Sure Pop saw, the moment he laid eyes on Bob and Betty next morning,
that they had made up their minds to earn a magic button apiece that
day.
"Where shall we go for today's adventure?" was the first question.
The Safety Scout laughed. "We probably shan't have to go far. Once a
Scout's eyes are really open, so that danger signs other folks wouldn't
notice begin to mean something to him, why, adventure walks right up to
him. It walked right up to you two yesterday, but you didn't read the
signs till too late. Being a Scout, remember, means doing the right
thing at the right moment. Now let's start out and walk a few blocks,
and see what danger signals we come across that other folks are
overlooking."
Just as they opened the gate, Mrs. Dalton came to the door. "Bob! Come
here a moment, please. I want you to take a note over to Mrs. Hoffman's
for me. Their telephone is out of order."
She lowered her voice as she handed him the letter, and added, "Who is
that out there with Betty?"
"Oh, that's one of the Scouts. We're going out for a little practice
scouting."
Mrs. Dalton knew how eagerly Bob had been awaiting the day when he could
become a Boy Scout. She trusted the Scouts and was glad to have Bob and
Betty spend their vacation time in scouting. She little guessed that the
three friends were to start an order of Safety Scouts which even fathers
and mothers would join.
Bob hurried back to Betty and Sure Pop. "Can you wait while I run over
to Mrs. Hoffman's with this? All right, I'll be back in no time!"
Hurrying though he was, he looked both ways before he crossed the car
tracks, for already the habit of "thinking Safety" was growing on him.
He reached Mrs. Hoffman's in record time, delivered the note, and raced
back toward home.
As he slowed down to catch his breath, he met a crowd of yelling
youngsters "playing Indians." Several of them wore Indian suits. One,
dressed as a cowboy, tried to rope him as he passed. This gave the
Indians an idea, and they came howling after Bob, waving their tomahawks
and promising to scalp him. Two yelping dogs joined in the chase.
Bob grinned and broke into a long, easy run which soon shook the
redskins off his trail. But at a sudden delighted whoop from the enemy
he stopped and looked back.
"Hi-yi!" yelled the biggest Indian. "Look at that telephone wire on the
ground! Come on, let's chop it off and use it to bind the palefaces to
the stake."
Pellmell across the street swarmed the little fellows, each bound to get
there first. But Bob was too quick for them. Hatless, breathless, he
threw himself between the Indians and the swaying wire. "Get back!" he
roared. "That's no telephone wire--it's alive! Keep back, I say! You'll
be killed!"
It was no easy thing to stand between the youngsters and the deadly
wire. They were laughing and yelling so hard, and the dogs were barking
so wildly, that at first Bob couldn't get the idea of danger into their
heads. He fairly had to knock two or three of them down to keep them
from hacking at the wire with their hatchets. Would they never
understand? "I won't forget this time, anyway!" muttered the boy,
gritting his teeth as he remembered the "three keeps" of the Scout Law.
Up ran one of the dogs, capering around with sharp, ear-splitting barks,
and tried to get his teeth into Bob's ankle. When Bob tried to kick him
away, of course the Indians and cowboys yelled harder than ever. The dog
stumbled and fell across the electric wire--gave one wild yelp of
pain--and lay there kicking and struggling, unable to jerk himself
loose. Worst of all, he had landed in a puddle of water, so that the
electric current was pouring straight through his twitching body into
the wet earth.
At last Bob managed to drive all the boys back out of harm's way, only
to see one of the cowboys rush for the dog with a cry that tore at Bob's
heartstrings.
"It's Tige! Oh, Tige!--poor old Tige! Let me go! I've _got_ to save my
dog!"
Bob had grabbed the little fellow and held him tight. "Too late, old
scout," he said, with tears in his own eyes as he saw the dog kicking
his last. "Tige's done for, I'm afraid. Keep back, there--that wire will
get you too!" For the boys were crowding nearer again.
"Who has a telephone at home?" asked Bob.
"We have," said one of the larger boys.
"Then run home quick, call up the Electric Light Company, and have them
send their repair crew. Tell them a live wire has killed Tige and may
kill the boys if they don't hurry. Tell 'em it's at the corner of Broad
Street and Center Avenue. Run!"
While he waited for the repair wagon, Bob managed to get the boys lined
up in all directions, where they could mount guard over the danger zone.
Then he stood guard with the rest, and they succeeded in keeping all
teams and passers-by from running into danger till the repair men came.
It seemed a long while before the clatter of hoofs and the rumble of
heavy wheels told him the rescue party was coming at last. He jumped
with surprise when the repair wagon dashed around the corner and pulled
up beside the curb, for there beside the driver sat Sure Pop, the Safety
Scout! Puzzled by Bob's long stay and hearing the gong as the wagon
hurried up, he had decided to come along.
Ten minutes later the live wire was back in place, the repair crew had
clattered off again, and a little band of mourning Indians and cowboys
had carried poor Tige's body over to his master's back yard, where they
buried him after a solemn funeral service. Only a dog--but the tears
they dropped on his little grave were very real and sincere, for he had
been a jolly playmate and a loyal friend.
Bob was very sober as he walked home with Sure Pop. "Wish I could have
saved Tige, somehow!"
The Safety Scout laid his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Bob, you did just
right. You remembered the 'three keeps' this time--you kept wide awake,
kept cool, and kept your mind on one thing at a time. No Scout could
have done more. If you had risked touching that wire, it would have cost
a good deal more than the life of a dog, I fear. It's important to know
what _not_ to do, sometimes. Robert Dalton, I'm proud of you!
Here--you've earned it this time, sure pop!"
He reached down into his pocket, pulled out the Safety button, and
fastened it in Bob's coat lapel. The boy flushed with pride as he lifted
the magic button to his ear. And never had words thrilled him more than
those which greeted him now--for two of them were new words which his
own quick wits had earned:
"_Safety First!_" whispered the button, clear and sweet as a far-away
bugle call. "_Good Work!_"
_Safety first--not part of the time, but all the
time._--SURE POP
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[Illustration]