CHAPTER II
LAYING PLANS
Like magic, it seemed, all that clamor died away.
Men and women simply stared at the terrible spectacle of that boycrouched there in the street, and that huge dog advancing directlytoward him, with eager mien. Doubtless many a prayer was offered up forthe safety of the lad who had thrown himself into the breach betweenthat brute and the innocent children who thronged the square justbeyond.
"Hey, Bluff! Aim right atween his bloomin' old eyes!" called Pet fromhis perch.
"Shoot!" shouted one man, almost wild because the dog was now so verynear the kneeling boy, whom he imagined must be petrified with fear.
But Bluff was waiting. He wanted to make sure. The shot in his gun wassmall, and intended for birds. To render it effective against such abeast it must go at close quarters, when it would have all the force ofa bullet.
Along that glistening barrel he could see the flaming eyes of thevicious dog, now not more than twenty feet away. Then he pulled thetrigger!
Just as though he were shooting ducks in the slough at the foot of thelake, Bluff instantly made a movement with his hands that Jerry alwayslikened to the action of a pump handle. Thank goodness! The locksmithhad done his job well, for the mechanism of the gun worked like a charm,sending the empty shell flying, and pushing a full one into place.
He again aimed his weapon. The dog was on the ground, kicking, but evenas Bluff looked he struggled up again. This was the signal for a secondshot, and after that there was one last movement and the hideouscreature lay there, still.
Then broke out a wild shout that was taken up along the whole street.People came thronging out of the houses to rush forward and gaze uponthe monster that had sent them into such a panic of fear. A few thoughtto wring the hand of Bluff and thank him for what he had done.
The boy was no longer white. He had turned furiously red under thesepraises, and hardly knew what to do or say, it was so embarrassing. Mr.Melod, the choirmaster, wrung his hand, while tears came into his eyes.
"My dear boy, I am proud of you this day. That was a noble deed ofyours, and deserves to be handed down in the annals of Centerville, asan incentive to the coming generations," he said with deep feeling.
"Oh, shucks! That wasn't so very much, sir. Any fellow with a gun wouldhave done it. What would they have thought of me running away, and withthis thing in my hands? I'm only ashamed to say I was about as badlyscared as Pet here. He didn't have a gun, so he climbed a tree,"stammered the boy, trying to break loose from the encircling arms ofMiss Samantha Green, the old-maid milliner, who had witnessed the entireperformance from the window of her shop, and was inclined to besentimental at all times.
"Yes, I had a big stone up there with me, fellers, an' I was a-goin' tuhcrack the pup on the head with it w'en he kim under the tree; but Bluffhe got first say, as he allers does. It ain't fair, I tell yuh. I'da-give the dorg a plunk that would a made him croak," declared Pet,shaking his head ferociously.
"Listen to him, will you, boys!" exclaimed Jerry Wallington, as with aquick movement he snatched from the hand of the other the rock which hehad intended should demolish the big brute, and held it up. "This pebbleis what Pet meant to throw at that yellow beast. Like as not it wouldhave hurt him as much as a peashooter might. Talk to me about that forbravery, will you? Only for my chum, somebody might have been hurt. He'sall to the good!"
Bluff had been watching his chance, and as soon as the excited old maidfreed her arms he darted away, followed by two other boys. These wereJerry, and Will Milton, the latter of whom was smiling all over hisface.
"That was the time luck followed me, fellows. The photographer justloaded my camera for me when I was buying a new lot of films, and if Ididn't snap off five of the dandiest pictures of that little circus youever saw. Wait till I get a chance to develop them, and see," he wasrattling along.
"There comes Frank, too! Stop and wait for him, boys," said Jerry justthen.
A fourth lad quickly joined the group. He was a fine-looking boy, with aface full of determination and quiet courage. His first act was toseize the hand of the still blushing Bluff and squeeze it fiercely.
"Great work, old man! The best ever! Lucky chap that you were to havethat gun of yours along. I happened to be in the drugstore, and thepeople came pushing in so fast that it was impossible to get out. So Iglued my nose to a window, and saw it all. My heart was in my throat;but I knew you wouldn't fail, though to tell the honest truth, I wasn'thalf so certain about the gun."
"Then it's up to you to apologize to the bully old gun right away," saidBluff. "Didn't she act great? Why, it was as easy as falling off a log.Anybody could have done it. And don't you believe there was any herobusiness about it, either. I was that badly scared my hands shook as ifI had fever and ague, like poor old Dad Atkins. Just pure luck carriedme through, fellows."
"Don't you believe it for a minute," declared Will vehemently, at thisjuncture, "and when my pictures are developed I can prove it. I was onlyfifty feet away, hardly that, and I give you my word that when the curwas almost on top of Bluff all his shake left him. He aimed that gun asif he was shooting at a set target."
"And to hear that big blower, Pet Peters, say he was ready to smash thebrute's cranium in with a rock, when he was gripping a pebble not halfas large as my hand! That is a joke to make me laugh," went on Jerry.
"What's that?" demanded Frank, who had not been present when the boastwas made.
"Pet was jealous. He says Bluff always cuts him out from hanging on tothe glory part. He was telling about snatching up a big rock, meaning tolet it drop on the head of the mad dog as he went under the limb of thetree, when Jerry pulled it out of his hand. Here it is--I picked it upfor a memento."
Will held up a small stone as he spoke, at which Frank burst into alaugh.
"I suppose at the time Pet really thought he was picking up a boulder.What do you suppose that hard-headed brute would have thought if thispebble had struck him? It would have been a flea bite. But for one, I'mdone laughing at that newfangled gun of yours, Bluff."
"Me, too. I've said some mighty mean things about it in the past, pard,but never again. Talk to me about a handy thing to have about the house,that same gun just seems to wallow in luck. It's Johnny-on-the-spot whenmost needed. I may still believe in my double-barrel as the best thingon earth, but this contraption has its uses, and many of 'em."
Which was saying pretty much for Jerry.
"But I saw you talking to Pet before all that row broke out," remarkedWill.
"Yes; he stopped me to jeer at the gun, like a good many other fellows,who don't know a good thing when they see it," answered Bluff, grinningamiably.
"Well, perhaps he's also changed his mind about it, like Jerry here,"laughed Frank.
"To tell the honest truth, boys, perhaps it was something Pet said thatmade me determine it was my duty to stand there and knock that beastover," admitted Bluff, as if determined to confess all his shortcomingswhile about it.
"And what was that?" asked Jerry, frowning, for he detested Pet aboveall other boys in town.
"He was saying that it didn't take much courage to hold up fellows whenone had a gun and they didn't; he also took occasion to rub it in, anddeclare that I was by nature a timid sort of a chap, well named Bluff.Do you know, what he said came to me like a flash, even while my legswere bent on carrying me across the street to a store or a tree. Thatwas why I stopped so suddenly. I was ashamed to run while I held thisgun. So you see there was no bravery about it, only desperation."
"Humbug! That's what most so-called bravery is, old fellow," said Frank,patting him on the back.
"I saw you talking to Sandy Griggs, too," remarked Will.
"Say, that reminds me! I've got a plan to propose for a short outing. Wewere fortunate enough to discover the secret of the wild man of theisland, last spring--what's to hinder us from going out to Oak Ridge anddoing a little investigating there, eh?" demanded Bluff eagerly.
The
others looked at him curiously.
"Oak Ridge--that's out in the Sunset Mountains," remarked Willdubiously.
"Seems to me I've heard considerable of that place lately. Isn't theresome sort of a ghost story going the rounds about it?" asked Frank,smiling.
"Tell me about that, will you?" burst out Jerry, bristling up. "Bluffisn't content with the laurels he's already won, but sighs for more.First it was the wild man we rounded up, and now he hankers after layinga real genuine ghost by the heels. Count me in, if you decide to go. I'malways eager to have a share in all kinds of excitement, you know."
"Sandy says Caleb, the canal lockkeeper, saw the ghost really and truly.Caleb isn't a drinking man, either, so he must have seen something orother. What do you say, boys? Would it be fun, or not, to camp out inthat range of hills and run down this story of a ghost?" demanded Bluff.
"Those in favor, raise a hand," said Frank.
Instantly four hands went up.
"That settles it, then," declared the leader of the four chums. "We willgo to-morrow to camp along Oak Ridge, and discover, if we can, the truthabout this talked-of ghost."