No, thought the miserable boy, she would be doubly fearful, doubly unwilling, now that the Whippoorwills were to do serious scout duty on Death Head Mountain.
Danny's soul raged against his soft fate as he stumbled up the side steps of his handsome home and entered his mother's presence.
He did not fly to her arms as he was wont to do, but, instead, flung himself into the first convenient chair with a frown. He could not trust himself to speak.
But even in that moment of stress Danny realized that his mother had not hurried to him for the usual kiss. She was struggling with some sort of bundle, and she only looked up with a quick smile.
The next instant, however, the smile of welcome died out of her face, and she stopped suddenly and regarded him with a startled question in her eyes.
Danny frowned more darkly, and moved uneasily under her searching gaze. He looked away in a vain attempt to hide the tears which had sprung to his eyes.
And then came the unexpected:
"Danny," said his mother, in a voice that sounded new to him, "I received a long-distance phone message from the Scout Master, and—he said he had wired to the school——"
She paused a moment, and then asked: "Didn't you get the message?"
"Yes," said the boy doggedly.