HOMEWARD BOUND--CONCLUSION
"HELP! Let go of me! Hi! Elmer, he's up here! Come quick, I can't hold
him any longer!"
That was what Toby was shrieking excitedly, as he struggled with the
poor demented Spanish War veteran. Then there came answering shouts from
Elmer, now close at hand; but of course Toby could not carry out any
directions that were fired at him.
Presently those below saw the two figures topple over the edge, Toby
still frantically clutching his beloved parachute, which was extended to
its fullest dimensions, and the other evidently fiercely trying to hold
on to his supposed enemy.
The extended blanket was torn from the grasp of the two boys, despite
their earnest attempt to hold it taut; but at the same time it must have
helped break the fall of the pair. The parachute had not been built for
two, and could not be expected to bear their combined weight, in spite
of Toby's boasts about half a ton not being too much.
One of the recumbent figures instantly sprang to his knees. It was Toby,
and he still gripped the rod of his parachute with a determined hold.
"Never hurt me a teenty bit!" he shrilled, in his excitement; and then
he suddenly stilled his ardor, for on looking down he saw the crazy
man, dressed in that soiled white uniform brought from Cuba, lying there
with the blood trickling down the side of his head, and the sight
shocked Toby into repressing his exultation.
But Elmer was coming on the run, and already Doctor Ted had knelt beside
Ralph Oxley, with his professional instincts all aroused. He sent one of
the boys racing to the camp for his medicine case; and Elmer on his
arrival suggested that they carry the unconscious young man to where the
fire burned.
Being scouts, and accustomed to making a good litter out of almost
anything, they speedily arranged it so that between four of them the
victim of the fall was borne to the camp. On the way they met Lil Artha
and George, hurrying toward the house; but of course these parties now
returned with them, since the medicine case was needed in camp.
Ted first of all washed the wound in the young soldier's head with cold
water, and then applied a cloth soaked in soothing balm, that would
assist in stopping the bleeding.
"Oh! I hope he isn't going to die on us," said Toby, who seemed to feel
that in some way his desire to test his parachute life-saving appliance
from the tower of the old house had brought this near-tragedy about, and
hence he felt unusually sorry.
"I don't think tho," Doctor Ted hastened to tell him; "he got a nathty
cwack on the head, and it's fwactured it thome, but right now he theems
to be coming out of the daze. There, did you thee his eyeth open and
thut again? Next time he'll keep them open, believe me, fellowth."
Imagine the amazement and consternation of the boys when a minute later
Ralph Oxley not only opened his eyes, but stared all around at each one
in turn, then at the tents and the burning camp fire.
"Where am I?" he stammered, weakly. "What's all this mean? Are we still
at the front? Where's my khaki uniform like the ones you're wearing, and
why have you put this old white one on me? It's a Spanish suit. I know
because I've got one like it home. Who are you? I don't seem to
recognize any of you boys."
What seemed next door to a miracle had been wrought! Elmer and Ted
stared eagerly at each other as though they could hardly believe their
senses.
"He's got his mind back again!" exclaimed Chatz, wildly exultant. "It
must have been the crack on the head did it. I've heard of such things,
but never thought I'd ever run up against a case. Why, he's as sensible
as any of us, fellows!"
Elmer rushed forward, and stood over the recumbent man, who looked at
him with a puzzled air.
"Your name is Ralph Oxley, isn't it?" asked the scout master, quietly.
"Yes, it is, but--" began the other, when Elmer raised his hand to stop
him.
"I'll explain as near as I can to you," he went on to say. "You were
hurt on the head a few years ago, and went out of your mind. Ever since
your folks have kept you at home because they said you were not
dangerous, but there was an attendant employed to look after you. Some
weeks ago you escaped, and nobody has ever found where you went. They
feared you had been drowned somewhere. But you must have had the idea
you were a Spanish soldier escaped from an American prison, for you have
been in hiding up here at the old Cartaret house, and getting what food
you could by raiding the farms all around. We are Boy Scouts belonging
at Hickory Ridge, and the other day when we were up here we thought we
glimpsed somebody, but a few of my chums believed it was a ghost. Now
we've come to spend our Thanksgiving holidays in camp. You had a bad
tumble, striking your head again, and cutting it; but somehow it has
brought you back to your right mind, Ralph Oxley."
The young man, who could hardly have been more than thirty-five years of
age, though a veteran of the Spanish war, put up his hand, and felt of
his head, wincing with the pain the contact gave him. A tinge of color
was creeping back into his pale face, which Elmer was delighted to see.
"It is all a mystery to me," Ralph Oxley told them, shaking his head.
"I have no recollection of doing anything like you say. In fact, the
last thing I remember seems to be of riding out to look over a new farm
my father had bought, and of my horse running away when some one shot
close by the road. After that it is all a dead blank; and yet you say
some years have passed since then?"
He seemed awed by the thought.
"That must have been where you were thrown, striking on your head,
received the injury that caused your mind to become a blank," Elmer told
him; while Doctor Ted nodded vigorously as though seconding the motion.
"But I'm in a terrible position, with only these thin clothes on, and no
shoes or socks on my feet," remarked the man, who, now that he had
returned to his senses, could apparently feel the sting of the cold air,
something that doubtless he may not have been sensitive to before.
"Perhaps we can fix you up with something to tide over," Chatz told him.
"Here's Lil Artha, whose feet must be the same size as yours, and I
happen to know he brought a pair of new extra moccasins along, which he
hasn't worn yet."
First one, and then another proposed lending Ralph certain garments,
until in the end he was well taken care of. He even sat with them,
propped up in a comfortable seat, and ate the dinner the scouts
prepared, asking dozens of eager questions, many of which they were not
able to answer, because they concerned his people, and none of the
scouts happened to know them.
"I'm going to make a proposition to you, fellows," said Elmer, when they
had finished their meal; "and here it is. You know Stackhouse is about
eleven miles away from here, though twice that far from Hickory Ridge.
My map shows a fairly decent road leading there. Suppose we pull up
stakes and start for Mr. Oxley's home? We could make it before sunset, I
should think. It's true that our camping trip would be cut short a day,
but I'm sure I voice the sentiments of every fellow that we'll feel
mighty well repaid for any little sacrifice like that when we turn in to
the Oxley place and bring back their lost son, not what he was when he
ran away, but clothed in his right mind. Everybody in favor of that move
say aye!"
A chorus answered him in the affirmative; why, even that hardened
objector, Doubting George, shouted with the rest; for once having
apparently chosen to be what Toby called "civilized."
Ralph Oxley had tears in his eyes as he insisted on shaking hands with
every one of the scouts.
"You're a fine lot of boys, let me tell you!" he declared, with deep
feeling; "and I wouldn't accept your sacrifice only for my mother's
sake. They ought to know the happy news as soon as possible. Every
minute that I'm delayed is just so much more suffering for my dear
parents; and a sweet girl too that I was going to marry when that
accident came about. But I'll never forget it, fellows; and you'll hear
from the Oxley family later on."
"Not a word about any money reward, suh!" cried Chatz, sternly; "we're
scouts, and we'd scorn to accept anything in the way of pay for doing a
thing like this. It's given us a heap more pleasure than anything that's
happened for many moons, believe me, suh!"
"And to think," added Toby, with a beaming smile on his face, "my
remarkable parachute came near holding up double weight. I really
believe if only Mr. Oxley here hadn't managed to strike his head on that
cornice when he fell, both of us would have landed without a scratch.
And let me tell you that I think it's already shown what a life-saver
it's bound to be."
"Hurrah for Jones, the greatest after Edison this country has ever
produced," cried Lil Artha, pretending to wave his hat furiously.
They were soon all at work, and the tents came down with a rush, for
long experience along these lines had made Elmer and his scouts clever
hands at anything pertaining to camp life. Nancy was hitched up, and the
wagon loaded. They made a comfortable seat with the tents and the
blankets for the injured young man; and before an hour had elapsed,
after finishing that last meal, they had said good-bye to the haunted
house, and were on their way.
It was a long though not uninteresting afternoon ride; because they were
passing over a district that was practically new to them.
Presently they overtook a young woman who was tripping along ahead of
them. Just as Elmer was about to ask her something about the Oxleys she
gave a shriek, and rushing to the tail-end of the wagon commenced to
reach out toward the wounded passenger, calling his name in great
excitement.
It developed, of course, that this was the same girl Ralph had been
about to marry at the time of his unfortunate accident; and her wild
delight at finding that the missing one had not only been found, but was
restored to his proper senses as by a miracle, can better be imagined
than described.
Shortly afterwards they turned in at the fine Oxley farm, and it was not
long before the greatest excitement came about that had been known in
that region for many a month. The mother had her boy in her arms, and
was trying to laugh and cry at the same time; the father came running
madly to the spot; and what with dogs barking, and people shouting,
persons passing must have thought a lunatic asylum had broken loose.
The boys did not linger long after they had seen the family reunited;
though everybody wanted to shower them with thanks, and praise for their
having brought such happiness to the bereft home of the Oxleys. And
Ralph assured them that he and the young woman who was to be his wife
would certainly drive over to see the Hickory Ridge folks just as soon
as he was able to be about again.
Well, as they were a long distance from home, with darkness near at
hand, the boys determined to go as far along the road toward Hickory
Ridge as Nancy could draw the load, and then proceed to camp somewhere
for one night.
It was all a part of the outing, and no one appeared to regret having
followed the generous dictates of their warm young hearts.
While their camp that night may not have been as comfortable as before,
because of the lack of time to do certain things, they managed to get a
fair amount of sleep. No doubt the consciousness of having responded to
the demands of scout duty afforded them more or less solid satisfaction;
for even George was heard to say, as they drew near the familiar home
scenes on that quiet Sunday afternoon, it had been one of the best
little outings the Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts had ever enjoyed; and it
must needs be something beyond the ordinary that could coax this kind of
stuff from Doubting George.
But that year was fated not to die out without Elmer and his chums being
given another splendid opportunity to show what their scout training was
worth, as the reader will discover upon securing the volume that follows
this, and which is to be had under the title of "The Hickory Ridge Boy
Scouts Storm-Bound; or, A Vacation Among the Snow Drifts."
THE END
_The Mountain Boys Series_
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LIST OF TITLES
ETHEL MORTON AT CHAUTAUQUA
ETHEL MORTON AND THE CHRISTMAS SHIP
ETHEL MORTON'S HOLIDAYS
ETHEL MORTON AT ROSE HOUSE
ETHEL MORTON'S ENTERPRISE
ETHEL MORTON AT SWEET BRIER LODGE
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* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
First advertising page, "Chenoweth" changed to "Chenowith" to match
actual book usage (Elmer Chenowith, a lad from)
Page 131, "Sandy" changed to "Landy" (Landy was complaining)