TEDDY JOINS THE BAND
"I would suggest that you divide the band into two parts and have
them play on deck as we approach the next stand," said Phil later
that evening.
"I think that a most excellent plan," decided Mr. Sparling.
"We will work it whenever we get in after daylight. It might
not be a bad idea to try it tomorrow morning. I'll allow the
musicians overtime for it, so there should be no objection on
their part. We will make a triumphal entry into Des Moines,
providing nothing happens to us in the meantime."
Mr. Sparling's face darkened as he thought of the dastardly
attempts that had been made against his young charges.
"I will see the leader before I turn in. You had better go to
bed now, Phil. You have been keeping pretty late hours and
working unusually hard. Good night."
"Good night," answered Phil pleasantly.
Man and boy had come to be very fond of each other, and
Phil Forrest could not have felt a more genuine affection
for Mr. Sparling had the latter been his own father.
"A noble fellow," was Mr. Sparling's comment as the youth walked
away from the cabin.
At half-past three o'clock the next morning the boat's passengers
were awakened by the blare of brass, the crash of cymbals and the
boom of the big bass drum.
They tumbled out of bed in a hurry, for few of them knew of the
plan of the owner to give an early morning concert on the deck of
the "Fat Marie."
Teddy Tucker struck the floor of his cabin broadside on.
"Wake up, Phil! We're late for the show. It's already begun and
here we are in bed."
"Guess again, Teddy," answered Phil sleepily. "Don't you know
where you are?"
"I thought I did, but I don't. Where am I?"
"In our cabin on the ship."
"But the band, the band?"
"It is playing for the benefit of the natives along the shore."
"Oh, pooh! And here I am wide awake. Do you know what time
it is?"
"No."
"It is only twenty minutes of four."
"In the afternoon? Goodness we are late."
"No, in the morning, you ninny. This is a shame. I'll bet that
band concert was your suggestion, Phil Forrest."
Phil admitted the charge.
"Then you must take your medicine with the rest of us. Come out
of that!"
One of Phil's feet was peeping out from under the covers.
Teddy saw it and grabbed it. Being a strong boy, the mighty
tug he gave was productive of results.
Phil landed on his back on the floor, with a resounding thump and
a jolt that made him see stars.
"Teddy Tucker, look out; I'm coming!"
"You had better look out; I'm waiting."
The two supple-limbed youngsters met in the middle of the cabin
floor and went down together. They were evenly matched, and
the muscles of their necks stood out like whip cords as they
struggled over the floor, each seeking to get a fall from
his antagonist.
Teddy managed to roll under the bed, and there they continued
their early morning battle, but under no slight difficulties.
Every time one of the gladiators forgot himself and raised his
head, he bumped it. Phil tried to force Teddy out from under
the bed, but Teddy refused to be forced.
"When--when I get you out of here I am going to do something to
you that you won't like, Teddy Tucker," panted Phil.
"What--what you going to do to me?"
"I'm going to pour a pitcher of cold water on your bare feet."
"Oh!"
The thought of it sent Teddy into a nervous chill. He would
rather take a sound thrashing, at any time, than have that done
to him. Now he struggled more desperately than ever to hold Phil
under the bed. At last, however, the boys rolled out and Teddy's
shoulders struck the cabin floor with a bang that sent the
pitcher jingling in the wash bowl.
Phil sprang up, seized the water pitcher, making a threatening
move with it toward his companion.
"Wow! Don't, don't!" howled Teddy.
Phil pursued him around the cabin, the water splashing from the
pitcher to the floor. Teddy yelling like a wild Indian every
time he stepped in the puddles.
The window was open and the band was playing just outside.
Suddenly a new plan occurred to Teddy--a plan whereby he might
escape from his tormentor.
Taking a running start he sprang up, making a clean dive through
the window head-first.
The lad had intended to land on his hands, do a cartwheel and
come up easily on his feet. But the best-laid plans sometimes
go wrong.
The bass drummer was pounding his drum right in line with
the window. Teddy did not see the drum until too late to
change his course. His head hit the drum with a bang.
He went clear through it, his head protruding from the
other side. And there he stuck!
"Oh, wow!" howled the Circus Boy.
The other members of the band, discovering that the drum was
no longer marking time for them, got out of tune and came to
a discordant stop.
The leader, whose side had been toward the drummer at the time,
did not know what had happened. He was furious. He was about
to upbraid them when he discovered the head of Teddy Tucker
protruding from the head of the drum.
"Wha--wha--what--"
The bass drummer paid no attention to him. Instead he grabbed
the offending boy by the feet, bracing his own feet against the
rim of the instrument, and began to pull. The drummer was red
in the face, perspiring and angry.
Teddy popped out like a pea from a pod. The Circus Boy was not
yet out of his trouble. With unlooked-for strength the irate
drummer threw the lad over his knees, face down, and raised the
drumstick aloft.
This drumstick, as our readers well know, is made of heavy
leather--that is the beating end is--and is hard. To add to the
distress of the victim, Teddy was in his pink pajamas and they
were thin.
Whack!
The stick came down with more force than seemed necessary.
"Ouch! Stop it! I'll pay you back for keeps for that!"
Whack!
"Oh, Phil!" Teddy was making desperate efforts to squirm away
now, but his position was such that he was unable to bring his
full strength to bear on the task.
The stick was raised for another blow, but there came an
interruption that took all thought of continuing the punishment
out of the mind of the angry drummer.
"Stop it! I don't want to be a drum!" howled the boy.
Splash!
A pitcher of water was emptied over the drummer's head, a large
part of the water running down and soaking Teddy to the skin,
causing that young gentleman to howl lustily.
It gave the boy the opportunity he was looking for, however.
With a quick twist he wrenched himself free from the grasp of the
drummer, dropped on all fours and was up and away, a pink streak
along the port side of the "Fat Marie."
Phil had come to the rescue of his companion. He now jerked the
window shut and slammed the blind in place, after which he
quickly got into his clothes, fully expecting that he should have
a call from the bass drummer.
There was a great uproar on deck about that time, with much
shouting and unintelligible language--at least unintelligible
to Phil.
Before he had finished dressing, Teddy came skulking in, rubbing
himself and muttering threats as to what he proposed to do to
the drummer.
"You did it! You did!" he shouted, pointing a finger at
Phil Forrest.
"It strikes me that you did something, too--"
"No I didn't. Something was done to me. I had on my pajamas,
too," wailed the boy. "I'm glad you soaked him, though.
Why didn't you throw the pitcher at him, too?"
"Oh, no, it might have hurt him, Teddy."
"Hurt him? Pshaw! Maybe the drumstick didn't hurt me. Oh, no!"
"Well, get dressed. I will go out and see if I can pour oil on
the troubled waters. You stay here. I don't want you mixing it
up with the drummer. I'll attend to him."
Phil first hunted up Mr. Sparling, whom he found shaving in
his cabin.
"Why good morning, Phil. Why this early call?"
"I called to ask you what a new set of heads will cost for the
bass drum?"
"I think they are worth about fifteen dollars. Why do you ask?"
"Because Teddy and myself have just smashed the heads out of the
one belonging to the band."
Mr. Sparling paused in his shaving long enough to glance keenly
at Phil. There was a twinkle in his eyes. He knew that his
Circus Boys had been up to some mischief. Phil was as solemn as
an owl.
"It was this way," explained the lad, as he related how the
accident had occurred.
Mr. Sparling sat down and laughed.
"Never mind the drum heads. We have others for just such an
emergency, I do not mind a little fun once in a while. We all
have to blow off steam sometimes."
"No, sir; we shall pay for the drum heads. To whom does the
drum belong?"
"The drummer, I think."
"Very well; thank you."
Phil hastily withdrew from the cabin and hurried back to his
own stateroom.
"Teddy," he said, "I want seven-fifty from you."
"What's that?"
"Seven dollars and a half, please."
Teddy began pawing over his trousers. All at once he paused,
looking up at Phil suspiciously.
"You want to borrow seven-fifty, do you?"
"No, I want you to contribute it."
"To what?"
"To the fund."
"What fund? What are you talking about?"
"Those drum heads are worth fifteen dollars and we are going to
pay the owner of the drum for the damage we did. I will give
half and you half."
"What!" shrieked Teddy.
"Come, pay up!"
"What! Give that fellow money when he's taken more than twenty-
five dollars worth out of my hide? I guess not! What kind of an
easy mark do you think I am? Pay him yourself. You did it."
"Teddy, do you want me to give you a good thrashing, right here
and now?"
"You can't do it. You never could," returned
Teddy, belligerently.
"Come, hand out the money!"
Teddy eyed his companion for a full minute; then, thrusting a
hand slowly into his own trousers' pocket, brought forth a goodly
roll of bills from which he counted off eight dollars.
"Tell him to keep the change."
"I will, thank you," said Phil with a merry twinkle in his eyes.
"It's like taking candy out of the mouth of a babe. I'll get
more than eight dollars' worth out of that bass--he's baser than
he is bass. Bass sounds like a fish, doesn't it--out of that
bass drummer when I get a good fair chance at him. Sometime when
he isn't looking, you know. I wonder if he could be the fellow
who stole my egg?" questioned Teddy reflectively.
Phil went out laughing, to make his peace with the drummer.