To Sam b.u.mpus, however, the obligation seemed to be on the other side.
The boys did not know it, but Sam b.u.mpus was a lonely man and craved human companionship. He lived like a hermit in his little shack in the woods and his peculiarities had set him somewhat apart from the world of men. He had no living relatives, and apart from the old lady in the woods road, the inmates of the Poor Farm, and a few other out-of-the-way people with whom he had been able to win his way through his natural generosity and kindness, he had practically no friends but his dogs. He understood dogs better than he understood men, and, to tell the truth, he esteemed them more highly; yet he sometimes hungered for human comradeship. That two frank-hearted, unspoiled boys should seek him out and seem to desire his company gave him a feeling of unaccustomed satisfaction, and he looked forward to their promised visit fully as eagerly as did the boys themselves.
This proposed visit was such an unusual affair that Ernest Whipple considered it advisable to speak to his father about it. Mr. Whipple was reading his paper and made but little comment, but Mrs. Whipple, who was in the room at the time, raised objections.
"Don"t you think it might be unsafe for the boys to go away off there alone?" she asked anxiously. "We don"t know anything about this man.
He may have a bad influence on them, even if nothing more serious happens to them. He"s a very uncouth person, I should say, and hardly a fit companion for little boys."
"Oh, I don"t think he"ll hurt them," said Mr. Whipple from behind his paper.
But the mother wasn"t satisfied, and after the boys had gone to bed she again brought the matter up.
"Well, mother," said Mr. Whipple, "he probably isn"t the sort of guide, philosopher, and friend that we would have picked out for the boys, but parents can"t always do the picking. They are getting older all the time, and sooner or later they must be thrown on their own resources. Self-reliance doesn"t come from constant protection and hemming in. We can"t keep them from striking up acquaintances, and before we raise objections we should be sure that they"re well grounded; then we shall be able to make our objections count for more."
"But I should think there was good ground for objection in this case,"
she persisted. "This man seems to be so crude and rough, if nothing worse."
"Oh, he"s all right," responded the father. "Don"t think I"m careless about these things. I"ve made some inquiries, and though I find that b.u.mpus is unconventional and queer, as they say, and improvident and uneducated, he"s honest and law-abiding. So far as I can find out, the worst thing he ever does is to give tobacco to the inmates of the Poor Farm. I know people right here on Washburn Street that would do the boys more harm. Just because he doesn"t live like folks on Washburn Street doesn"t make him bad."
"Well," said Mrs. Whipple, doubtfully, "I suppose you know best, but for my part I would much prefer to keep them safe home with me, for some years to come."
"That"s because you"ve never been a boy," said Mr. Whipple, with a smile in his eyes. "I have, and it doesn"t seem so very long ago, either."
Mrs. Whipple was not satisfied, but she did not forbid the proposed visit. The next Sat.u.r.day, therefore, found them early on their way, filled with joyful antic.i.p.ations.
Sam"s shack, when at last they arrived, proved to be a forlorn affair, built of boards of different widths, some red, some white, and some unpainted. The sagging roof was of corrugated iron and the only chimney was built of cement pipe guyed up with wires. But to the eyes of the boys it was a most attractive abode. Never before had they seen such an interesting house. There must be an element of sport in living in a cabin like this, they thought.
Sam heard their footsteps and met them smilingly at the door. He ushered them at once inside, where he had a wood fire roaring in his stove, for the day was chilly, and he promptly set before them gla.s.ses of milk and hot corn bread. Though they had breakfasted only two hours before, they fell to with gusto, for that is the way of boys.
"How do you like my corn bread?" asked Sam.
"M-m!" murmured Jack, taking a fresh bite.
"Do you bake it yourself?" inquired Ernest.
"Sure," said Sam.
"Gee!" exclaimed Ernest, looking up at him with admiration.
After they had fully refreshed themselves, Sam took them out through a back door, from which they could see a number of small structures that looked as though they had been made out of dry-goods boxes. The sound of excited barking smote their ears, a chorus of canine cries and yelps. Old Nan came bounding forward to greet the boys, for she knew them now, and behind her loped a big pointer.
"This is Hillcroft d.i.c.k," said Sam, by way of introduction. "He"s a famous dog, a champion on the bench and at the trials. He ain"t my dog, though. I"m just boardin" him for a man that"s gone to California. I wish I owned him, though. He"s a great dog."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Chow Chow]
The boys didn"t understand the reference to bench shows and field trials, but they gathered that d.i.c.k was some sort of n.o.bleman among dogs and they were visibly impressed.
"Now we"ll go out to the kennels," said Sam.
There were seven dogs, all told, besides Nan and d.i.c.k. There were two c.o.c.ker spaniels, in the first place, that Sam said he was training for a man in Oakdale.
"I like a bigger dog, myself," said he, "but there"s a lot of good dog wrapped up in these small bundles. They"re smart as whips, and though I"ve got to make "em forget their foolin" and parlor tricks, I"ll soon have "em able to find and retrieve. Sometimes you can even teach a spaniel to point."
The other five were all Sam"s dogs, another pointer, a little smaller than d.i.c.k, and four beautiful English setters.
"They"ve got the best blood in the land," said Sam, proudly, "and every one of "em is letter perfect on his job. This is Rex and this is Robbin and this is Rockaway."
The boys patted and spoke to each in turn, hugely enjoying this introduction to Sam"s family.
"And this one over here is the best of all," he continued. "That"s Nellie, own sister to Nan, and what she don"t know wouldn"t hurt a flea. But I guess I"d better keep you away from her to-day. She ain"t feelin" very well."
After they had fondled and played with the dogs to their hearts"
content, the boys followed Sam again into the house, where they spent the rest of the morning smoothing Nan"s silky hair and listening to wonderful stories about the sagacity of Nellie and the other dogs.
So pleasantly was the time employed that it was eleven o"clock by Sam"s big watch before they thought it possible, and as they had promised to be home in time for dinner, they were obliged, reluctantly, to take their departure.
As they turned the bend in the road they looked back and saw Sam standing in his low doorway with Nan sitting picturesquely beside him.
"Come again soon," called Sam.
"We will," the boys shouted in reply.
CHAPTER III
ROMULUS AND REMUS
They did call again, once on the Sat.u.r.day before Thanksgiving Day and again in December, when the woods and fields were white with snow and they wore their warm sweaters and arctics. On each occasion they became better acquainted with Sam"s dogs and learned something new about training dogs and finding game, and Sam showed them the mechanism of his shotguns and rifles. He also explained to them his method of curing the pelts of muskrats and the beautiful silver-gray fur of the little moles that the people in charge of the Poor Farm were very glad to have him trap in their garden. And as the boys came to know Sam"s dogs better they began to see how each differed from the others in character and disposition and in the way they understood and did things.
"Just like people," said Sam; "just like people."
Even Mrs. Whipple was unable to discover that the boys" manners had been damaged greatly by their a.s.sociation with Sam b.u.mpus, though she was surprised at their continuous talk about dogs and the strange jargon, as it seemed to her, which they used in that connection. She was no less surprised to find that her husband appeared to understand the meaning of "bird sense" and "freezing to a point" and "retrieving"
and "blood lines" and "cross-breeding" and to be able to discuss these mysterious matters with the boys.
"But what is the good of their filling their heads with all that stuff?" she asked him.
"My dear," replied Mr. Whipple, "you may not believe it, but it is just as much good as arithmetic and geography, and you"re always worrying because they don"t take more interest in those things. There are more ways than one to get an education."
But Mrs. Whipple only shook her head perplexedly.
It was on the day before Christmas that the great event occurred that I have been leading up to. Ernest and Jack Whipple had returned from an hour"s coasting on the long hill over by the brickyard and were standing on their sleds beside the front gate bemoaning the fact that the snow had melted so badly and speculating on the surprises which the morrow might have in store for them. It was vacation, and they were considering how best to spend the long hours that would intervene between dinner and time for lighting up the Christmas tree, when Ernest stopped abruptly in the middle of a sentence and stood looking up the street.
"Jack!" he exclaimed. "Look who"s coming!"
Jack turned and beheld the familiar, lanky figure and long, easy stride of Sam b.u.mpus. Both boys set up a yell and started on a run up the street.