University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER II.
ONE BOY WHO MADE GOOD.

"OH! we're up against it already!" exclaimed Hanky Panky, as he hastened to comply with the orders of the unseen disturber of their peace, almost dislocating his arms in the effort to lift them as high as possible.

"Don't shoot, Mister; we give in!" called Josh, who was also apparently doing his best to accomodate; while he twisted his head around, to see what the rest of his companions were about.

Rooster was incapable of uttering a sound, except what seemed to be a deep groan; but that did not prevent him from elevating his hands in the most approved style. And both Rod and Elmer had also complied with the demands of the hidden moonshiner, who had accused them of being government spies; though they looked considerably surprised that he failed to show himself.

It was indeed a queer sight, and no wonder that Josh chuckled aloud when he saw how literally the others had complied with the gruff command.

"Who's that snickering?" suddenly demanded the suspicious Hanky Panky; "By the great horn spoon, it's Josh Whitcomb! Oh I tell you what fellers, he's been and fooled us again with his old ventriloquism. There ain't no moonshiner around at all; and Josh he's gone and made us look like thirty cents!"

At that both Elmer and Rod burst out laughing, which would indicate that they may have suspected something like the truth all along. Rooster just rolled over on his back, and kicked his heels in the air in positive relief; for he had really been shivering with anticipations of something dreadful about to happen.

Hanky Panky made a dash toward the tricky Josh, but the latter easily eluded him, and sought safety behind an adjoining tree, until the righteous indignation of the other had simmered down to

mere sarcastic remarks, when he once more ventured to come back to his job of examining the inner workings of his motorcycle.

In times gone by Josh had displayed considerable skill in the art of throwing his voice, and then for a long spell seemed to have given the thing up; but he had been practicing in secret, and acquired such success that he anticipated having considerable fun from this time on, amusing his chums, and creating consternation in the breasts of such ignorant persons as they might run across in the course of their travels.

Now that they had been duly warned, the other boys would not allow themselves to be taken in so easily again. They were apt to keep an eye on Josh whenever they heard a voice, without seeing the speaker. But the amateur ventriloquist secretly promised to make things interesting for Rooster and Hanky Panky from time to time, as he had numerous scores to wipe out.

"I move we dock Josh half his supper because of that scare!" suggested Rooster, now fully recovered; though from time to time he would glance apprehensively about at the darkening woods around them, when he thought none of his comrades might be observing.

"Not much you do!" volunteered the one in question; "I'm hungry enough to fight for my rights. One-fifth is all I claim, and that I'm going

to devour. I promise to be good for the rest of to-night, only don't you dare cheat me out of my grub. I'm reformed, you see, and mean to shed all my bad ways after this -- till the next time."

"Like fun you are," jeered Hanky Panky; "when a feller gets going like you are, and playin' hob when the notion strikes him, he never reforms."

"That's all you know, Hanky Panky," spoke up Josh, quickly; "look back a bit and you'll see a shining example of the same right at our door. Remember Gid Collins, don't you; and didn't Rod here make him see the error of his ways? Say, did Gid make good or not, tell me?"

The one addressed shrugged his shoulders, and felt forced to admit that Josh was right.

"But then Gid was an exception to the rule," he grumbled, shaking his head as he continued to watch the coffee-pot, which was beginning to emit strange noises, as if to give due warning that the contents had now reached a point pretty close to the boiling stage, and would have to be plucked quickly off the fire in order to keep the precious amber juice from surging over the top.

"Well, so'm I an exception," remarked Josh, calmly; at which there was a general laugh.

"I'll never forget," Elmer went on to remark, as he handled the frying- pan; "that day Rod went with me to the Collins cabin, with that basket of

fine food sent by his grandfather who used to go to school with little old Mrs. Collins, and who felt sorry to learn how poorly off she was with a sprained ankle. Gid just glared at us, and wouldn't accept the basket for the longest while, because he thought Rod had a card up his sleeve. But believe me, suh, he just had to give in when Rod handed him his cap, and told him he had picked it up near our boat-house, which some one had tried to burn the night before. He just stared and stared, and couldn't find his tongue, and so we left him."

"And then, just three days afterwards it was Gid who stopped that runaway bull in the streets of Garland, when the crazy old beast was just going to dash into a pack of frightened little children on the way to a picnic," Rod went on to say.

"I happened to be where I saw what he did, fellers," Hanky Panky burst out with, "and you c'n take it from me, it was well worth watching. He just pulled out his old red bandanna, Gid did, and jumpin' in front of that savage bull, waved it right before his eyes. Course the animal turned from the little children, and rushed at Gid; but he jumped to one side, and then danced in front of the bull again; all the while yellin' at the top of his voice for the little tots to run, and get inside a gate close by. Yes-siree, Gid, he kept up them there gymnastics, in a way to beat a bull-fighter over in Spain, till every one had skipped out. Then he ran

and leaped over a fence hisself, and put his fingers on his nose to the old bull, through the palings. And after that some men came along and shot the savage beast that had broke loose from the stock-yards down at the railroad. Whee! I never will forget what I saw -- even if I did climb up a tree myself!"

"And," Josh went on to say in turn, anxious to break in; "when Rod here heard about that, he went and insisted on shaking hands with the worst boy in Garland, and telling him how proud everybody felt of him. Yes, and they took up a purse too, and presented it to Gid right in the presence of his old grandmother, that he's always taken such care of, even when he was the toughest fellow in town. And say, she looked the proudest little old woman you ever saw, as she put her arm around Gid's neck, and says that she always knew he was a good boy, even if some people did like to run him down."

"But one thing you can depend on, boys," remarked Rod, seriously; "Gid Collins will never be the same bad egg in the future he has always been in the past. He's turned over a new leaf, and I'm satisfied that my plan was a wise one, when I went to him that day, gave him back his cap, and as much as told him that now the only evidence of his being the one who tried to burn our club-house had been destroyed. It set him to thinking, and he woke up."

"Yes," said Elmer, nodding his head sagely,

"and when your bitter rival, Oscar Griffin, wants any of his mean work done after this, he'll have to look for another tool than Gideon Collins; because the last I heard, Gid had taken a position with the Armour Grocery Company. Little Lucy Armour was one of the tots that might have been trampled and gored by that bull, only for what Gid did. And let me tell you, boys, I'm ready to knuckle down to Rod every time when it comes to knowing how to handle tough customers like Gid Collins was."

"Huh! wish he'd get busy then, and make Josh here behave," remarked Rooster; "because, now that he's got that talking through his hat business down to such a fine point, I c'n see heaps of trouble ahead for the rest of us. Talk to him, won't you, Rod. I know he's just aching to make us believe there's all kinds of ferocious wild beasts hanging out around our camp down here, and wantin' to devour us."

Josh chuckled, but put his right hand up solemnly, as though ready to declare himself entirely innocent of the charge; but Rooster evidently did not wholly trust him, for he frowned, and shook his head.

"Supper's about ready, fellows!" announced Rod just about then; and this welcome tidings caused the others to forget everything else in the overwhelming desire to satisfy the demands of their vigorous appetites.

Indeed, the odor of the cooking ham, and the boiling coffee, not to mention the sight of the sandwiches and other things, which had been disclosed in various packages stowed away in the bundles, had long before now aroused the anticipation of the hungry boys to the limit.

And so they squatted down around the spot where the prepared food had been placed, every one anxious to assist. Each fellow carried a tin platter, and a cup of the same material, as well as knife, fork and spoon, so that in a brief time they were busily engaged in devouring their portions of the supper.

Of course they talked while they ate, and there was quite a clatter of tongues, despite the fact of their mouths being full much of the time.

"Well," remarked Josh, all at once, "would you believe it, here's Hanky Panky dropped back into his same old careless ways again, always promising to do things, but forgetting all about it a minute afterward."

"What ails you now, you old grumbler?" demanded Hanky Panky, reaching out for another roll, with which to finish his coffee.

"Why, all of us heard Rod here tell you to fetch your machine up with the rest, alongside; and you said you'd sure do it when you got your breath; yet there she stands, leanin' against that tree, by the

road yonder, just like you left it when you threw yourself down to get your breath back."

"Oh! is that what's paining you, Josh?" demanded the other, as he scrambled to his feet, with the tin cup in one hand, and a roll in the other; "well, for fear you throw a fit, and spoil the whole trip, I'll just meander over there and coax my machine to trundle back here where it belongs. I'm the most obliging feller you ever saw, barring none."

"Bully for you, Hanky," called out Rooster; "but why don't you show us some of your magic, and make the motorcycle start this way all by itself? Oh! my goodness! fellows, I do believe he's adoin' that same! Looky there, you c'n see it amovin' all by itself! But hi! hold on there, Hanky, you've gone and started it the wrong way; for don't you see, it's movin' off down the road!"

Hanky Panky was himself staring as though he thought he might be dreaming. Then all of a sudden he dropped his cup and roll, as he started to run in the direction of the moving motorcycle; and at the same time he bawled at the top of his voice:

"Rod! Elmer! Everybody, come quick, and help me ketch him! Robbers! Thieves! Stop that black coon from getting away with my machine! Oh! hurry, hurry, somebody, and get after him; for there he's jumped in the saddle, and is riding away!"