CHAPTER XI
FRIENDS OF THE SCOUTS
Everybody came crowding around at hearing Mr. Briggs make such astartling accusation. Bobolink seemed to have had his very breathtaken away, for all he could do was to stare helplessly at the angry,little, old storekeeper. The magnitude of the crime with which he wasaccused stunned him.
Some of the other scouts managed to find their tongues readily enough.Flushed with indignation they proceeded to express their feelings asboys might be expected to do under strong resentment.
"Well, I like that, now!" exclaimed Tom Betts. "When Bobolink here hasbeen working like a beaver to save Mr. Briggs' stuff from the maw ofthe flames."
"That was only meant to be a blind to hide the truth!" cried Mr.Briggs. "After he set the fire he must have become frightened at whathe had done, and tried to cover up his tracks. Oh! I know what boysare capable of; but I'll have the law on this miscreant who tried toget revenge on me this way, see if I don't."
"Shame on you, Mr. Briggs," said a stout woman close by. "And the boynearly killing himself to carry out big loads of your silks! It's manydollars he saved you, and little credit he'll ever get."
"Don't you know Bobolink has the best kind of alibi, Mr. Briggs?" saidFrank. "He was over at Doctor Morrison's house along with the rest ofus until just before the alarm sounded. We were on our way home whenthe bell struck first."
"The doctor himself will tell you that, if you ask him," added Jack,indignant now because of what had passed after all they had done forthe old man. "Mr. Forbes, I wish you would warn him not to make such areckless accusation again, because he might have to prove it in court.Boys have rights as well as storekeepers, he must know."
"It's just as you say, Jack, my lad," asserted the big foreman of thetruck company, warmly. "I stood all your abuse, Mr. Briggs, when itwas directed against myself, but I advise you to go slow aboutcharging any of these young chaps with setting fire to your store. Allof us have seen how they worked trying to save your property, sir. Itis a poor return you are making for their efforts."
Others shared this opinion, and realizing that he did not have asingle friend in the crowd, Mr. Briggs had the good sense to keep hisfurther suspicions to himself. But that he was still far fromconvinced of Bobolink's innocence could be seen by the malevolentglances he shot toward the boy from time to time, while the scoutsstood and watched the final work of the fire-fighters.
The last spark had been extinguished, and all danger was past. Many ofthe townspeople began to leave for their comfortable homes, because itwas bitterly cold at that hour of the night, with a coating of snow onthe ground.
Paul had come up during the excitement, but somehow had failed to jointhe rest of the scouts until later on. The other scouts thought thatdoubtless he had found something to claim his attention elsewhere; buthe came up to them about the time they were thinking of taking theirdeparture.
His indignation was strong when he heard what a foolish accusation thealmost distracted storekeeper had made against Bobolink. Still Paulwas a sensible lad, and he realized that Mr. Briggs could hardly beheld responsible for what he said at such a time.
"Better forget all about it, Bobolink," he told the other, who wasstill fretting under the unmerited charge. "Perhaps when he cools offand realizes what a serious thing he has said, Mr. Briggs willpublicly take his words back, and will thank you fellows in thebargain."
"But how came it you were so slow in getting to the fire, Paul?" askedTom Betts; for, as a rule, the patrol leader could be counted on toarrive with the first.
Paul laughed at that.
"I knew you'd be wondering," he said, and then went on to explain."For once I was caught in a trap, and, much as I wanted to get out andrun, I just had to hold my horses for a spell. You see, after you hadgone father asked me to hold something for him while he was attendingto it, and I couldn't very well drop it until he was through."
"Whew! it sure must have been something pretty important to keep PaulMorrison from running to a fire," chuckled Frank.
"It was important," came the ready reply. "In fact, it was a man'sbroken arm I was holding. Ben Holliday was brought in just after youboys left. He had fallen in some way and sustained a compound fractureof his left arm. Neither of the men who were along with him could becounted on to assist, so father called on me to lend a hand. Andthat's why I was late at the Briggs' store fire."
"You missed a great sight, Paul, let me tell you," affirmed Bluff.
"Yes, and you missed hearing a friend of yours called a fire-bug, too,in the bargain," grunted Bobolink. "And after I'd sweated and toiledlike fun to drag a lot of his old junk out of reach of fire and flood!That's what makes me sore. Now, if I'd just stood around and laughed,like a lot of the fellows did, it wouldn't have been so bad."
"Listen!" said Jud Elderkin, lowering his voice, "when old Briggs gotthe notion that some bad boy set his store on fire in a spirit ofrevenge, maybe he wasn't so far wrong after all."
"Say, what are you hinting at now, Jud?" gasped Bobolink,suspiciously. "You know as well as anything I was along with the crowdevery minute of the time."
"Sure I do, Bobolink," asserted the other, blandly. "I wasn'treferring to you at all when I said that. There are others in theswim. You're not the only pebble on the beach, you understand."
"Now I get you, Jud!" Tom Betts exclaimed. "And let me say, I've beenhaving little suspicions of my own leading in that same direction."
"We found Hank, Jud Mabley and Sim Jeffreys on the spot when we gothere, you all remember, and they seemed tickled to death because itwas the Briggs' place that was on fire," continued Jud.
Even Paul and Jack seemed impressed, though too cautious to accept thefact until there was more proof. Already the foolishness of making anunsupported accusation had been brought home to them, and thescout-master felt that it was his duty to warn Jud and Tom againsttalking too recklessly of their suspicion.
"Better go slow about it, fellows, no matter what you think," he toldthem. "The law does not recognize suspicion as counting for anything,unless you have some sort of proof to back it up. It may be thosefellows are guilty, for they have been going from bad to worse oflate; but until you can show evidence leading that way, button up yourlips."
"Guess you're right there, Paul," admitted Jud. "Some of us are apt tobe too previous when we get a notion in our heads. But Mr. Briggs isdead sure it was no accident, whether the fire was started by theLawson crowd or some one else."
"I heard him say he suspected that his safe had been broken open,"declared Tom Betts just then, "and that the fire might have been anafter thought meant to hide a robbery."
"Whew! that's going some, I must say, if that Lawson gang has comedown to burglary, as well as arson," observed Spider Sexton,seriously.
"You'll have to get Jud Mabley away from his cronies mighty quickthen, Paul, if you hope to pull him out of the fire," commentedFrank.
"Well, for one I've yet to be convinced that they had anything to dowith the fire," Paul told them.
"But we know they've had trouble with Mr. Briggs plenty of times,"urged another of the scouts.
"And you must remember they were here when we arrived, which lookssuspicious," added Bobolink.
"Appearances are often deceitful, Bobolink, as you yourself know toyour cost," the scout-master remarked. "If forced to explain theirbeing on the spot so early perhaps they could prove an alibi as wellas you. But come, since the fire is all over, and it's pretty shiveryout here now, suppose we get back home."
No one offered any objection to this proposal. Indeed, several of thescouts who had worked hard enough to get into a perspiration, weremoving about uneasily as though afraid of taking cold.
When the boys left the scene the crowd had thinned out very much, forthe wintry night made standing around unpleasant. Besides, most of thepeople were disgusted with the actions of old Mr. Briggs, and caredvery little what his loss might prove to be.
At the time the scouts turned away and
headed for another section ofthe town, the old storekeeper was entering the still smoking building,desirous of examining his safe to ascertain whether it showed signs ofhaving been tampered with.
Once again the boys stood on the corner ready to separate into severalfactions as their homes chanced to lie.
"There, the fire is out; that's back-taps!" said Tom Betts.
"You're off your base, Tom," Bluff disagreed, "for that's the townclock striking the hour of midnight."
"Sure enough," agreed Tom, when four and five had sounded.
They counted aloud until the whole twelve had struck.
"That means it's Sunday morning. Merry Christmas, Paul, and the rest!"cried Frank.
"The same to you, and good-night, fellows!" called out Paul, as withJack he strode away.