He said, “I can see old Grouch Gaylong, there, with a fine scout uniform
and one of those big long sticks and about ’steen hundred badges; badges
for being sarcastic, badges for lying on his back and sticking his feet
up in the air, Calamity Jane badges—all kinds. I can see you head of
the Church Mice patrol, only the Church Mice have struck it rich. They
won’t speak to the Silver Foxes any more. See that long, thin flame?
That’s one of their tails.”
“I can see the American flag,” Willie Wide-awake said.
“Sure, Old Glory;—right underneath it is a little kind of a bungalow
all fixed up, and a canoe right near it. See the canoe? And I can see a
face—yes sir, I can see a face. Mr. Jennis, is it? See, right through
the middle of the flame? That’s Mr. Jennis, all right. And——”
“I can see it!” Willie Wide-awake shouted.
“Sure you can,” Harry said, “plain as day——”
“_Look! Look!_” the little fellow shouted, and he clutched Harry by the
arm, all excited. “_I see it! It’s real! Look!_”
I was looking, too, and I saw it and then I knew. And I wanted, I just
wanted to go over and clutch Harry Donnelle by the arm, just like that
kid was doing. I could see Brent Gaylong roll over and look, kind of
curious, through the blaze. And all the fellows seemed to start, all
except Dorry and I. But I didn’t budge, only sat there watching Brent
Gaylong. His face looked kind of strange. Then he stood up. And the
other face behind the blaze rose up, too. And Jib Jab was standing there
and the fire was shining on his face. And even I could see the twinkle
in his eye.
Then I heard Harry Donnelle speak and his voice sounded queer, because
it was so still around there. And there wasn’t any sound except the fire
crackling.
He said, “Who are you? What do you want here?”
“Just a stranger after food and shelter,” I heard; “I’ve been wandering
in the woods. I am a discharged soldier and I’m in hard luck.”
But I didn’t notice him, because I was looking at Brent Gaylong. He was
standing up straight and looking steady, right across the fire, into
that face. And he didn’t take his eyes off it; just stared.
CHAPTER XXXIII
WE PART COMPANY
Oh, it was great to watch Harry—the way he acted. He just said, “A
soldier, eh? Sit down, we were just going to have a bite to eat. I was
in the big scrap, myself.” That’s what he always called it—the big
scrap. He didn’t pay any attention to Brent Gaylong, and Brent just
stood there staring.
Pretty soon Brent said, “Your name isn’t Chandler, is it?”
“Maybe, and maybe not,” Jib Jab said. “Who are you?”
He didn’t admit he was Chandler right away and Harry Donnelle said, kind
of careless sort of, “If you’re the missing Chandler you might as well
so say. We’re all tramps and wanderers here. All broke, too.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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