A STARTLING INTERRUPTION
"Mr. Garrity, your kind offer is accepted with thanks," announced
Paul. "And as you suggested to me, several of us will take great
pleasure in calling on you to-morrow to go into details and to get
full directions from you."
"Then perhaps I may as well go home now, boys," said the old
gentleman; "as my wrist is paining me considerably. I only want to add
that this has been a red day in my calendar. The collapse of the old
ice-house is going to prove one of those blessings that sometimes come
to us in disguise. I only regret that two little girls were injured.
As for myself, I am thoroughly pleased it happened."
"Before you leave us, sir," said Bobolink, boldly, "please let us show
in some slight way how much we appreciate your kind offer. Boys, three
cheers for Mr. Thomas Garrity, our latest convert, and already one of
our best friends!"
Possibly Bobolink's method of expressing his feelings might not
ordinarily appeal to a man of Mr. Garrity's character, but just now
the delighted old gentleman was in no mood for fault finding.
As the boyish cheers rang through the room there were actually tears
in Mr. Garrity's eyes. Truly that had been a great day for him, and
perhaps it might prove a joyous occasion to many of his poor tenants,
some of whom had occasion to look upon him as a just, though severe,
landlord, exacting his rent to the last penny.
After he had left the room the hum of voices became furious. One would
have been inclined to suspect the presence of a great bee-hive in the
near vicinity.
"Paul, you know all about this woods cabin he owns," said Tom Betts,
"so suppose you enlighten the rest of us."
"One thing tickles me about the venture!" exclaimed Bobolink; "That is
that we pass across Lake Tokala in getting there. I've been hankering
to see that place in winter time for ever so long."
"Yes," added Tom, eagerly, "that's true. And what's to hinder some of
us from using our iceboats part of the way?"
"Nothing at all," Paul assured him. "I went into that with Mr.
Garrity, and came to the conclusion that it could be done. Of course,
a whole lot depends on how many of us can go on the trip."
"How many could sleep in his cabin do you think, Paul?" demanded
Jack.
"Yes. For one, I'd hate to have to bunk out in the snow these cold
nights," said Bluff, shaking his head seriously, for Bluff dearly
liked the comforts of a cheery fire inside stout walls of logs, while
the bitter wintry wind howled without, and the snow drifted badly.
"He told me it was unusually large," explained Paul. "In fact, it has
two big rooms and could in a pinch accommodate ten fellows. Of course,
every boy would be compelled to tote his blankets along with him,
because Mr. Garrity never dreamed he would have an army occupy his log
shanty."
"The more I think of it the better it sounds!" declared Jack.
"Then first of all we must try to find out just who can go," suggested
Bobolink.
"What if there are too many to be accommodated either on the iceboats
we own or in the cabin?" remarked Tom Betts, uneasily.
"Shucks! that ought to be easy," suggested another. "All we have to do
is to pull straws, and see who the lucky ten are."
"Then let those who are _positive_ they can go step aside here," Paul
ordered; and at this there was a shuffling of feet and considerable
moving about.
"Remember, you must be sure you can go," warned Paul. "Afterwards
we'll single out those who believe they can get permission, but feel
some doubts. If there is room they will come in for next choice."
Several who had started forward held back at this. Those who took
their stand as the leader requested consisted of Jack, Bobolink,
Bluff, Tom Betts, Jud Elderkin, Sandy Griggs, Phil Towns and "Spider"
Sexton.
"Counting myself in the list that makes nine for certain," Paul
observed. It was noticed that Tom Betts as well as Bobolink looked
exceedingly relieved on discovering that, after all, there need be no
drawing of lots.
"Now let those who have strong hopes of being able to go stand up to
be counted," continued Paul. "I'll keep a list of the names, and the
first who comes to say he has received full permission will be the one
to make up the full count of ten members, which is all the cabin can
accommodate."
The Carberry twins, as well as several others, stood over in line to
have their names taken down.
"If one of us can go, Paul," explained Wallace Carberry, "we'll fix it
up between us which it shall be. But I'm sorry to say our folks don't
take to this idea of a winter camp very strongly."
"Same over at my house," complained Bob Tice. "Mother is afraid
something terrible might happen to us in such a hard spell of winter.
As if scouts couldn't take care of themselves anywhere, and under all
conditions!"
There were many gloomy faces seen in the gathering, showing that other
boys knew their parents did not look on the delightful scheme with
favor. Some of them could not accompany the party on account of other
plans which had been arranged by their parents.
"If the ice stays as fine as it is now," remarked Tom Betts, "we can
spin down the river on our iceboats, and maybe make our way through
that old canal to Lake Tokala as well. But how about the creek leading
up to the cabin, Paul? Did you ask Mr. Garrity about it?"
"Yes, I asked him everything I could think of," came the ready reply.
"I'm sorry to say it will be necessary to leave our iceboats somewhere
on the lake, for the creek winds around in such a way, and is so
narrow in places, that none of us could work the boats up there."
"But wouldn't it be dangerous to leave them on the lake so long?"
asked Tom, anxiously. "I've put in some pretty hard licks on my new
craft, and I'd sure hate to have any one steal it from me."
"Yes," added Bobolink, quickly, "and we all know that Lawson crowd
have been showing themselves as mean as dirt lately. We thought we had
got rid of our enemies some time ago, and here this new lot of rivals
seems bent on making life miserable for all scouts. They are a tough
crowd, and pretend to look down on us as weaklings. Hank Lawson is now
playing the part of the bully in Stanhope, you know."
"I even considered that," continued Paul, who seldom omitted anything
when laying plans. "Mr. Garrity told me there was a man living on the
shore of Lake Tokala, who would look after our iceboats for a
consideration."
"Bully for that!" exclaimed Tom, apparently much relieved. "All the
same I think it would be as well for us to try to keep our camping
place a secret if it can be done. Let folks understand that we're
going somewhere around Lake Tokala; and perhaps the Lawson crowd will
miss us."
"That isn't a bad idea," Paul agreed, "and I'd like every one to
remember it. Of course, we feel well able to look after ourselves, but
that's no reason why we should openly invite Hank and his cronies to
come and bother us. Are you all agreed to that part of the scheme?"
In turn every scout present answered in the affirmative. Those who
could not possibly accompany the party took almost as much interest in
the affair as those intending to go; and there would be heart burnings
among the members of Stanhope Troop from now on.
"How about the grub question, Paul?" demanded Bobolink.
"Every fellow who is going will have to provide a certain amount of
food to be carried along with his blanket, gun, clothes bag, and
camera. All that can be arranged when we meet to-morrow afternoon. In
the meantime, I'm going to appoint Bobolink and Jack as a committee of
two to spend what money we can spare in purchasing certain groceries
such as coffee, sugar, hams, potatoes, and other things to be listed
later."
Bobolink grinned happily on hearing that.
"See how pleased it makes him," jeered Tom Betts. "When you put
Bobolink on the committee that looks after the grub, Paul, you hit him
close to where he lives. One thing sure, we'll have plenty to eat
along with us, for Bobolink never underrates the eating capacity of
himself or his chums."
"You can trust me for that," remarked the one referred to, "because I
was really hungry once in my life, and I've never gotten over the
terrible feeling. Yes, there is going to be a full dinner pail in
Camp Garrity, let me tell you!"
"Camp Garrity sounds good to me!" exclaimed Sandy Griggs.
"Let it go down in the annals of Stanhope Troop at that!" cried
another scout.
"We could hardly call it by any other name, after the owner has been
so good as to place it at our disposal," said Paul, himself well
pleased at the idea.
Bobolink was about to say something more when, without warning, there
came a sudden crash accompanied by the jingling of broken glass. One
of the windows fell in as though some hard object had struck it. The
startled scouts, looking up, saw the arm and face of a boy thrust part
way through the aperture, showing that he must have slipped and broken
the window while trying to spy upon the meeting.