Storm-Bound; or, A Vacation Among the Snow Drifts
Page 15
CHAPTER XIII
THE OBJECT LESSON
"WASN'T that a knock?" asked George, who apparently had not heard thesound so plainly as the others.
"Seemed like it to me," replied Toby, "but say, neighbors can't be soplenty up here in the woods, to have one running in after supper forenough coffee to last over breakfast. P'raps, after all, it was only alimb scraping against the roof; or a squirrel up in the loft huntin'nuts Uncle's laid away."
"It is some one at the door!" remarked the owner of the cabin, quietly.
Elmer saw him getting to his feet. There was a sparkle in the eyes ofUncle Caleb; and his jaw seemed set in a determined way. This suddenlycaused Elmer to remember what had been recently told about the toughhard-drinking guide who believed he had a grudge against the oldscientist--Uncle Caleb.
"Let me go to the door for you, Uncle Caleb," said Elmer, hurriedly.
"It is my cabin, son, and therefore my duty to answer any summons," wasthe steady reply of the old gentleman; "so please stay where you are,unless I need any assistance."
"Great governor! what if it should be _that man_?" Lil Artha was heardto mutter as he reached out a hand, and clutched his own Marlin, whichchanced to be standing in a corner conveniently near by.
Every one fairly held his breath as Uncle Caleb was seen to move towardthe door. He had not thought it worth while to arm himself, and Elmerconsidered this positive evidence, going to prove the other's bravery.He himself hardly knew what to expect, and his whole frame fairlyquivered with a mixture of eagerness and dread as he saw the owner ofthe cabin start to open the door, which had been secured by a simpleold-fashioned bar that fell into a brace of sockets, one on either side.
Immediately the barrier was removed they saw a figure stagger into view.Uncle Caleb stretched out his hand, and took hold of it. Then the soundof muttered words came to their ears, after which the old gentlemanturned, closed the door, and led his unexpected guest toward the fire.
The staring scouts saw that this was a very large man. He seemed to becoarsely dressed as might a woods guide, wearing a heavy sweater underhis outer coat. No weapons were visible, and one of his arms hung limplyat his side as though it might have been broken in some sort ofaccident.
The man's face was distorted by pain, but they could see that it wasbearded, and looked bearish. In fact, every one of the boys' firstimpression was that they would not care to meet this fellow whilewandering through some lonely part of the forest, and do anythingcalculated to excite his anger; for he appeared to be a man with aviolent temper.
"It's _him_, I just bet you, Elmer!" whispered Lil Artha in the scoutmaster's ear and Elmer nodded as though he fully agreed with the other.
There seemed to be no need to mention names, for the memory of whatUncle Caleb had recently told them was fresh in every fellow's mind.Curiously they watched what was going on. Lil Artha still caressed hisgun. He had hardly made up his mind whether or not this might be aclever trick on the part of Zack Arnold, calculated to gain him anentrance to the cabin of the man he hated so bitterly, though withoutany reasonably just cause.
It was only the other day that Lil Artha had been reading in school ofthe wooden horse which played such an important part in the capture ofTroy in olden times, being filled with the enemy, who, issuing forth inthe night-time, opened the gates of the fortified city to their allieswithout. Perhaps that was what made the boy suspect the visitor might beshamming in order to catch Uncle Caleb off his guard.
But if this idea had seized hold of Lil Artha he soon realized its utterabsurdity. Men may go to considerable lengths in order to carry outtheir schemes; but he certainly did not believe even a determined fellowlike Zack Arnold would deliberately break his arm in the effort todivert suspicion.
It was an ugly break, too, as was shown as soon as Uncle Caleb haddivested the other of his garments, with the assistance of Elmer, whosprang to his side when he realized what was needed. That thick, hairyarm was covered with blood, and the sight of it made Toby and Georgeshudder.
"Get a kettle of water on the fire in a hurry, please!" said UncleCaleb, "because the first thing to be done is to wash this arm so we cansee how to set the bone. Toby, at the same time start that coffee togoing again, will you? A few hot drinks would take some of the chill outof this poor fellow. He's had a terrible tumble, and is covered withbruises, besides this broken arm. But we'll fix him up as comfortable aswe can; and he luckily managed to get to my cabin before it was toolate!"
While the old gentleman was speaking in this way the keen black eyes ofZack Arnold kept following his every move. Elmer wondered what must bepassing through the mind of the vindictive man just then. He did notdoubt in the least but what some terrible plan to revenge himself uponUncle Caleb for what the other had done to him on that previous occasionhad been the cause for his coming to this particular region, for his owncamping grounds lay many miles away to the west, where sportsmencongregated in the season for either fly fishing or deer hunting.
With some black plan in his mind the man had started to even up hisscore with Uncle Caleb; but a strange fate had caused him to meet with aterrible accident; and now he was compelled to actually seek shelter andassistance from the very man he had been about to injure.
It was a remarkable freak of fate, and Elmer found himself wonderingwhat the outcome of it all might be.
Lil Artha had quietly replaced his Marlin in the corner when he firstglimpsed that tortured arm, for he realized then that there was going tobe no need of weapons. When Uncle Caleb called for a kettle of warmwater he was the first to leap to his feet and place one on the fire;while Toby, just as eager to help, began to brew the coffee.
This latter was ready even before the kettle began to sing, and UncleCaleb himself poured a brimming cup of the beverage, which he handed tothe wounded man. No doubt Zack Arnold needed some stimulant the worstkind. He must have exhausted his pet flask on the way, for he did notseem to have a drop about him; and when the fragrant Java beverage wasplaced in his possession he swallowed the contents of the big aluminumcup in great gulps, as though his throat might be made of cast iron,which no hot stuff could scald.
Uncle Caleb asked no questions. He must know very well what had broughtthis revengeful guide so far out of his beaten track; but to see himtenderly washing that arm, and then gently setting the broken bones,after which he bound it up with a splint almost as well as anyprofessional surgeon could, you might have thought he was attending hisbest friend instead of a bitter enemy.
Lil Artha could hardly keep his eyes off the man's face. He, too, hadfinally managed to grasp the same idea that had come long before toElmer; and now he wondered again and again what the outcome of thisremarkable adventure was going to be. He even chuckled a little tohimself as he saw those eyes of Zack following Uncle Caleb back andforth, as the other went to get more bandages, or it might be thesoothing salve which he wished to rub upon several ugly black-and-bluespots visible on the left side of the brawny woodsman.
"Huh! I've heard before about heaping coals of fire on your enemy'shead," Lil Artha whispered to Elmer, when he found a good chance, "but Inever just understood what it meant. Now I know to a fraction. Say, didyou ever hear of such a queer thing in all your life? And I bet you hewas coming up here to make a lot of trouble for Toby's uncle, too. Well,this _is_ an object lesson for scouts, ain't it, Elmer?"
"Just as you say, Lil Artha, but better not try and talk any more aboutit. He might hear something you wouldn't want him to. Just keep youreyes and ears open, and you'll be well paid."
So after that the tall scout sat still and kept on the alert. He wasenjoying things exceedingly. In fact he could not remember having everfelt such a keen interest in anything before as he did in this coming ofZack Arnold to the cabin of his hated enemy, and under such queerconditions.
When in the end Uncle Caleb finished attending to his injured guest, andwith the help of Elmer the guide's sweater had been secured in suchfashion that it gave him the required
warmth, he seemed to remembersomething else looking to the comfort of Zack Arnold.
"Do you think you could manage to eat something if we cooked it for you,Zack?" he asked, with such an earnest manner that the man writhed in hisseat, and his eyes fell in what Lil Artha believed to be utter shame,though he quickly spoke up in reply.
"Ye've made me feel so comfy-like, suh, that I jest reckon I _could_take a few bites. Hain't had nawthin' sence mornin'. Ye see, I took thistumble 'long 'bout noon, an' I lost nigh everything I had with me in theway o' eatin's an' same with the drinkin's. Been jest walkin' eversence, ahopin' I mout hold out long enuff ter strike yer shack; but Ikim near throwin' up the sponge an' lettin' the freeze do the biznessfor me."
George saw a chance to get his hand in had come at last.
"What shall I cook him, Uncle Caleb!" he hastened to ask.
"I've got just two eggs left from the lot I fetched back with me," saidthe old scientist, without hesitation, "and you can fry them for himwith a slice of ham. You'll find the eggs in that can where I keep myrice, the one with the name on the front, George. And there's plentymore coffee in the pot. In his present exhausted condition it will bethe best thing he can take, far better than liquor!"
The guide opened his mouth as though about to say something, but hisemotions must have overcome him, for he gulped several times, blinkedhis eyes quickly, and then sat there staring hard at the fire, possiblywith strange thoughts surging through his mind.
Elmer noted these things. He felt that a revolution might be takingplace within the soul of that tough woodsman.
"I wouldn't be at all surprised," was what Elmer told himself, as helater on watched Zack devouring the supper George had prepared, "butwhat this is going to turn out to be the making of that man. He's surelyseen a great light, and already looks at things in a different way fromwhat he ever did before. And if I know Uncle Caleb, as I think I do fromhaving studied him, the chances are ten to one he'll wait his chance,and all he'll ask in return for what he's done will be for Zack to geton the water wagon, and stay there the rest of his life. Well, I hope itdoes turn out that way. But who'd ever think we'd run across such awonderful object lesson away off up here in the snow forest?"
And yet later on, when Elmer allowed himself to survey the matter atcloser range, he was not greatly surprised; for he realized thatoccasions are apt to spring up at the most unexpected times whenobserving scouts can read a lesson in passing events, if only they keeptheir wits about them.