She seemed to be measuring the distance to a really secure footing on Dick’s shoulder. [Page 109.]
Then Dick began his journey downward, which was, of course, easier than the upward climb. It was a question of putting on the brakes, but did not take more than forty seconds.
In the meantime, Chippie had got most of the smoke out of his eyes, and had been watching Dick with breathless interest. Then they thought of the little girl and the two women and started off in pursuit; and they soon noticed, at a little distance, a large trunk being carried by a woman and a boy, with an old woman and a little girl accompanying them. In another minute Dick was handing the kitty to her small mistress; and, when the little girl had done all she could to show her delight, Dick and Chippie took charge of carrying the trunk to relieve Mrs. Green and Tom, and they all kept together until they reached the Common.
Here they found a large number of people who had taken refuge with their household goods and chattels; and, when they had discovered a vacant bench for the two women and the little girl, they sat down on the ground themselves to hold a council of war. It was now six o’clock and pretty near supper time. Was there room at the Salem Fraternity to give shelter to their party for the night, or was there room in any of the tents pitched on the Common? But Dick cut all these considerations short by saying:
“The first thing to do is to report to Mr. Miller, tell him all the facts, and receive our instructions. Tom, you and Chippie stand by the ladies here in case they should want anything immediately, and I will go back to the Boys’ Club. You will probably hear from me again in half or three-quarters of an hour.”
Dick reported the facts as briefly as possible to Mr. Miller, who took down the names of Mrs. Mitchell and her daughter, Mrs. Green, and listened to Dick’s description of the place on the Common where they were sitting under the protection of Tom and Chippie. After consulting with the superintendent, he told Dick to take supplies for supper, and to inform the party that they would be welcome in tent Number 6, where two other families, similarly situated, were to pass the night.
In the meantime, the fourth division from the Bright Wing had arrived, and had been at work for some time. Sleeping quarters were provided for the boys in rooms at the top of the Boys’ Club; and, when it was time for them to turn in, they felt mighty well after all their hard work, and mighty tired.
For some reason or other, Dick’s thoughts wandered away from the exciting experiences of the day, and kept returning to that game of baseball, when his touching second base had been questioned; he did not feel happy about it, and as he went to sleep, the words, “A scout is trustworthy”, kept rising up and passing through his mind.
Chippie Smith dreamed of a procession of white and black cats climbing up the waterspout to the top of a house, crossing the roof, and then quietly walking down like flies on the other side.