Part 10 (1/2)
”Just like you said, my boy, it was there!” he cried, holding up what proved to be the missing tin box that held his h.o.a.rd. ”And to think that I stole my own cash while I was asleep! I guess my wife'll have to tie my feet together every night after this, for a while; or perhaps I'll be running away with everything we've got. Say, Jo, I hope you ain't going to hold it against me that I suspected you'd been and had your morals corrupted by some of them horse jockeys you met at the county fair this summer? And about that Thatcher place, Jo, we'll easy make terms, because n.o.body ain't going to have it but you and your maw, hear that?”
”Well, of all things,” exclaimed the delighted Seth.
Jo evidently did not hold the slightest ill feeling against his old friend and employer, for he only too gladly took the hand Mr. Rollins held out.
”Turns out just like the fairy story, with everybody happy; only we don't see the princess this time,” said Seth, after the scouts had given three cheers for Jo, and then three more for Mr. Rollins.
”Oh!” remarked Jo, with a huge grin, ”she's comin' along purty soon now; and my gettin' this windfall'll hurry up the weddin' a heap. Drop past the Thatcher farm along about Thanksgivin' time, boys, and I'll be glad to introduce you to her.”
”Say, perhaps we will,” Seth declared, with boyish enthusiasm, ”because, you see, we all live at Beverly, which ain't more'n twenty miles away as the crow flies. How about it, fellows?”
”We'll come along with you, Seth, never fear. And now, the sooner we get over to camp the better, because some of us are feeling pretty well used up,” Andy went on to admit with charming candor.
”All right, boys, just give me a minute to run indoors, and put this package away, and I'll be with you. It won't take long to hitch up, because we managed to save the harness and wagons, me and the missus.”
True to his word Mr. Rollins was back in a very brief s.p.a.ce of time, and catching the two horses he wanted, he attached them to a big wagon.
”Tumble in, boys,” he called out, as he swung himself up on the driver's seat, after attaching the lighted lantern to the front, so that he could see the road as they went along.
The scouts waited for no second invitation, but speedily secured places in the body of the vehicle. As there was half a foot of straw in it, they found things so much to their liking that on the way, at least three of the boys went sound asleep, and had to be aroused when the camp was finally reached.
Eben and Noodles were poor sentinels, it seemed, for both were lying on the ground asleep, nor did they know when the other returned until told about it in the morning. But fortune had been kind to the ”babes in the wood,” as Seth called them in derision, for nothing had happened while the main body of the patrol chanced to be away on duty.
And so it was another little adventure had come along, with wonderful results, and the happiest of endings. Really, some of the boys were beginning to believe that the strangest of happenings were always lying in wait, as if desirous of ambus.h.i.+ng the members of the Beaver Patrol.
Why, they could even not start off on a hike, it seemed, without being drawn into a series of events, the like of which seldom if ever befell ordinary lads.
During the hours of darkness that followed all of them slept soundly, nor was there any alarm given to disturb them. And as nothing in the wide world brings such satisfaction and contentment as good sleep, when at dawn they awoke to find the last day of the great hike at hand, every fellow declared that he was feeling especially fit to make that concluding dash with a vim.
Breakfast was hastily eaten; indeed, their stock of provisions had by this time gotten to a low ebb, and would not allow of much variety; though they managed to sc.r.a.pe enough together to satisfy everybody but Fritz, who growled a little, and wanted to know however a scout could do his best when on short rations?
Then to the inspiring notes of Eben's silver-plated bugle the boys of the Beaver Patrol left Alabama Camp, and started on the last lap for their home goal.
CHAPTER IX
THE RUNAWAY BALLOON
”Hey! look at all the crows flying over, would you?”
Seth called this out as he pointed upwards, and the rest of the patrol naturally turned their heads in order to gape.
”Whew! did you ever see such a flock of the old caw-caws?” burst out Eben.
”Give 'em a toot from your bugle, and see what they think?” suggested Jotham.
”For goodness sake, be careful,” broke in Fritz, ”because they might be so knocked in a heap at Eben's fine playing, they'd take a tumble, and nearly smother the lot of us. We'd think it was raining crow, all right.”
”Are they good to eat?” demanded Babe, who was pretty green as yet to a great many things connected with outdoor life, ”because, if we have time to stop at noon to cook a meal, we might--”
He was interrupted by a shout from several of the other and wiser scouts.