"The most interesting thing to me about these little codgers is the way they got here," said Romper Ryan. "They came from Europe about 1897, so this book says. Came over on some young trees imported here. There couldn"t have been more than a couple of coc.o.o.ns, but look how they have spread since that time. They were first seen in Somerville, Ma.s.sachusetts, but now they are all over the New England States. They are only just getting into Vermont, though."
"This pamphlet says that the female moth flies a great distance," said Jiminy Gordon, growing enthusiastic about the subject, "and that the female Gipsy moth, which is another kind of pest, can"t fly at all. By jiminy, I thought all moths could fly, didn"t you? It also says that the female Brown Tail moth is attracted by strong lights and can be found fluttering around arc lamps almost any warm--"
"Does it? Where? Where does it say they like strong light?" exclaimed Nipper Knapp.
"Why, what the d.i.c.kens struck you? It says so right here. Just listen: "These moths are attracted to strong light such as electric arc lights, as they fly at night it is often possible to secure many specimens around arc lamps in cities and towns during the latter part of June and the first half of July. The--""
"Whoop! That solves it! I got it, fellows! It"s as easy as rolling off a log. We win the $100 prize sure!" exclaimed Nipper Knapp excitedly.
Then while the boys were looking at him in utter amazement he continued.
"Listen, fellows! I was running mother"s electric vacuum cleaner this morning before I started to school. I saw how easily the motor-driven fan sucked in everything in sight. I held the nozzle near a fly on the window pane and _zipp--p-p_, in went Mr. Fly. I thought right away that a big vacuum cleaner would make a fine moth catcher if we could only get near enough to the moths. And I even figured out a plan for a large one which wouldn"t cost very much and could be made mostly of wood. But I knew it was foolish "cause we couldn"t get near the moths. Then--"
"Great! I see your plan. You are going to attract your moths by a light and then catch "em with the suction cleaner," exclaimed Bruce.
"Sure, and here"s how I"m going to do it. I"m going to take one of the automobile"s searchlights and shine it off on to some trees and then put the vacuum cleaner just under the light beams. Then when Mr. Moth comes flying down the path of light and gets over the top of the sucker--_zing_, in he goes. Get my idea? Wait, I"ll draw a plan of the thing for you," and, rushing over to the writing table in the corner, Nipper began to draw hastily while the scouts all crowded around him and watched.
"There you are. There"s the whole plan of the thing. Easy to make and easy to operate and I guess it"s original all right."
The drawings traveled from hand to hand, each lad scrutinizing them carefully for some fault in the mechanical detail.
"Jiminy, I think you"ve struck it," exclaimed Gordon.
"Struck it? Why, man, he"s got the first prize in his pocket right now,"
insisted Romper as he looked over the plans.
"Well, if it meets with your approval, fellows, let"s get busy right now and build our moth trap."
"Right-o. No more procras--something-or-other, as Bruce said the other day. We"ll get busy immediately," said Bud Weir.
"Well, first of all I think we should talk it over with Mr. Ford. He will be able to see flaws in our plans where we can"t, you know," said Nipper.
"That was exactly my idea. And, by the way, did you notice that the pamphlet from the Mayor"s office named Mr. Ford among the members of the judging committee in this contest?" said Bruce.
"Yes, I did," said Bud, "and for that reason I think he would like to see us boys try for the prize even though we don"t win anything. Come on, we"ll go over and talk with him."
Bud was quite right. When Mr. Ford learned that the boys had become interested in the fight against the Brown Tail moth he was delighted.
"That"s the stuff, scouts. Take an interest in everything in the nature of a public improvement. If you grow up with that idea in mind you will make useful citizens," he said, when the boys informed him that they had been studying the Brown Tail moth campaign and intended to try for one of the town"s prizes.
"Well, I"m afraid that it was more of a selfish motive that led us to take an interest. The troop needs one of those prizes to swell its treasury," said Bruce.
"Never mind, many of the n.o.blest works in this world resulted from the selfish desire on the part of some one who wanted to win some kind of a prize. But I won"t sermonize. Let me see what you have in mind as a moth exterminator," said the a.s.sistant Scoutmaster.
The electrical engineer spent nearly half an hour in silent contemplation of Nipper"s drawings after the plan had been explained to him. Finally, his eyes sparkling with amus.e.m.e.nt, he laid the drawings onto his desk and remarked:
"By Jove, you fellows are about the keenest observers I"ve met in some time. It all grew out of watching a vacuum cleaner, eh? Well, well, well, I think that idea is remarkable. I"m certain it will work. You should have it patented immediately. Make another set of drawings for me, Nipper, and I"ll send them down to my patent attorney in Washington.
Perhaps you may have struck it richer than you expect. You may be able to put the device on the market. Who knows? In the meantime get busy and build one and let me see how it works."
"We are going down and buy the material right away," said Bruce, enthusiastically, "and father says he will have the suction fan made over in his shop. It can be built of sheet iron and won"t cost much, you know."
"All right, go ahead. I"ll come over to headquarters now and then and watch you work," said Mr. Ford.
CHAPTER IX
WORKING TO WIN
Not since the days preceding the Firemen"s Tournament when the motorcycle fire department was being outfitted had the scout engineers been busier than they were the following few weeks. Every afternoon after the academy let out, and every evening they could spare from their studies was devoted to the construction of the moth trap. They worked with snap and vim, for upon the success of their product depended the possibility of a troop motorboat.
And it was well that they had this enthusiasm, for a time limit had been set on the contest. According to the information received from the Mayor"s office the contest would close the last Monday in June and the five days following would be devoted to testing the various methods and appliances entered. With the a.s.sistance of Mr. Ford the lads had already made their entry, sending drawings and details of their device to the committee of judges. But in spite of their fast work It was apparent that they would not complete their contrivance until the middle or latter part of the week set for the test.
They were determined that $100 of the $200 offered by the town should be added to the troop"s account in the Woodbridge bank, however, and when scouts take that att.i.tude in any matter one can rest a.s.sured of a period of industry. They worked like beavers and the _rap, rap, rap_ of hammers, the _buzz-z-z_ of band and jigsaws and the _hum-m_ of motors could be heard in their workshop on the first floor of the headquarters building at almost any hour.
Of course, the boys were not entirely sure that they would win first or even third prize, because there were any number of others competing for the same honors. Indeed, farmers and even business men in and around Woodbridge were experimenting with chemical exterminators and various other ingenious devices and all of these would have an equal chance with the appliance invented by the boys. But the lads were sportsmen enough to take their chances with the rest. Indeed, they even went so far as to stake some of the precious motor money on the result, for they took fifteen dollars from the Woodbridge bank to pay for the lumber and other material needed to build Nipper"s big vacuum pest catcher.
"If we don"t win that prize now all our chances for a motorboat are gone for sure," said Babe Wilson when Bud Weir announced the withdrawal of part of the fund.
"Well, that isn"t the way to look at it. Just say we are going to win the prize and then get busy and work for it," insisted Bud, trying to instil confidence in the stout scout.
Day by day the neatly finished boards grew to represent Nipper"s idea of a moth exterminator. And finally, after what seemed to the boys an unusually long time, the suction fan arrived from Bruce"s father"s mill.
It was already attached to a one-quarter horsepower electric motor, for Mr. Clifford knew that none of the motors in the scouts" workshop were small enough to be used on a fan with six-inch blades. By this time the lads had all but finished the big wooden trumpet and it was only necessary to set the fan, bolt the motor into place and give the whole thing a coat of paint.
But already the last Monday of the month had pa.s.sed and only a day or two remained in which the boys could test their machine before the judges.
Day and night since the beginning of the week contestants had been claiming the attention of the judges with their schemes for extermination. Most of these had been tried out and many were said to be very successful. On one or two occasions the scouts had gone out to look over these tests, but to their mind none of them looked as effective as the moth trap they were building.
On Thursday night Mr. Ford visited headquarters looking rather anxious, for he had heard very little from the boys during the last few days and he was afraid they were not going to put their machine together in time to appear before the judging committee with it. He was greatly relieved to find that the lads were about to put the motor and fan in place and he realized that this marked almost the last stage of their work.
"Well, boys, it looks all right to me," he said.
"When are you going to be ready for the official tryout?"
"Just as soon as we can put the automobile lamp into place. We are building some iron brackets for that now. We"ll be all ready by tomorrow evening, I guess. That will give us one full day leeway. The tests can be conducted up to midnight Sat.u.r.day, can"t they?"
"Sure, I"ll see that the judges are ready for you. I have an engagement that may keep me a little bit late, but I"ll get there. Where are you going to test it?"
"Out on the back road here; down by the bend opposite Chipman"s Hill,"
said Nipper.
"Fine, I"ll be there. Say, by the way, I was talking about your idea down town this evening and a reporter from the _Journal_ heard me. He seemed very much interested when I told him about your work and he wants to come up and see the machine. He"ll probably be up some time to-morrow. Perhaps I can get him up to see the test. If I can I--Listen, is that some one coming? Sure enough, perhaps it is he.
Open the door, Bruce."
Bruce swung open the big double door and Rogan, one of the reporters for the Woodbridge _Journal_ and the local correspondent for the St. Cloud _Call_, entered.
"h.e.l.lo, boys," he shouted good naturedly. "Heard you have a new wrinkle in moth catchers. Is that the machine? Looks mighty businesslike. Is it ready to test? Well, if there isn"t Mr. Ford. How are you? What do you think of the scout"s invention? How does it work? Whose idea is it.
Where--?"