The Banner Boy Scouts Part 25

Boylike he pretended to hold back, and as the light went out, leaving them once more in the gloom, he remarked:

"Yes, those fellows were lying in wait for me. They expected to give me a sound thumping; but I was warned and ready. I'm sorry that you were annoyed by the row, Miss Blair. I'll stay here with you until your company comes back. I think he must have gone for help!" this with some bitterness and scorn.

She moved closer to him. Possibly the darkness made her afraid; and then again some other cause may have influenced her.

Paul felt her hand on his arm, and was thrilled when she said:

"Please don't mention him to me again. Oh! what a miserable coward, to run off and leave a girl that way. Won't _you_ take me home, Paul?"

He could not say anything for a minute, he was so overcome. And perhaps Arline thought he must still be angry because she had treated him so shabbily of late.

"Please, please do, Paul. I want to tell you how sorry I am for believing what came to me in a roundabout way. I'll never forgive myself, never!"

she went on, clinging to his arms.

Paul could hold out no longer.

"Of course I will, Arline, and glad of the chance. Come on before anybody hurries out to see what all this noise means."

So they walked down the street together, Paul with his faithful bat tucked under one arm, and a pretty girl clinging, oh! so confidingly to the other.

But the boys of Stanhope often made more or less of a noise on the streets after dark, being filled with exurberant spirits; and so no one thought it worth while to investigate what all the racket meant.

Paul heard what had been carried to the ears of Arline, and had no trouble in proving to her complete satisfaction that he was entirely innocent of the charge.

"And to think that I allowed myself to believe it," said the girl, almost crying; "oh! Paul, will you ever forgive me? Nothing can ever make me listen to anything wrong about you again. I wonder if he had a hand in hatching that wretched story up. If I knew it I would tell him to his face what I thought of him!"

"You mean Ward. Please don't do that. I really can't believe any fellow would be so mean and low. It must have been just accident that coupled my name with that affair. But I'm satisfied if you say we're going to be just as good friends as ever," Paul said, warmly.

"Better than ever, I hope, Paul. I've had my lesson. It will never happen again, I promise you," she answered, pressing his arm as she spoke.

So Paul saw her safely to her door, and then said good-night; but Arline insisted upon shaking hands with him; and the tingle of his fingers as he walked down the street made him laugh with joy.

"What luck!" he kept saying to himself, as he made out to shake his own hand; "and what a mess of it Ward made of his chances. He thought to have the laugh on me if we met, and here the shoe is on the other foot. Oh!

I'm not complaining a little bit. Everything's coming my way now."

Nothing further happened on his way home. But when he reached the house his father met him with the announcement that Jack was holding the wire, and waiting for him.

"On deck there!" he said, briskly, and heard an exclamation of relief.

"How is it, Paul? Anything doing? Seemed to me I heard an awful racket over your way; but the nine-forty train was just coming in at the station, and drowned it out. Did they tackle you, son?" demanded Jack, eagerly.

"Did they? Well, I guess some! Ask Ted," chuckled the one addressed.

"You're laughing, and that tells me you enjoyed the circus. What did you do to poor old Ted and his cronies, Paul?" entreated the other.

"I could tell you easier what I didn't do to 'em, Jack. I gave the boys about every style of punch and jab I could think of, and with my home-run bat too. Oh! make up your mind they're going to be a sore lot in the morning. And if you run up against Ted, just sniff the air for arnica. My word for it, he'll empty the bottle to-night on his bruises."

"Bully! bully! and again bully! I would have rushed to a.s.sist you only you made me promise to keep my hands off; and you're my superior officer, you see. Besides, I reckoned that with such a hunky-dory bat you'd be able to give just pie, which you did, Paul."

"But the half hasn't been told yet," went on the narrator.

"What! do you mean there's a sequel to this story?" asked Jack, burning with eagerness apparently, to hear.

"I guess that's what it is. Listen. Ward was just taking a young lady home. He chose to pa.s.s along our street, though now he wishes he hadn't; for they arrived just when Ted and his backers jumped out of the bushes.

She screamed, and her escort sprinted down the street for help. After I had punched and pounded the three Hallowe'en left-overs from last year until they faded away, I had the pleasure of seeing the young lady to her door, yum! yum!"

"Hurrah! and I bet all differences are patched up again between you!"

cried Jack.

"Everything is lovely, and the goose hangs high," sang Paul.

"Meaning poor old blundering Ward. He showed himself for a coward to the girl he's sweet on. Oh! my, oh! me, how is the mighty fallen.

Congratulations, good friend, and then more of them. So the clouds have disappeared along your horizon, just as they did on mine. I only wish I'd had a hand in clearing your skies."

"So you did. You kept that baseball bat of mine until the right minute came. Only for that my name might have been mud," laughed Paul.

"And if you'd only open your heart now, and give me a hint about the fellow you believe has been playing that trick on me with my old coins--"

"Just you wait a little. It's coming soon. So-long!" and with a click the connection was cut off.

CHAPTER XXI

THE MEETING

"How are you, Paul?"

It was Mr. Jared Pender who came out of the post-office as Paul happened to be pa.s.sing the next day, and addressed the boy he had met on the preceding evening at the house of the Stormways.

"Why, how do you do, Mr. Pender? Been at work, I see," replied Paul, with a suggestive look in the direction of the post-office.

The tall dark gentleman looked a little perplexed, and followed Paul's glance. Then an expression of understanding pa.s.sed over his face.

"Ah! yes, I see, you are a good guesser, Paul. But please do not mention the fact to any one. We Government officials sometimes have to work _sub rosa_, as the saying is; that means without any one knowing what we are at. You understand, Paul?"

"Yes, sir, I guess I do; but I hope there's nothing wrong here at our post-office. We all think the world of Mr. Mygatt, and his clerks," said Paul.

"Oh! don't mention such a thing. We have to investigate many times just to discover how smoothly things are going on. Isn't that Jack's dog coming out with a package of papers in his mouth? Has he actually been down for the mail?" went on the gentleman.

"That's Carlo, all right. Sometimes they give him the mail when there are no letters, as you see."

"And will he carry the bundles home safely, without stopping to play with other dogs, or to fight?"

"Oh! Carlo knows his duty. He never forgets what is expected of him.

There, sir, look at him halting for a minute at the open door of the butcher shop, to wag his tail, and peep in. It smells mighty inviting to him, I wager; but will he go in? Not much. See, there he goes along, heading straight for home. If another dog picked a fight with him, Carlo would lay that package down, give the cur a good licking, then pick the papers up again, and trot along."