“Suppose you tell me, then?” suggested the patrol leader.
“Why, you see, when we started this scout racket here, his two boys, Tad and Ben Jasper, were mighty wild to join the troop, but their dad put his foot down flat against any such ‘foolishness,’ as he called it. He seemed to have the idea in his head, like a lot of other people do who will not take the trouble to read the Boy Scout Manual, and learn what the movement represents, that it was intended just to make soldiers of all American boys as they do over in Europe. And no one could ever get him to listen to reason, though my father and others tried to show him.”
“I kind of suspected it might be that way,” said Hugh, with a smile. “That would account for the helplessness of his boys when they found themselves up against a situation like this. Scouts would have had that family ashore hours ago. They have never learned to think for themselves. I hope it’s going to prove a grand lesson for Mr. Jasper; and let me make a prediction, Tip, which is that inside of two weeks you’ll be enrolling the names of Tad and Ben Jasper on your roster.”
Sure enough, when they were approaching the land, Mr. Jasper, looking as though he had something on his mind that would give him no peace until he had it out, opened the conversation by remarking:
“Is this the sort of thing you scouts learn to do, Tipton Lange? Because, if it teaches boys to be self-reliant and brave and obliging, I’m going to look deeper into the scheme. I realize now that there’s something lacking about my lads. They should have been able to do something to get us out of this scrape. And if being Boy Scouts will build them up so they can take the bit in their teeth and go ahead when a necessity comes along, why, I want to know all about it.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, sir,” declared Tip, flushing with pleasure, while Tad and Ben pushed nearer, their faces displaying an eagerness they could not disguise. “And my father will be pleased to have you call on him to hear what he has to say about the scout movement.”
“Tell him about the bridge affair, Tip!” suggested Billy, although Hugh made a movement with his hand, and frowned as though he did not like the idea of being forced to hear himself praised.
Tip, however, was only too willing. The time did not allow of any elaborate yarn spinning, but in a brief recital he explained to Mr. Jasper the difference between sheer recklessness and true bravery as exhibited by the actions of Tug Wilson and Hugh Hardin.
Mr. Jasper insisted on shaking the patrol leader’s hand after Tip had finished.
“If that is what it does for boys,” he said heartily, “then my sons shall join a troop at the first opportunity. I don’t want them to grow up with the idea of being soldiers and fighting just for the love of war; but like every father I do hope they will always be brave and self-reliant. Yes, I shall certainly look into this thing. It has been a lesson to me.”