CHAPTER X
A RUDE AWAKENING
"The poor little kid!" gasped warm-hearted Lub, as he impulsively threwan arm around the boy they were entertaining as their guest in camp.
Both X-Ray Tyson and Ethan also betrayed their intense interest bysympathetic looks that spoke volumes.
"I don't know that I ever ran across a case just like this," X-Rayremarked, as he turned on Phil.
"You mean that while you've met people who were deaf and dumb you neversaw one who was what they call tongue-tied; is that it, X-Ray?" thelatter asked.
"Yes, you've got it straight, Phil; but tell me, is this sort of thingincurable?"
"It all depends on the conditions," was the reply. "Some are afflictedworse than others; and then again I believe that if it's taken in handat an early stage there's much more chance of the operation beingsuccessful than if it becomes an old affliction."
"But my stars, why haven't the parents of this fine little chap lookedafter it before now?" demanded Ethan.
"Well, when you're saying that, just stop and think what you're upagainst," Phil told him. "We're not down in New York City, where paiddoctors visit the poorer sections, and there are wards in all hospitalswhere such operations can be undertaken free of expense. This is away upin the wilds of Canada."
"Like as not," interrupted Lub, "his folks never dreamed that any remedycould be found to help him get his speech. I reckon now his mammy hasgrieved her heart sore many a time wondering what would become of a boygrowing up to manhood who'd never be able to say a single intelligibleword."
"Yes," added Ethan, bent on entering another wedge to the debate, "andmoney has a heap to do with these things, even if they did know. Itcosts considerable to send a boy all the way down to Montreal, and keephim there, not to speak of the doctor's big fee."
Phil looked grave, and then a smile began to slowly creep athwart hisface. This was discovered by the sharp-eyed X-Ray, for he quicklydemanded an explanation.
"You've thought of _something_, Phil; that look gives you away. Nowspeak up and confide in your chums. We're all just as much interested inthis queer business as you can be, I want you to remember. What's caughtyou?"
Phil smiled in even a broader sense.
"Why, to be sure you have a right to know, fellows," he told them,frankly. "I'm not intending to keep it a secret. I was just wonderingwhy I shouldn't try and take this little chap down with me when we leavehere, and see that he has one good chance to have this impediment to hisspeech removed. We can go to Montreal without a great deal of trouble;and in fact we had decided that we'd visit there, as we saw Old Quebecon the way up to the Saguenay region. What d'ye think of it?"
"I object!" burst out Lub, to the surprise of his mates.
"Why, what's got you, Lub?" demanded X-Ray, indignantly; "I alwaysthought you'd be the last one to kick up a row, when a thing like thiswas being talked over."
"I object on the grounds that it isn't fair for Phil to take the burdenall on himself," continued the stout chum, resolutely, with hisaffectionate arm still hovering about the small boy, who had cuddledcloser to him, as though recognizing a warm friend in Lub.
"Oh! I haven't said I meant to do that, Lub!" exclaimed Phil.
"Well, we know you too well to believe it wasn't in your mind to standfor every cent of the expense such an operation would cost," continuedthe fat boy. "Course you wouldn't feel it any more'n a flea-bite; butthen that isn't the question. You've got to think of us. We cut somepunkins in this arrangement, and we insist on standing our share of anyexpense. How's that, X-Ray, Ethan?"
"Bully for you, Lub!" ejaculated the former, enthusiastically, slappingthe fat chum on the shoulder with almost crushing force that made Lubwince, though he immediately forced a broad smile to dominate his rosyface.
"Share and share alike, that's the ticket!" declared Ethan, thoughdoubtless the poor fellow was at the same time making a rapid mentalcalculation as to the state of his finances, for he had no privatefortune, or rich parents, or doting aunt to help him tide over. "I'vegot another bundle of ginseng roots ready to ship down to my dealer, andif they fetch anything like the splendid price the last lot did I canspare enough to square my share of the bill. And I'll do it willinglytoo, if it's the means of giving this little fellow the gift of speech."
There never were four boys quite as generous as Phil Bradley and hischums. Fond of manly sport they were, and full of a love for frolic, andsuch good times as came their way; but never failing to respond to acall for help, no matter what the source from which the appeal came.
Phil threw up both hands as if in surrender.
"You never will let me do anything like this by myself, fellows," hetold them; "even when I've got money to burn. But I want to say righthere that I think ten times as much of you, Lub, X-Ray and Ethan, as ifyou did. It means something to all of you to make this sacrifice, whileto me it isn't a bit of difference. So I say and I repeat it, that youdeserve a whole lot more credit than I ever can. And what's more, I'm asproud as anything to shake hands with such chums."
He gravely went around pumping a hand of each fellow, and there was adeal of sincerity in the act, even though they all laughed--perhaps tohide the fact that there might be a suspicious moisture in their rapidlywinking eyes.
"Isn't it queer how we seem to rub up against something of this kindeverywhere we go on our trips?" remarked X-Ray.
"Why, so it is," Ethan added; "in the first place, when we were in theAdirondacks there was that old hermit and his little girl, Mazie; we hada hand in bringing them a measure of joy, and reuniting Meredith withhis estranged wife. They've been writing ever since how grateful theywere on account of the little we managed to do for them."
"Yes," Lub hurriedly continued, "and even around our home town ofBrewster, when we were gathering nuts for the children in the orphanasylum remember how we had a chance to help that country boy, CasperBunce, who had run away from the farmer he had been bound to. The courtsfixed all that, and he's got a happy home now on the farm of MissBowers."
"Even down on the Shore, when we were duck shooting on Currituck Sound,"X-Ray went on to say, not wishing to be left out entirely, "we managedto bridge over the troubles between the young bayman Malachi Jordon, hislittle wife, and her savage old dad who was separating the couple. Whenwe left they were all bunched and waving us good-by."
"It does seem to be the bounden duty of the Mountain Boys to carry somesunshine along with them wherever they go," laughed Phil; "and to tellyou the truth I'm not so very much surprised."
"You mean it's getting to be a regular thing with us; is that it, Phil?"questioned Lub.
"That's what you might call it, when you keep on repeating a certainthing," Phil declared. "There's an old chestnut of a story you mayremember that illustrates the point I'm making. It seems that a lawyerwas trying to get a witness to admit a certain point that would favorhis side of the case, and the old fellow kept on doggedly avoidingcommitting himself. So the lawyer asked him what he would call it if heleaned from the window and fell out. 'I'd call that an accident,'replied the witness. 'Then suppose you deliberately walked up-stairs andrepeated the identical performance, what would you call that?' demandedthe lawyer. 'Oh! I should say that was a coincidence,' the witness toldhim. 'Well, now what if you even went up again, and for the third timelooked out of that same window, only to fall again; what would you callit?' And the witness without the least hesitation bawled out: 'Why, sir,I'd say it was a _habit_!' And that's what it's getting to be with usMountain Boys."
Of course they all laughed at Phil's description of the condition intowhich it seemed they were drifting.
"It's a habit that gives us a heap of lively satisfaction let me tellyou," said Lub, earnestly. "For one I like to look back and think of alot of things we've had a hand in carrying through."
"Yes," said Phil, "we've enjoyed them to the limit, and the best part ofit all is that they leave no regrets behind. I hope it will always bethat way with the Mountain Boys."
A little later on Phil took his turn at cuddling the small boy up closeto him. He was talking to him in a low tone, and the others, knowingwhat he had in mind, did not bother him, but conversed among themselvesof other things.
Presently Phil called softly to Ethan.
"Come and take him off my arm; he's sound asleep, and my arm is too, soI can't move it. Easy now, and lay him down where he'll be the warmest."
"That's where my blanket happens to be," spoke up Lub; "I've figured onhaving him with me to-night, Phil; so please don't interfere."
"I guess he'll be snug enough alongside such a hot-box as you are, Lub,"interrupted X-Ray; and consequently Ethan gently laid the small chap sothat Lub's generous blanket could be tucked in around him.
"Did you manage to find out anything worth while, Phil?" asked X-Ray.
"Well, he's some shy yet; and I'm a poor hand at trying to hold atalk-fest with a child that can't say a single word," admitted Phil;"but I'm sure now he does belong to the people we spoke about."
"Meaning that terror of a poacher, Baylay?" said Ethan.
"Yes," Phil continued, "but until we rub up against the man ourselves,and can testify to some of his awful ways, perhaps we'd better go slowabout calling him all those names, boys. He may be a rough man, but whatmore could you expect up here in this wilderness? All loggers are ofthat stripe. For one I'm going to form my opinion of this Baylay morefrom how he treats his family, than from his relations to game laws heconsiders unjust, or other rough men who meet him on the level of giveand take."
"I wouldn't be surprised if there was a whole lot of good sense in thatpolicy, Phil," assented Lub, for it agreed with his ideas exactly.
"But he does seem to have gotten a terrible bad reputation around thesedistricts you'll admit?" ventured Ethan.
"There may be two sides to every story," Phil told him; "and so farwe've heard only one. I'd like to know just what that kid over yonderthinks of Baylay; then I'd have a better pointer to the true characterof the man than I could get from outside talk. He's a fighter, as nearlyall these loggers are. He has licked lots of other scrappers in histime, and you couldn't expect them to say nice things about Baylay. Solet's hold off a bit, and not condemn him unheard."
Even Ethan admitted that such a course was nothing more than fair.
"We'll wait then," continued Phil, "till the time comes when we can seeinto his home, and find out if he's a big brute there or not. Yes,that's the way to learn the truth; surface indications don't amount tomuch. You've got to scratch a man on the back and find out what he doeswhen he's alone, or with his own family, to learn his real nature."
Though the boys may not have known it there was a deal of soundphilosophy in what Phil was advancing; and if more people would carry itout there might be less misunderstandings and suffering in this world.
Some time later on they began to feel sleepy themselves, and Lub was thefirst one to crawl under his covers. Ethan helped him get settled, forthe fat chum had to be unusually careful, so as not to awaken his littleblanket-mate, who was apparently sleeping soundly.
The night wore on.
Though the wind outside might be cold and bleak the campers had managedto fix things so well that little of it could find entrance to theirshack. The fire was to be allowed to take care of itself, unless one ofthe boys chanced to wake up in the night, and chose to crawl out inorder to throw more fuel on the embers.
It is not the most pleasant task in the world to do a thing like this ona bitter cold night, when all seems so comfortable under the covers.Even Phil might conclude to let it pass, since a fire was so easy tostart in the morning, and he could have a merry blaze going long beforeany of the rest thought of sticking their noses out.
No doubt Lub, and perhaps the others also, dreamed of home as they laythere so many hundreds of miles away from those they loved. It wouldhave been only natural, because their thoughts often dwelt with thedistant scenes, even though they might be enjoying every hour of theirvacation in Canadian wilds.
If any of them awoke they had no means of telling how the night waspassing unless they cared to peep out and note the position of theplanets, those telltale clocks of the skies. All of the boys had paidmore or less attention to such things, knowing how useful the knowledgecan be when there is no watch in the party; and many times they had viedwith one another in seeing who could display the better judgment inexplaining where certain bright stars would be at a designated hour.
Lub was lying squarely on his back, and breathing so hard that some ofhis comrades would have reproached him for "snoring" had they heard him.But Lub seemed to be far away in his dreams, and not concerning himselfin the slightest degree as to whether he emitted little snorts or not.
From this happy condition, so free from care, the fat boy was suddenlyand rudely aroused by a terrifying sound. It was a shout, andundoubtedly came from the throat of X-Ray, who could elevate his voicein a shrill manner that few of his friends could ever hope of emulating.He was the cheer captain of their school football squad in Brewster,just on that account.
And what he now shouted was not calculated to cheer the hearts of hiscomrades but to send a pang of fear through every fiber of their being:
"Hello! hello! rouse up everybody! Our shack's on fire!"