HOW THE SCOUTS WON OUT.
THE newcomers, whose coming the boys had noted with pleasure, certainly
showed signs of knowing how to fight a fire in the country. In the first
place, they had brought their tools of trade along with them, in the
shape of buckets. Doubtless they remembered that on former occasions the
fire had gained headway simply on account of a lack of receptacles for
water.
Then they knew the brook, and that an abundance of water could be had
for the taking. Last of all every man was full of vim, judging from the
way they started in to whoop things up.
Besides, their coming seemed to invigorate those already on the ground,
and who, by reason of long service, were nearly exhausted.
"'Everybody's doin' it,' fellers!" gasped Landy, as he staggered forward
with his sixteenth bucket, and gave the contents a fling.
"It'th a burning thame, what we're doing to that old fire, don't you
know?" laughed Ted, who followed close on the fat boy's heels.
"Keep it going another round, boys," shouted Elmer; "and by that time, I
reckon, there won't be any more need of water. We've saved the house,
even if it is damaged a little with water and smoke and fire. That's the
ticket, Ty; you're making a record worth while to-day, old fellow! Once
more to the breach; then it's rest for yours."
"All out!" cried Landy, in another minute, as he dropped his bucket and
sank in a limp heap on the ground, a sight that would have caused his
good mother to throw up her hands in horror.
But Landy was proud of having had a chance to prove his right to the
name of a Hickory Ridge Boy Scout. He grinned, and looked particularly
happy; for he knew that when the history of the saving of the Brady home
was written, his name would surely have a place of honor among those who
participated in the good work.
By this time there were fully forty people present. How the news got
abroad it would be hard to say. Some of the farmers in that neighborhood
had telephones, and in this way it may have been passed along the line;
but there were many other methods in which the fire could have made
itself manifest.
New people kept arriving every few minutes; while a few went away again
to attend to the urgent business of getting in their late crops.
The four scouts remained in a bunch, talking matters over, and trying to
recover a little from their tremendous exertions before returning to the
camp.
"Thay, how d'ye thuppothe the old thing got thtarted?" Ted asked, with
the natural curiosity of a boy.
"That's so," echoed Landy. "It must have been an accident don't you
think, Elmer?" for even in such a matter as this they seemed to turn to
the patrol leader for information.
"I'm sure I can't say, fellows," replied Elmer. "At this time in the
morning the hands on a farm are out in the fields, and the women washing
up the breakfast things. Perhaps they've got a gasoline stove here, and
somebody was careless. It happens now and then."
"But here comes Mr. Brady over this way; he may know what started the
old blaze," remarked Ty.
"Looks kind of smiling," ventured Landy; "which I take it is some
singular for a gentleman whose house has pretty near gone up in smoke.
Tell you what, I know why he's heading this way, fellows."
"Then thay it right out, Landy," remarked Ted, who had noted how the fat
boy looked toward Ty and grinned.
"He's coming with a handful of thanks for our brave chum here, on
account of how he saved the little Brady girl's darling baby, Bennie,"
said Landy.
"Huh!" snorted Ty, "I did my best, anyhow, and that's all any fellow c'n
do. How was I to know it was only a silly little purp, and not a real
human being? Didn't she call it the baby? Laugh all you want, Landy; but
all I c'n say is that I reckon anyone of you fellers would have done
just as bad."
"And that's as fine a compliment as you could pay us, Ty!" declared
Elmer, heartily. "As for me, I want to say right here and now that I'm
proud of the way you went into that burning house, thinking that a poor
little baby was in danger. In my mind it's just as if you had done what
you meant to; and I'm glad to own you as a chum. Never mind if some
fellows try to have a little fun out of it; they don't mean anything by
it. But here's Mr. Brady."
The farmer was a heavy-set man in the prime of life. He, too, had worked
hard in the effort to save his house; but despite his anxiety and
fatigue, he approached the four scouts with kindling eyes and an
outstretched hand.
"I want to shake hands with every one of you boys," he said, earnestly.
"Only for you coming when you did, and takin' hold with such a vim, I
guess the old Brady farmhouse would have gone up that time. I see you
all wear trousers and leggings that say you belong to the Hickory Ridge
Boy Scouts; and make sure that I don't mean to forget this. I want the
name of every one of you, and I'm going to make it a point to see your
folks, to tell them what reason they've got to be proud of having such
boys in the family."
The way that horny hand of the farmer squeezed those of the boys told
that he meant every word he uttered. Landy winced under the pressure,
and came very near crying out for mercy; only he remembered that this
would not seem just right, when they were at the time being complimented
on their manly qualities.
"We're only too glad that we happened to be coming over to your place at
just the right time, Mr. Brady," remarked Elmer. "If we'd been at our
camp, perhaps we might not have known of the fire until it was too late
to do much good."
"Coming to see me, the four of you, were you?" said the other, looking a
trifle curious. "What could I do for you, boys? All you have to do is to
mention it: after your noble work this morning I guess it'd be hard for
me to refuse any favor."
"But you see, sir," Landy exclaimed, "we didn't want to ask a favor.
Fact is, we wanted to do you one, perhaps."
"I have been looking around, Mr. Brady," observed Elmer, "and I failed
to see your two new hands working to save the house--the short man and
his tall mate."
Immediately the face of the farmer darkened, and they saw his hands
close with a movement that seemed to speak of anger.
"No, you didn't, my lad, and for a very good reason," he said,
breathing hard. "They turned out to be a pair of rascals. My daughter
caught them in the act of robbing the house this very morning. I had
sent them out into a field back of the barns, and they knew that with my
son and the horses I expected to go to another part of the farm. So they
waited till the coast was clear, and then sneaked back to the house,
entering through a window when the women folks were busy in the kitchen
and dairy."
"Oh!" gasped Landy, who had not dreamed that this could be the
explanation of the fire; "then they must have been caught in the act,
and did it for revenge?"
"Just what they did," replied Mr. Brady, with his teeth gritting in
anger. "My oldest daughter just happened to go upstairs, and ran across
them turning things upside down in the search for valuables. She
screamed, and knowing that the rest of the women folks must have heard
the row, the scoundrels deliberately put matches to things, and then,
jumping from the windows, made off, laughing."
"Did they steal much from you, Mr. Brady?" asked Ty.
"That I don't know yet, because the fire took up all my attention as
soon as I got on the ground. And I don't bother much about what they
took, I'm that thankful about saving my house, and that nobody was
hurt," the farmer went on.
"Not even little Bennie," murmured Landy; though Elmer gave him a
reproachful look.
"Well, sir," the patrol leader went on, "it happens that we were just on
our way here to warn you about your new hands. One of our troop arrived
in camp last night, and told us a story about two tramps trying to wreck
the express train; and that the officers of several towns were looking
for them. When he described the fellows some of us thought the two new
hands might be the ones who were wanted."
"Yes," Ty spoke up, "and if Elmer had had his way we'd have come to see
you last night; but the rest of the bunch, being lazy or tired, voted to
wait till morning. Elmer knew best; he nearly always does."
"Well," the farmer went on, "it was nice of you to think of giving me
warning any time; and mighty lucky that you were on your way here when
the fire started. Only for that there would be a heap of ruins here,
instead of my old house, which has been in the family many generations."
"You say the two men ran away, Mr. Brady?" remarked Elmer, who felt more
or less curiosity concerning their movements.
"So the women folks say," came the reply. "Connie, my girl, the one who
came on them while they were turning things upside down, looking under
the mattresses of the beds for money, and even under the edges of the
carpets. She says they ran toward the barns. But I had the horses with
me, so they didn't find a mount."
"Thay, perhapth they're hiding right now over there in the haymow, or
thomewhere!" suggested Ted.
"Oh, my goodness! That would be too good a thing, wouldn't it?" cried
Landy, scrambling to his feet, part of his weariness seeming to leave
him at the prospect of new excitement.
"I never thought of that, now," said the farmer. "The rascals might have
made up their minds that, after all the excitement was over, another
chance would crop up to do some clever robbery. Perhaps I'd be wise to
get some of the men together, and take a look through the barns."
"Wait a minute, Mr. Brady," said Elmer. "Because, unless I miss my
guess, yonder comes a car that holds some men in uniforms, and they may
turn out to be officers from Hickory Ridge, Fairfield, or some other
place, looking for information about these very two men."
"Bully! Wouldn't that just be the best thing ever, to think of their
happening here when we need them so much," remarked Landy, staring at
the coming ear.
"They must have been passing by when they met some of the neighbors
going home, and learned of the fire," ventured Mr. Brady, who made a
motion with his arm to attract the attention of the big, pompous-looking
officer who was getting out of the automobile.
"I know who he is," remarked Ty. "That's the head of the police over at
Fairfield. His name is Benchley. I've talked with him more'n once. Why,
he used to run some sort of auction shop before they made him the chief
over there. And here he comes to interview us. My! Just get on to his
strut, will you, fellows?"
"Everybody look out how you talk when he's around!" exclaimed Landy. "He
looks as if he'd like to pinch everybody around, and slap 'em into the
cooler, just to beep his hand in."
But Mr. Brady had stepped out to meet the man in uniform.
"What's been going on here, mister?" asked the officer, with a heavy
frown in the direction of the four boys; as though he might be so
accustomed to having his share of trouble with the untamed youths of
Fairfield and Cramertown, that he naturally came to the conclusion, when
anything went wrong, in most cases, it could be traced back to the
depravity of the rising generation.
Evidently Mr. Benchley was always at war with the boys of his town,
which was one of the greatest mistakes the head of the police force
could make. In Hickory Ridge they managed things better, for the chief
there had long since won the respect of most of the lads, who knew they
had a good friend in the head of the force.
"Been having a fire; but we were fortunate enough to get it under
control before much damage had been done," replied Mr. Brady.
"Did these chaps have anything to do with it?" demanded the pompous man
in uniform, again frowning at Elmer and his chums.
"Sure they did, a whole lot," replied the farmer.
"Then you want them taken in, I reckon," interrupted the officer,
bracing himself, as though he might be ready to sweep the four scouts
into his car without further ceremony.
"Taken in?" repeated Mr. Brady. "Well, I should say not. When I agreed
with you that these lads had had considerable to do with the fire I
meant that only for the grand work they did, my house would have burned
to the ground!"
"Then they didn't set the blaze going?" growled the big man. "Who did,
then?"
"Two men I engaged yesterday as farm hands; and from what I hear I
believe they are the very scoundrels you are looking for this minute,"
the farmer replied.