Part 10 (2/2)

”I hope that gang enjoyed the treat we fetched home for 'em the other day; and which I believe you and Toby here distributed like a pair of Thanksgiving Santa Claus,” he remarked, with a vein of satire in his voice that was almost as natural to Doubting George as breathing was; ”but I never did take any stock in the game, though I agreed to a.s.sist out, to please you, Elmer. And to my mind it was a flat failure in the bargain. We might as well have handed all that lot of good nuts to some poor family, or turned the same into the pig-pen for the porkers.”

”Oh! I don't know,” Toby said, with his favorite drawl. ”Elmer here seems to be of the opinion that it's done _some_ good. Anyhow, none of us has had any trouble with that Mallon crowd since then. They seem to slide away every time they see us coming down the street, or across the campus at school.”

”Good reason,” piped up George, ”because they're afraid that if they say a word we'll start the ball arolling, and everybody in town'll hear how they ran like Sam Hill, leaving their nuts behind, and thinking a ghost was chasing after 'em. Huh! don't you give that tough crowd credit for thinking anything decent, because it ain't in 'em.”

”Listen,” said Elmer, quietly, ”and perhaps you'll find it best to change your tune, Old Question Mark. I had a little surprise this same morning when I came out of the house, just as dawn was breaking.

Something dangling there alongside the back door caught my eye, and what do you think it was?”

”Oh! give it up, Elmer,” said George, with a shrug of his shoulders; while the others leaned forward eagerly, intent on hearing the answer; ”couldn't guess in a year of Sundays, so open up and tell us.”

”A brace of the fattest and biggest rabbits I ever saw, and fresh killed at that,” replied the scout master, impressively.

”Oh! you don't mean to say it?” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Toby; ”and, Elmer, as sure as anything I saw Connie Mallon coming home late last evening with four of the same hanging over his shoulder, and looking as proud as a turkey c.o.c.k. He just grinned as he walked past, and even nodded his head, but I was too surprised to answer him, or ask where he struck such great luck.

But then everybody knows Connie is the best rabbit hunter around Hickory Ridge, and has got a boss hound in the bargain. So you think he left that brace hanging at your back door, do you?”

”I'm as sure of it as if I saw him sneaking in late at night, and fastening the pair there,” said Elmer, positively; ”and he divided evenly with me, you see, if he had just four. Now, George, what do you say to that? Was it a silly thing in our taking those four bags of nuts, and leaving them where we did? Don't you think Connie Mallon was set _thinking_, and that unable to express himself in any other way he carried out this fine thing to show me he understood the motive back of what we did?”

George died hard.

”Well, I wouldn't just like to say that much, Elmer,” he admitted; ”because I don't believe that tough case could understand a decent motive; but he evidently wanted to let you know he'd keep still, if you fellows only wouldn't blab on him and his crowd.”

”I don't agree with you, George,” the other told him, sharply. ”I think you've got to rub your eyes some yourself, and get the scales off. It's my opinion that in his own crude way Connie meant to tell me he was holding out the olive branch. I've got a hunch he's in a humor to be approached, and met more than half-way; and when we get back after this camping trip I'm going to have a chin with him the first chance I get to see him alone.”

”Huh! wish you luck then, that's all,” grunted George; ”but I give you my opinion for what it's worth, and the chances are ten to one you'll rub up against a stone wall.”

”Well, there'll be no harm done, anyway,” continued Elmer, nor did he insist on carrying the argument any further, for he knew how persistent George could be, and that although possessed of many sterling qualities, being broad-minded was not a cardinal virtue of the doubting scout.

A short time later and those who had been up in this region recently began to call the attention of their companions to certain features of the landscape, and comment on the same.

”I'd give a heap,” said Chatz, ”to own a picture of that other rig coming whooping out of the woods somewhere around here, and turning down the road in the direction of town. Well, suh, I reckon the fellow who held the whip was using the same on the backs of those hosses like fun, and the lot of them shouting to him to make the team go faster, because they believed the ghost would overtake them.”

”It sure must have been a glorious sight,” called out the long-legged Lil Artha, from the rear of the vehicle; ”and just like you, Chatz, I'd give a heap to see a photograph of the same. Do we turn in here, Toby?”

”Yes, and you fellows hang on now, tooth and nail,” replied the driver, ”or there's a chance of you getting pitched out, because the old wagon joggles dreadfully most of the time over roots and stones. Steady, back there, everybody!”

What Toby said turned out to be the truth. He tried to pick the easiest trail possible, but in spite of this it proved to be so rough that presently Elmer called a halt.

”I'm going to walk the balance of the way, fellows,” he declared, as he made a jump and landed on the ground.

”Me too!” echoed Landy Smith, following suit.

In another minute Toby was the only one left aboard, and he too might have gladly sought the ground only that it was necessary for some one to do the driving.

Old Nancy appreciated this lightening of her load by striving harder than ever to draw it; while George and Ted and Chatz continued to call attention to various features of the landscape.

”There's where we hid our wagon that other time,” the last named declared, pointing to a thick cover of brush, into which the track of wheels led; ”and Toby, you notice, is turning out, because this time we don't want to head direct for the nut grove, but the dense woods alongside. We saw a fine spring as we came by, and I reckon, suh, that our efficient scout master has it all fixed in his mind's eye to pitch our tents close to that.”

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