CHECKING A COWARD
"It's that Slavin crowd!" exclaimed Jack, as he gained his feet.
"Let's capture some of them, then!" shouted William, always ready for
battle, as was also Bluff Shipley, whose hands were never bothered with
impediments as was his speech.
A rush was made for the bushes, and retreating footsteps announced the
hasty departure of the enemy.
None of the new scouts seemed to care about following very far. They knew
Ted of old, and feared lest they be drawn into a trap, so that their last
condition would be really worse than the first.
"No damage done, after all," remarked Paul, as he brushed off his
clothes; while the others gathered around, and Nuthin' came down to
secure the treacherous rope.
"Barked my shins some, now; and sooner or later I've just got to take it
out of that crowd!" muttered William, limping around, and shaking his
head.
"Better do it soon, then," observed Bobolink, "for after you've taken
the oath of allegiance to the scouts you dassent tackle a feller without
losing marks."
"H'm! is that so?" grunted the injured member, regretfully; for to be
deprived of the boon of fighting would be taking some of the joys of life
away from the pugnacious Carberry twin.
"Fall in again, boys!" said Paul, cheerily.
"Not the same way, I hope, captain!" ventured Bobolink; at which there
was a laugh, and the incident seemed closed.
The boys had no doubt but that their rivals must have been observing much
that went on in the lighted rooms, possibly also trying to catch what was
being said.
"What of it?" demanded Paul, when some one suggested this; "if they heard
what I read out of that manual so much the better. Let them subscribe to
those rules, and life will be worth living alongside Ted and his
cronies."
"But you see they just can't!" declared Bobolink, quickly.
"Which is to say they won't. All right. Once we get out troop formed,
public sentiment will be on our side. If they try to worry us the good
people of Stanhope, backed by the Women's Club, will see to it that the
nuisance is stopped. Isn't that so, Paul?" remarked Jack, with conviction
in his voice.
"Them's my sentiments, as some character in fiction used to remark. We
can afford to laugh at all these little plans to annoy us. Of course, if
they go too far, why we may have to turn and do something ourselves,"
said Paul, seriously.
"Bully! Hasten the time!" cried William, ceasing to limp for the moment
in his new delight.
"Oh! but Paul doesn't mean a regular give and take fight. If we pitch in
at all, I'm afraid it'll have to be doling out punishment in the way the
good dad does when he plies the stick and says it hurts him worse than it
does the bad kid," declared Bobolink; at which there was a roar.
On the following day there was more or less skirmishing about town by
various eager lads, seeking recruits for the rival troops.
Paul was as busy as a beaver, and at several points conferred with some
of his followers. He had sent for more manuals, besides a price list of
uniforms, and other equipments necessary to the complete organization of
the Fox Patrol and Stanhope Troop No. 1.
Leading citizens began to take an interest in the movement, as they
grew to understand its true significance. Stanhope seemed to be fairly
sizzling with a new and novel energy. Even the meeting of the Women's
Club that afternoon was given up partly to a discussion of the merits of
the Boy Scout wave then sweeping over the land; and ladies who had been
decidedly averse to such a thing found their eyes opened to its
beneficial accompaniments.
As was to be expected, the recruiting was not confined to Paul and his
chums. Ted Slavin and Ward Kenwood were just as vigorously employed; and
several times in the course of the day the rivals ran across each other
while engaged in thus drumming up new subjects for initiation.
On such occasions there was apt to be something in the way of verbal
fireworks passing between the opposing scouts. Ted Slavin seldom knew how
to bridle that tongue of his; and Ward Kenwood seemed to be in a nasty
humor himself.
To tell the truth there had long been a sort of rivalry between Paul and
Ward over the smiles of pretty Arline Blair; and latterly the high school
girl seemed to be giving young Morrison more than his share of her
company.
That afternoon about four o'clock, as Paul and two of his chums were
passing along one of the side streets of the town they came upon a scene
that caused a sudden halt.
The blustering voice of Ted Slavin was what first drew their attention;
and it seemed to come from around the next corner. Then followed a
quavering voice, pleading in its tone.
Paul looked at his friends, and his brow darkened.
"It's old Mother Martha, the market woman who sells things in her little
stall around here. And some of those mean skunks are plaguing her, like
they often do, she tells me, stealing her apples, and laughing at her,
because she's lame with the rheumatism, and can't chase after 'em!" said
William, who happened to be one of the trio brought to a halt so
suddenly.
"Come on, then; we can't stand that!" exclaimed Paul.
The boys hurriedly turned the corner, to find that what William had
suggested seemed to be the actual truth.
Ted and a follower were hovering near the poor old woman. The fact that
Ted was contentedly munching a red apple told that he had already made
his hawk-like descent on the stand of the market woman, and was now
seeking to distract her attention so that his companion might also swoop
down to seize a prize, when they would go off, laughing uproarously, as
though they considered it a huge joke.
Paul was on the bully in a flash, and almost before Ted knew of his
presence he had torn the apple from his grasp and hurled it far away.
"Get out of this, you coward!" exclaimed the scout leader of the new
patrol, as he gave Ted Slavin a push; "I'm going to speak to the chief of
police about the way you rob this good woman, and see if he won't stop
it. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, both of you!"
William and Bluff were for jumping at the two offenders, and giving them
a lesson then and there; but with both arms Paul held his fire-eaters
back.
"Let 'em come on, if they want to mix up with us. We can take care of
two, and think it a picnic. P'raps even three wouldn't be too much, if so
be you want to try it on, Paul Morrison. Huh! there comes another bunch
of your sissies. Seven against two might make it too interestin', so we'd
better skip out, Scissors. But you just wait, that's all. I don't forget
you laid a hand on me; and some time I'm going to take it out."
"Oh! suit yourself, Ted," answered the other, promptly. "I'm ready to
have a go at you when you're ready, if you force me to the wall. I'm not
a fighter, but when I see a couple of rowdies treating a poor old woman
like you did, it makes me see red."
With derisive jeers the pair faded away as several boys came running to
the spot, having seen the group, and guessing from the presence of the
two rival leaders that there must be something doing.
Their indignation was boundless when they learned what new meanness the
coming of Paul and his two chums had interrupted.
It required considerable persuasion on the part of the scout leader to
prevent an immediate chase of the culprits.
"Let them go this time," said Paul, impressively; "but I'm going to see
what can be done to put a stop to this rowdyism. It gives the boys of
Stanhope a bad name all around. I told Ted I'd speak to Chief Billings
about it."
"You won't get any too much satisfaction there," remarked wise Nuthin';
"because, you see the Chief owes his position to the political influence
of Mr. Kenwood; and as Ward runs with Ted he won't dare do anything for
fear of offending the head of the party. We've just _got_ to find a way
ourselves to change things."
"Well, I'll ask my father about it. Perhaps he can suggest a plan. He
used to be a boy himself once, and never forgets it either," was Paul's
conclusion, as they each bought an apple from the old woman to make her
forget her recent trouble, and then walked away, followed by her earnest
thanks.
"Say, but time just crawls along," observed William, dolefully; "because,
you see, I'm dying to get to work and win some of them merits you told us
about. Just set me the stunt of making water boil over a fire I have to
kindle, and I'll do it in three shakes of a lamb's tail. The rest of you
will be left hull down. And then there's lots of other jobs that look
good to me. Let's get a move on, and start the ball rolling. When's the
next meeting, Paul?"
"To-night, and once more at the barn where we were first. This time
I figure on having nearly twenty present, and that will make things
interesting."
"Same hour as before--eight o'clock?" asked Bobolink.
"Yes. And if any of you feel that you are qualified to take the
examination for the first degree, so as to become real tenderfeet in the
Scouts, why, I'll be in trim to put you through your sprouts," announced
the leader.
"That hits me," declared William; "for I've been studying to beat the
band, and believe I'll pass muster with flying colors. Me for the
tenderfoot class!"
"And I've just used up a whole ball of twine tying all those measly
knots," declared Nuthin'; after which his face brightened when he added:
"but I can do every one just like an old jack tar. My dad was once a
sailor you know, and that's where I've got the bulge on the rest of you.
So-long, boys; I'm going home to try again."