The Camp Fire Girls at the End of the Trail

  CHAPTER IX An Adventure

  "Very well, Vera, if you won't go with me, I will go alone," BillyWebster announced. "It is not too far for you to go back by yourself."

  The two of them were riding slowly away from the Sunrise camp on thefollowing day.

  Vera looked distressed.

  "It isn't fair of you, Billy, to put me in this position. You knowsomeone ought to be with you. Won't you let me at least return and tellyour mother what we intend doing," Vera argued. But she continued ridingeven as she protested. She was just a little behind Billy and he nowturned to look at her.

  "Come on then, dear. You are not responsible, and whatever happens theblame is mine. But nothing is going to happen or I would not have youwith me. So what is the use of worrying mother? What Peggy told meyesterday interests me and I mean to find out more about what those menare planning to do. No one thinks it extraordinary or tries to preventDan from going out to hunt any kind of wild beasts he is lucky enough todiscover. But, because I happen to be interested in hunting out humanbeings, my family is always interfering. I haven't the least intention ofhunting them with a gun."

  Billy smiled half seriously and half humorously and then turned his faceaway.

  But Vera Lageloff and the other people who knew him intimately alwaysunderstood what this expression meant. Billy had made up his mind; andnothing short of physical force would compel him to stop doing what hehad determined upon.

  Moreover, Vera rarely opposed him. However unformed his purposes andideals, however he might appear to other people only as an obstinate andill-balanced boy, he was Vera's knight. She, at least, believed in him.

  She knew that all his thoughts and all his ideals for the future werebound up in his desire to make life easier for the people whom he did notbelieve were having a fair deal. Of course, Billy was a youthful andrather ignorant socialist, but for those reasons he was perhaps the moreenthusiastic.

  Certainly his own family did not understand him and knew but little ofwhat was going on inside his mind; but this was not their fault so muchas Billy's. He was sensitive to ridicule, like many dreamers, and,moreover, he never felt that he had the strength for argument. It waseasier for him to do the thing he wished and take the consequences,rather than argue and explain. It was enough if Vera and a few otherfriends realized that his laziness was in part physical delicacy, andthat he only acted when he thought the result worth while.

  In a way it was odd that Mr. and Mrs. Webster should have had so queer ason and not strange that they should not understand him. Billy was one ofthe persons whom no one ever fully understands and who never fullyunderstands himself, because he was intended to travel by a differentroute than the most of us. There was a streak of genius in the O'Neillfamily. Polly O'Neill, now Mrs. Burton, was never like other people,besides possessing a great gift as an actress. Perhaps Billy was only oddwithout her genius, but the future alone could answer this question.

  To Vera he now appeared a young Sir Galahad riding in front of her. Theboy's hat was off, his fair hair curling over his white forehead, he waspale and thin from his recent illness. But it was a fact that Billyusually had strength for the things he wished to do.

  Naturally, Billy Webster had not developed his socialistic ideas alone.Unknown to his parents there had been a laborer on his father's place,who had once been a school teacher in Russia and because of his views hadbeen compelled to leave. He had been accustomed to come often to Vera'sfather's house, and when Billy was present to talk for hours on hisrevolutionary propaganda. Moreover, Billy also had a teacher at the HighSchool who, although saner than the Russian, also wished to make theworld over according to his own plan. Besides, as Billy was not strongenough to be outdoors so much as the rest of his family, he had spentmany quiet hours in reading books on social questions.

  "How do you expect to find your way to the place, Billy?" Vera asked,after five or ten minutes' more of riding in silence.

  Again the boy turned his head, laughing cheerfully.

  "Sure I don't know, but I pumped Peggy as much as I could this morningwithout actually having my plan found out. Besides, I am trustingsomewhat to luck. I meant to get some information out of Marshall when hereached camp this morning, but he and Peg went off somewhere to talk.Queer, their being intimate friends all of a sudden, Vera, don't youthink? I agree with Bettina Graham, I never knew two people so unlike.And I don't know whether I admire Marshall."

  Vera frowned. She cared for Peggy more perhaps than for any of the otherCamp Fire girls and she also had been a little surprised at her recentbehavior. Yet she answered sensibly:

  "It isn't important, you know, Billy, whether you like Ralph Marshall ornot, so long as Peggy does. You know you have said a hundred times youdid not think outsiders had a right to interfere with friendships. AndPeggy's pretty clever! If she likes Ralph there must be more to him thanthe rest of us can see. She don't like many people."

  Billy nodded. "Yes, that is why I am puzzled. One does not expectnonsense from Peg. And Ralph is rather inclined toward it with mostgirls. Still you are right, Vera, and I feel a little snubbed--like thefellow always does who is told to practice what he preaches."

  "I didn't mean to be disagreeable."

  Billy laughed back. "No, you never do and you never are. But, come, let'scross the road here. We must manage to get lost in the right place--justas Ralph and Peggy did. But do you know, Vera, something already tells methat I am not going to be happy this afternoon? Fact is, I am abominablyhungry and we can't have been riding an hour."

  "Let's stop, then, and rest for a little while," the girl suggested. Shehad been afraid that her companion might grow overtired, as he had takenno long ride before. "You see, I had an idea that we might both developan appetite, as lunch is so early, so I brought along lots ofsandwiches."

  Billy uttered a boyish whoop of delight which had nothing visionary orunselfish in it.

  "Trump!" he declared getting off his pony almost at once and then turningto help Vera.

  They were in the pine woods, so it was easy enough to find an agreeableresting place under the trees.

  In the most natural fashion, after Vera sat down, Billy stretched himselfout resting his head in her lap. It was the same as if she had beenPeggy, except that he honestly believed she cared for him more than hissister did.

  Then he deliberately stuffed himself with sandwiches and talked, as Billyadored doing when he could find a sympathetic audience.

  "I just want to find out what those fellows are in hiding for, Vera--notfor any special reason," he insisted. "You see, it gets a little dull,just lying around all day in the sun. I like scenery, but I like it as abackground. I am afraid I want a little--a little more--"

  "Excitement," Vera finished the sentence.

  Three-quarters of an hour later Billy Webster had discovered the secretcamp.

  He and Vera were riding quietly when they came to the circle of hillswhich Peggy had described. Stopping their ponies they heard the sound oflow voices before seeing any one.

  Dismounting, Billy asked Vera to wait until his return.

  It seemed best that she should allow him to go on his adventure alone,and yet she watched his slender, boyish figure disappear, feelingwretchedly uneasy.

  What absurd reason had Billy for wishing to take part in some troublewhich assuredly was no affair of his? If anything happened to him, Veraknew that she would always blame herself.

  But Billy was entirely unalarmed and, although he was supposed to betimid, he was not even nervous.

  He walked straight ahead with his hands in his pockets and a friendly,curious expression in his big, clear eyes.

  Billy could not fully explain the reasons for his interest. The excuseshe had made of being bored, of wishing to help if the men were introuble, or if possible to prevent trouble if it were brewing, these weremerely somewhat impudent inventions of his. For, after all, what could hedo in any case?

  The f
act of the matter was that Billy simply had been seized by anoverwhelming desire to find out what was taking place, and was moreinclined than he should have been to yield to his own wishes.

  Just as they had been doing the afternoon before, the men were againsitting about a smouldering camp fire, smoking and talking.

  Without being observed Billy walked quietly up to them.

  The next instant one of the men swung round and cursed him.

  Without the least show of fear or anger the boy waited until the fellowhad tired himself out. Then, instead of running away, as they plainlywished him to do, he walked a few steps nearer the group.

  "I am tired; would you mind my sitting here with you a while?" he askedin a matter-of-fact voice. He seemed so friendly and so totally unafraidthat the men must have been favorably impressed. In any case, as no oneanswered at once, he dropped to the ground between two of the roughest ofthe group.

  Billy had already observed that the men were not of the character Peggyand Ralph suspected them of being.

  One of the men now laughed and, leaning over, thrust his evil smellingpipe at the delicate boy. And Billy, who had never smoked a single whiffof anything in his life, took the pipe gravely, put it to his lipsdrawing in the smoke with several hard puffs. It made him feel slightlyill, yet he never flinched. When he gave it back the man appeared morefriendly.

  A little later Billy asked two or three simple questions and some oneanswered him, afterwards they went on talking as if he were not there.

  Certainly the boy had some quality which made certain types of peopletrust him.

  Fifteen minutes passed. Resting in a hiding place they had chosen, Veragrew more and more uneasy. If nothing had happened to prevent, why hadBilly not returned? If he were all right certainly it was selfish of himnot to care for her anxiety and dullness.

  But, then, Billy was selfish about little things and Vera recognized thefact. One had to accept this fault in him, feeling there were othercharacteristics which made one willing to endure it. In big matters thegirl believed he had wonderful stores of unselfishness.

  Half an hour afterwards Billy came strolling toward her as nonchalantlyas he had gone away. Only his eyes were brighter and his expression lessboyish.

  "We must hurry to get back to camp before dark," he said, withoutapologizing for the delay. "I'll tell you what I found out while we areriding home; but, of course, I understand I have your promise, Vera,never to repeat anything I tell you--no matter what takes place."

  Vera nodded silently. She was accustomed to Billy's confidences and didnot take them all seriously, and this one did not appear as especiallyimportant.

  "The men have been working on the railroad out here and have gone on astrike. The railroad has refused to come to terms, but they don't seem tobe planning to go away. They are not exactly in hiding, only they want tobe left alone until they decide what they are going to do next."