BOBOLINK AND THE STOREKEEPER
According to their agreement, Jack and Bobolink met on a certain
corner on the following morning. Their purpose was to purchase the
staple articles of food that half a score of hungry lads would require
to see them through a couple of weeks' stay in the snow forest.
"It's a lucky thing, too," Bobolink remarked, after the other had
displayed the necessary funds taken from his pocket, "that our
treasury happens to be fairly able to stand the strain just now."
"Oh, well! except for that we'd have had to take up subscriptions,"
laughed Jack. "I know several people who would willingly help us out.
The scouts of Stanhope have made good in the past, and a host of good
friends are ready to back them."
"Yes, and for that matter I guess Mr. Thomas Garrity would have been
only too glad to put his hand deep down in his pocket," suggested
Bobolink.
"He's an old widower, and with plenty of ready cash, too," commented
the other boy. "But, after all, it's much better for us to stand our
own expense as long as we can."
"Have you got the list that Paul promised to make out with you, Jack?
I'd like to take a squint at it, if you don't mind. There may be a few
things we could add to it."
As Bobolink was looked on as something of an authority in this line,
Jack hastened to produce the list, so they could run it over and
exchange suggestions.
"Where shall we start in to buy the stuff?" asked Bobolink,
presently.
"Oh! I don't know that it matters very much," replied his companion.
"Mr. Briggs has had some pretty fine hams in lately I heard at the
house this morning, and if he treats us half-way decent we might do
all our trading with him."
"I never took much stock in old Levi Briggs," said Bobolink. "He hates
boys for all that's out. I guess some of them do nag him more or less.
I saw that Lawson crowd giving him a peck of trouble a week ago. He
threatened to call the police if they didn't go away."
"Well, we happen to be close to the Briggs' store," observed Jack, "so
we might as well drop in and see how he acts toward us."
"Huh! speaking of the Lawson bunch, there they are right now!"
exclaimed Bobolink.
Loud jeering shouts close by told that Hank and his cronies were
engaged in their favorite practice of having "fun." This generally
partook of the nature of the old fable concerning boys who were
stoning frogs, which was "great fun for the boys, but death to the
frogs."
"It's a couple of ragged hoboes they're nagging now," burst out
Bobolink.
"The pair just came out of Briggs' store," added Jack, "where I expect
they met a cold reception if they hoped to coax a bite to eat from the
old man."
"Still, they couldn't have done anything to Hank and his crowd, so why
should they be pushed off the walk in that way?" Bobolink went on to
say.
As a rule the boy had no use for tramps. He looked on the vagrants as
a nuisance and a menace to the community. At the same time, no
self-respecting scout would think of casting the first stone at a
wandering hobo, though, if attacked, he would always defend himself,
and strike hard.
"The tramps don't like the idea of engaging in a fight with a pack of
tough boys right here in town," remarked Jack, "because they know the
police would grab them first, no matter if they were only defending
themselves. That's why they don't hit back, but only dodge the stones
the boys are flinging."
"Oh! that's a mean sort of game!" cried Bobolink, as he saw the two
tramps start to run wildly away. "There! that shorter chap was hit in
the head with one of the rocks thrown after them. I bet you it raised
a fine lump. What a lot of cowards those Lawsons are, to be sure."
"Well, the row is all over now," observed Jack. "And as the tramps
have disappeared around the corner we don't want to break into the
game, so come along to the store, and let's see what we can do
there."
Bobolink continued to shake his head pugnaciously as he walked along
the pavement. Hank and his followers were laughing at a great rate as
they exchanged humorous remarks concerning the recent "fight" which
had been all one-sided.
"Believe me!" muttered Bobolink, "if a couple more scouts had been
along just now I'd have taken a savage delight in pitching in and
giving that crowd the licking they deserved. Course a tramp isn't
worth much, but then he's _human_, and I hate to see anybody
bullied."
"It wasn't Hank's business to chase the hoboes out of town," said
Jack. "We have the police force to manage such things. Fact is, I
reckon Hank's bunch has done more to hurt the good name of Stanhope
than all the hoboes we ever had come around here."
"If I had my way, Jack, there'd be a public woodpile, and every tramp
caught coming to town would have to work his passage. I bet there'd be
a sign on every cross-roads warning the brotherhood to beware of
Stanhope as they might of the smallpox. But here's Briggs' store."
As they entered the place they could see that the proprietor was
alone, his clerk being off on the delivery wagon.
"Whew! he certainly looks pretty huffy this morning," muttered the
observing Bobolink. "Those tramps must have bothered him more or less
before he could get them to move on."
"It might be he had some trouble with Hank before we came up," Jack
suggested; but further talk was prevented by the coming up of the
storekeeper.
Mr. Briggs was a small man with white hair, and keen, rat-like eyes.
He possessed good business abilities, and had managed to accumulate a
small fortune in the many years he purveyed to the people of
Stanhope.
Latterly, however, the little, old man had been growing very nervous
and irritable, perhaps with the coming of age and its infirmities. He
detested boys, and since that feeling soon becomes mutual there was
open war between Mr. Briggs and many of the juveniles of Stanhope.
Suspicious by nature, he always watched when boys came into his store
as though he weighed them all in the same balance with Hank Lawson,
and considered that none of Stanhope's rising generation could be
trusted out of sight.
Long ago he had taken to covering every apple and sugar barrel with
wire screens to prevent pilfering. Neither Jack nor Bobolink had ever
had hot words with the storekeeper, but for all that they felt that
his manner was openly aggressive at the time they entered the door.
"If you want to buy anything, boys," said Mr. Briggs curtly, "I'll
wait on you; but if you've only come in here to stand around my store
and get warm I'll have to ask you to move on. My time is too valuable
to waste just now."
Jack laughed on hearing that.
"Oh! we mean business this morning, Mr. Briggs," he remarked
pleasantly, while Bobolink scowled, and muttered something under his
breath. "The fact is a party of us scouts are planning to spend a
couple of weeks up in the snow woods," continued Jack. "We have a list
here of some things we want to take along, and will pay cash for them.
We want them delivered to-day at our meeting room under the church."
"Let Mr. Briggs have the list, Jack," suggested Bobolink. "He can mark
the prices he'll let us have the articles for. Of course, sir, we mean
to buy where we can get the best terms for cash."
Bobolink knew the grasping nature of the old storekeeper, and perhaps
this was intended for a little trap to trip him up. Mr. Briggs glanced
over the list and promptly did some figuring, after which he handed
the paper back.
"Seems to me your prices are pretty steep, sir!" remarked Jack.
"I should say they were," added Bobolink, with a gleam in his eyes.
"Why, you are two cents a pound on hams above the other stores. Yes,
and even on coffee and rice you are asking more than we can get the
same article for somewhere else."
"Those are my regular prices," said the old man, shortly. "If they are
not satisfactory to you, of course, you are at liberty to trade
elsewhere. In fact, I do not believe you meant to buy these goods of
me, but have only come in to annoy me as those other good-for-nothing
boys always do."
"Indeed, you are mistaken, Mr. Briggs," expostulated Jack, who did not
like to be falsely accused when innocent. "We are starting out to see
where we can get our provisions at the most reasonable rates. Some of
the storekeepers are only too glad to give the scouts a reduction."
"Well, you'll get nothing of the sort here, let me tell you," snapped
the unreasonable old man. "I can't afford to do business at cost just
to please a lot of harum-scarum boys, who want to spend days loafing
in the woods when they ought to be earning an honest penny at work."
"Come on, Jack, let's get out of here before I say something I'll be
sorry for," remarked Bobolink, who was fiery red with suppressed
anger.
"There's the door, and your room will be better appreciated than your
company," Mr. Briggs told them. "And as for your trade, take it where
you please. Your people have left me for other stores long ago, so why
should I care?"
"Oh! that's where the shoe pinches, is it?" chuckled Bobolink; and
after that he and Jack left the place, to do their shopping in more
congenial quarters, while Mr. Briggs stood on his doorsteps and glared
angrily after them.