Thad went on; "but this comrade forgot that as American Boy Scouts we do not want to spend our money and vacations in a foreign land."
When the eight ballots had been counted, strange to say Maine was first choice with every one, and the Rockies well in the lead as second.
"Move we make it unanimous," laughed Giraffe, which was duly done according to statute.
"Much good that will do, with a whole year to wait, because it wouldn"t pay to go up into Maine for only Christmas week," grumbled Step Hen.
But strange to say it was decreed in a most remarkable way that the wish expressed by the scouts should be made an actual fact, and just how this came about the reader will find duly set forth in the third volume of this series ent.i.tled, "The Boy Scouts on the Trail, or Scouting through the Big Game Country."
In due time the scouts arrived at Cranford station, where their coming had been antic.i.p.ated; for the story of how the boys had found the missing husband of Mrs. Quail had somehow gotten around, since Cranford had its gossips. One of these happened to be calling on the lady at the time Bob"s telegram arrived. Of course its nature was such as to give Mrs. Quail a shock, though she quickly recovered; but there had been ample time for the visitor to glance at the message, between dabs at the face of the fainting lady with a handkerchief wet with cologne. And that was how the news got out.
"Look at the crowd, would you?" gasped b.u.mpus, as he poked his head out of the door, and saw what seemed to his excited imagination about the whole of Cranford filling the home station, and craning necks in the endeavor to be the first to glimpse the resurrected father of Bob Quail.
"Hurrah for the Boy Scouts!" some one called out.
They were given with a rush and a roar that brought other pa.s.sengers hurrying to the windows of the cars, to see what popular hero it could be arriving home, to excite such a tremendous demonstration.
"Hurrah for Thad Brewster!" called a second school-boy, as the young scoutmaster stepped off the train, bearing certain bundles, that might be a haversack and a take-down shotgun.
Another wave of applause went sweeping up from the crowd.
"Three cheers for Bob Quail, and his dad!" shrilled yet another enthusiast; upon which the echoes were fairly awakened by the racket.
The scouts fell into line, and two and two marched along the station platform; for Mr. Quail had already taken his wife into his arms, and they had retired to the interior of the little building, in order to be less conspicuous while they talked it all over.
b.u.mpus sounded his bugle, and the boys kept step as they walked along, with heads up, and feeling that they had gained the right to feel a bit proud, after what they had gone through. The crowd pushed after them, still shouting, and making a great clamor.
And from one of the car windows looked a bevy of childish faces, back of which was the wan one of the tired mother; Step Hen disobeyed the rules for one second only, when he turned, and waved his hand to his little friends of the train. Seeing which Thad Brewster said softly to himself:
"I warrant you that little woman believes all this noise is meant for just one boy, and he the fellow who was so kind to her; because, in her sight Step Hen is a real hero, and this racket is meant especially for his home-coming."
THE END.