Doubtless many unique, and perhaps even remarkable, expedients would be resorted to by the energetic and ambitious members of the Hawk, the Otter, the Fox and the Wolf patrols of the Boy Scout Troop, in order to sum up the largest number of points in the contest. And when the time came to read off the list of things accomplished and to award the prize to the lucky patrol, there would be surprises all along the line.
Two boys were standing at the window as Hugh approached: Billy Worth and Bud Morgan. They turned toward Hugh with something like a mixture of indignation and amusement written upon their faces; and Billy immediately fired the first shot, as usual, for he was ready with his speech, if sometimes hesitating when it came to quick action.
“What do you think, Hugh? Alec Sands and Sam Winter of the Otters were just here, and you should have heard them talk! It was ‘our’ banner, and ‘how proud we’ll be when we march with that waving over the Otters’! I tell you, I was mad enough at first to eat my hat; and then Bud whispered that they were doing it just to get my goat, so I cooled down and added to the merriment by asking all sorts of questions about just how they felt so dead sure of winning.”
“Yes,” added Bud, “but it didn’t work, Billy. Alec was too sly to give his secret away. He only put on that wise look of his, winked his eye, and said: ‘You Wolves just wait and hear something drop. You’re going to get the biggest surprise of your lives before long. And let me tell you right here, we’ve got that banner cinched!’ And then they walked away, chuckling and looking back at us as though they might be having lots of fun.”
“Well, chances are they were, if you fellows let them see you were worried any by their big claims,” Hugh declared.
“What do you think about it, Hugh?” asked Billy. “Have they found out some way to add a lot of tallies to their string,—an easy way, and yet one that would come inside the restrictions set by the committee? If that’s so, then the rest of the patrols might only be wasting their time trying.”
“Don’t you believe that,” the other instantly told him. “No matter if they are beaten in the race, there’s no discounting the good the patrols will get out of the effort they make to roll up a strong count. Lots of things are bound to be attempted that would never have been thought of only for this keen competition. In my opinion, this is going to be the best thing that ever happened for the troop. And the whole town has got the fever by now, so that even men and women are interested. When the time comes for counting the tallies and telling how each bunch was won, there won’t be standing room in the biggest hall in town for the crowd that’ll want to be there.”
“Then you think Alec might have been boasting, just to rub it into us, knowing all the time we’d tell you about it?” remarked Billy.
“We all know that Alec is as smart as a steel trap,” said Hugh thoughtfully. “Now, it’s just barely possible that the Otters haven’t any wonderful run of luck at all, and that he’s adopted this scheme, thinking he may discourage the rest of us. You know, if some boys once get the notion in their heads that they’re beaten long before the end of the race, they’re apt to throw up the sponge and quit. He may think that we are that kind.”
Billy snorted with disdain as he said hastily,