Part 5 (1/2)
”Paul, come over here with me, and you can see it!” he called out.
”See what?” demanded the scoutmaster, at the same time climbing to his feet.
”Looks like some farmhouse might be afire; because you c'n see the red flames jumping up like fun!” was the thrilling announcement made by the tenderfoot scout.
CHAPTER V
A HELPING HAND
”It's a fire, all right!” announced Paul, after he had taken a good look.
”No question about that,” declared Seth, who was right on the heels of the others, for you could never keep him quiet when there was anything going on, because he always wanted to be ”in the swim.”
”Yes, either a house, or a barn ablaze,” remarked Eben, sagely.
”Might be only a hay stack, you know,” suggested Jotham.
”Don't burn like that to me; I seem to see something of a building every now and then, when the flames shoot up,” Paul went on to remark, for he was always discovering things upon which to found a reasonable theory.
”How far away does it lie, dy'e think, Paul?” asked Andy.
”Not more than half a mile, I should say,” came the reply.
”Just my idea to a dot,” Jotham admitted.
”Why, you c'n even hear the crackle of the flames, whenever the night wind happens to blow this way,” Babe Adams a.s.serted; and they all agreed with him, for the same sound had come to their ears also.
”We might help the poor old farmer, if we only happened to be closer,”
Eben said, in the goodness of his heart.
”And if we didn't feel so bunged-up tired,” added Andy.
Somehow the scouts began to show signs of nervousness. Those might seem like pretty good excuses to some fellows; but when a boy becomes a scout he somehow looks at things in a different way from in the old days. No matter how tired he may be, he eagerly seizes on a chance to be useful to others; to do some good deed, so as to experience the delightful glow that always follows a helpful act.
”Say, how about it?” began Jotham.
”Could we be useful if we did manage to trot over there, Paul?” Andy demanded.
”I'm sure we might,” answered the scoutmaster, firmly; ”and if we're going, why, the sooner we make a start the better. Seconds count when a house or barn is on fire. I feel pretty well rested, speaking for myself; and half a mile each way oughtn't to do us up. We're scouts on a long hike, and able to do lots of things that other fellows wouldn't dare attempt.”
”Take me along, Paul!” cried Jotham.
”And me!”
”Hope you won't forget that I'm ready to be in the bunch,” Seth exclaimed.
In fact, there was not one out of Paul's seven companions who did not vociferously inform the leader of the patrol that he was a subject for the draft.