JIB JAB TURNS OUT TO BE HUMAN
So that's all I can tell you about their talk, because when I went back
Harry was waiting for us near the entrance. All I can tell you is what
happened. On the way back through the woods Harry wouldn't talk at all,
only he said that the scouts were a blamed nuisance and he guessed he'd go
and work in a circus. Gee whiz, I hope he doesn't. But, oh boy, he'd make a
dandy _what-is-it_.
When we got to camp there was a peachy big fire and they were all sitting
around it. Brent Gaylong was lying on his back, same way as he always did,
with his knees up.
"Move up and give us a chance here," Harry said; "we're tired." And he
squeezed right in between little Willie Wide-awake and another one of those
kids. "Regular sewing circle, huh?" he said. "Well, Bill old top, what did
you see in the blaze?"
"He's been seein' things," Brent said, kind of laughing.
"Get out--_no_," Harry said.
"I saw a transport," Willie Wide-awake said; "that long log looked like a
transport. Then it crackled and I didn't see it any more."
Harry said, "Torpedoed, I guess. Didn't see anything of that scoutmaster of
yours, did you?"
"I looked, but I didn't see him," Willie said.
"Down in the cabin eating his dinner, probably," Harry said. "Chuck on a
couple more logs, Westy old boy."
"He saw a meeting-shack, too," Gaylong said.
"It was just like real," the kid piped up.
"That point on the blaze made the roof. You can see things better if you
half shut your eyes."
"That's the idea," Harry said; "you've got to get kind of dreamy. You're
getting the hang of it all right. Over in France one night I saw the house
I live in at home. There was a new chicken coop. Once I saw Teddy
Roosevelt."
"One good thing," Brent said in that funny way he had; "the things you see
in the fire don't cost anything."
Harry said, "Yes, but they're going up like everything else. They go up in
smoke."
"Like everything else," Gaylong said.
"There you go," Harry said; "Hard Luck Gaylong, the boy grouch. How do you
know when you may strike luck. Look at Charlie Collins over there on the
west front; ran plunk into his own brother while he was on sentry duty;
brother said, 'H'lo Charlie'--just like that. Neither one knew the other
was in France. You've been looking at maps and things and you believe
everything the geography tells you. I've been all around this world and you
can take it from me, its about the size of a coconut. Look how Stanley
met Livingstone in South Africa. You take a tip from me and keep that
newspaper picture."
Brent said, "I'd paste it in a scrapbook only we haven't got a scrapbook."
"We haven't got any paste either," Willie shouted.
"Poor, but honest," Gaylong said.
Then Harry put his arm around little Willie Wide-awake's shoulder, awful
nice and friendly like, and he said, "Don't you mind him, Bill old boy. Let
him grouch. Now let's you and I see what we can find there."
Gee, he was awful nice and it made me like him a lot. Because, anyway, it
showed that even if he was kind of wild and reckless, he could be nice to a
little fellow like that. I wish he'd be a scoutmaster, but I don't believe
he ever will. He's got too many dates. We all looked into the fire and
listened when he began.
He said, "I can see old Grouch Gaylong, there, with a fine scout uniform
and one of those big long sticks and about 'steen hundred badges; badges
for being sarcastic, badges for lying on his back and sticking his feet up
in the air, Calamity Jane badges-all kinds. I can see you head of the
Church Mice patrol, only the Church Mice have struck it rich. They won't
speak to the Silver Foxes any more. See that long, thin flame? That's one
of their tails."
"I can see the American flag," Willie Wide-awake said.
"Sure, Old Glory;--right underneath it is a little kind of a bungalow all
fixed up, and a canoe right near it. See the canoe? And I can see a
face-yes sir, I can see a face. Mr. Jennis, is it? See, right through the
middle of the flame? That's Mr. Jennis, all right. And--"
"I can see it!" Willie Wide-awake shouted.
"Sure you can," Harry said, "plain as day--"
"_Look! Look!_" the little fellow shouted, and he clutched Harry by the
arm, all excited. _"I see it! It's real! Look!"_
I was looking, too, and I saw it and then I knew. And I wanted, I just
wanted to go over and clutch Harry Donnelle by the arm, just like that kid
was doing. I could see Brent Gaylong roll over and look, kind of curious,
through the blaze. And all the fellows seemed to start, all except Dorry
and I. But I didn't budge, only sat there watching Brent Gaylong. His face
looked kind of strange. Then he stood up. And the other face behind the
blaze rose up, too. And Jib Jab was standing there and the fire was shining
on his face. And even I could see the twinkle in his eye.
Then I heard Harry Donnelle speak and his voice sounded queer, because it
was so still around there. And there wasn't any sound except the fire
crackling.
He said, "Who are you? What do you want here?"
"Just a stranger after food and shelter," I heard; "I've been wandering in
the woods. I am a discharged soldier and I'm in hard luck."
But I didn't notice him, because I was looking at Brent Gaylong. He was
standing up straight and looking steady, right across the fire, into that
face. And he didn't take his eyes off it; just stared.