CONCLUSION
"I can hardly believe it's true," muttered Hen Condit, helplessly, as
he looked around him at the beaming faces of his seven loyal chums;
"just seems to me as if I'd wake up and find it only a lovely dream."
"Well, it isn't, just the same, Hen," said Lil Artha, as he wrung the
other's cold hand as though it had been a pump handle, and he the
honest milkman; "the money's been recovered, every cent of it, and like
as not there's some sort of a reward out for the recapture of this gent
here, who broke jail with a pair of handcuffs on his wrists which he
filed off weeks ago up in this same swamp. And if there is, you share
with us in that, Hen, remember."
"But I didn't do a single thing to get him, and that wouldn't be fair!"
weakly protested the relieved boy, with his arm linked in that of
Elmer, upon whom he seemed to lean in this dreadful crisis of his young
life.
"Didn't hey?" snorted Toby; "I guess you _lured him along_; then again
and helped to blind his eyes while we crept noiselessly closer and
closer. Sure you deserve part of the reward, Hen, providing there is
any up."
At hearing that unique remark, the prisoner burst into a hearty laugh.
Evidently, "Joe," having made up his mind that he was going back to the
clutches of the law, could enjoy a good joke as well as the next one;
he was undoubtedly a reckless sort of fellow anyway.
"That's fine for you, son," he told Toby; "luring the rascal on is a
good one. That poor kid was almost too easy for me to work, for he
fell into my trap as soon as I pulled the string. Why, I felt ashamed
of myself sometimes, it was so much like taking candy from the baby.
But he isn't a half bad sort of a boy; and let's hope this'll be a
lesson to him never again to throw stones at poor tramps. They're
human as well as the rest of us, and have their feelings. That lump on
his head pained Weary Willie Larkins as much as it would have done Hen
here."
Having made sure that the desperate character whom they only knew as
Joe could not escape, the boys built a jolly fire, and proceeded to
cook something. Hen was so savagely hungry they had to lead him away
while the meal was in preparation, for he vowed he was dreadfully
tempted to jump in and devour his food raw.
And when a supply had been made ready, the scouts did not forget to
feed their prisoner, who certainly seemed to enjoy it very much, indeed.
"You boys are a great bunch," he told Lil Artha, who was looking after
his necessities in the line of food; "and after all, I'm not sorry you
were the ones to get me, if it had to be. I'd never forgive myself if
that fat Chief of Police down at Hickory Ridge managed to round me up,
and him as ignorant about following a trail as a greenhorn."
You see, before then the man had guessed that Elmer must have spent
some time Out West, from various things he heard mentioned. Indeed, he
had asked plainly if such were not the case, and afterwards told the
young scout-master a few interesting things connected with his own
checkered career.
His real name he declared would never be known, for he came of a good
family, which he would not wish to disgrace. He admitted that he had
had every chance in the world to make a mark in the line of law or the
ministry, and had even been a professor at one time in a college; but,
somehow, a love for dissipation dragged him down until finally he had
disappeared, assumed another name in a part of the country where he was
not known, and commenced his career of vice.
The man told the scouts to take a lesson from his blasted career,
though they hardly knew whether he really meant it or, as Lil Artha was
constrained to say, was "talking through his hat."
The fire was kept burning, and fed with more or less green wood in the
hope and expectation that the black smoke thus generated might draw the
tracking posse to the scene the more rapidly.
It was almost two hours before they arrived, which would indicate that
Johnny might not be quite as expert at following a "man trail" as some
of the scouts were.
Great was the astonishment of the Chief and his men when upon
approaching the fire by creeping up they discovered that those about it
were the eight scouts, and even recognized in the bedraggled figure of
the last member none other than the wretched culprit, Hen Condit.
And there, seated with his back against a tree and his hands and ankles
securely bound scout-fashion, was the man they wanted. He greeted
their coming, and the look of amazement on the Chief's red face with
roars of amusement.
"Better late than never, Chief," he called out. "While you were
sleeping over it, these smart scouts did the business, and took me in.
All the cold cash that was taken has been recovered to a last red cent;
and I've explained just how I forced this silly boy Hen to write that
letter, when it was really me who cribbed the money. So don't bother
blaming a kid like that. He's had his lesson, Chief."
Elmer thought that was pretty handsome of Joe, and he did not hesitate
to tell him so. He could see that the man was a strange mixture of
good and evil, though it seemed that the bad elements in his
composition were generally on top.
As there was no need of remaining any longer in the swamp, they started
to leave. Johnny said he would go back and take the two skiffs out,
towing one behind him. Later on he could come and mend the new boat by
fetching a plank to replace the one that had been staved in by striking
a log at full speed.
"Hope we see you again down at Hickory Ridge, Johnny!" called out Lil
Artha after the bound boy.
"Yes, and we won't forget that clever chicken trap of yours," added
Toby, "even if the man did cut his companion free before we reached the
spot. By the way, Hen, here's something of yours that we found."
"My knife with the buckhorn handle!" exclaimed the Condit boy, looking
pleased. "I missed that, and thought I'd never see it again. Where
did you pick it up, Toby?"
"Huh! you dropped it from your pocket once upon a time when your heels
were some higher than your head. That helped to give us a strong clue,
and we knew we were on the right track up here near old Sassafras
Swamp. Next time you're chicken hungry, Hen, button up your pockets;
you never know what's going to happen these days."
Hen turned fiery red, and then laughed in a confused fashion.
"Well," he said, boldly, "both of us were terribly hungry, and since
I'd jumped in up to my neck you know, an inch further didn't seem to
mind. I suppose that's the way with all boys who go to the bad; the
first step leads to another until they don't care much what becomes of
them. But oh! I'm hugging myself to know it's all going to be like an
ugly dream now. What don't I owe you fellows? All my life I'll
remember it."
Once out of the swamp and they were soon at Farmer Trotter's place.
Here it was found that the Chief and his posse had come in a big
touring car that just held the party comfortably, though there would
still be room for Joe, of course.
The boys were invited to pile in and hang on; but respectfully
declined. A ride of so many miles to the home town, going at a fast
pace over a bumpy road, and hanging on outside the car in the bargain,
did not seem to have any great attractions for them.
"We prefer to take our time, and use the big wagon, Chief," said Elmer
after consulting with his seven chums; "like as not half-way there
we'll make camp and have a jolly night of it, arriving home before
sundown again."
"Pleath tell our people we're on the way, and expect to turn up thooner
or later," added Ted Burgoyne.
"And Chief, you promised to let my uncle know the whole story,
remember," called out the contrite Hen Condit. "I'll be ashamed to
face him, but perhaps he won't be so _very_ angry when he hears how I
was deceived so terribly, and made to believe I had actually killed
that tramp when I threw the stone. And my aunt loves me, that I know.
Don't forget to tell them every cent has been recovered from the thief,
and that I'm bringing it back with me."
The scouts did camp that night in a wood alongside the road.
Fortunately, the weather proved very kind to them. Lil Artha said the
"wind was tempered to the shorn lamb," by which he undoubtedly meant
that since they had neither tents nor blankets it considerately did not
turn cold, nor were they caught out in a heavy rain storm.
Their last outing of the vacation season had proved to be a fine one.
They had passed through a novel experience when exploring the depths of
the mysterious Sassafras Swamp; and better still had managed to save
their poor, mistaken comrade from a fate, the very thought of which
would often make him shiver even when months and years had crept by.
They had a great night of it there in camp. Even Hen tried to forget
for a time what he must face on the morrow, and joined his chums in
their songs, as they sat cross-legged around the cheery blaze.
There was no longer any necessity for suppressing their boyish
exuberance, for the gloomy swamp had been left behind, nor was there
any hiding escaped criminal to take alarm. So they laughed and talked
and sang to their hearts' content; nor did the sleepiest of them,
meaning Landy, of course, get a chance to lay his head on his
make-believe pillow until nearly midnight.
"What's the use of wasting so much time in sleeping?" Lil Artha had
demanded, when the stout boy pleaded for them to desist, and give him a
chance to get some rest; "this is going to be our very last camp until
away off in Thanksgiving week, even if we have one then. So let's make
the most out of it. You c'n sleep any old time, and lie abed till ten
on Sunday, if you want to. Now for another song, fellows, and Landy,
we want your fine tenor to help out, remember."
The morning found them astir, and after breakfast the horses were once
more put to the pole so that a start could be made for home.
None of them were in a hurry, and it was really about the middle of
that afternoon when the expedition entered town. The news had, of
course, been widely circulated, and everybody was on tip-toe, filled
with excitement, and watching for their arrival.
A great crowd had collected to greet them, and there was the brass band
of which Hickory Ridge was getting to be quite proud, playing a
sonorous tune which some of the scouts believed must be "Lo! the
Conquering Hero Comes," though none of them felt quite sure of it.
Well, Hen Condit was forgiven by his uncle, after he heard all about
the terrible time the boy had, and in what way unscrupulous "Joe"
deceived the foolish boy. Elmer and his chums made it a point to see
that the story was widely circulated, and the balance of the scout
troop aided to the best of their ability, for Hen was well liked.
The consequence of all this was that most people decided the boy had
already been sufficiently punished, and that his lesson was apt to be
of lasting benefit to him during the balance of his natural life.
Besides, it gave shrewd fathers and mothers a fine moral lesson to hold
up before their own erring youngsters, and hence for a long time to
come the narrow escape which Hen Condit had had from going wholly to
the bad was used as a means of correction. In this way it doubtless
did much good, if that could be of any satisfaction to Hen.
No doubt there will be other stirring events come up, with mysteries to
be solved, as the Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts pursue their activities; and
should such interesting happenings take place, be sure they will not
escape our notice. Until then we must say good-bye to the faithful
readers who have accompanied us through the stirring adventures that
befel our young friends in Sassafras Swamp.
THE END