THE MAN WHO LOVED NATURE
"Give it to them, boys!" Josh was shouting as he started to send his
first ball straight at the group of busy tormentors who were showering
the helpless old man with their icy balls that must have stung almost
as much as so many rocks.
He seemed to be lame, for while he tried to advance toward the young
rascals waving his stout cane wildly, they had no difficulty in keeping
a safe distance off, and continuing the cruel bombardment.
The smashing of that ball flung by Josh, who was pitcher on the Lenox
baseball team, and a fine shot, was the first intimation the three
tormentors of the old man had that the tables had been turned.
"Hey! look here what's on to us!" shrilled one of the trio, as he felt
the sudden shock caused by the first snowball striking the back of his
head.
Upon that the bully of the town and his two allies were forced to turn
and try to defend themselves against this assault from the rear. They
fought desperately for a very short time, but their hands were already
half frozen, and five against three proved too great odds for their
valor.
Besides, every time Josh let fly he managed to land on some part of the
person of Tony Pollock or one of his cronies. And those hard balls when
driven by the sturdy arm of the baseball pitcher stung mercilessly.
The old man stood and watched, with something like a smile on his face.
He seemed to have forgotten all about his own recent predicament in
seeing these young rowdies receiving their just dues. If he had not
been old and lame possibly he might have insisted on joining in the
fray, and adding to the punishment being meted out to the three
cowardly boys.
Once a retreat was begun, it quickly merged into a regular panic. Tom
stayed to talk to the old man while his comrades pursued the fleeing
trio, and peppered them good and hard. When finally they felt that they
had amply vindicated their right to be reckoned worthy candidates for
scout membership they came back, laughing heartily among themselves,
to where Tom and the old man were standing.
"Why, I've seen that old fellow before," Josh remarked in a low
tone as he and Carl, George and Felix drew near. "His name is Larry
Henderson, and they say he's something of a hermit, living away up in
the woods beyond Bear Mountain."
"Sure thing," added Felix, instantly; "I've heard my folks talking
about him lots of times. He does a little trapping, they say, but
spends most of his time studying animated nature. He knows every animal
that ever lived on this continent, and the birds and insects too, I
reckon. He's as smart as they make 'em, and used to be a college
professor some people say, even if he does talk a little rough now."
For some reason all of them were feeling more or less interest in the
man who walked with a cane. Perhaps this arose from the fact that of
late they had become enthusiastic over everything connected with
woodcraft. And the fact that Mr. Henderson was acquainted with a
thousand secrets about the interesting things to be discovered in the
Great Outdoors appealed strongly to them.
"These are my chums, Mr. Henderson," said Tom, when the others came up;
and as the name of each one was mentioned the hermit of Bear Mountain
grasped his hand, giving a squeeze that made some of the boys wince.
"I'm glad to meet you all," he said, heartily. "It was worth being
attacked by that lot of rowdies just to get acquainted with such a fine
lot of boys. And I want to say that you gave them all the punishment
they deserved. I counted hits until I lost all track of the number."
"Yes," said Felix, with a grin on his freckled face; "they're rubbing
many a sore spot right now, I reckon. Josh here, who's our star pitcher
on the nine, never wasted a single ball. And I could hear the same
fairly whistle through the air."
"Gosh all hemlock! Felix," objected the boy mentioned, "you're
stretching things pretty wide, aren't you? Now I guess the rest
of you did your share in the good work, just as much as I."
"All the same I'm thankful for your coming to my assistance," said
Mr. Henderson. "My rheumatism kept me from being as spry in dodging
their cannonade as I might have been some years ago. And one ball
that broke against that tree had a stone inside it, I'm sorry to
say. We would have called that unsportsmanlike in my young days."
"Only the meanest kind of a fellow would descend to such a trick!"
exclaimed the indignant Josh; "but then Tony Pollock and his crowd
are ready to do anything low-down and crooked. They'll never be
able to join our scout troop, after we get it started."
"What's that you are saying?" asked the old man, showing sudden
interest.
"Why, you see, sir," explained Josh, always ready to do his share
of talking if given half a chance, "our chum here, Tom Chesney, was
visiting his cousins over in Freeport, and got interested in their
scout troop. So we've taken the thing up, and expect to start the
ball rolling right away."
"It happens," Tom went on, "that there is a young man in town who once
served as scout master in a troop, and I've just had him promise to
come around to-night and tell us what we've got to do to get the
necessary charter from scout headquarters."
"You interest me very much, boys," said Mr. Henderson, his eyes
sparkling as he spoke. "I have read considerable about the wonderful
progress this new movement is making all over the land; and I want to
say that I like the principles it advocates. Boys have known too little
in the past of how to take care of themselves at all times, and also be
ready to lend a helping hand to others."
"The camping out, and finding all sorts of queer things in the woods
is what makes me want to join a troop!" said Josh; "because I always
did love to fish and hunt, and get off in the mountains away from
everybody."
"That's a good foundation to start on," remarked the hermit, with
kindling eyes, as he looked from one eager face to another; "but I
imagine that after you've been a scout for a short time your ideas
will begin to change considerably."
"How, sir?" asked Josh, looking unconvinced.
"Well," continued the old man, softly, "you'll find such enjoyment in
_observing_ the habits of all the little woods folks that by degrees
the fierce desire you have now to slay them will grow colder. In the
end most of you will consider it ten times better to sit and watch them
at their labors or play than to slaughter them in sport, or even to
kill them for food."
"But Mr. Henderson," said Josh, boldly, "I've heard that you trap
animals for their pelts; and I guess you must knock a few over when
you feel like having game for dinner, don't you?"
"Occasionally I go out and get a rabbit or a partridge, though not
often," admitted the old man; "and as for my trapping, I only try to
take such animals or vermin as are cruel in their nature and seem to
be a pest to the innocent things I'm so fond of having around me. I
wish you boys could visit my cabin some time or other, and make the
acquaintance of my innumerable pets. They look on me as their best
friend, and I would never dream of raising a hand to injure them.
Kindness to animals, I believe, is one of the cardinal principles
of a true scout."
"Yes, sir, that's what it is," responded Josh, eagerly. "I've got the
whole twelve points of scout law on the tip of my tongue right now.
Here's what they are: A scout has got to be trustworthy, loyal,
helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean and reverent."
"Whew! that's going some!" declared Felix, who being prone to put
things off to a more convenient season could readily see that he
was sure to run up against a good many snags if he tried to keep
the scout law.
"Then you can easily understand," continued Mr. Henderson, "what a
treasure-house the woods is going to be to every observing boy who
spends some time there, and becomes interested in seeing all that
is going on around him."
"I'm sure of that, sir," responded Tom, earnestly. "I know for one that
I've never paid a quarter of the attention to such things as I ought to
have done."
"No, you are right there, my lad," the hermit continued, being
evidently on a favorite subject, "the average boy can walk through
a mile of forest and hardly notice anything around him. In fact, he
may even decide that it's only a gloomy place, and outside the cawing
of the crows or perhaps an occasional squirrel at which he shies a
stone he has heard and seen nothing."
"Then it's different with a scout, is it, sir?" asked George Cooper.
"If he has been aroused to take a keen interest in nature the same
woods will be alive with interesting things," the other told them. "He
will see the shy little denizens peeping curiously out at him from a
cover of leaves, and hear their low excited chattering as they tell
each other what they think of him. Every tree and moss-covered stone
and swinging wild grape-vine will tell a story; and afterwards that
boy is going to wonder how he ever could have been content to remain
in such dense ignorance as he did for years."
"Mr. Henderson do you expect to remain in town over night?" asked Tom,
suddenly.
"Why yes, I shall have to stay until to-morrow," came the reply; "I
am stopping with my old friend, Judge Stone. We attended the same red
school house on the hill a great many years ago. My stock of provisions
ran short sooner than I had counted on, and this compelled me to come
down earlier than usual. As a rule I deal over in Fairmount, but this
time it was more convenient to come here. Why do you ask, Tom?"
"I was wondering whether you could be coaxed to come around to-night,
and meet the rest of the boys," the boy told him. "We expect to have a
dozen present, and when Mr. Witherspoon is explaining what a scout must
subscribe to in joining a troop, it might influence some of the fellows
if you would tell them a few things like those you were just describing
to us."
The old naturalist looked at the eager faces of the five lads, and a
smile came over his own countenance. Undoubtedly he was a lover of and
believer in boys, no matter whether he had ever had any of his own or
not.
"I shall be only too pleased to come around, Tom; if Judge Stone can
run his car by moonlight. Tell me where the meeting is to take place."
"The deacons of the church have promised to let us have a room in the
basement, which has a stove in it. The meeting will be at eight
o'clock, sir," Tom informed him.
"I hope to be there and listen to what goes on," said the hermit. "And
after all I'm not sorry those vicious boys thought to bombard me the
way they did, since it has given me the opportunity to get acquainted
with such a fine lot of lads. But I see my friend, the Judge, coming
with his car, and I'll say good-bye to you all for the present."
He waved his hand to them as he rode away beside the white-bearded
judge, who was one of the most highly respected citizens of Lenox.
"Well, he's a mighty fine sort of an old party, for a fact!" declared
George, as they looked after the receding car; nor did he mean the
slightest disrespect in speaking in this fashion of the interesting old
man they had met in such a strange way.
"I'd give something if only I could visit Mr. Henderson at his cabin,"
remarked Felix; "I reckon he must have a heap of things worth seeing in
his collection."
"Who knows," said Tom, cheerily, "but what some good luck might take us
up that way one of these fine days."
"Let's hope so," added Josh, as they once more started toward home.