HOW ELMER'S PLAN WORKED
"HOW had we better arrange about the nuts, Elmer?" asked Toby, when they
were drawing close to the border of the town, with the twilight
gathering around them.
"I've been thinking about that, Toby," replied the other; "and the best
way all around would be for you to keep the whole lot in your barn. Some
day we'll get together and divide up, because, as they stand now some
bags have only walnuts, others hickories, while a couple have got most
of the chestnuts in them."
"Are the rest agreeable, and do they trust me as far as that?" demanded
Toby.
"Trust you with my pocketbook, Toby," George assured him.
"That's because there's never a red cent in the same, then," the driver
flashed back, as quick as anything; "but see here, Elmer, what about the
other four half-filled sacks?"
"I was coming to that," replied the scout master; "and unless somebody
objects to the programme, why, I'll drop around after supper, say before
nine o'clock, and between us, Toby, we'll lift all our own bags out, and
stow the same away in that room in your barn that's got a lock to it.
Then I'd like you to hitch up Nancy again, so we can go around and drop
these other bags in the yards of the four fellows. It's apt to be pretty
quiet along about that time, even if it's Saturday night; and not much
danger of anybody spying on us."
"Just as you say, Elmer; I'm with you," replied Toby, who was a very
accommodating fellow, and easily influenced; "I guess I'll feel
stronger, and more like tackling the job after I've had my supper."
There was no objection to that plan, since it had already been decided
to work things that way; and possibly George, as well as Ted, felt that
they were escaping some hard labor when they allowed these two comrades
to shoulder the burden.
At various corners the others jumped off the heavily loaded wagon, and
made for their homes. It happened that no boys were abroad just then to
ask where they had been, for supper time came early in most of the
Hickory Ridge homes during the fall and winter days; and so Toby was not
forced to explain that he and his four chums had been off nutting.
True to his word by half-past eight Elmer made his appearance at the
Jones domicile, and with Toby and a lighted lantern proceeded to the big
barn. Here they found that the wagon stood just where it had been left
when Toby unharnessed Nancy, and stripping off their coats the two lads
proceeded to complete their job.
It was no light one at that, lifting out those sacks filled with nuts,
and stowing the same away in the man's room near by; but both were
husky fellows, and by degrees managed to complete their task.
"There," said Toby, wiping his streaming brow, "that part's done, and
the rest won't be so hard, because the bags are only half filled; but I
kind of wish we had 'em planted O.K., and were on the way home again.
Whew! what would happen, d'ye think, Elmer, if Connie Mallon dropped in
on us when we were dumping a sack over the fence into his yard?"
"That'd be hard to say," replied Elmer; "but what's the use crossing
bridges before you come to them? Time enough to bother with that when it
happens. And if you knew Connie as well as I do, because he doesn't live
far away from my house, you'd never expect him to be home at nine
o'clock on a Saturday night. He's too fond of loafing down in the pool
room with his crowd; or being off on some lark, robbing some orchard of
late apples. Now, suppose you lead Nancy out, after you've got her
harness on, and we'll hitch up."
This was soon done, and afterwards Toby started to back the vehicle out
of the barn, while Elmer extinguished the lantern.
"I'll leave it here alongside the door, so we can find it again when we
come back," he told the driver; after doing which he mounted beside
Toby, and they started off on their queer errand.
Phil Jackson lived close by the Jones home, so they paid the first visit
there. Lights could be seen through the windows, but the boys found it
an easy thing to lift one of the half-filled sacks of nuts out of the
wagon, and silently slip it over the fence, leaving it there to be
discovered by Phil is the morning.
After that a second visit was made, and their end was accomplished quite
as easily as at the Jackson house. The third one proved a little harder,
for there were some people standing at the door as the boys drove past.
"Better make a turn around the block, Toby," suggested the scout master;
"they've been having visitors, and perhaps they'll be gone when we get
back again."
This proved to be the case, and having decided just where they wished to
leave the sack of nuts, the boys drew in the animal and quickly dropped
their burden over the picket fence.
"Things are booming," remarked Toby; "that makes three of the lot, and
only one left, which is Connie Mallon's bag."
He seemed to be a little nervous about approaching this place, for the
bully had a bad reputation as a fighter among the boys of the town; but
everything appeared to be quiet, and there was not a single light to be
seen in the small house where the Mallon family lived.
All the same Toby breathed freer when he felt the bag slip from his
grasp over the fence. Hardly had they managed this than there was an
explosion of savage barks and a bulldog came rushing toward the corner.
"Wow! ain't I glad that Towser's on the other side of the fence?" Toby
exclaimed, as he hastened to jump up on the wagon; while the dog
continued to bark fiercely, with his blunt nose pressed against the
palings surrounding the enclosure; "hurry, Elmer, and let's get away. I
don't think he can climb fences, but I won't take any chances with that
brute. He's spoiled one pair of trousers for me already."
Soon afterwards the two boys parted at the gate of the Jones place.
"I feel like we'd had a great time of it to-day, don't you, Elmer?" Toby
was saying; and then, not waiting for an answer, he continued: "and I
have to laugh every time I think of what a crazy scramble that Connie
and his bunch put up when you gave 'em the ghost walk with that birch
bark horn. Most people like to see the ghost walk on pay days, but this
one wasn't the same kind. Wouldn't I give a cooky, though, to see what
they look like to-night, and hear what they say about bein' chased by
that Cartaret spook!"
"Well, it's been a good enough day for us, Toby; and I think we ought to
have a great time if we go up in that region for our Thanksgiving
camping trip. Good night," and with that Elmer walked away, not a little
tired himself, for it had been a pretty strenuous day, all told.
In the morning he was up early, because he had an object in view, and
Elmer was not the one to sleep late at any time, even though it were
Sunday morning.
From a certain place up in the loft of the barn he knew he could see the
Mallon yard quite plainly; and taking a field glass he owned along with
him, he now proceeded to occupy this lookout.
As he had already had some breakfast he was nor bothered by gnawing
hunger as he continued to sit there, and watch the back door of the
Mallon cottage.
He saw Connie's mother come out several times, and judged she was
getting breakfast ready. Then the big hulking boy himself appeared,
bearing a bucket in his hand, and yawning at a great rate.
Elmer sat up and watched closely, for he anticipated that a fellow who
possessed as sharp eyes as Connie, could not help but see the bag that
lay in plain sight near the fence. The dog had already been chained to
his kennel by Mrs. Mallon, the watcher fancied, though he had not seen
her do this. Connie stopped to speak to the ugly looking beast, and from
the way Towser wagged his crooked stump of a tail it seemed as though he
must be somewhat fond of his master.
Then the big boy shuffled on toward the well, where he was evidently
expecting to draw a bucket of drinking water.
Suddenly Elmer, who was using the glasses now, saw him come to a
standstill, and look straight at the bag, as though he could hardly
believe his eyes.
Down went the water pail, and Connie hastily strode across the yard
until he reached the bag lying where Elmer and Toby had dropped it, snug
up against the fence palings.
He bent down, and opening the bag by cutting the stout cord that had
been wound around the flap above the store of nuts, stared hard at the
latter. Elmer saw that he was greatly staggered, for he started to
scratch his head after the manner of one who did not know what to
believe. Just as Chatz had suggested, perhaps he began to think the
prize must have rained down in the night, for he examined the sack, and
evidently recognized it as one of those he had taken with him on the
preceding day when starting out on that nutting expedition with the idea
of getting ahead of the scouts.
Then again it might be that he began to believe all that affair of the
panic and flight must have been a bad dream, and that after all he and
his cronies had brought back some spoils when they returned. Again Elmer
saw him put his hand up to his face and feel of his cheek.
"He's got a cut there to show where he banged against a tree," the scout
told himself, "and that's plain proof there was a panic. There, he's
examining the bag again, as if he thought it would speak and explain the
mystery. This is surely worth watching. Hello! there comes Phil Jackson,
and that Benners fellow on the run. Looks like they had found their bags
at home, and are coming to see what Connie has to say about it. And now
there'll be a high old time, I expect."
There was, after the two newcomers had discovered that one of the bags
half filled with nuts stood in the Mallon yard, just as they had found
at their homes.
Elmer sat there for fully fifteen minutes, watching them talk and make
gestures. He imagined that they had quickly figured it all out, and must
know to whom they were indebted for a winter's stock of nuts. What they
might choose to do about it was another question, however. Elmer hoped
for the best, yet was prepared to meet the worst, whatever might come.
"Anyway, Connie's concluded not to refuse the nuts just because they
came to him through the scouts he hates so bitterly," Elmer concluded,
as he saw the Mallon boy shoulder the sack and carry it to the house,
after saying good-bye to the other two, who hastened away, possibly to
learn if the fourth and last member of the expedition had likewise been
favored by a visit from the fairies during the night.
School held for the next three days, and then came glorious Thanksgiving
with its turkey, and pumpkin pies, and all the splendid things that go
to make up the annual feast. All this while there had not been the least
hint from Connie or his three allies that they knew who put those nuts
there. It almost seemed as though they purposely avoided meeting Elmer
and his chums. Even at school they kept away from the others, and Toby
declared that it was mighty queer, because he had fully expected to have
a tongue lashing from the big bully, even if nothing more serious came
to pass.
Elmer was satisfied with the way things had turned out. As a scout he
could feel that he had done the right thing, and deep down in his heart
he hoped it might in some fashion show Connie Mallon there was such a
thing as returning evil with good.
Nothing might come of it just then, but Elmer hoped the seed would find
lodging, and perhaps later on germinate.
When they got to talking it over, as they made preparations for leaving
home bright and early on the morning after Thanksgiving, George of
course professed to doubt whether it had made even a dent in the callous
surface of Connie's mind.
"Take my word for it, fellows!" he declared, pompously, "you'd have to
swing a sledge hammer and give more'n a little tap at that, to make any
impression there, he's so extra tough. Chances are he just don't want to
stir us up for fear we'll tell the whole story, and all his pals would
have the laugh on him for running away from a ghost!"
Toby himself seemed more than half inclined to believe something along
these same lines; but Chatz knew Elmer must be looking beyond this
explanation, and still entertained hopes that the olive branch extended
might not be wholly wasted.
They had all their arrangements made that night, and expected to start
with the rising of the sun on Friday morning. This would give them two
nights in camp, even if they did have to come back on Sunday afternoon
in order to be ready for school on Monday.
"And it looks like we might have fine weather along with us, too," Elmer
told the others, as they said goodnight at his door; "there's a tang
like frost in the air even now, and you can see your breath easily. That
means we'll enjoy a camp fire more than ever, because it never feels
half as good on a hot summer night. Look for you bright and early, Toby,
with the wagon and the tent and all the stuff. I'll be ready with my
bundles, and that piece of ham."
All preparations having been made they parted with mutual good wishes
for a fair dawn, and Elmer, standing there in the doorway, found himself
a little disappointed because there had been no response to the
invitation extended to Connie Mallon to bridge over the chasm, at the
time they left those nuts in his yard.
Elmer was astir long before daybreak on the following morning, because
he meant to get himself a light breakfast, so as to be ready for the
wagon when it came along about sunrise. Having satisfied his hunger, and
seen that all his various bundles were ready he stepped out of the back
door to listen, in expectation of hearing the sound of wheels.
Then he had a little surprise, for hanging there on a nail beside the
door was a brace of freshly killed rabbits; and Elmer knew to a
certainty nothing the kind dangled there on the preceding evening.
He took them down, and laid them on the kitchen table, while a whimsical
smile crept over his boyish face, and a glow of satisfaction could be
seen in his eyes as he rubbed his hand along the sleek side of the
larger bunny.
For Elmer chanced to know that Connie Mallon had spent Thanksgiving day
off in the woods and meadows hunting; and the very fact that he had thus
shared the results of his tramp with the boy he had fought against so
long gave Elmer a queer feeling of triumph deep down in his heart.
Then the wagon came along, with all the other boys aboard, and the bed
of the vehicle pretty well filled with their camping outfit; so Elmer
got in his seat, wondering what Doubting George would have to say when
he learned how a good action may set even the worst boy in town to
thinking, and changing his ways.