THE AWAKENING OF STEP HEN.
"Say fellers, did anybody see that----"
Step Hen had just managed to get that far in what he was about to say,
when he was rudely interrupted by a combined shout from Giraffe, Davy
Jones, and Bumpus.
"Don't you dare accuse us of taking any of your old traps, Step Hen!"
said the last named scout, severely.
"We're sure gettin' awful tired of that war cry," declared Giraffe.
"It's always this thing or that he's lost, and never by his own fault at
all. A sly little jinx is hoverin' around, ready to grab up a thing just
as soon as Step lays it down. Still, I notice that every single time, it
turns out he put it there himself. Get a new tune for a change, Step
Hen, and ring it on us."
"By the way," remarked Smithy, who was very polite, and never joined in
the loud and boisterous jeers that greeted some break on the part of a
comrade; "what fresh misfortune has overtaken you now, Step Hen?"
"Oh!" replied the other, with a broad grin, "when our funny friends
broke in on me that way, I was only going to ask if any of you
wide-awake scouts had noticed that I had my badge turned right-side up,
early this morning?"
There was a general laugh at this, even the three culprits joining in.
Among all Boy Scouts, it has become the proper wrinkle to turn the badge
upside down to start the day; and the wearer has no right to change its
position until he has done an actual good deed toward some one else; or
even helped an animal that was in distress. Many are the expedients
resorted to, in order to gain this privilege; for it is deemed in bad
taste to spend the entire day with the badge reversed on the lapel of
the coat.
A thousand ways can be found whereby the boy may feel that he has a
right to alter the position of his badge, and prove that he had done
something of a kindly nature, that is a credit to his character. An old
woman may be helped across the street; a heavy basket carried for a
child; a box that is trying the strength of a single man may be made
easier to lift into a wagon by a pair of sturdy, willing hands; the
harness that is galling the shoulder of a horse can be rendered less
troublesome if a rag is doubled up, and fastened to the leather--well,
the list of things that wide-awake scouts find in order to gain this
privilege would really seem to be without end.
So all the others now turned toward Step Hen, with curiosity expressed
on their faces; for they seemed to guess that it could be no ordinary
explanation that he meant to give them.
"What wonderful stunt did you manage to carry through so early in the
day, down in this forsaken country?" demanded Giraffe.
Bumpus looked forlornly at his own badge, that still hung to his coat
lapel in its reversed position; showing that he, at least, had not been
able to discover any means of doing a good turn to some object, however
humble; in fact, he had, like most of the other boys, entirely forgotten
about the usual programme. There were no old ladies to help down here;
no errands to run for mother; no problems to solve for little brother;
nothing but the everlasting mountains rising grimly all about them, and
silence lying on the scene like a great blanket.
"I reckon I'm the only one in the bunch that's been smart enough to get
his badge turned to-day," chuckled Step Hen, proudly exhibiting the
article in question; "and I'd just like the fun of hearing all of you
try and guess how I managed it; but then, I know you'd never hit on the
truth in a thousand years; and so I s'pose I'll have to up and tell
you."
"Oh! wake me up, somebody, when he gets really started," groaned
Giraffe; "of all the slow-pokes, Step Hen takes the cake."
"I'll tell you," began the other, with a sly look toward the speaker, as
though he purposely delayed his disclosure in order to annoy the
impatient Giraffe; "you see, it was this way, fellows. I happened to be
walking out along the back road just after we'd done breakfast. Thought
I'd dropped my handkerchief somewhere, but afterwards I found it inside
my hat, you know."
"Sure, it's always that way," muttered Giraffe, who lay with his eyes
closed, but drinking in all that was said.
"Well," continued Step Hen, "all at once I noticed something that
interested me a whole lot. There was one of them queer little
tumble-bugs you always see ashovin' round balls along the road, an'
goin' somewhere that nobody ever yet found out. This critter was tryin'
like all possessed to push his ball up a steep little place in the
road. Sometimes he'd get her close to the top, and then lose his grip;
when it'd roll all the way back again.
"Say, boys, that insect's pluck interested me a heap, now, I'm tellin'
you. Right there I got one of the best lessons a scout ever picked up in
all his life; which was the old story, 'if at first you don't succeed,
try, try again.' And he kept on tryin' again and again. I must a stayed
there all of half an hour, just watchin' that game little critter
pushin' his ball up against the hardest luck ever. And then, when I just
couldn't stand it any longer I took bug and ball in my hand, and put 'em
both up on top of that rise. And after that I thought I had a right to
turn my badge right-side up!"
The scouts looked at each other. Somehow, they did not laugh, though
surely it must have been one of the queerest reasons ever advanced by a
fellow-scout, as an excuse for wearing his badge honorably.
Despite its grotesque nature, there was also something rather pathetic
about the thought of Step Hen, only a careless, half-grown lad at best,
spending a whole lot of time, simply watching an humble but game little
beetle trying to fight against hard luck, and almost as interested in
the outcome as the wretched bug itself.
"How about that, Mr. Scoutmaster; is Step entitled to wear his badge
that way, on account of helping that silly little bug climb his
mountain?" asked Davy, turning to Thad; but though his words might seem
to indicate a touch of scorn, there was certainly nothing of the sort in
his manner.
Thad himself had been amused, and deeply interested, in Step Hen's
recital. Only too well did he know what a careless and indifferent
fellow the boy had ordinarily been classed, both at school and at home.
Seldom, if ever, had he paid the least attention to things that were
happening all around him, and which might appeal to the sympathies of
boys who were made of finer grain than Step Hen.
And now, it seemed that something had been making an insidious change
inside the scout; when he could feel such intense interest in so trivial
a thing as the pluck of an obscure tumble-bug. Time was when Step Hen
would have cared little whether or not he came down with his heel upon
such an object, which ought to know better than get in his path.
It was different now, since Step Hen had joined the scouts. His eyes had
been opened to many things, the existence of which he had never dreamed
in those other days. And he could never again be the same indifferent
fellow; he must go on advancing along the trail that led to a better
knowledge of Nature's great secrets; and above all else, the capacity
that lay within his own heart for understanding these myriads of small
but wonderful things.
"I'm not going to answer that question myself, Davy," said Thad, with a
smile. "Fact is, I'd much rather have the candid opinion of every scout
on the subject. So I'm going to put it to a vote, here and now; and I
want you to be serious about it, small matter though it may seem; for
upon such things rests the very foundations of the whole Boy Scout
movement--observing, understanding, appreciating."
"Whew!" muttered Giraffe, "and all this fuss about one little
tumble-bug!"
"Those who really and truly think Step Hen had a full right to turn his
badge right side up for the interest he took in that game little
creature's struggle to overcome what seemed unsurmountable difficulties,
and for lending a helping hand in the end, raise the right hand," and
Thad put his up for a starter.
Not counting Step Hen himself, there were just seven fellows present
when Thad asked them to show their colors. And including the scoutmaster
himself, just seven instantly raised a hand.
Thad laughed softly. It gave him more pleasure than he could tell to see
that the boys understood the motive that had swayed their comrade. And
doubtless this vote of confidence would urge Step Hen to go along the
path he had discovered, with ever-increasing confidence, as its charms
continued to be revealed in ever-increasing proportions day by day. A
new world would soon open up to his inquiring eyes. He would find ten
thousand things of tremendous interest all around him, to which he had
up to now been as blind as a bat. Never again would he feel alone, even
though no comrade were at his side; for he could discover innumerable
objects about him at any time, calculated to chain his attention.
"Seems to be unanimous, fellows," remarked Thad; "and I hereby publicly
commend our comrade, Step Hen, for his action of this morning. Yes, he
did have a right to turn his badge. It was not so much _what_ he did, as
the feeling he showed in, first of all, stopping to watch the bug;
second, getting tremendously interested in its never-give-up spirit;
third, in applying the principal to himself; and last but not least, his
desire to lend a helping hand. For Step Hen, boys, this has been a day
that some time later on in life, he will mark with a white stone; for he
has begun to notice things. And with the fever on him, he'll have to
keep on noticing, until he'll think it's not the same old world at all
but one filled at every turn with splendid discoveries. I know, because
I've been through the same thing myself."
"Hurrah!" said Giraffe, who had been considerably impressed by what the
scoutmaster had said. "What did I tell you, fellows, about not missing
Dr. Philander Hobbs, our regular scoutmaster, on this hike? D'ye think
now, he could have said all that one-half as good as Thad did? I guess
not. And Step Hen, I'm ashamed to say that the whole blessed day has
gone by without my ever thinking to do something good for another
feller, so I could turn my badge over. There she rests; and I give you
all fair notice that to-morrow I'm going to start in right away to get
it moving."
"Plenty of time to-night yet, Giraffe," piped up Davy. "I happen to know
a fellow who thinks a certain knife you own would look mighty fine in
his pocket, if only you'd take the trade he offers. Now, if you made him
happy, p'raps you'd have the right to turn your badge; and he c'd do
ditto, making it a killing of two birds with one stone. Better think it
over, Giraffe."
The tall boy looked at Davy with a frown, and shook his head.
"'Tain't fair to put it up to me that way, Davy," he declared,
obstinately. "You just know I don't want to trade, the least bit. Now,
if you'd say, that on the whole you'd concluded to quit botherin' me,
that would be a good deed, and I reckon you'd ought to have the right to
turn your badge."
At this ingenious return thrust Davy subsided, with a grin, and a
general laugh arose from the other scouts.
But if most of the boys were merry, there was one who looked sober
enough. Of course this was Bob Quail. He knew what a tremendous
undertaking he had before him, and the results seemed so uncertain that
it was only natural he should feel the heavy weight resting upon his
young shoulders.
First of all, he must meet his cousin, Bertha, and learn what success
had followed her efforts to discover whether the paper she had seen by
accident in her guardian's safe was the missing document which Bob
believed Reuben had abstracted, placing another in its place. Then,
later on, he had that appointment with Polly, the moonshiner's daughter,
who was to bring him news concerning the mysterious prisoner.
Yes, Bob certainly had quite enough on his young mind to make him
anything but jovial. Still, he had been more or less interested in what
was going on around him, for he was, after all, a boy.
They were eating supper, as they chatted in this way. Night had settled
down on the scene. It promised to be a pretty dark night at that, Thad
realized, as he looked around him, and then up at the heavens, where a
few stars held forth, but gave very little light.
It was fortunate that Bob happened to be so well acquainted around that
vicinity otherwise he would never have been able to cross to the other
side of the strange little basin which they called a valley, without
carrying a lantern; and this in itself must be out of the question,
since its light would betray him.
While they were eating, they heard a gunshot not far away.
"Wow! what d'ye think that means?" exclaimed Giraffe, jumping to his
feet, and looking off in the gloom toward the back trail. "Seemed to me
like it came from down that way, eh, boys."
"It sure did," announced Davy Jones, positively.
"And it was a gun in the bargain, with a big load. What d'ye s'pose they
could find to shoot at in the dark?" demanded Step Hen.
"Oh! lots of things," replied Allan. "If a bobcat jumped in on us right
now, we'd think of using our gun, wouldn't we? But it might be that shot
was some sort of signal, after all."
"There wasn't any answer, that's sure," interposed Bumpus.
"But seems to me I can hear somebody talking pretty loud that way,"
observed the listening Thad.
"I did too," declared Smithy; "but it's died away now, as though the
excitement might be over. I wonder what it was, fellows?"
"Chances are, we'll never know," returned Giraffe, settling back once
more to continue eating, for he was not yet through.
"Lots of queer things are happening all around us, that we'll never
know," remarked Step Hen, seriously.
Thad looked at him curiously. This was a strange remark to come from the
happy-go-lucky Step Hen. It looked as though his one little experience
of that morning had indeed done wonders toward causing the careless lad
to turn over a new leaf. He was beginning to _think_, and see what a
great big world this is after all. His horizon had been moved back
hugely since he first yawned, and stretched, that same morning.
And the queer part of it was that no one thought to joke the boy about
his altered disposition. They seemed to understand that it was no joking
matter. Doubtless Step Hen's reformation would not be accomplished in a
day, nor a week, nor even a month; but he had taken the first step, and
from now on must begin to arouse himself to making a good use of the
faculties with which a kindly Nature had endowed him.
"Listen!" exclaimed Thad, a little while later, just as they were about
done supper.
"I heard somebody talking, too!" declared Davy Jones; while Allan showed
by his manner that the sounds had surely come to his acute hearing,
trained by long service in the piney woods of his native state.
"They're comin' this way, too; I c'n hear 'em pushin' through the
bushes, and stumblin' along too." Bumpus declared, in an awed tone;
looking a trifle worried, and wishing Thad would only snatch up that
gun, lying against the tree trunk, which the other did not seem at all
anxious to do.
The voices drew steadily nearer, as the boys stood and listened.
"Hyar's a fire, Nate; we gut ter git him thar, sure's anything. I tell
yuh he'll never be able tuh walk 'crost tuh the doc's cabin. He'll bleed
tuh death long 'foah we gits thar with 'im. Steady now, Cliff; hyah's a
light, an' we kin see how bad yuh is hurt!"
Then, while the scouts stood and stared in amazement, a group of three
men staggered into view, two of them assisting the third, whose
faltering steps showed that he must have been injured, even if the arm
that dangled helplessly at his side had not told the tale of a serious
gunshot wound!
No wonder that the Boy Scouts felt a thrill as they watched these rough
mountaineers enter their camp in this strange way.