That was Mr. Ellsworth, our scoutmaster. I guess he had heard all about
it. I guess the whole town knew about it by that time. Trust them for
that. He just sat down very quietly and listened. It made me feel good
to see him there.
My father said, “I suppose you know about this, Mr. Ellsworth?”
Mr. Ellsworth said, “Why, yes, in a general way.”
“You knew the boys were at the garage?” my father asked him.
He said, “N—no, I didn’t know that. Have they found out how the fire
started?”
“_Started?_” Mr. Slausen said, good and loud. “Can’t you see how it
started? You’re the instigator of this car moving business, I suppose?”
Mr. Ellsworth said, awful funny, “Yes, I’m the evil genius.”
“And I understand fires are part of this scout rigmarole,” Mr. Slausen
said.
“Yes, indeed,” Mr. Ellsworth said; “we’re all strong for the campfire.
Had your place insured, I suppose, Mr. Slausen?”
“Lucky I did,” he said.
“We just want to give these lads a chance to explain their presence
there,” Chief O’Day said.
Mr. Ellsworth just said, “Oh, I see.”
I just looked straight at Mr. Ellsworth and I said, “I can’t tell, Mr.
Ellsworth, on account of a scout law. If Westy wants to tell, let him do
it.”
“Thanks. Nothing doing,” said Westy.
“What is the law, Roy?” Mr. Ellsworth asked me, very kind and nice.
I said, “It’s the one about a scout’s honor being trusted.”
My father was good and mad. He said, “I want to know all about this. I
want to know what you boys were doing at Mr. Slausen’s shop, climbing
out of the window there after dark. We’re going to get to the bottom of
this.”
I noticed that Westy’s father didn’t say anything, he just kept looking
at Mr. Ellsworth. I didn’t say anything. Neither did Westy. I could hear
the big clock in the hall ticking.
“You boys don’t want to go down to the station, do you?” the chief asked
us.
“I should worry,” I said. “We didn’t set fire to the shop, I know that,
and we can’t tell you why we were there on account of a reason. What’s
the use of having scout laws if we don’t pay any attention to them?”
My father started to speak, but Mr. Ellsworth said, “Just a minute. I
can’t stand between you gentlemen and these boys, but so far as I am
concerned I will not urge either of them to say anything more just now.
I just wish to have it understood that I take no part in this business.
If these boys were mine I would not require them to tell anything—just
at present. There are some other things to be explained first.
“It is one of our scout laws that scouts must obey their parents. So
much for that. It is up to you gentlemen. But if one scout law is to be
obeyed, of course the others must be obeyed, too. These boys are in my
troop. I have never known either one of them to lie. They seem to think
their honor is involved. If you gentlemen, their fathers, insist on
their talking, I hope they will obey their parents. But I ask you to
think twice before you insist. I know these boys.”
“Do you think I want my son arrested?” my father said.
“A great many innocent people have been arrested before now, Mr.
Blakeley. I’m not thinking of that. They put Columbus in chains, you
know,” Mr. Ellsworth said, kind of laughing.
Just then Mr. Martin (that’s Westy’s father) spoke up. He said, “I think
I’ll stand with my boy and Mr. Ellsworth in this matter. If you men are
here to press the matter I’m here to see it through. I think perhaps
we’ll all be the gainers, my friend Mr. Slausen included, if we respect
these boys’ wishes. What next, Chief? Shall we all go down to the
station? That was a very good point you made, Mr. Ellsworth, about
putting Columbus in chains. Be careful not to say a word, Westy, my boy.
Are you going down to the station with us, Mr. Blakeley?”