CHAPTER XXVIII.
HOME AGAIN--CONCLUSION.
THE mountain hike had come to an end.
One and all, the Boy Scouts declared that they had seen about enough ofthis wild country of the Blue Ridge, and would be glad to turn theirsteps toward dear old Cranford. They believed they could find other waysto enjoy themselves that offered better inducements than climbing thesides of mountains, with suspicious moonshiners watching their everymove.
Of course, now that Old Phin Dady had taken them under his protection,they had no reason to fear any bodily harm. And what Thad had done forCliff Dorie must go pretty far toward making them friends among theignorant mountain people. But because Old Phin meant to desert hisformer calling for one that would have the sanction of the law, did notmean that moonshine stuff would not continue to be made up in the dellsback of the trail in the Smoky Range. There were many others who knew noother means for making a slim livelihood, than by cheating theGovernment of the heavy tax it placed on strong drink.
So the scouts decided, by a unanimous vote, that they had seen enough ofthese parts; and would hail with delight an order to turn their backs onit all. Besides, did they not know that both Bob and his father would befairly wild to hasten to the waiting mother and wife in that Northernhome?
They made the start as soon as they could get in marching order. Pollyand her father accompanied them through the mountains. This wasconsidered best, lest some suspicious moonshiner think it his duty totake a pot shot or two at those figures far down the valley, wearing thekhaki uniform he hated.
At every cabin they passed, the natives swarmed out to see the strangesight of Old Phin walking amiably by the side of the boy soldiers, asthey supposed the scouts to be. Once or twice there was an uglydemonstration, some of the natives fancying that the mountaineer musthave surrendered, and was being carried off to jail. It tookconsiderable explaining to get these people to understand the truthabout things, and that Phin was on the best of terms with the boys.
Finally he dared go no further, because as yet he did not know whatsuccess his agents, the drug men, had in Washington; and there wasdanger of revenue men sighting him at any moment, when trouble mustbreak out, since there had been war between them for so long.
When the little party of scouts turned up again in Asheville, they foundplenty to do there to keep them over until another day. First of all,Mr. Quail underwent a complete transformation at the hands of a barber;for he declared he believed the sight of him, in his present condition,with such long hair and beard, would be enough to send his poor wifeinto a fit, or else have her drive him from the door as a pretender.
And when he appeared before the scouts, decently dressed in a new suit,which Bob's money paid for, as he had none himself just then, Bumpusvoiced the sentiments of the entire patrol when he declared that Mr.Quail was as fine looking a gentleman as he knew.
Of course a message had been sent to Cranford, to apprise Bob's motherof the glorious result of his hike down in the Blue Ridge country, whichthey had once upon a time called home. It had to be very carefullyworded, lest the shock to her nerves prove too great. And in anotherday, father and son hoped to be once more with the one who would notsleep a wink until her own eyes beheld the loved form which she believedhad gone from her forever.
Then there was that affair concerning little Bertha to be considered.Great had been the indignation of Mr. Quail when, on examining the paperwhich Bob had secured through the help of the girl, he realized all therascality that Reuben Sparks had been guilty of.
They held an interview with a well-known lawyer, who, on hearing thefacts, and seeing the legal document, advised them to leave it all inhis charge.
"I promise you that this party will be summoned to appear forthwith,bringing his ward with him," this legal gentleman had declared; "andonce within the jurisdiction of the court, it will be an easy matter todispossess him. Indeed, should he show fight, we can have him sent upfor a term of years."
With such a pleasant prospect before them, did the scouts leave the OldTar-heel State. They had come down here for an outing, and to see whatBob had once called his home; but the tour had turned out to be a moreserious affair than any of them could ever have anticipated.
And now they were on the way home again, filled with memories of themany events that had seasoned their brief stay in the Land of the Sky;home to familiar scenes and to look upon faces that were dear to them.
A jolly party they were on the train that bore them away toward theNorth. Bob and his father sat by themselves, for they had a thousandthings to talk about, that concerned only their private interests. Butthe rest clustered at one end of the sleeper, and eagerly reviewed thestories they would have to tell.
"Oh! we'll have the greatest time ever, just showing the fellers how wedid it," declared Bumpus. "First of all, we'll get Giraffe to wade intoa creek, and explain how he was bein' pulled down by that suckingquicksand, when the prompt arrival of the rest of the bunch saved hisprecious life. I always heard that when one's just born to be hangedthere ain't no use tryin' to get rid of him by any other means; which Iguess stands for quicksand too."
"That sounds mighty fine, Bumpus," remarked Giraffe, unmoved by thelaughter greeting the proposition; "but just think what a great stuntit'll be when we get Davy Jones here showing 'em what he c'n do droppingdown head-first into a bully old camp-fire, and swimmin' in red coals.That ought to bring down the house; if only we c'n coax him to do itover again."
"Not much you will," declared the said Davy, looking ruefully at sundryred marks on both his wrists, that served to remind him of the accident."Once is enough for me; and I tell you right now, fellows, if ever I_do_ climb a tree again, to exercise, I'm going to be mighty careful Idon't hang down over a blaze. There's such a thing as takin' too manychances."
"A burnt child dreads the fire," sang out Step Hen.
"Hello! are you there, old sobersides?" remarked Giraffe, pretending tobe surprised; "now, we all of us thought you might be busy writin' outin your mind a treatise on how to be happy watching a tumble-bug try toroll his big ball uphill; or else what lessons can be gained by watchingthe humble beetle in his never-say-die act as a gymnast. But I seeyou've got your badge right-side up to-day, all to the good, Step Hen;what wonderful stunt have you been pulling off now?"
"Oh! it didn't amount to much, I guess, fellows; but then even a littlespeck of kindness counts, they say," remonstrated Step Hen.
"I happen to know," remarked Thad, breaking into the conversation; "forI was just coming into that other ordinary car, when I saw our comradedoing himself proud. Perhaps it _is_ only a little thing for a boy tonotice that a poor woman with three kids clinging to her skirts, and ababy in her arms, wants to get a bottle of milk warmed, and don't knowjust how to manage it; and to offer to do it for her; but let me tellyou, that poor tired mother said 'thank you, my boy' just as if it meanta _heap_ to her! Yes, Step Hen, you had a right to turn your badge; andI only hope you find as good a chance to do it every single day, as youdid on this one."
And Giraffe became suddenly silent. Perhaps something within told himthat he too had passed that same weary mother; and if he thoughtanything at all at the time it was only to wonder why a woman could beso silly as to travel with so many children.
"Well, you see," remarked Step Hen, feeling that some sort ofexplanation was expected from him, after the scoutmaster had given himthe "spot light" on the stage. "I got to talkin' with her afterwards,and she told me that the children's paw had just died down South, andshe was on her way home to her mother's. After hearin' that, fellers, Iwanted to do anything more I could for the poor thing; and I did jumpoff at the last station, and buy the kids some sandwiches, 'cause, yousee, they didn't have a great lot to munch on. But it was worth while towatch 'em gobble the snack of chicken I got along with 'em, like theyhadn't had a bite to eat this livelong day."
Thad walked away, satisfied that Step Hen was proving his worth as ascout. That little lesson of the humble bu
g had opened his eyes, andthrough those touched his heart. Perhaps he might not change all atonce, for he was inclined to stumble, and fall down, when he had madegood resolutions; but the chances were he would see more in life thanever before.
And that is what a scout wants to do, keep his eyes open all the while,in order to notice many of the strange things that are happening everyminute of the day all around him; until he learns to do that which willgive him the greatest treat that could possibly happen to any one.
Time was when Step Hen might have passed that poor mother, and neverhave given her a second thought; but it was different now. And thestrange thing about it, in Thad's mind, was that an obscure littletumble-bug, one of the lowliest of all created things, could havesucceeded in showing Step Hen that he had a heart; and that even a boycan find chances to do kindly acts, if he looks for them.
"Well," said Bumpus, as they huddled together in a bunch, exchangingviews and watching the mountains and valleys as they were whirled past,"if we could have the say right now where the Silver Fox Patrol wouldspend next vacation, where d'ye reckon it would be?"
"Let's take a vote!" suggested Step Hen.
"That's the ticket, Mr. Secretary, get eight ballots ready, and let'swrite first choice and second, majority rules," and the patrol leadernodded in the direction of his chum Allan, just as much as to say it waseasy to guess what one vote would be.
"Count as I call out, Bob White. Here goes now: Maine first choice,Rocky Mountains second."
"Hurrah!" cried Bumpus.
"Another for Maine, with the Saskatchewan country of Canada second,"Thad went on; "but this comrade forgot that as American Boy Scouts wedo not want to spend our money and vacations in a foreign land."
When the eight ballots had been counted, strange to say Maine was firstchoice with every one, and the Rockies well in the lead as second.
"Move we make it unanimous," laughed Giraffe, which was duly doneaccording to statute.
"Much good that will do, with a whole year to wait, because it wouldn'tpay to go up into Maine for only Christmas week," grumbled Step Hen.
But strange to say it was decreed in a most remarkable way that the wishexpressed by the scouts should be made an actual fact, and just how thiscame about the reader will find duly set forth in the third volume ofthis series entitled, "The Boy Scouts on the Trail, or Scouting throughthe Big Game Country."
In due time the scouts arrived at Cranford station, where their cominghad been anticipated; for the story of how the boys had found themissing husband of Mrs. Quail had somehow gotten around, since Cranfordhad its gossips. One of these happened to be calling on the lady at thetime Bob's telegram arrived. Of course its nature was such as to giveMrs. Quail a shock, though she quickly recovered; but there had beenample time for the visitor to glance at the message, between dabs at theface of the fainting lady with a handkerchief wet with cologne. And thatwas how the news got out.
"Look at the crowd, would you?" gasped Bumpus, as he poked his head outof the door, and saw what seemed to his excited imagination about thewhole of Cranford filling the home station, and craning necks in theendeavor to be the first to glimpse the resurrected father of Bob Quail.
"Hurrah for the Boy Scouts!" some one called out.
They were given with a rush and a roar that brought other passengershurrying to the windows of the cars, to see what popular hero it couldbe arriving home, to excite such a tremendous demonstration.
"Hurrah for Thad Brewster!" called a second school-boy, as the youngscoutmaster stepped off the train, bearing certain bundles, that mightbe a haversack and a take-down shotgun.
Another wave of applause went sweeping up from the crowd.
"Three cheers for Bob Quail, and his dad!" shrilled yet anotherenthusiast; upon which the echoes were fairly awakened by the racket.
The scouts fell into line, and two and two marched along the stationplatform; for Mr. Quail had already taken his wife into his arms, andthey had retired to the interior of the little building, in order to beless conspicuous while they talked it all over.
Bumpus sounded his bugle, and the boys kept step as they walked along,with heads up, and feeling that they had gained the right to feel a bitproud, after what they had gone through. The crowd pushed after them,still shouting, and making a great clamor.
And from one of the car windows looked a bevy of childish faces, back ofwhich was the wan one of the tired mother; Step Hen disobeyed the rulesfor one second only, when he turned, and waved his hand to his littlefriends of the train. Seeing which Thad Brewster said softly to himself:
"I warrant you that little woman believes all this noise is meant forjust one boy, and he the fellow who was so kind to her; because, in hersight Step Hen is a real hero, and this racket is meant especially forhis home-coming."
THE END.