'd have a rope along, you know."
"Yes, and who'd tie it and what would the bull be doing all that time?"
"I'd rather go over the mountain on a hike, myself," he said. "Come on, let's ask the other boys."
"Wait a minute while I fill the woodbox," I told him.
Skinny helped me do that and we were soon on our way.
The other boys felt just as we did about it. Of course, it is always fun to be near our cave and it is a fine place to get into when it rains, but we could go there any old time.
The folks seemed to think near home would be better, until we told them about the bull and hownear we all came to getting killed. They had forgotten about that and so had we, almost.
Finally Pa settled it for me.
"I am willing to leave it to Mr. Norton," he said. "As long as he goes with you I don't care much where you go, for I know that he will take as good care of you as I could myself. His hold on you boys is remarkable and I am willing to back him in anything that he wants to do. I'll say this much, however. He is going to have his hands full when he undertakes to look after you boys for a week or two at a time."
We hardly could wait until Saturday night to hear Mr. Norton's plan and decide what to do.
He seemed glad to see us when the time came, only he wouldn't hurry the meeting or leave anything out. Skinny, being patrol leader, always acted as chairman and pounded the table, when he could find one to pound.
"The meetin' will come to order," said he, looking around for something to thump and not finding anything but Bill Wilson, who dodged out of the way.
"The secretary will call the roll."
I called the names of the boys, and each one in turn arose and gave the Scout salute, first to Mr. Norton, then to Skinny.
"Is there any business to come before this 'ere meetin'?" he asked.
"Mr. President," I said, jumping up.
"The gentleman from Park Street," said Skinny, as big as life, just as Pa had taught us to do at meetings in our barn.
"We have with us this evening our Scoutmaster, who, I think, has something to say."
"'Tis well," said Skinny. "We'll harken unto his words of wisdom."
"Before I speak the words of wisdom which our patrol leader has so kindly mentioned," laughed Mr. Norton, "I will ask Mrs. Norton to refresh and fortify us with some lemonade."
Benny reached the door almost as soon as she did.
"Let me do it, Mrs. Norton," he said.
He grabbed the pitcher and tray and poured out a glass for her; then went around the circle. It tasted fine on a warm night.
"Mr. Chairman," said Mr. Norton, after we had emptied the pitcher. "I want to call up the question of our camping trip. Have you boys thought about the matter?"
"We haven't thought of much else," Hank told him.
"Well, how about it? Shall we camp out above Peck's Falls? What do you say, William?"
"It's too near home," said Bill. "Ma would get scared the first night and call me back."
"That certainly would be serious. What do you say, Mr. Secretary?"
"I say so, too," I told him. "It's fine up there and wild and all that, but let's go where we never have been before."
"How about it, Mr. President?"
"It's me for the hike," said Skinny.
The other boys all said the same.
"It seems to be unanimous," said Mr. Norton. "I thought that probably you would feel that way. Well, this is what I have in mind, in case you decide to take the trip, instead of remaining near home. What do you say to hiking straight eastover Florida Mountain, as far as Deerfield and the Connecticut River? We can get a horse and carry our camping outfit and supplies in a wagon. We can take turns driving. It will rest us, and if anybody should give out the wagon will come in handy. We can take as long a time as we want on the way, camping out each night."
Mr. Norton stopped and looked at us to see how we liked the plan. Say, it didn't take him long to find out. Every boy jumped to his feet and shouted. Skinny forgot that he was chairman and started to march around the room, shooting and striking at the enemy, and we all fell in line after him except Bill. He stood on his hands, kicked his feet in the air, and whistled through his teeth.
Mr. Norton looked pleased.
"Mr. Chairman," he said, as soon as we had taken our places again. "I hardly think it necessary to put that to a vote except, perhaps, as a matter of form. The next question is, will your folks let you go? Sometimes fathers and mothers have very decided notions about what they wanttheir boys to do and more especially what they don't want them to do."
I told him what Pa had said about being willing to have us go anywhere with him, and the other boys said that their folks felt the same way.
"Good! We'll consider that settled and get down to details as quickly as possible. I should like to get started in about two weeks, which will be early in August. We'll call another meeting in a few days and I'll have a list of the articles needed and their cost ready to submit to you. I know where we can get tents, but there are a whole lot of things we shall need in the woods, besides things to eat. Is there any more business to come before the meeting, Mr. Chairman?"
"There is," said Skinny, who had been scribbling something on a piece of paper. He handed it to me to read, and this is what it said:
"Resolved, that Mr. Norton is great stuff."
"All that are in favor of the motion salute the Scoutmaster."
That ended the meeting. We had to have severalmore like it before we could get everything ready for the trip.
"It is early yet," said Mr. Norton. "If you would like to have me, I'll tell you a story about what I think was one of the greatest scouting trips ever undertaken."