"That"s because there"s never a red cent in the same, then," the driver flashed back, as quick as anything; "but see here, Elmer, what about the other four half-filled sacks?"
"I was coming to that," replied the scout master; "and unless somebody objects to the programme, why, I"ll drop around after supper, say before nine o"clock, and between us, Toby, we"ll lift all our own bags out, and stow the same away in that room in your barn that"s got a lock to it.
Then I"d like you to hitch up Nancy again, so we can go around and drop these other bags in the yards of the four fellows. It"s apt to be pretty quiet along about that time, even if it"s Sat.u.r.day night; and not much danger of anybody spying on us."
"Just as you say, Elmer; I"m with you," replied Toby, who was a very accommodating fellow, and easily influenced; "I guess I"ll feel stronger, and more like tackling the job after I"ve had my supper."
There was no objection to that plan, since it had already been decided to work things that way; and possibly George, as well as Ted, felt that they were escaping some hard labor when they allowed these two comrades to shoulder the burden.
At various corners the others jumped off the heavily loaded wagon, and made for their homes. It happened that no boys were abroad just then to ask where they had been, for supper time came early in most of the Hickory Ridge homes during the fall and winter days; and so Toby was not forced to explain that he and his four chums had been off nutting.
True to his word by half-past eight Elmer made his appearance at the Jones domicile, and with Toby and a lighted lantern proceeded to the big barn. Here they found that the wagon stood just where it had been left when Toby unharnessed Nancy, and stripping off their coats the two lads proceeded to complete their job.
It was no light one at that, lifting out those sacks filled with nuts, and stowing the same away in the man"s room near by; but both were husky fellows, and by degrees managed to complete their task.
"There," said Toby, wiping his streaming brow, "that part"s done, and the rest won"t be so hard, because the bags are only half filled; but I kind of wish we had "em planted O.K., and were on the way home again.
Whew! what would happen, d"ye think, Elmer, if Connie Mallon dropped in on us when we were dumping a sack over the fence into his yard?"
"That"d be hard to say," replied Elmer; "but what"s the use crossing bridges before you come to them? Time enough to bother with that when it happens. And if you knew Connie as well as I do, because he doesn"t live far away from my house, you"d never expect him to be home at nine o"clock on a Sat.u.r.day night. He"s too fond of loafing down in the pool room with his crowd; or being off on some lark, robbing some orchard of late apples. Now, suppose you lead Nancy out, after you"ve got her harness on, and we"ll hitch up."
This was soon done, and afterwards Toby started to back the vehicle out of the barn, while Elmer extinguished the lantern.
"I"ll leave it here alongside the door, so we can find it again when we come back," he told the driver; after doing which he mounted beside Toby, and they started off on their queer errand.
Phil Jackson lived close by the Jones home, so they paid the first visit there. Lights could be seen through the windows, but the boys found it an easy thing to lift one of the half-filled sacks of nuts out of the wagon, and silently slip it over the fence, leaving it there to be discovered by Phil is the morning.
After that a second visit was made, and their end was accomplished quite as easily as at the Jackson house. The third one proved a little harder, for there were some people standing at the door as the boys drove past.
"Better make a turn around the block, Toby," suggested the scout master; "they"ve been having visitors, and perhaps they"ll be gone when we get back again."
This proved to be the case, and having decided just where they wished to leave the sack of nuts, the boys drew in the animal and quickly dropped their burden over the picket fence.
"Things are booming," remarked Toby; "that makes three of the lot, and only one left, which is Connie Mallon"s bag."
He seemed to be a little nervous about approaching this place, for the bully had a bad reputation as a fighter among the boys of the town; but everything appeared to be quiet, and there was not a single light to be seen in the small house where the Mallon family lived.
All the same Toby breathed freer when he felt the bag slip from his grasp over the fence. Hardly had they managed this than there was an explosion of savage barks and a bulldog came rushing toward the corner.
"Wow! ain"t I glad that Towser"s on the other side of the fence?" Toby exclaimed, as he hastened to jump up on the wagon; while the dog continued to bark fiercely, with his blunt nose pressed against the palings surrounding the enclosure; "hurry, Elmer, and let"s get away. I don"t think he can climb fences, but I won"t take any chances with that brute. He"s spoiled one pair of trousers for me already."
Soon afterwards the two boys parted at the gate of the Jones place.
"I feel like we"d had a great time of it to-day, don"t you, Elmer?" Toby was saying; and then, not waiting for an answer, he continued: "and I have to laugh every time I think of what a crazy scramble that Connie and his bunch put up when you gave "em the ghost walk with that birch bark horn. Most people like to see the ghost walk on pay days, but this one wasn"t the same kind. Wouldn"t I give a cooky, though, to see what they look like to-night, and hear what they say about bein" chased by that Cartaret spook!"
"Well, it"s been a good enough day for us, Toby; and I think we ought to have a great time if we go up in that region for our Thanksgiving camping trip. Good night," and with that Elmer walked away, not a little tired himself, for it had been a pretty strenuous day, all told.
In the morning he was up early, because he had an object in view, and Elmer was not the one to sleep late at any time, even though it were Sunday morning.
From a certain place up in the loft of the barn he knew he could see the Mallon yard quite plainly; and taking a field gla.s.s he owned along with him, he now proceeded to occupy this lookout.
As he had already had some breakfast he was nor bothered by gnawing hunger as he continued to sit there, and watch the back door of the Mallon cottage.
He saw Connie"s mother come out several times, and judged she was getting breakfast ready. Then the big hulking boy himself appeared, bearing a bucket in his hand, and yawning at a great rate.
Elmer sat up and watched closely, for he antic.i.p.ated that a fellow who possessed as sharp eyes as Connie, could not help but see the bag that lay in plain sight near the fence. The dog had already been chained to his kennel by Mrs. Mallon, the watcher fancied, though he had not seen her do this. Connie stopped to speak to the ugly looking beast, and from the way Towser wagged his crooked stump of a tail it seemed as though he must be somewhat fond of his master.
Then the big boy shuffled on toward the well, where he was evidently expecting to draw a bucket of drinking water.
Suddenly Elmer, who was using the gla.s.ses now, saw him come to a standstill, and look straight at the bag, as though he could hardly believe his eyes.
Down went the water pail, and Connie hastily strode across the yard until he reached the bag lying where Elmer and Toby had dropped it, snug up against the fence palings.
He bent down, and opening the bag by cutting the stout cord that had been wound around the flap above the store of nuts, stared hard at the latter. Elmer saw that he was greatly staggered, for he started to scratch his head after the manner of one who did not know what to believe. Just as Chatz had suggested, perhaps he began to think the prize must have rained down in the night, for he examined the sack, and evidently recognized it as one of those he had taken with him on the preceding day when starting out on that nutting expedition with the idea of getting ahead of the scouts.
Then again it might be that he began to believe all that affair of the panic and flight must have been a bad dream, and that after all he and his cronies had brought back some spoils when they returned. Again Elmer saw him put his hand up to his face and feel of his cheek.
"He"s got a cut there to show where he banged against a tree," the scout told himself, "and that"s plain proof there was a panic. There, he"s examining the bag again, as if he thought it would speak and explain the mystery. This is surely worth watching. h.e.l.lo! there comes Phil Jackson, and that Benners fellow on the run. Looks like they had found their bags at home, and are coming to see what Connie has to say about it. And now there"ll be a high old time, I expect."
There was, after the two newcomers had discovered that one of the bags half filled with nuts stood in the Mallon yard, just as they had found at their homes.
Elmer sat there for fully fifteen minutes, watching them talk and make gestures. He imagined that they had quickly figured it all out, and must know to whom they were indebted for a winter"s stock of nuts. What they might choose to do about it was another question, however. Elmer hoped for the best, yet was prepared to meet the worst, whatever might come.
"Anyway, Connie"s concluded not to refuse the nuts just because they came to him through the scouts he hates so bitterly," Elmer concluded, as he saw the Mallon boy shoulder the sack and carry it to the house, after saying good-bye to the other two, who hastened away, possibly to learn if the fourth and last member of the expedition had likewise been favored by a visit from the fairies during the night.
School held for the next three days, and then came glorious Thanksgiving with its turkey, and pumpkin pies, and all the splendid things that go to make up the annual feast. All this while there had not been the least hint from Connie or his three allies that they knew who put those nuts there. It almost seemed as though they purposely avoided meeting Elmer and his chums. Even at school they kept away from the others, and Toby declared that it was mighty queer, because he had fully expected to have a tongue lashing from the big bully, even if nothing more serious came to pa.s.s.
Elmer was satisfied with the way things had turned out. As a scout he could feel that he had done the right thing, and deep down in his heart he hoped it might in some fashion show Connie Mallon there was such a thing as returning evil with good.
Nothing might come of it just then, but Elmer hoped the seed would find lodging, and perhaps later on germinate.
When they got to talking it over, as they made preparations for leaving home bright and early on the morning after Thanksgiving, George of course professed to doubt whether it had made even a dent in the callous surface of Connie"s mind.
"Take my word for it, fellows!" he declared, pompously, "you"d have to swing a sledge hammer and give more"n a little tap at that, to make any impression there, he"s so extra tough. Chances are he just don"t want to stir us up for fear we"ll tell the whole story, and all his pals would have the laugh on him for running away from a ghost!"
Toby himself seemed more than half inclined to believe something along these same lines; but Chatz knew Elmer must be looking beyond this explanation, and still entertained hopes that the olive branch extended might not be wholly wasted.
They had all their arrangements made that night, and expected to start with the rising of the sun on Friday morning. This would give them two nights in camp, even if they did have to come back on Sunday afternoon in order to be ready for school on Monday.
"And it looks like we might have fine weather along with us, too," Elmer told the others, as they said goodnight at his door; "there"s a tang like frost in the air even now, and you can see your breath easily. That means we"ll enjoy a camp fire more than ever, because it never feels half as good on a hot summer night. Look for you bright and early, Toby, with the wagon and the tent and all the stuff. I"ll be ready with my bundles, and that piece of ham."
All preparations having been made they parted with mutual good wishes for a fair dawn, and Elmer, standing there in the doorway, found himself a little disappointed because there had been no response to the invitation extended to Connie Mallon to bridge over the chasm, at the time they left those nuts in his yard.
Elmer was astir long before daybreak on the following morning, because he meant to get himself a light breakfast, so as to be ready for the wagon when it came along about sunrise. Having satisfied his hunger, and seen that all his various bundles were ready he stepped out of the back door to listen, in expectation of hearing the sound of wheels.
Then he had a little surprise, for hanging there on a nail beside the door was a brace of freshly killed rabbits; and Elmer knew to a certainty nothing the kind dangled there on the preceding evening.
He took them down, and laid them on the kitchen table, while a whimsical smile crept over his boyish face, and a glow of satisfaction could be seen in his eyes as he rubbed his hand along the sleek side of the larger bunny.
For Elmer chanced to know that Connie Mallon had spent Thanksgiving day off in the woods and meadows hunting; and the very fact that he had thus shared the results of his tramp with the boy he had fought against so long gave Elmer a queer feeling of triumph deep down in his heart.