Afloat on the Flood | Page 5

lots of people'll be pointing their fingers at every fellow wearing
khaki, and saying they always knew scouts was no better than the law
allowed. Oh! wouldn't I like to get hold of that Hen Condit, though."
"What makes them believe it was Hen" continued Elmer.
"Say, that's the queerest part of it all," answered the fat boy; "the silly
gump gave the whole business away himself--went and left a note
behind him telling that he was the guilty villain, and that they needn't
ever expect to see him again, because he had lit out for Chicago."
"Whew! you don't say!" gasped Lil Arthur, apparently half stunned by
this later intelligence; "I never would have thought Hen could be such a
fool as to convict himself like that."
"When was he seen last?" demanded Elmer, still after information.
"He went to bed last night, they said, just as usual; but shucks! it would

be the easiest thing agoing for Hen to climb down from his window if
he took a notion. I've known him to do the same dozens of times just
for fun, rather than take the trouble to go around to the stairs."
"Then Hen has disappeared, and no one has seen him this morning?"
"Never a soul. His aunt went to his room when he didn't show up, but
not finding him expected Hen had gone off to my house. And his uncle
is whopping mad over it. He nearly took a fit when the expert Chief
said he reckoned someone had chloroformed him. He called Hen a
viper that he had fostered, and said if he could only ketch him he'd see
that he got his deserts."
"Listen, Landy, did you see that note?" asked Elmer.
"That's what I did, let me tell you," came the prompt reply, "and it was
in Hen's well-known fist, too; I could tell that a mile off if I saw it.
Haven't I heard the writing teacher at school tell him he was well
named, because his paper looked like a hen had dabbled in the ink, and
then strolled around every-which-way."
"Then you can tell us about what it said, can't you?" continued the
patrol leader.
Landy laid that ready forefinger of his alongside his nose, as though
that action would aid his memory. Then he closed one eye, another
singular habit he had; after which he slowly went on to say:
"Course the exact words have slipped me, Elmer, but it ran something
like this. He said circumstances which he couldn't control had forced
him to do this thing; that he was sorry, but it couldn't be helped. He
hoped his uncle would forgive him, and forget there was such a fellow
in the wide world as Hen Condit. There was also some more that I can't
just recollect; but it was to the effect that he believed he had money
coming to him, so Mr. Condit could take it out of that and call it square.
But just think what all this is going to do to the scouts, Elmer! Never
since the troop was organized has it met up with such a terrible blow."

All of them looked serious. They knew that a certain element in
Hickory Ridge would only too eagerly seize upon this incident to prove
what they had always claimed, which was that scouts, after all, were no
better than other boys, and that when put to the test they could turn out
bad as well as the rest.
"Yes, the honor of the Wolf Patrol is hanging in the balance, Elmer,"
said Lil Artha. "Are we going to just stand by and not lift a hand
because it was one of our chums who did this mean job? If it was
anyone else and they called on us to track him, wouldn't we respond to
a man? Here's a supreme test before us that's going to prove how much
our honor means."
"I say the same, Elmer," urged Chatz, indignantly; "let's all get busy
and see if we can run Hen Condit down like a fox we've got on the trail
of. Let's fetch him back to face his uncle, and prove to all Hickory
Ridge that the boys of the Wolf Patrol can never stand for wrong doing
in their ranks. Yes suh, it's surely up to us to show our colors."
Elmer rubbed his forehead. He looked thoughtful, as though possibly
he might see a little further into this mysterious happening than any of
the rest.
"Listen, fellows," he told them; "I've known for some little time that
Hen was acting queerly. He failed to attend the last two meetings, and
when I asked him about it he avoided my eye. I've been wondering
what it all meant, and intended to have