CHAPTER X
J. JERVICE AND HIS GANG
Mr. Newton, returning to the camp he had left in such quiet peace, foundone boy white-faced and sober endeavoring to restore another who layprostrate on the ground, while some of the excited scouts were earnestlytrying to recall their first aid suggestions and others stood in anxiouscontemplation. A pailful of cold water was being carried to the scene byChick-chick, but the victim of the fight was mercifully spared itsrevivifying shock, for just as Mr. Newton came up he opened his eyes andmurmured, "Where am I?"
"All scouts are excused excepting Glen and Matt," announced Mr. Newton,taking in the situation the more readily because of his previousknowledge of Burton's baiting tendencies. "If there is to be anyfighting in this camp it will have to be done under my personalsupervision and according to my rules."
As the scouts strolled off to the timber Matt sat up and looked aroundhim.
"He's an escaped reform school boy, Mr. Newton," he began at once.
"And I suppose you told him so?" asked Mr. Newton.
"I know I'm everything that's bad," said Glen, bitterly. "I told you itwas no good for me to enlist."
"Do you want to back out?" asked the scoutmaster keenly.
"I don't want to but I suppose I'll have to."
"It rests with you. Your past record has nothing to do with it and wouldhave nothing if it were black as night. Do you want to back out?"
"No, sir. And I'm sorry I got mad and hit Matt."
"That speech shows that you have enlisted, boy. Matt," said thescoutmaster, turning to the boy who was much bewildered by theconversation as he had been by the blow, "you hear Glen's apology. Nowit's your turn."
"But what I said is true," insisted Matt.
"And Glen admits it and has told me all about it. None the less you owehim an apology for throwing it in his face, just as much as he owed youone for putting his fist in your face."
"I don't apologize to anybody," said Matt, with an ugly frown. "I can gohome if you like."
"It shall be as Glen says," decided Mr. Newton.
"I don't have anything against you, Matt," said Glen, in as gentle atone as ever he used in his life. "I started in to be a Christian thisafternoon, and part of it is being decent like Apple and Mr. Newton."
"I've nothing to do with a reform school boy," said Matt, and he roseunsteadily to his feet and walked moodily away.
"You're bound to have a lot of that, Glen," said Mr. Newton. "It's partof your discipline. And one of the things you will find hardest to learnwill be to take your medicine and take it quietly."
Glen knew that. His new resolves had not changed his old impulses. Ifany one flung a taunt at him his impulse would be to fling back a blow.His determination would have to be just a little quicker than hisimpulse. Meantime he found lots of pleasure in the companionship ofApple and Chick-chick and several others. There was a new bond offellowship between them, a bond which Glen would have found it quiteimpossible to state in words but which was none the less genuine andfixed. This bond was to mean much in the next few days for they were tobe days of peril and adventure for Glen.
Glen's adventures grew out of his being discovered at camp by Mr. J.Jervice. Mr. Jervice had withdrawn behind some bushes when he saw theconflict beginning between Matt and Glen. Strange to say, any form ofconflict was repugnant to the body of J. Jervice although the soul ofhim rejoiced in it. Let him be safely out of the way and he exulted inscenes of violence, but most cautiously he avoided any close proximity.He believed in playing safe.
When Jervice noted the vigor that Glen was able to put into his swingingblows and then saw Matt stretched out on the ground, he felt verycertain that business called him in another direction. No telling uponwhom that wild boy might next turn his fury. So he withdrew deeper intothe bushes, and as he caught a view of Mr. Newton hurrying up he decidedon still more active measures, and scampered away as fast as his packand the undergrowth would let him.
Jervice was decidedly peeved with Glen. This escaped reform school boy,who should be just the same to him as ten dollars in the bank, had madefor him nothing but trouble. J. J. seldom cherished grudges--it waspoor business, being bad for one's judgment. But if ever he held agrudge it was against the person who hurt his pocket-book and as Jervicenow figured it Glen had worsted him at least twenty dollars' worth. Theitems were: First, ten dollars which he should have secured as a reward;second, five dollars which he had been obliged to pay as license fee;third, five dollars he had expected to make on his sales at CampBuffalo.
Twenty dollars is no slight loss to any one, and although J. Jervice didnot toil as hard for his money as most people he loved it much better.He made his money in various ways, some of them not nearly so honest aspeddling. He had some friends who were engaged in a rather peculiarbusiness. They went to any place where they understood money had beengathered together, and quietly took it away. They generally notified Mr.Jervice where they would be, and he then came along with his car, loadedthe plunder behind a secret partition and carried it away at hisleisure.
The business of J. Jervice in this particular locality, however, wassomewhat of a variation from the usual procedure. Some friends of Mr.Jervice's friends had done business in this neighborhood before. Theyhad met with misfortune and now suffered confinement at the hands ofcertain stern authorities who would not even allow them to go out longenough to settle up the loose ends of their affairs. Not having a J.Jervice in their service they had cached certain products of their toilin a cave the secret of which had been disclosed to them by a dissoluteIndian. Shut up as they were their only recourse had been to commissionthe capable man who happened to lead the Jervice gang to recover forthem the property for which they had risked their liberty.
This, therefore, had brought to Buffalo Center, first of all, a hard,desperate man, who was the leader of the gang, then J. Jervice with hisautocar, and, shortly to follow, various other whose characters weremore widely known than commended.
Incidentally the leader had found that the little bank at Buffalo Centerhad its safe loaded with the sum of ten thousand dollars, which had beenplaced therein for the convenience of a certain wheat buyer in makingsome deals. This being rather in the line of work in which he had beenmost successful the leader had decided to relieve this congestion ofcash and had so notified Mr. Jervice as soon as they met.
Mr. J. Jervice was thinking these things over as he went back to hiscar. He had stopped running now that he was well clear of the camp. Hewas walking slowly as one who is studying some great problem. It was notthe problem of transportation. This was his especial job and he knewwhat to do about it. But this boy--this boy who owed him twenty dollars!He began to see how he could get his money's worth. A plan formed in hismind for using him.
That night the friends of Mr. Jervice arrived in the neighborhood andgathered without undue ostentation at his camping-place.
They fell into a very solemn conference and they said many things withwhich we are not greatly concerned. But Mr. Jervice made some remarkswhich were more than interesting, and showed that though slight in frameand deficient in courage he was a mighty plotter.
"About that window you wanted me to get through," he said. "I can't getthrough that place."
"Yes, you can," insisted a big man who seemed to be the leader. "What'smore, you're the only runt in the gang, an' you'll have to do it. Us bigmen can't train down to a hundred an' fifty pounds to get through thatwindow."
"Well, it ain't right for me to do it," objected Mr. Jervice. "It ain'tsafe for me to be 'round the place, I tell you. I ain't very strong an'I might break my neck."
"You'd never do it more'n once, Jervice, so don't let that worry you.You got to do this 'cause nobody else can't git through."
"But I've got a better scheme."
"Spit it out, an' don't waste no time talkin' nonsense, neither."
"I've found a boy. He's strong an' active an' fairly big, but he ain'tso big he couldn't git through. He'd be just the one f
or it."
"What do we want with boys? How would we be squaring him?"
"He's the kind that wouldn't need much squaring. A little piece o' money'd keep him quiet. He's jest run off f'm the reform school."
"You're dead sure about him?"
"I know how to make sure," said Mr. Jervice. "A reform school runaway isjust what we want."
In which conclusion Mr. Jervice showed that he was not as clever assupposed.