"I am surprised that William is still out, but do not feel alarmed, Mrs. Wilson. Something has detained him, but it cannot be anything serious. Both roads to North Adams are well traveled and the farmhouses are near together. As likely as not he stopped to help somebody out of a difficulty and it has taken longer than he expected. One of our laws, you know, says that a Scout's duty is to be useful and to do somebody a good turn every day. I'll run over and talk with Wallace. They started together and may have met when they crossed over from one road to the other."
Mr. Norton was more anxious than he pretended. Wallie said that he hadn't seen him and hadn't heard him, which was worse, for Bill usually could be heard a long way off. Wallie said that he had called to him every few rods when crossing over to the west road beyond North Adams but hadn't heard a thing. It would have been easy for them to miss each other, unless they happened to take the same crossroad.
"I might get track of him in North Adams," said Mr. Norton, after a little. "You see, I gave him a message to deliver to a friend of mine there. He surely will know something about him, but he hasn't a telephone and I think is out of town to-day, anyhow. Maybe I'd better drive up. The boy probably will get back before I do, but it will make me feel better to be doing something."
By that time everybody was getting scared. I mean all our folks were. Mrs. Wade was sure that Benny never would come home again, although it wasn't quite nine o'clock, the time when he said he would come.
Mrs. Wade is all right most of the time, only she can think of more trouble for Benny to get into than he could find in a week, if he looked for it. Mothers are often that way. I guess it is because they like us so well.
"He said he would come back, if he lived. Those were his last words. And he hasn't come."
She told that to Ma, over and over again.
"He'll come back all right," said Ma, "and so will John, when the time comes."
But she was worried about me, just the same, all on account of Bill. Of course, I didn't know about it at the time. I found out afterward.