“W-w-what’s that, Perk?” stammered Wee Willie; while Elmer nodded his head as much as to say: “it’s coming out now; go to it, Perk, old chum!”
“Why,” said Perk, “you’re not the only pebble on the beach; because I entertained a stranger at my fire last night, just the same as you did!”
CHAPTER XXIII
WHAT PERK DID
The tall boy stared hard at Perk when he made that astonishing announcement.
“What! did he drop in on you too?” he gasped, and then added quickly: “but you just said you’d be wild if a crazy man came into camp. Perk, whatever are you giving us? It isn’t like you to yarn.”
“Oh! let me tell you,” continued the other, softly, like one who delighted in making hay while the sun shone; it wasn’t often Perk had a chance to whet the curiosity of his chums, and evidently he was bent on making the most of the present opportunity.
“Wish you would!” grumbled Wee Willie, looking unhappy because he was unable to see through the maze that confronted him, and understand just what that smirk on Perk’s round phiz meant.
“To go back,” remarked Perk, reminiscently, “I had managed to build a bully fire, and was getting nicely dried out. That was along about midnight, I should say. The storm was past, and since the lightning had stopped except away off in the distance, I wasn’t afraid any longer to occupy a hollow tree I’d marked down, and under which I found my wood-pile.
“Well, there I was, beginning to feel that life wasn’t so tough a thing after all, when I heard some one calling. Oh! yes, it made me have a funny feeling I admit, because there I was away off by myself, alone in the flooded woods, with the trees still dripping, and the thunder growling in the distance.
“But I could tell that whoever it was trying to attract my attention he must be in some pain; and so I made up my mind it was up to me to start out and find him. That was the time, boys, I wished I had a gun along with me; for I remembered about that crazy man, and it didn’t make me at all happy either.