CHAPTER X
READY FOR THE START
On the following day, which was Saturday, there was considerablevisiting among the scouts who so proudly wore their new khaki suits.Conferences were of hourly occurrence, blankets brought out forinspection and comment, packs made up and taken to pieces again, andall manner of advice asked concerning the best way to carry the same.
Each boy had a written list of what he was expected to provide. Thiswas a part of the wonderful system Tom Chesney had inaugurated. He hadtold them it was copied from the methods in vogue in the German army,so that in case of a hurried mobilization every man capable of bearingarms in the whole empire would know exactly what his particular dutywas.
This scout was to carry a generous frying-pan, made of sheet-steel toreduce the weight; another had to look out for the coffee-pot, whichwas also to hold enough for at least six thirsty campers. So it wenton through the whole list of necessities.
There were to be two messes of five or six each, and the second had aduplicate list of cooking utensils, as well as food to look after.Nothing had been omitted that Tom, assisted by several others who hadhad more or less camping experience, could think of.
It was about eleven this Saturday morning when Tom, doing a little workamong his vegetables in the kitchen garden, heard his name called.Glancing up he discovered Carl standing there by the fence thatseparated the garden from the highway.
Immediately Tom realized that something new must have happened to makehis chum appear so downcast. His first fear was that Mr. Culpepper hadbeen asked by Carl's mother for the securities, and had flatly deniedever having had them.
"Hello! what's gone wrong now, Carl?" he asked, as he hurried over tojoin the boy who was leaning both elbows on the picket fence, andholding his head in his hands.
"It seems as though everything is going wrong with us nowadays, Tom,"sighed poor Carl.
"Anything more about that stolen paper?" asked Tom.
"No, it's something else this time," Carl replied. "Just as if wedidn't have enough to worry about already."
"No one sick over at your house, is there?" demanded the other,anxiously.
"I'm glad to say that isn't the case," Carl told him. "Fact is, somebad news came in a letter mother had this morning from a lawyer in thecity who manages her small affairs."
"Was it about that tenement house she owns, and the rents from whichcomes part of her income?" continued Tom, quick to make a guess, for heknew something about the affairs of Carl's folks.
The other nodded his head as he went on to explain:
"It burned down, and through some mistake of a clerk part of theinsurance was allowed to lapse, so that we will not be able to collecton more than half. Isn't that hard luck though, Tom?"
"I should say it is," declared the other, with a look of sympathy onhis face. "But if it was the fault of the lawyer's clerk why shouldn'the be held responsible for the loss? I'd think that was only fair inthe eye of the law."
"Oh!" said Carl, quickly, "but my mother says he's really a poor man,and hasn't anything. Besides, he's been conducting her little businesssince father died without charging a cent for his labor, so you seethere's no hope of our collecting more than half of the insurance."
"Too bad, and I'm mighty sorry," Tom told him.
"Coming on top of our losing that paper you can imagine how my motherfeels," continued the other; "though she tries to be cheerful, andkeeps on telling me she knows everything is sure to come out right inthe end. Still I can see that while she puts on a brave face it's onlyto keep me from feeling so blue. When she's all alone I'm sure shecries, for I can see her eyes are red when I happen to come in on herunexpectedly."
"Nothing can be done, I suppose, Carl?"
"Not a thing," the other boy replied. "That is what makes me furious.If you can only see what's hitting you, and strike back, it does awhole lot of good. Unless something crops up to make things lookbrighter between now and fall there's one thing certain."
"What's that?" asked Tom, though he believed he could give a prettygood guess, knowing the independent spirit of his chum so well.
"I shall have to quit school, and go to work at something or other. Mymother will never be able to meet expenses, even in the quiet way welive, now that part of her little income is cut off. A few hundreddollars a year means a lot to us, you see."
"Oh, I hope it won't come to that," said Tom. "A whole lot may happenbetween now and the beginning of the fall term. For all we know thatmissing paper may be recovered, which would put your folks on Easystreet."
"That's about the last hope, then," admitted Carl. "It's all I'mcounting on; and even then the chances seem to be against us."
"But you won't think of backing down about going on this grand hikeover Big Bear Mountain, I hope?" remarked the patrol leader.
"I believe I'd lack the heart to do it, Tom, leaving mother feeling sobad; only for one thing."
"Meaning the fact that Dock Phillips is somewhere up there on themountain; that's what you've got in your mind, isn't it, Carl?"
"Yes, and what you said last night keeps haunting me all the time, Tom.What if I did run across the chance to make Dock own up, and got him togive me that precious paper? It would make everything look brightagain--for with the boom on in the oil region that stock must be worththousands of dollars to-day, if only we can get hold of the certificateagain."
"Well, you're going to; things often work in a queer way, and that'swhat is happening now. And I feel as sure as anything that Mr.Culpepper's stinginess in holding out against Dock's demands is goingto be his undoing."
Such confident talk as this could not help having its effect on Carl.He had in fact come over to Tom's house knowing that he was sure to getcomfort there.
"You make me feel better already, Tom," he asserted, as he took thehand the other boy thrust over the top of the garden fence; "and I'mgoing to try and look at it as a true scout should, believing that thesun is still shining back of the clouds."
"I'm about through with my work here in the garden," Tom told him, "sosuppose you come around to the gate, or hop over the fence here. We'llgo up to my room and take a look over the stuff that I expect to packout of Lenox Monday A. M. I want to ask your opinion about severalthings, and was thinking of calling you up on the 'phone when I heardyou speak just now."
Of course the main object Tom had in view was not so much gettingCarl's opinion as to arouse his interest in the projected trip, so thatfor the time being he might forget his troubles.
The two boys spent an hour chatting, and consulting a map Tom producedthat was supposed to cover most of the Big Bear Mountain territory. Ithad been made by an old surveyor some years back, simply to amusehimself, and while not quite up to date might be said to be fairlyaccurate.
Mr. Witherspoon had secured this chart and loaned it to Tom, for therewas always a possibility of his receiving a sudden call on businessthat would take him away from town, when the duty of engineering thetrip must fall to the leader of the Black Bear Patrol as the second incommand.
That was going to be an unusually long and tedious Sunday for a goodmany boys in Lenox. Doubtless they would have their thoughts drawn fromthe sermon, as they sat with their folks in the family pews. And, too,looking out of the window at the waving trees they would probablypicture themselves far away on the wooded slope of Big Bear Mountain,perhaps making their first camp, and starting the glorious fire aroundwhich, as the night drew on, they would gather to tell stories and singschool songs.
And it could be set down as certain that few of those who expected tojoin the adventurous spirits starting forth on the long mountain hikeslept very soundly on the last night.
When the hour agreed on, seven o'clock, came around, there was a sceneof bustle under the tower of the church, where the scouts had gathered,together with many friends both young and old who meant to give them anoisy send-off on their hike over Big Bear Mountain.