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  CHAPTER VI

  ON GUARD

  Just after he had finished his supper that evening, Jack Stormways wascalled to the telephone in his house.

  "Hello! Jack, this is Paul," came a voice. "Do you suppose your folkswould let you camp out to-night down at the church, along with me?"

  "What's that?" exclaimed Jack, more than a little surprised; for it hadbeen decided, as the boys would be needing a good rest before startingoff on their long and tiresome journey, there was to be no meeting onthis night.

  "Bobolink just had me on the wire," went on Paul, quietly; "and whatd'ye suppose he told me? He got a hint that our friends, the enemy, meanto be at it again. This time they are thinking of doing something thatwill upset all our calculations about starting out to-morrow."

  "But how--I don't just get hold of that, Paul? Every fellow has pledgedhimself to be on hand, rain or shine. How can they hold us back?" askedJack, who had been partly stunned by the sudden shock of hearing suchnews.

  "Oh they won't try to," remarked the scout leader; "but then you seewhat would be the use of our tramping away up there in the RattlesnakeMountain country if we had no tents to sleep under, and nothing to eat?"

  "But we have tents, and you bought enough bacon and supplies to last thewhole outfit for two weeks anyhow! Oh! Paul, do you mean--would theydare try to dump all that fine grub in the creek, and perhaps ruin ournew tents?"

  Jack's voice trembled with indignation as he said this; for the realmeaning of what his comrade was hinting at had suddenly burst upon him.

  "Don't forget that Ted Slavin and Ward Kenwood lead that other crowd,"remarked Paul, soberly; "and that times without number in the pastthey've shown how little they cared for other people's rights when theywanted to do anything mean. Bobolink had it on pretty good authority. Irather guess one of the enemy got cold feet, and thought it was goingtoo far; so he threw out a hint."

  "Bully for him, then, whoever he was! But what are you going to do aboutit, Paul?" demanded the boy at the other end of the wire.

  "Just what I said--get a few fellows to camp out to-night in thegymnasium under the church where all our things are heaped up. Bobolinksays he can come. I'll ask William if either he or Wallace could joinus. Four should be enough to hold the fort, don't you think, Jack?"

  "Sure! We know they're a punk crowd anyhow, when it comes to trouble;ready to run at the drop of the hat," observed Jack, contempt in histone.

  "Will you be there, then?" continued Paul, eagerly. "After all, it willonly be beginning our camping experience one day in advance, forto-morrow night we expect to sleep under canvas, you know. Ask yourfather, Jack?"

  "Oh!" exclaimed his chum, "he'll say yes, right off the reel. He neverforgets the time he was a boy, and often says he envies me the goodtimes we have. When will you drop in for me?"

  "About half an hour from now. Got some things to do first," came thereply.

  "Do you want me to take my gun along?" queried Jack, anxiously.

  "Oh! no, it isn't that bad a case," laughed Paul, amused. "We ought tobe able to handle things without going to such extremes. Besides, youknow, I carried a number of those stout sticks into the gym the otherday, and William amused himself fastening a lot of cloth around them, sothat they look like the stuffed club we used in the minstrel showlast Winter. William is just itching to use one on some poor wretch.Perhaps he might get the chance to-night. So-long, Jack."

  "I'll look for you in half an hour then!" called his chum.

  "About that," replied Paul. "I'll have these little medicine casesfinished by then. Mother has been helping me with them. She used tobelong to the Red Cross Society at one time; and besides, a doctor'swife has need of knowing about stuff that's good for stomach-aches,colds, snake bites and such things."

  That half hour seemed next door to an eternity to the impatient Jack.Every time he allowed himself to think of the vandals throwing all theircarefully gathered stores around, and perhaps cutting great holes inthose lovely khaki-colored tents, warranted waterproof by the maker,Jack nearly "threw a fit," as he expressed it, in his boyish way.

  Finally there was a ring at the door, and the young scout flew to lethis chum in.

  "Oh! I hope you haven't overdone it, Paul, and waited too long," hesaid, as he snatched up his cap, and prepared to hurry out of the door.

  "Why," replied Paul coolly, "it was hardly a half hour; and I told theboys to meet us down at the campus of the high school about eight.There, you can hear the clock striking now. You're nervous, that's all,Jack."

  "I reckon I am, for it seemed to me you were hours coming. I hope theydon't try any of their games before we get on deck," observed theanxious scout.

  "Not much danger of that, because, you see it's too early in the night.When fellows are up to any mean dodge they like to wait till all honestpeople are abed. The thief shuns a light, you know; and even Ted Slavinhunts up a dark place when he tries to play one of his tricks."

  Paul spoke as though he had made a study of the town bully, and knew hisweak points, which was the actual truth.

  "Why can't they let us alone?" grunted Jack, falling into step with hiscomrade, as they walked down the street. "We never think of botheringthem; it's always the other way. They just like to act ugly aboutthings; and it's worse since we won that banner for our troop. But youknow they're intending to hike out up in the same quarter we'veselected? That was done with a purpose too, Paul, mark me!"

  "I'm afraid so," returned his comrade, slowly; "and just as like as notthey expect to give us trouble while we're in camp. Well," and his voicetook on a vein of determination that told how he was aroused at thethought of what might happen; "there must be a limit to even theforbearance of a scout, you know; and if they push us too far, we willhave to teach them a lesson!"

  "That's the ticket, Paul. I can stand just so much of this being meekand forgiving; but it ain't in boy nature to keep it up everlastingly.Some fellows think it a big joke. And a sound licking will open theireyes better than soft soap. Ask William if that isn't so!"

  "It's all to the good, I'm telling you, and that's no lie," observed theparty in question, whom they found sitting on the fence adjoining thegreen fronting the handsome high school, and whom Jack had discovered atthe time he was venting his views.

  "Where's Bobolink?" demanded the leader.

  "Oh! he was here a bit ago," returned William, who had always beenconsidered ready to fight in the old days before the scout movementstruck Stanhope; and who was loth to forsake his former ways, even whileendeavoring to remain a member in good standing in the troop.

  "But why didn't he stop with you? I told him to wait here," returnedPaul.

  "You see, we talked it over," explained William, "and got the notionthat, as we didn't know how long you might be getting around, one of ushad better begin to scratch gravel. So he drew the prize, and hikedaround to the church to stand guard."

  "Oh!" observed Paul, relieved that it was no worse, "in that caseperhaps we'd better be moving along. Now, it may be that the Slavincrowd have a picket out so as to watch the gym, and see if any of uscome around. We must be careful how we crawl up to the door. Come on,both of you."

  They talked in whispers as they made a long detour, so as to approachthe church from the rear.

  "Got the key to the gym door, haven't you, Paul?" asked William.

  "Sure I have," replied the other, readily enough, "I asked old Peter forit this afternoon. Thought that perhaps I might want to get in to lookover the stuff for the last time."

  "That's good. D'ye suppose they would break a window if they found thedoor locked?" continued William, who always wanted to know allparticulars.

  "Huh!" grunted Jack, at this remark; "such a little thing as breaking apane of glass wouldn't stand in their way long, if they had a big job totackle. I wouldn't put it past such reckless fellows to set fire to thechurch if hard pushed. If they stopped at that it would only be fromfear of being found out, and punished by the law, not anything else.Huh!
don't I know that Ted, though?"

  "'Sh!" came from Paul at this juncture, and all of them lapsed intoabsolute silence; for they were now drawing near the old stone buildingthat had sheltered the leading congregation of Stanhope since before theCivil War.

  Paul had been observing things as he came along. First of all he notedthat it was not as dark a night as when the bell of the church had beensuddenly tolled. A young moon hung tremblingly in the western sky,promising to increase steadily in size, and give them more than onebrilliant night while on their big excursion. Besides, an electricstreet light was in full force that had been out of business the othernight.

  He also noted the lay of the land near the church. This was familiar tohim, as he had played around this spot, off and on, for years. Paul knewjust where every tree reared its leafy branches, and could easily in hismind plan a mode of approaching the rear of the building without onceleaving the shelter of the shadows.

  So they stalked along, and were soon hugging the stone walls. Thus farall seemed quiet and peaceful. If any of the Slavin crowd were in thenear vicinity they must be keeping under cover.

  A pinch on his arm told Paul that Jack, with his keen eyes, haddiscovered something he deemed suspicious.

  "Where?" he managed faintly to whisper in the ear of his chum.

  "Ahead, by the sun dial," came in reply.

  Paul remembered that something had happened to the old fashionedsun-dial that used to stand in the cemetery connected with the church;and that it had been placed up against the wall of the building. Heknew, because he had once fallen over it in the darkness.

  Looking closely he could just make out some object seemingly perched onthe stone that offered a seat to the weary one.

  It might be Bobolink, and then again there was always a possibility thatthe figure would prove to be that of an enemy on the watch.

  Paul had instituted a system of signals whereby two scouts of theStanhope troop could communicate, should they happen to draw near oneanother in the dark, and wish to unite forces.

  Accordingly he now took a little piece of wood out of his pocket, also asteel nail, and with the latter tapped several times upon the bit ofveneering. Immediately they saw the sitting boy begin to fumble, asthough he might be getting something out of his pocket. Then came ananswering series of staccato taps, soft yet clear.

  "O. K."

  "Number Three," whispered Paul, gently.

  "I'm your candy!" came the reply, as the figure stood up at attention.

  "Anything doing around here?" asked Jack, cautiously as they joinedforces.

  "Haven't seen a blessed thing but a young rabbit, that came nosingaround. Guess that swift bunch hasn't showed up yet," returned thesentry.

  "It's just as well," remarked Paul; "and please talk in whispers. Here'sthe door, so just wait till I unlock it."

  A minute later and they found themselves inside the basement of thechurch, which was used as a gymnasium for the boys; there being noY. M. C. A. in the town.

  "Do we get a light?" asked Bobolink, as he stared into the darkness.

  "Better not," advised Paul, "for that would give the whole thing away.The whole stack of things is piled up in the center, so we needn'ttumble over it. And William, you know where to put your hand on thoseclubs, don't you?"

  "That's a cinch," chuckled the other, quickly. "You fellows just hangout here, and let me get busy. Oh! what a chance it looks like to try mylittle game of tag. Talk to me about baseball! Why, it won't be in thesame class with what we'll do to the other fellows, if they give us halfa chance! Oh! me, oh! my! yum, yum!"

  William came back presently, and handed each of his mates one of thepadded clubs he had worked on so industriously, in the expectation thatsome fine day they might come in useful. Perhaps that hour had arrived;at least William had high hopes.

  Paul, meanwhile, had secured some blankets from the pile, and each ofthem made as comfortable a bed as was possible in the darkness.

  "Nothing like getting used to bunking on the hard floor?" gruntedBobolink, after he had fussed around for fully ten minutes, complainingthat the boards hurt his bones when he lay on his side.

  "Now silence!" came from Paul, in a tone of authority; and after that noone dared to utter a single word in the way of conversation.