Fast Nine; or, A Challenge from Fairfield Read online

  CHAPTER V.

  BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY.

  ON the following morning about ten o'clock Elmer was passing along theroad a short distance from his house, carrying quite a good-sizedpackage, when he heard his name called from the rear.

  Turning around, he discovered the tall, angular form of Lil Arthahurrying after him and making motions as though he wanted to overtakehim.

  "Hello! were you looking for anyone?" laughed Elmer, as the long-leggedchap covered the intervening ground at a great rate and joined him.

  "Well, I was just on my way to your house to ask you something when Iglimpsed you turning the bend. So I put on a little steam, and here Iam," replied the one who was considered by all odds the best walkeramong the scouts, barring none.

  "Why, yes, I'm on my way over to Mr. Bailey's with something he wants,and which my father has just run across. Thought I'd take the short cutthrough his patch of woods, as it cuts down the distance a third. If youhaven't anything else on hand just now, what's to hinder you goingalong, Lil Artha?"

  "Nothing that I can see," replied the party who received the invitation,falling into step at Elmer's side. "And if you feel tired carrying thatbig package just heave it over to me; I'll spell you."

  "Oh, it looks heavier than it really is, but I'll take you at your wordif I feel that way. Now, what was it you wanted to see me about?"

  It proved that the long-legged first baseman had been doing considerablethinking in connection with the coming game of baseball. He believed hehad discovered a way where a few little changes in the batting order andsuch things would add materially to the strength of the team.

  This was a subject very close to Elmer's own heart, and he was ready andwilling to talk about it in and out of season.

  So the two boys walked along the road debating the matter seriously. LilArtha had prepared himself to back up his claims with all the shrewdnessof a lawyer advancing his ease before a jury, and knowing howenthusiastic the other was when he had a subject in his mind Elmer wasvery careful not to allow himself to be carried off his feet by sucheloquence.

  Such a little thing as the arrangement of the batting order has won andlost innumerable games of baseball. Some fellows, once they manage toreach first base, are almost certain to get around, if one or two surepinch hitters follow. And since Lil Artha knew the peculiarities of theHickory Ridge fellows much better than Elmer did, because the latter wasa comparative newcomer, he was in a position to give advice.

  Of course, as field captain, Lil Artha had the right to make changeshimself, but he wanted advice from the pitcher, with whom he worked incommon for the good of the team.

  When they came to the spot where the short cut through the woods beganElmer turned into the path. Lil Artha had insisted on taking over thepackage that was going to Mr. Bailey, and as the trail was exceedinglynarrow in places Elmer was compelled to step ahead.

  He kept turning his head as he listened to the arguments advanced by hiscomrade, and occasionally made a reply.

  They were now in the midst of the Bailey woods, known all over theregion as the finest and most extensive grove within some miles of town.On this warm August morning it was cool under those big trees, and oneof Elmer's reasons for taking the short cut now became apparent, sincethe dusty road promised a hot walk as well as a much longer one.

  Squirrels barked as they played among the branches above; birdswhistled, crows flapped their wings and cawed solemnly at beingdisturbed in their caucus; a timid rabbit darted out of a patch ofbrush, stopped to observe the intruders, and then bounded away as thoughnot very much frightened; for this being close season the report of agun was as yet an unheard thing in Bailey's woods.

  All at once Elmer came to a sudden stop, so that Lil Artha, intent onthe point he happened to be arguing at the time, almost ran into hiscomrade.

  "What's the matter--stub your toe, or get a bug in your eye?" he asked,as he clutched the package tighter to prevent its dropping to theground.

  "Not a bit of it," replied Elmer; "but what in the world do you supposethat queer sound can be?"

  Now that his attention was called to it, Lil Artha also detected thenoise which had attracted his chum's notice.

  "What d'ye think it could be, now?" he asked, turning a look of wonderon Elmer.

  The other shook his head as though puzzled.

  "I thought I knew every animal you could find in these woods, and thesound of his grunt or squeal, but that's a new one on me," he remarked.

  "I tell you," said Lil Artha, after listening again intently; "it mustbe a pig, that's what. There, didn't that sound just like a big grunt,and wasn't it followed by a squeal? One of Bailey's hogs had sneaked outof its pen and is rooting around. Perhaps it's got into trouble. We'dbetter investigate this thing a little, don't you think, Elmer?"

  "I think so a heap," replied the young scout leader; "because that lastgrunt didn't have a piggy sound at all to me, and I give it to youstraight."

  "Then what do you reckon it was?" demanded Lil Artha, with addedinterest.

  "More like a groan," remarked Elmer, starting on again.

  "A groan--you mean a real human groan?" exclaimed the tall boy. "Say,now, that would mean somebody might be hurt over there."

  "Then the sooner we find out the better." Elmer answered over hisshoulder.

  They had little difficulty in tracing the course of the sounds. And thefurther they advanced to the left of the path the louder the singularcombination of sighs, groans, and grunts became.

  "I know this place, all right," whispered Lil Artha, presently. "I'vebeen here more'n a few times, Elmer. There's the queerest hill justbeyond you ever saw. It's got one face shaved off just like it had beensplit, and half of it carried away. Us boys call it Echo Cliff. I'vebeen up on it lots of times. Gee, it's sure a jump down to the tree topsbelow!"

  "Yes," Elmer remarked, "I remember hearing about it now, though I'venever been up on it, Perhaps some poor fellow has tumbled over the edge,and is lying with broken bones among the trees."

  "Ugh, you give me a cold shiver!" Lil Artha said. "But p'raps he didn'tfall all the way down, Elmer, because, seems to me those awful soundscome right out of the air up yonder."

  "That's just what they do," muttered the other boy, in a puzzled tone;"but come on, and we'll soon find out the worst."

  Resolutely he led the way and Lil Artha followed. No matter whatdreadful thing might suddenly meet their sight, Elmer would not bedeterred now.

  "Listen!" whispered Lil Artha, as he gripped the shoulder of hiscomrade; "he's talking to himself, Elmer. Where under the sun d'yesuppose he can be? It don't stand to reason that he's up on the top ofEcho Cliff, because that's farther off."

  Elmer gave a chuckle, and when he turned his face around his companionsaw that he seemed to be shaking with laughter.

  "I think I've got on to it, all right!" said Elmer.

  "Well, let me in, won't you?" pleaded Lil Artha. "You look like youwanted to burst out laughing, and just didn't dare. If a human life isin danger I don't see what there is funny about it."

  "Tell me first, is there an open place just below this Echo Cliff youtalk about?" asked the other, in the same low, cautious voice.

  "That's just what there is," Lil Artha replied, readily enough. "Many atime I've dropped chunks of rock down, just to see 'em smash on theground below."

  "That settles it, then; he was trying it out," remarked Elmer, nodding.

  "Hey, what d'ye mean?" demanded Lil Artha. "Trying what out? And whod'ye think it is? tell me that, Elmer."

  "Come here with me; I believe I see him, all right," remarked the other."Follow my finger now; notice that thing moving up yonder in thatlittle old tree? Now it kicks like all get out. You'd think a fellow hadgone up there to take lessons in swimming. Well, that's _him_!"

  "Who?" demanded the other, imperatively.

  "A fellow by the name of Tobias Ellsworth Jones, known among the boys bythe more familiar name of just plain Toby," chuckled Elmer.
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  "Wow, now I'm beginning to get on, Elmer!" exclaimed the tall boy,excitedly.

  "You remember Toby is just crazy to fly like the Wrights and all theother bird men who sail through the air in their aeroplanes?"

  "Sure he is," commented Lil Artha; "haven't I heard him tell about whatwonderful things he was goin' to do some day, to make the name of Jonesfamous? Say, honest, now, I believe you've hit her right, Elmer. Toby_has_ been trying it out! And that big flapping thing up yonder in thetree top must be his wonderful parachute he's been talking about thislong while. Say, I believe the silly must have dropped off Echo Cliff!"

  "That's what he did," remarked Elmer, "and instead of lighting in thatnice little open place, as he meant to, the wind just carried him intothe top of a tree!"

  "And he's caught up there right now--caught by his trousers seat mebbe,and kicking to beat the band. I don't wonder he grunts and groans andtalks to himself. Now what d'ye think of that for a loon? Why, he mighthave broken his leg if he had fallen on those stones! What're we goingto do about it, Elmer?"

  As usual Lil Artha was only too willing to have his companion take thelead in suggesting action. Some boys seem to be just fitted to occupythe position of guide, and their mates soon come to rely on themexclusively. Elmer occupied that position, and so Lil Artha looked tohim in this emergency.

  "Why, we've got to get him down out of there, that's flat," returnedElmer. "He's our comrade; and scouts must always help their fellows, oranybody else, for that matter, when in distress. Let's move on a littlefarther and give him the high sign."

  All this talking had been carried on in such low tones that the sound oftheir voices could hardly have reached the ears of the ambitiousaviator, who was caught in the tree, fully thirty feet from the ground,unable to break away, and confronted by a nasty drop if he did succeedin separating his garments from the branch that had gripped him.

  They could now see that what Elmer had suggested was indeed the truth. Aboy was flapping at a great rate, his arms and legs going at the sametime, as he tried his best to squirm around so as to get at the seat ofthe trouble, but apparently without success.

  After each tiresome struggle he would give vent to a new series of thosequeer grunts and sighs, and then do some more talking to himself.

  Above him, and just barely caught on the tree top, was a strange affairthat had somewhat the appearance of a big umbrella, made out of canvasor muslin. A number of holes had been punched through the parachute byits descent through the branches, so that taken altogether, the bravewould-be aviator and his apparatus seemed just then to be in a state ofcollapse.

  Elmer waited until the squirming had ceased, with one last groan as ofdespair. Then he gave the signal of the Wolf Patrol, as only one who hadactually heard the long-drawn howl of the timber wolf in the darkness ofa Canadian Northwest night could imitate it.

  Evidently the sound stirred Toby to new life, for his movements beganagain. He tried to make an answering signal, but the sound was more likethe bleat of a lost calf than anything else. However, it answered itspurpose, which was to let the comrade below, who had come to the rescue,understand that his presence was known.

  "Hello! up there, what are you doing to that tree?" called Lil Artha,who could not keep from trying to extract some fun out of the situationfor all its gravity.

  "Better ask the tree what it's adoin' to me!" wailed Toby, who hadmanaged to whip himself around so that he could now catch a glimpse ofthe boys below. "Hey, Elmer, and you, Lil Artha, get me down out of thisfirst and have your fun afterward! I'm as dizzy as an owl in daytime,and if my pants give way I'm going to squash flat! Come up here and grabme, can't you? Tell you all about it later on. What I want now issympathy and brotherly kindness, don't you see?"