CHAPTER VII
MAKING A BARGAIN WITH CONRAD
"HOLD on, please, don't go away; I'd like to talk with you, and tell youhow much I've enjoyed listening to your playing."
Upon hearing the stranger say these kind words, the boy apparentlyreconsidered his intention of running off. He drew himself up proudly,and waited. Elmer saw that while he was a very handsome little fellow,there was no trace of weakness about his face; he had just as resolute achin as Jem Shock himself; and his blue eyes could evidently flash fireif his spirit were aroused.
So Elmer walked forward and joined the other. Standing there barefooted,and with his clothing well worn, though neatly patched, the boypresented a strange appearance, hugging his cherished violin in itsfaded case close under his arm. Elmer would never forget the picture hehad made as he sat there drawing all those remarkable sounds from thewooden case; he would have labeled such a painting simply "Genius," andlet people catch the idea according to their bent.
"You play very sweetly, my boy," he told the other. "I have beenlistening for a long time. Where did you learn how to handle the bow?Who taught you to make a violin talk, and tell all the things that youhave been hearing the birds and the little woods folks saying?"
"My mother showed me how to hold the bow, and the rest I just picked uplike, mister," the boy replied.
Elmer was further astonished. He had expected to hear this woods boyspeak most ungrammatically; but few lads of his age, who had gone toschool for five years or over, could have expressed themselves one-halfas well. But then the same mother who had shown him how to grasp the bowmust have taken pains to teach him other things that went with theeducation of a growing boy. His observation had done the rest; for justas Elmer himself was accustomed to doing, this boy had ever heard athousand voices in the solitudes where he dwelt; and these elements hewas weaving into music as he dreamily drew his bow again and againacross the responsive strings.
"Do you live near here?" next asked Elmer, who saw that the boy wascuriously looking him over, and seemed to be visibly impressed with hiskhaki suit, as well as his leggings and his campaign hat.
He noticed the glint of suspicion suddenly shoot into the blue eyes.
"What do you want to know that for?" he asked sharply. "Are you awarden, or a revenue officer?"
Elmer laughed in his customary cheery way that usually proved socatching, and made him so many friends.
"Well, I should say not, my friend," he hastened to assure the other."This is the regular uniform of the Boy Scouts. Have you ever heard ofthe scouts, and would you like me to tell you some interesting thingsabout them?"
The boy looked him all over again, and when he saw what a frank andengaging face Elmer had, he seemed to make up his mind that really heought to have no fear from so friendly a boy.
"Yes, I would, if you didn't mind telling me," he went on to say. "Once,a year or so ago, mother took me to a town to have my teeth lookedover--I've got better clothes than these at the cabin, you know--andwhile we were there I saw a boy dressed like you are. He had a drum, andwas beating it ever so hard, making music that nearly killed me, it wasso terrible. But I didn't know he was a scout. So I'd like to hear aboutthem, if you don't mind."
Accordingly, Elmer sat down on a convenient log, it being a part of thevery same tree the stump of which the boy had utilized as his rostrum,when playing his sad airs to an imaginary audience.
"Come and sit beside me, please," he went on to say, encouragingly; "andfirst, before I start talking, I ought to introduce myself. My name isElmer Chenowith, and I live in the town of Hickory Ridge. Would you mindtelling me your name, because, you see, it's rather awkward for two boysto chat without knowing how to speak to each other."
"I'm Conrad!" the boy said simply, as he took the designated seat, andcarefully placed his precious violin on the ground beside him.
"Conrad Shock?" continued Elmer, at which the boy shut his teeth hard,and then almost defiantly said:
"Yes, and Jem Shock is my father, too, if you want to know it!"
"That's all right, Conrad," the other told him. "I have heard a lotabout Jem, but I don't believe much of what is told me. Besides, it'snone of my business, and I don't mean to meddle with anybody else'saffairs. Now I want to be friends with you. I must hear about your giftof playing, because you have got it without a question. After I've toldyou all about scouts, and what they aim to do in the world, I hopeyou'll tell me about yourself, Conrad."
"Perhaps I will, Elmer," the other replied, calmly.
So once again the story of scout craft was told in simple language. Theboy hung upon every word as though he felt the keenest interest in allhe heard. And never could there have been a more zealous narrator thanthe leader of the Wolf Patrol; for Elmer's heart was wrapped up in hispresent calling as typified in the khaki, and he fairly fascinated hisyoung auditor by relating how the scouts took upon themselves so manyuplifting resolutions; how they learned new things every day byobserving, and remembering what they saw and heard; also how themovement was widening in its scope continually until even the Governmentat Washington had taken notice of its beneficial effect upon the youthof the land, and was at last legislating in behalf of the organization.
"And now," he said in conclusion, "you understand who and what we are. Ihave four chums along with me, two of them new beginners whom we calltenderfeet, because they know so little about the great book of Nature,and have so much to learn. We came up here, partly to camp out and enjoyourselves as scouts always do when they get the chance. Then it happensthat the father of one of the boys has bought a big tract of land aroundRaccoon Bluff, and his son wanted to survey it over, not being satisfiedwith the original work. We chanced to see your father while we were onthe road, and told him this, but I'm afraid he didn't wholly believe us;but, Conrad, I give you my word of honor as a scout that we haven't theleast idea of spying on him, or doing him any harm. Do you believe me?"
The boy looked him in the eye, and doubtless soul spoke to soul in thatexchange of looks, for he presently said, slowly but positively:
"Yes, you could never tell a lie if you wanted to, Elmer. And I'm goingto tell you that my father has been acting queer ever since he met youboys on the road. I don't know what ails him, but I heard him saying aname over and over again, and looking ever so black."
"What was the name; can you tell me, Conrad?"
"It was a funny one--Snodgrass," the boy replied, and Elmer shiveredwhen he heard him say this, for it came to him like a flash thatpossibly Jem Shock might have some reason to think of that name withanything but pleasant memories.
"That is the name of the new boy whose father owns this property uphere," he admitted; "but he came from some other section of the country,and has only been in our town a few months. Tell me about your mother,for you say she showed you how to hold the bow. Did she used to play theviolin herself long ago?"
"Oh! no, it was her father, the celebrated player, Ovid Anderson. He islong since dead, you know. And this was his violin, too, with which heused to charm so many thousands of people. My mother has often told mehow they would take him on their shoulders and march up the streetshouting that he was the greatest player in all the wide world. And someday I mean to be his equal; I feel it in here," and as the boy said thismost solemnly, he placed a hand on his bosom, where his heart beat mosttumultuously, and called upon him for deeds worthy of the name hisancestor had made famous.
For Elmer had himself heard that name of Ovid Anderson. He rememberedthat the player, long since dead, had been a Swedish violinist ofinternational reputation. How it came that his daughter should ever matewith a man like Jem Shock, and be lost to the world in this wilderness,was a puzzle too much for Elmer to understand.
But he hoped that all in good time he might find the explanation; fornow that he had made the acquaintance of Conrad he was more determinedthan ever to meet that mother, even if in doing so he had to run thegauntlet of Jem Shock's anger.
But Conrad was showing
evidences now of a desire to depart. Elmer wouldhave liked to ask to accompany him to his cabin home, but he hesitated.Still he meant to pave the way to a future meeting, and then it might betime to ask to meet the boy's mother.
"Our camp is up on the bluff, where the road runs. You can see the smokeof our fire, and perhaps the tent under the trees, if you look that way.And we'd be glad to have you and your mother, yes, and Jem Shock, too,visit us any time, Conrad, if you felt inclined that way. Do you oftencome here to play the things that you feel in your soul?"
"Every morning when it isn't raining, and then the day is very long tome, for I believe I would die if it wasn't for the music," the boyhurriedly replied. "But I want to thank you for saying what you didabout my father. I know people all say he is a terribly bad man, that hegets drunk, and beats us; but it's a whole pack of lies, that's what itis. He never drinks a drop. He seems to hold a grudge against the wholeworld for something that happened a while ago, but he is good to mymother, and he loves me, he says, like the apple of his eye."
"I'm mighty glad to hear that, Conrad, sure I am!" exclaimed Elmer."Lots of times people are given bad names when they don't deserve themone whit. I made up my mind that I wanted to know your father, and someday I mean to drop in at your cabin and introduce myself. Yes, andtomorrow I'll be coming over here again as sure as anything, to listento you play some more. Some day you will get your chance to take lessonsfrom some big professor, who will fit you for taking the place yourfamous grandfather filled. And perhaps I may be able to start the ballrolling; you wait and see."
Conrad turned white with the wild hope that surged through his ambitiousyoung heart. He wrung Elmer's hand eagerly as he said goodbye. Thescout leader watched him going on through the aisles of the forest, andnoticed that his course took him directly toward the place where thesmoke came from.
Fully satisfied with the adventure of the morning, and filled with agrowing ambition to be the one to interest music-loving friends in thewonderful genius of the great Ovid Anderson's grandson, Elmer turned inhis tracks, and commenced to head for the camp.
"I never dreamed of such a thing happening to me, when I consented tocome up here and help Rufus make his new survey," he was tellinghimself, as he walked on, never forgetting to note his surroundings, asa true woodsman always must, no matter what his mind may be occupiedwith. "And wouldn't it be a great thing, though, if we did manage to getthat boy's mother to bring him down to town, so the folks who love musiccould only hear him play. Why, they'd go crazy over him, I'm sure, andthe rest would be as easy as falling off a log."
Somehow Elmer failed to pay as much attention to animated nature aroundhim on his return trip as he had when going out; but then that was notto be wondered at. He had really run across a most remarkable thing; andit crowded most other matters out of his mind.
When he reached camp, he found George still "up to his eyes" in work,and enjoying every minute of the morning. The fixing up of camp was sucha pleasure to him that for the time being he seemed transformed into areal sociable fellow, quite different from his usual complaining self.
Elmer told him of his adventure, and George was mildly interested. Hedid not happen to be much of a lover of music himself, and perhapsthought Elmer might be overestimating the ability of a boy player.
"Oh! there are plenty such cropping up from time to time, I reckon," heremarked, scornfully; "but they seldom amount to a row of beans. Youthought this little chap was some punkins just because you happened tohear him amidst peculiar surroundings. Now, the chances are when youlisten to him in a concert hall you'll be bitterly disappointed in hisgenius, as you like to call it."
"You're jumping at conclusions too fast, as usual, George," the scoutleader told the objector. "In the first place, Conrad will never beheard on the concert stage while he is as green as he is along the linesof musical culture. He will show what is in him to genuine critics, andthen if they prove as wild over him as I believe they are bound to be,he'll be put under the charge of the best teacher in New York City, tobegin along the proper lines."
As George was so busily employed, and Elmer had nothing else to do, hestarted getting lunch ready later on. There was an abundance of materialto choose from, and it was really a pleasure to make the selection. Sopresently savory odors began to arise in the vicinity, that, when waftedto the olfactories of the three boys coming wearily back over theirmorning trail would be sure to hasten their footsteps.
It was easy to see that Rufus had made more or less progress along thelines of carrying out his plans for checking up the previous survey.
"Of course it's a whole lot too soon," he told Elmer, when he came intocamp and threw himself down to rest, "to say that the job was prettymuch of a bungle; but I'm beginning to believe that same. And before twosuns have set I'll have the figures to prove it, too."
"What object do you suppose those civil engineers could have had inrushing it all through, and doing a rotten job in the bargain?" demandedGeorge. "Could it be possible there was some crooked work back of thesurvey, and that they took a money bribe to falsify the figures? Inother words, has your respected dad been stung when buying some squaremiles of ground up here along Raccoon Bluff?"
"Oh! I'm hardly prepared to go as far as that," said Rufus, hastily."I'd be more inclined to believe that the men who came up here justslouched at their work and failed to do what they should. They made aslash three-quarters of the way back in one place, we found, and thenprobably guessed the rest. It's going to turn out a bad piece of work,and they'll hear from my dad, you can wager. The Snodgrass pluck and vimwon't stand for such monkey shines one minute, as any person who knowsmy father can tell you."
Elmer suddenly remembered how the lad with the flaxen hair had said thathis father, Jem Shock, seemed to cherish a singular antipathy towardsome one by the name of Snodgrass; and that ever since meeting them onthe road, he had kept repeating it to himself, and frowning as thoughfurious. He wondered again whether that rich father of Rufus could atsome time in the past have wronged the same Jem in a real estate deal.It would be very unfortunate if such proved to be the case; and mightspoil some of the plans he, Elmer, had been building up, connected withthe wonderful boy musician.
Later on, while they were discussing the lunch, he started in and toldLil Artha, Rufus and Alec what he had run across. All of them weregreatly interested; but the scout-master, for reasons of his own, failedto mention that the man who was called a "poacher," and who had somehowgained the name of a bad man, seemed to hold hard feelings against aSnodgrass.
Rufus was loud in his desire to help the "cause" along.
"If ever you can coax these woods people to let the boy come to town,Elmer," he went on to say loftily, though also with considerablefeeling, "I'll promise to interest my folks in him. And my father thinksa lot of anybody who has musical talent. I know he took a heap ofpleasure in helping to send one young lady to Europe to complete hervoice culture; she's now singing in opera, and thinks she owesconsiderable of her dazzling success to what he did for her. She's oftenbeen at our house when we lived nearer New York."
"That sounds good to me, Rufus," Elmer told him; "and if the openingcomes I may call on you to redeem your promise."
At the same time, Elmer wondered whether it might not be the irony offate if the same man who had helped "down" the father, were to stretchout a helping hand to the son. He also figured that Jem Shock wouldindignantly refuse to accept any aid from that source. But then thewhole thing was wrapped in mystery; and Elmer, like a wise boy, decidedthat it would be foolish to try to figure things out until he had abetter grip on the conditions.
After lunch, the surveying party, considerably refreshed by their meal,and the hour of loafing about the camp, went off again to take up thework where they had dropped it. George, too, had found some other thingswhich he might as well do while his hand was in; and so Elmer had tocast around him for some means of passing the long afternoon away.