Boy Scouts of Lakeville High

  CHAPTER XV

  AN ALARM OF FIRE

  Palms propping his chin, elbows braced on knees, Specs McGrew squattedon the family's front steps, staring out at the street.

  "I wish it was over," he grumbled. "Why don't Roundy and Jump come?Say, Bunny, if I had a five-dollar bill in my pocket, I'd give it toanybody who could pick me up right out of this morning and set me downsomewhere to-morrow morning."

  Bunny laughed. "Oh, the game won't be as bad as all that. Still, if youdon't want to play, I guess we can persuade S. S. to take your place atshort."

  "Huh?" Specs twisted his head round. "Let S. S. play against Beldeninstead of me! Not if I know it! Just the same, I wish it was over, anddown in your heart I bet you do, too."

  The peace of a June morning hung over Lakeville, a quiet that was evendeeper than usual; for not only was this the day when the LakevilleHigh baseball team went to Belden to play the last game of the season,but it was also the day of Dunkirk's great Home Coming Picnic; and along excursion train, crowded to the platforms, had left the villageat 7:30. The town was deserted. As Specs put it, "A cyclone or a firecould walk right down Main Street without having a chance to say'hello' to anybody." In spite of the quiet, though, there were atleast a generous baker's dozen of boys in and around Lakeville whosehearts beat hippety-hop whenever they stopped to think of the game thatafternoon.

  For the baseball season had gone well. The whole school year, indeed,had been a procession of athletic triumphs, first in football, then inbasketball, and finally in baseball. Best of all, every last boy andgirl in Lakeville High was ready to admit that the Black Eagle Scoutshad done their share and more. In the beginning, of course, the patrolwas a target for scorn; but gradually, as its members proved that theScout way of doing things was a good way, and made for harmony andloyalty and the pull-together spirit that won victories, sentimentbegan to swing toward the organization until, in the end, it was prettygenerally agreed that to be a Boy Scout was to be somebody worth whilein high school.

  With two championships stowed safely away, it was only natural thatthe baseball season should have begun with a hip-hip-hurray. With buttwo exceptions, every boy in school had tried for the team, and thelucky candidates had won their places only after the hardest kind ofstruggle. Of the Scouts, Roundy was at first base, Jump at second, andSpecs at short. Bunny and Bi alternated in the pitcher's box. For therest of the school, Barrett caught, Sheffield held down third base, andthe outfield was made up of Collins, Kiproy and Turner.

  Professor Leland had proved a most enthusiastic coach, and the livelycompetition for places on the team had kept all the players on tiptoe.The nine, moreover, had run on greased rollers. Buck Claxton himselfhad nominated Bunny for captaincy of the team, and by the best sortof example had shown that the leader's orders were law. With thisspirit and discipline, the team had progressed steadily from victory tovictory. Its one setback had come from a semi-professional outfit ofDunkirk, and that score had been only seven to four against Lakeville.They had beaten Dunkirk High, Grant City, Deerfield, Mason, HarrisonCity and Elkana. Belden, slated for the last game of the season, wasnot only the one team in the district that remained undefeated, butalso it could and did lay claim to the championship of the State.To beat Belden, therefore, meant to round out the school year withpennants in three major sports.

  "Why didn't Bonfire try for the baseball team?" Specs asked suddenly."I've never understood that. He tried for everything else."

  Bunny peered down the street for the expected Scouts before heanswered. "I don't know. Bonfire's hard to understand. But he had somegood reason; it wasn't because he was afraid to try."

  "He's seen all the games and been at all the practices," said Specs,stretching his legs. "He has eyes like--like a fox. Do you rememberthat tip he gave me about the Dunkirk pitcher with his funny inshoot?But he hasn't even handled a baseball, not since Molly's picnic."

  Specs was still chuckling over the memory when the appearance of Jumpand Roundy changed the subject. Bunny hopped to his feet.

  "Now we can start. We meet the rest of them at the schoolhouse atnine-fifteen."

  "By to-night we'll be State champs," said the placid and confidentRoundy. "I saw Molly and Mr. Sefton and Horace Hibbs scooting down thestreet in the Sefton automobile early this morning. They had streamersand pennants enough to open a store. I'm glad they are going to bethere to cheer for us."

  Carrying their uniforms in bulky suit cases and telescopes, the fourScouts started down the street.

  "Everybody's gone," observed Jump, as they strolled down Maple Avenuetoward the high school. "Seems a shame to leave the town like this."

  "Oh, there are some chickens and a couple of dogs and about a thousandpet cats left behind," Specs retorted. "They can take care of things."He looked up the street. "Hello! Prof. and the others are waiting forus at the corner."

  On the high-school lawn, opposite Grady's barn, the remainder of theteam, with substitutes and a few others, were gathered. ProfessorLeland was looking at his watch.

  "How about Sheffield?" queried Bunny, joining the coach. "Has he comeyet?"

  The man shook his head. "Sheffield's always two minutes late. He hasseven miles to cover in that machine of his, but he generally waitstill the last second." He glanced about anxiously. "We have nearly theentire squad here, and Ferris can play third if he has to, but I wantSheffield."

  "I might wait here," Bunny suggested, "say, for ten minutes. Roy alwaysleaves his car in Grady's barn, so he's sure to pass this way. When hedoes come, I'll get him to the station on the run."

  The coach breathed a sigh of relief. "That's the plan, Payton. I'llleave the uniforms and bat bag with you, too, and you can pile them onErnie Langer's dray when he comes. Then you can ride with him to thestation and keep him from going to sleep."

  Since the entire patrol had voted to go to Laurel, Bunny venturedanother suggestion. "There are eight of us here who have workedtogether; nine altogether, counting Prissler, who is training to be atenderfoot. If we all stay with the baggage, we can carry it to thestation, in case Langer should be late."

  Professor Leland considered. "Langer is coming, all right. But if Ithought there was a chance of his being behind time, I'd let the squadcarry the baggage to the station now. Still, your way keeps us fromtaking any chances at all." He paused to study his watch. "Remember,the train stops at 9:40 only to let off and take on passengers. You_must_ be there on time. At three o'clock this afternoon, when the gameis called, I don't want to play with four or five substitutes."

  "We'll be there," chorused the Scouts, while Bunny and Bi carefully settheir watches with that of the coach.

  It was eighteen minutes past nine when Professor Leland and hisplayers, minus the Scouts, started up the street toward the station.

  "We can wait till nine-thirty if we have to," Bunny decided, "and thenmake the train by the skin of our teeth. But I hope old Slowpoke Langerand his dray come along before that. Roy Sheffield ought to be herenow."

  It was Mr. Langer, however, who arrived first, sleepily jogging hishorses toward the corner. At exactly twenty-six minutes past nine hedrew up beside the pile of baggage.

  "Whoa, there! Whoa! Ain't been waiting for me, have you?" he inquiredgenially, as he removed his straw hat to wipe his forehead.

  "I've been waiting for you ever since I've known you," answered Specs."What are those horses of yours--one cylinder or two?"

  Mr. Langer smiled contentedly. "You might not think it," he observed,"but these here horses used to be fire horses in Elkana when they wasyoung. And they're just as good a team to-day as that pair of plugsthey got in our fire station." He climbed laboriously from his seat,with some intention of assisting the Scouts in loading the bags andbaseball apparatus into the dray. But as the boys were tidily finishingthe job before Mr. Langer fully made up his mind about the best way tobegin, he thought better of his ambition, and leaned one arm on thewagon and went on with his conversation.

  "Take that fire depar
tment in this here town," he ruminated, pickinga spear of grass to chew between words. "Why, it ain't run like afire department any more than it's run like a church." He squintedthoughtfully at a pebble in the road. "Come to think of it, there ain'tmuch difference between that fire department and a church. There's justone man of the Second Reformed Church left in Lakeville to-day, andthat's Pete Mullett, the janitor; and there's just one man left in thefire department, and that's Dave Hendershot, the driver."

  Bunny pricked up his ears. "You don't mean there's only one man tohitch up the hose cart and put out the fire?"

  Mr. Langer nodded. "Yep. Dave was left in charge, with three helpers,and they told him they wanted to go to Dunkirk. And Dave wasgood-natured, and they was just volunteers, anyhow, and he let 'em go.Of course, I'll be around to give Dave a hand, but that ain't no wayto fight fires." Mr. Langer nodded more decisively than before andplucked a second blade of grass.

  "Coming late, the way Royal Sheffield does, isn't playing the gameeither," said Specs suddenly. "We have just one minute more to wait.It's 9:29 already."

  Bunny verified the time. As Specs said, the missing player had but asingle minute of grace before the procession started toward the station.

  "He may get here on time, even if we don't hustle him up," suggested S.S.

  Bonfire Cree laughed. "He'd have missed the Harrison City game if thetrain hadn't been held up on account of a hot box."

  "He's a dandy, he is!" commented Specs. "Back before you fellows wonthat basketball game for him, I heard him say once that we Scoutsweren't interested in anything except ourselves, but I notice he neverputs himself out for anybody."

  "Give him a fair show, Specs," Bunny suggested gently. "Remember, heisn't here to speak for himself."

  "He'll be speaking for himself in two seconds," said Bonfire, pointingdown the street toward a scarlet motor car which at that moment wastearing along near the corner.

  Barely braking enough to turn without skidding, Royal Sheffield drovethe automobile up the driveway to the barn; then, a moment later,lounged down the path to the Scouts.

  "Make it fast, Sheff," warned Bunny. "We have just time to catch thetrain, not a second more. Throw your stuff on the dray. All right, we're off. How about it, Mr. Langer? Can we all pile on your wagon?"

  Mr. Langer nodded. Promptly, without waiting for the captain of theteam to decide the matter, Sheffield scrambled up to the driver's seat.

  "I notice you're making yourself comfortable!" snapped Specs, balancinguneasily on the side of the dray.

  "Is that so!" Sheffield flung back carelessly. "Well, I'm followingyour lead. I notice you fellows have been hanging around to ride to thestation."

  "Hanging around!" Specs raised his voice angrily. "Why, the only reasonwe stayed behind was to--"

  "Better cut it, Specs!" Bunny said decisively.

  A silence followed. With much slapping of lines and verbalencouragement, Mr. Langer waked his fire horses and set them in motion.In time, even, they broke into an unwieldy trot, jolting and jouncingthe stiff-springed dray over the ruts.

  "Too much luxury for me!" groaned Bonfire. "I'd rather run alongsidethan be shaken to pieces."

  He dropped from the dray, glancing back down the street.

  "Bunny! Oh, Bunny! Look!"

  He was standing in the middle of the road, jaw dropped, eyes bulging,forefinger pointed toward the corner from which they had come.

  "What's the matter, Bonfire?"

  "It's a fire--back there--by the corner! There's a house on fire!"