DARKNESS
It happened at that very minute that Pee-wee, trotting breathlessly
along through the woods, trying to run and talk at the same time, was
telling Roy and Connie Bennett how he had recovered those dreadful
tickets by the application of his wonderful “scout resource.”
“Gee whiz, believe me, he never could have got ’em, because he doesn’t
know any scout tricks,” he panted. “But anyway I showed him how you can
get gum out of trees, and I had a good time with him anyway and he
treated me fine (interval of panting) and anyway, I’m sorry he didn’t
come along. I—I—I’m sorry because I l-l-like (more panting) him.”
“He’d have dropped out anyway and got lost in the woods, kid,” said
Connie. “I wouldn’t take him unless he brought his go-cart.”
“I—jus—jus—just the s-s-same I like——” Pee-wee panted.
“Listen, there’s Westy shouting,” said Roy.
They paused to listen, then tramped on again, looking sharply to the
right and left as they made their way in a bee-line through the dark
woods.
* * * * *
The match Emerson had lighted reminded him of something; and the thought
having occurred to him, he did not hesitate. He removed his wallet to
his trousers pocket, slipped off his neat jacket and ignited the lining
of it with another match. It stubbornly refused to burn, so he took the
precious Erie time-table out of his wallet and ignited that.
With this torch he was enabled to encourage the jacket to burn more
hopefully. He swung it to and fro to fan the doubtful blaze and soon it
was a mass of flame. For a brief moment it showed the boy in bold
relief, standing there on the narrow wall of masonry surrounded by the
night. His white pique shirt with starched cuffs attached gave him an
appearance of polite negligee which did not ill become him.
He tucked his neat four-in-hand scarf into his shirt front to prevent it
from catching fire, and bent far forward to keep the spreading flame
well away from him. Then he threw the blazing jacket into the enclosure.
It dropped where he intended it to, on the end of the timber which
slanted up out of the water.
The interior of the walled-in hole was instantly illuminated. Emerson
saw that the water reached to the very edges; there was no telling how
deep it might be nor what was beneath it. Odds and ends of debris
floated in it; twigs, a soggy, half-recognizable cap, a bobbing
baseball. Evidently these treasures had not beguiled their owners to
venture into that perilous place.
One thing more he saw in the fitful light. Close to the little, hobbly
island was a dab of red and near it something of another color, foreign
to its immediate surroundings. He thought it was the sleeve of a
garment. Something that might be a hand was visible at the end of it.
But the position was unnatural for an arm; there was something appalling
in the way it lay. Then the jacket, reduced to a charred mass with a few
unburned shreds, tumbled off the board into the water and all was
darkness.
Emerson listened but there was no sound save the sizzling of the last
burning remnant as it was swallowed in the black water.