William Theophilus Nichols

“ Varley asked curiously.
“Guess!” said Sam.
The other listened intently. There’s no stillness more wonderful than that of a calm day when the snow lies deep on the ground, and the earth seems to be dozing comfortably under its white coverlet. Tap, tap, tap! came the distant sounds, breaking the silence with almost the regularity of the beat of a pendulum.
“I—I can’t imagine what makes those sounds, but they’re—well, they’re clear-cut—if you can call it that.”
“You’re guessing better than you knew,” quoth Sam. “Wood-chopper over in the woods yonder.” ”

“ He called out, “Come back! Come back!” but Jack gave no heed. He appeared, though, to wake to the peril. At least, he changed course slightly, to avoid a miry pool which lay at the bottom of the depression.
It was as if Sam were looking into a cup, down the slope of which Hagle was slipping. He saw the boy stumble, recover balance, slide to the very edge of the pool; hesitate for a fraction of a second; begin to struggle wildly. There was an instant in which Sam failed to grasp the other’s predicament. Then he perceived that Hagle had been caught in the treacherous footing of the bog ”

“ A score or more of big logs, freed by the breaking of some boom up-stream, came like a fleet of rams to batter the walls of the rickety structure. By this time the water was more than knee deep on the highest part of the earth floor of the shed, and Poke and Step were perched in insecurity on a pile of old boxes in a corner. The only alleviating feature of their situation was a lessening of the darkness with the coming of the dull dawn ”

“ The big dog, as heavy and powerful as many a sledge-team leader of the Far North, bolted wildly, yet with a general purpose; and this purpose being to seek asylum from the infernal machine at his heels, he dashed through the gate and toward the house, Step following, willy-nilly, his long legs flying and his long arms going like the arms of a windmill in a gale; while dangling from the chain between dog and boy, the old lantern emitted great volumes of choking smoke of most evil odor. ”

“ Thorns raked Poke’s arms and tore his clothes, just as branches ripped the planes to ribbons and saplings, bending before the machine’s charge, yet contrived to check it. The broken roar of the motor ceased; the whir of the propeller died away. In a second or two the monster of the road was stripped of all terrors, and lay in the midst of a tangled heap of debris, half contributed by its own parts and half by the brush and vines it had uprooted. ”

“ Had he been older and more experienced, he might better have understood that little heed is given to an old story when a new story is being told. Tom Orkney, runaway, was an old story; Tom Orkney, joint adventurer with the club, was a new story. Moreover, Little Perrine had been singing his praises, and Sam and his friends were losing no opportunity to proclaim his pluck and grit. So, when school opened after the holidays, Orkney, to his bewilderment, found himself enjoying a degree of favor in curious contrast to the chill reception for which he had nerved himself. ”

“ Then, in hot haste, he did anything and everything he could in a desperate, last chance effort. But the engine roared as violently and rapidly as ever; indeed, he seemed to have contrived to rouse the ancient mechanism to a frenzy of energy. The planes dipped and rose with the swaying of the monster. There was a queer, sidewise lunge; then, swiftly, a bewildering change. A thrill ran through Poke. Of a sudden, the motion of the craft had become smooth, buoyant, marvelously exhilarating. The vibration of the motor remained, but there was no longer the jar of wheels on uneven ground. ”

“ Step remarked. “What was the yarn, Sam?”
Poke preferred to do his own explaining, if explanation there had to be.
“I was telling Sam a story—yes; a story about a dream I had last night. And—well, I was telling him, too, that it worried me. It wasn’t a common dream—not by a long shot! And—and if you’ve got to have the whole thing, it is worrying me a lot! There’s trouble brewing for somebody, a heap of trouble.”
Step regarded Poke with wide-opened eyes and sagging jaw, but the Shark’s lip curled scornfully. ”

“ Zorn and his followers applauded; Step, Poke, Herman Boyd and Orkney made loud protest. The Shark, unmoved, calmly watched the proceedings through his big spectacles. Sam was busy with plans for the next move. He understood perfectly that the voting strength was against him; that a carefully arranged plan to humiliate the Trojan, and through him the Safety First Club, was being carried out; that he could not avert the election of a secretary, and that all that was left for him was to soften the blow so far as he might. ”

“ Listen! There isn’t one of you that’s stirred a finger to win that history essay prize. You mope around, and wail about the weather and the snow and nothing to do, and don’t even dream of trying to land that hundred dollars. Can you deny that, Trojan? Or you, Sam? Or you, Poke? Or Herman, or Step or Tom Orkney?” He was shaking an accusing hand at each of them in turn. “All of you heard what the principal said. Now hear what I say: It’s a shame and disgrace to the club that you’re letting this chance go by default.” ”

“ At table Groche’s appearance was at its worst. He ate greedily and enormously, fairly shoveling the food into his mouth. Sam observed that the man kept his eyes on his plate, spoke to none of his neighbors, and showed no interest in the talk which began to be heard when the supper drew to a close. He was the first to rise, and shuffled out as if glad to go; but when the boys trooped into the main room, there was Groche, perched in his corner and sucking at a black pipe. And there he remained until dislodged by no less heroic a champion than the Shark. ”

“ The Shark was hard on Sam’s heels. On they went, recklessly and almost blindly; for the chase led through dense growth and kept well away from the fire for a time. It bore toward the lake; turned back; sought the deeper woods. Once their course skirted the forefront of flames, and in the glare the boys had glimpses of the fugitive. Then it drove straight through thickets they might have thought impenetrable at any other time. The country grew more irregular in surface. ”

“ The dog, sacrificing caution to appetite, came within Poke’s reach; whereupon Poke, dropping the meat, caught the hound as he tried to gobble up the bait; deftly slipped the second chain about the animal’s neck, successfully worked the snap at the first attempt; wheeled; whipped out a match; struck it, and lighted a rag protruding like a fuse from the old tin lantern, which had been brought from behind Step’s back, as that youth gave Sam an object lesson.
The kerosene-soaked rag flamed fiercely; almost instantly, dense black smoke began to pour from the holes in the lantern. ”

“ So Sam went to bed little the wiser, and woke to find another day seemingly much like that which had gone before, still, warm and hazy, with the eaves dripping more merrily than ever, the puddles bigger and deeper, and the streets coated with a slush, peculiarly damp and chilling in its effect on shoe-leather. ”

“ Then the fire came over the ridge, which formed the lip of the cup-like depression. Sam had realized that this soon must happen, and that it had not happened earlier was due to some lucky combination of circumstances, including a greater degree of moisture near the pool than on higher ground. Now, though, a fierce gust caught the flames and swept them along. Little trails of yellow gleamed on the trunk of the tree nearest him, as the bark caught and blazed up. A heap of woodsy debris burst into flame. The heat grew intense. Hagle, in new panic, let go of the brush and clutched wildly at Sam. ”

“ And then the Shark chose to advance.
“Sam’s right,” he announced coolly. “This is no place for a scrap. Besides, there’s no reason for one. Orkney, you’re a chump to be peeved at Step for doing you up in Greek, or at me for putting you out at geometry. See here! You’re a pretty good, all-round performer, but you can’t beat specialists at their own specialties. Get that? And there’s no use in being a general sorehead.”
It was eloquent tribute to the Shark’s moral influence that Orkney appeared to be impressed. ”

“ The Shark made no reply. Doubtless, it seemed to him that none was needed. So he merely continued to peer through his spectacles at the newcomer, with a characteristic intentness which was all his own.
Willy Reynolds, indeed, was often referred to as an “odd stick.” He had a mind of marked mathematical bent, and had proved himself so proficient in algebra, geometry and [14] trigonometry as to puzzle and amaze his comrades, toiling along paths of learning which appeared to offer him only entertainment. So they dubbed him the “Shark,” because he always seemed hungry for mathematics. ”

“ Mr. Zorn studied the opposite shore and the fiery picture it presented. The trees close to the water made a dark fringe, through which he had glimpses of the glare of flames, even where the fire itself had not burned its way into clear view. And, as a matter of fact, it was now showing in places which had been dark when the alarm roused the settlement. He tried to gauge the rapidity of its spread; he made note of the stiff breeze; he knew the tinder-like condition of the woods.
“Boy, you’re right,” he said curtly. “Man-size job this is going to be—big enough for all the men we can raise.” ”

“ Their danger was great. In their plight they had to fight a constant temptation to pause over-long in the partly sheltered hollows among the drifts. There was another temptation to close their eyes and burrow deeper in the snow; but always one or the other roused to the fatal peril of yielding. Now it was Sam, and again it was Orkney, who shook off the numbing spell of the storm, and dragged the other from his resting place in the snow.
There could be no turning back. Each understood [350] that they must push on at all hazards. ”

“ The Shark, in turn, was bewildered, but luckily bethought him of his manners. “Excuse me, Mrs. Grant, but—but we can’t be talking about the same thing.”
“I’m talking about dust!”
“Oh!” There was relief in the Shark’s tone: also there was a little impatience. “Dust nothing! What do I care—er—er—I mean I was pretty sure there was a minor water-shed right there, but I had to feel to make certain. The light, you know, is not very strong; hence the chance of error of vision is increased, and——”
Mrs. Grant’s laugh cut him short. ”

“ I figured I could whip any fellow in school, if I had to. Well, Sam Parker whips me—and down plump all my play-things! I can’t be the all-round top-notcher; for I’ve met a better man. The whole school gets the story; the crowd quit me. There you have it! First in everything, or first in nothing. That’s the game, as I’ve played it. I’m down and out.”
“So—so am I—but I’m glad of it!” cried Jack Hagle. ”

“ Plainville had had a taste of the big storm—huge drifts still rose in many places—and was ready to give full credit for plucky endurance of the hardships, both of the club’s wanderings to the old Calleck house and of the forced march of Sam and Orkney to the settlements; while the dash of a rescue party to the stone house and its return with the other members of the club, and Lon and the stricken Peter Groche, formed another chapter which caught the public fancy. ”

“ You don’t believe in anything unless you can put it in figures.”
The taunt swept away the Shark’s indecision. “Warning—nothing!” he snapped. “Too much mince pie, that’s all!”
Poke’s grin was triumphant. “All right! Call it too much mince pie, if you want to. But wait till Sam gets that pie that’s promised him, and the crowd hears about it! Then I guess you’ll think I was right all through.”
“Huh!” grunted the Shark skeptically.
Poke laughed aloud. “Ho, ho, ho! I don’t beat you often, Shark, but when I do, I beat you all to pieces. Talk about mince pie, if you want to. ”

“ Poke had spent two hours in bringing stones from the lake shore and building a fireplace to his satisfaction. Orkney had cleared a path from the glade to the beach. The Trojan and Herman Boyd had stacked a noble pile of fire-wood. Indeed, everybody had been remarkably busy through the afternoon, and had brought a wonderful appetite to supper, when lunch baskets were unpacked, and a coffee-pot sent forth delicious [165] odors to mingle with those others which come only from bacon frying to a turn in skilful open air cookery. And then there had been the trout! ”

“ The squall passed, but left a narrowed horizon. The peak of the big hill, which was to have served as a guide-post, had vanished. There was even a good-natured dispute as to the general direction in which it lay. Step, insisting that he was certain of its bearings, set off again, leading in a détour about the grove. Then came a hill, not lofty but so steep that he circled its base. Down upon the squad swept another squall, fiercer than the first. The boys struggled through it, enjoyed a moment’s respite, and again found themselves in the midst of swirling, stinging clouds of icy particles. ”

“ Where foot travel was greatest the sidewalks showed black and bare; puddles formed in low places; the compacted and leveled track of the sleighs grew dingier than ever. Throughout the afternoon the same conditions held, until with the coming of [153] darkness the temperature dropped a trifle, and a thin coating of ice formed on the little ponds of snow-water.
“Umph! What did I tell you? Weather breeder!” was Lon’s oracular speech, when Sam sought his opinion of the probabilities for the morrow. But even Lon declined to commit himself on the sort of weather which might be expected. ”

“ Sam urged.
“Yes; tell us!” chimed in two or three of the others.
Thus encouraged, Lon told his story, and a strange story it was of captive forced to guide captor; of slow and painful plodding through growing drifts; of halts in the lee of wood or hill, while the storm increased, and the wind blew more fiercely, and the cold deepened. After a time he felt sure that Groche, while avoiding the camp, had some other refuge in mind.
“He’s brute enough,” Lon explained, “to have the brute’s instinct for makin’ for a burrow. ”

“ Keep your head. Try to work one leg free at a time, and we’ll wiggle out, somehow,” he encouraged.
Hagle yielded obedience. Whatever he might have feared from Sam was a trifle compared with his new, and wholly reasonable, fear of the bog and the fire. He did his best to carry out orders; of that there could be no question. But it was no slight task which was to be accomplished. Left to himself, Jack must steadily have sunk deeper in the ooze, and even with Sam’s assistance he could do little more at first than check the sinking. He caught desperately at roots and brush within reach. ”

“ One tore a great hole in the shed wall; a second ripped away an end. Then a huge timber lodged against an upright of the framework, and with the full force of the flood behind it, turned like a beam of a great derrick, carrying away what was left of the roof, tearing out the wall as if it had been made of paper, and completing the ruin of the shed. The pile of boxes was tossed aside, and Poke and Step were pitched into the water. ”

“ Perhaps Hannibal, Sam’s bull terrier, was first to perceive, if not to understand, the change. Hannibal was a sagacious animal, beyond the follies of puppyhood, but still full of interest in the doings of his master and his friends; fond of a long tramp in their company; and very pleased to doze comfortably in a corner of the club room. ”

“ Left again!... Hold her there!... Now a bit on the right—as you are, as you are! Steady, steady—no hurry!... Right again! You fellows have got too much power on one side.... That’s the ticket, and here you are! ’Vast rowing!”
Somebody caught the bow of the boat. Step and Poke turned on their seats to behold Orkney, knee deep in the water, grinning at them. There was a decided increase in the glare from the big fire, and they could make out his face plainly. Back of him, on the sand, were the Trojan and Herman Boyd, their arms full of blankets and other camping paraphernalia. ”

“ Varley, in almost as grievous plight, laid hold upon his collar and began to drag him toward the window.
Experiences were crowding thick and fast upon the city youth, but he was rising to the emergency and proving the mettle that was in him. It was a hard task, desperately hard, to cover the few feet which lay between the gap in the floor and the wall. Varley gritted his teeth, and pulled and tugged at the Shark, and gained inch by inch. ”

“ Orkney’s cynical grin was a taunt in itself. “Oh-ho! So that’s your lay, eh? You’re after me because you and your gang are after the hundred? Well, you don’t get either—see?”
Orkney had passed the limits of endurance. Rage seized Sam. To be charged with mercenary motives was more than he could bear. He sprang at Tom, and at the same instant that vigilant youth leaped to meet the attack. There was a furious exchange of blows, each [263] combatant seeking to inflict punishment and making no effort to avoid it. ”

“ But, somehow, the call was of the sort that one ought not to hear alone, being, indeed, a comradely, sociable call of good fellowship.
To make the most of such a day one ought to be with one’s chums. Sam understood this perfectly—and stubbornly fought the understanding. Lon’s advice had not been wasted, though it had not persuaded Sam to seek the Safety First Club boys again. ”

“ Lon shouted a warning to the boys to stand aside, threw on his power, and steered his car far into the ditch. As he did so, it was as if a roaring cyclone swept past. The noise of it deafened the club, the dust it sent swirling in clouds choked them, its velocity dazed them. That the cause of the commotion was an automobile they realized, but none of them had an idea what manner of car it might be, or, indeed, how many passengers it carried.
Lon steered back into the road.
“All aboard, everybody!” he called. “There’s a feller that’s findin’ the goin’ too [80] good to last. ”

“ Sam trudged after him. No doubt Orkney had spoken no more than the truth. The members of the club, tarrying with Lon and Peter Groche, would envy the adventurers. Some of them, Sam feared, might find it hard to forgive the preference he had shown Orkney; but he did not repent his choice. Physically, neither Poke nor the Shark was fit for such a forced march; Step was not a powerful fellow; Herman Boyd and the Trojan were sturdy chaps, with plenty of grit, but somewhat dependent upon good leadership. ”

“ The fireplace was a rough, but substantial, affair, smoke blackened. The pieces of furniture he had noticed on first entering were decrepit with age. The table lacked a leg; the settle sagged at one end; the chest of drawers was a ruin.
[251]
The Shark was taking off his overcoat, and unbuckling his high overshoes. From both shoes and coat steam was rising as they caught the heat from the fire.
Varley followed his companion’s example. As he removed his shoes, he whistled softly. The guaranteed waterproofing had not been up to the requirements of such a test as it had undergone. ”

“ Still smarting under the sense of essentially unfair treatment, the Trojan would have been glad to quit the school. Again and again he rebelled at appearing at the recitations he was permitted to attend, and it required all of Sam’s tact and firmness and Orkney’s encouragement to hold him to his work under the existing conditions. Herman Boyd also lent a hand occasionally, although he was not of much help as a tutor. As for the Shark, he went his way imperturbably. Give him a sufficiency of his beloved mathematics, and he cared not a straw for the opinion of the multitude. ”

“ Both Orkney and Sam had heard tales of lives lost in the great blizzard of 1888, and other tales of men perishing in storms by no means so furious or prolonged as that famous tempest. Hardly a winter passed without claiming its victims even in the thickly settled region about Plainville; and though these unfortunates for the most part were thinly clad, poorly nourished tramps or human derelicts, there were not lacking instances of able-bodied men losing their way and succumbing to exposure. ”

“ Sam interrupted, incredulously.
“Best ever!”
“Well, it’s all in the way you look at it. And—er—er—one man’s meat is another man’s poison.”
“Course!” the Shark shrugged. “And if I didn’t find the game worth the candle, you don’t think, do you, that I’d be fussing with this scheme of Poke’s? There’d be a deal easier way to answer the question whether or not his machine would fly—the empirical way.” ”

“ There was light enough to see the red come into Zorn’s cheeks.
“Well, hasn’t a fellow got to have some interest [332] in life?” he demanded. “And if I have heard how things are worked, why shouldn’t I make use of the hints? Politics? Why, yes—if you want to call it that.”
“But there’s such a thing as straight politics, honest politics,” said Sam.
“Certainly! If there wasn’t the right kind, the country’d go to smash,” the Shark contributed. “Just like mathematics! You may make mistakes, but if you stick to it and keep to the rules, you’ll get the right answer in the end. ”

“ Sam instinctively started forward, and forced a way through the ring. Tom fell back a pace.
“That’s right! Pile on—the whole gang of you!” he shouted.
Step, for his part, was more than ready to accept the challenge; but Sam intervened. Impulse—he was willing enough to fight Orkney—had yielded to sobering second thought. It behooved a young man, intent upon establishing his self-control and common sense, to avoid brawling over a trifle on the public street. Sam’s hand caught Step’s collar. ”

“ Sam’s plan was simple, but held promise. It was a rough and ready adaptation of the method often used by farmers in fighting grass and brush fires by plowing furrows across the track of the approaching flames, the freshly turned ground, of course, offering no fuel for them. The boys had no plow, but with the spades, plied desperately, it was possible to dig a shallow trench, which served a double purpose, in that it not only broke the continuity of the carpet of rubbish, but gave chance to widen the safety band by throwing dirt from the excavation over the dead leaves and branches beside it. ”

“ What easily might have been an embarrassing situation was dealt with capably by the Safety First Club. Hardly had the jovial Mr. Kane welcomed the belated Sam and demanded how in the world he had happened to stray from the rest of the party and what he had been doing to amuse himself out in the cold; and hardly had Sam explained as nonchalantly as might be that he had chanced to meet a schoolmate, who was serving as cookee to the camp, and had paused for a chat with him, when the door in the partition shutting off the cook’s domain opened, and Orkney appeared. ”