DISAPPOINTMENT
After a hearty camp supper, devoured with appetites whetted by the keen
mountain air, the boys found themselves only too glad to roll in for a
good night’s sleep. “Have the bell-boy call me in the morning,” called
Ed airily from his blanket, but before either the drowsy Warde or tired
Westy could come back at him with a reply, sleep overpowered all three.
They only waked next morning when the brisk stirring about of Mr. Wilde
and Billy disturbed them.
“Come on now, you fellows,” jeered Mr. Wilde. “Scouts ought to be up and
dressed ahead of an old business man like me.”
Warde and Westy took this remark to heart and scrambled shamefacedly for
their clothes, but Ed’s unfailing good humor left him untouched. He
lolled back, gazing up and up into the depths of foliage above him and
retorted, “Have that bellhop get my pants from the tailor.”
“Aren’t you going to wear your scout suit at all?” queried Westy in
disapproval.
“Aw, gee, Mr. Wilde joshed me so about wearing ‘rompers’ I’m going to
stick to my corduroys,” said Ed, springing up, his mind eagerly on
breakfast.
“Are you going up to Vulture Cliff this morning, Mr. Wilde?” asked
Warde, impatient to know the program of the outing.
“That’s just where I’m going, Mister,” replied Mr. Wilde, busy already
with preparations for this hike. “And,” he added, “I hope you young
hopefuls put in a lucky day catching plenty of fish for a good meal this
evening, because when Billy and I get back here we’ll be hungry enough
to eat a hard-boiled rhinoceros.”
“Can’t we go with you?” asked Westy, his face the picture of
disappointment.
“Go with us, your grandmother,” grinned Billy heartlessly. “That cliff
is no place for little children.”
“I should say not,” added Mr. Wilde. “I can’t be responsible to your
mammas if their darling boys fall down and have the buzzards pick their
bones. Why, don’t you know a vulture would rather eat a Boy Scout than a
dish of ice cream? No, you kids stick around here out of our way where
you’re safe and show us what kind of a meal a star scout can cook.”
It was a cruel disappointment to the boys to find that their part in
this unique expedition was to be limited to the mere routine of camp
duty. This was truly a blow to their expectations and pride, but each
was too good a scout to argue or whine. They took this disappointment
characteristically: Westy, the sensitive, was hurt. He felt that he had
proved himself in the encounter with Bloodhound Pete and was entitled to
be trusted in “big” things. He was too proud to say this, however, and
only flushed and kept silent. Warde was plainly indignant. Ed, however,
although quite as disappointed as the others, accepted it with his usual
“I should worry” air.
“Go ahead,” he said jauntily. “You can’t make me mad. I’m just crazy to
be kitchen police. If I had a popgun I’d shoot a couple of elephants for
a nice little fricassee for your supper. But listen, if you two fall off
that cliff, don’t expect me to come running and pick you up.”
As Mr. Wilde and Billy set off, Warde sulked. Westy said, “I don’t think
it’s fair, and it’s just our luck to be kept out of big things.”
But Ed said, “Poot! What do you care! I’d just as lieves have a good
day’s fishing as monkey around up there on the top of the world trying
to get movies of the angels. That ole cliff is too high for this baby!
It’s worse than the Woolworth Tower and _that_ always makes me seasick.
Come on, let’s go fishing. Maybe we’ll meet a grizzly.”
At this prospect Westy brightened and helped gather up their tackle
which Ed opined was “some improvement on that historic safety pin.”
Warde, however, refused to go along.
“I’m not going,” he said. “I turned my ankle on a loose rock last night
anyway and it hurts. You catch the fish and I’ll cook them—that’s fair.
I’m going to write a letter home. I don’t know when I’ll mail it, but
I’ll get it written anyway.”
“’Tain’t your ankle, it’s your feelings that hurt,” said Ed, astutely.
“But do as you like, here’s where Kit Carson and Dan’l Boone leave you.
S’long,” and Westy and Ed disappeared through the woods toward the sound
of a boisterous mountain stream, leaving Warde behind. How little they
knew what was to happen before they were all together again!