CHAPTER XXXI

HELD

Will just put his arms around his father’s waist and stood in front of him to prevent him from walking. He was all excited, he said, “Listen, Dad, quick, because in a couple of minutes the south bound train will be here and then it will be too late. You keep still, Roy.” _Jiminy crinkums_, people are always telling me to keep still. Anyway Mr. Dawson winked at me.

Will just said--gee, but he was anxious and excited--“Listen Dad, I broke the rule and took a boat out at night, and--do you see that fellow up there? The one sitting on the truck? He’s a Scout----”

Mabel Dawson said, “He doesn’t look like one.”

“Never you mind, he is one,” Will said. He kept shaking his father so he’d listen in a hurry. He said, “That Scout saved my life--I’ll tell you all about it afterward how I got tangled up with a rope in the water. Listen--_listen quick_! He ought to have the Gold Medal for that. But he wouldn’t let us tell because then I would have been sent home for breaking the rule--do you see? I had to promise him I wouldn’t tell anybody at camp. But I could tell you because you weren’t at camp--that isn’t breaking my word. Now he’s going home because he hasn’t got money enough to stay any longer--his train--_listen_--his train is coming any minute. _Listen_--you said maybe I’d get a big radio on Christmas and I know what you mean when you say _maybe_----”

“He don’t mean maybe,” I said.

“Will you keep still!” Will shot at me. “Listen Dad,” he said. “Instead of getting that radio I want that fel--Scout--I want him to stay up here till the camp closes. So will you do that? You have to answer quick because the train is whistling--I hear it--so will you do that? He saved my life and kept still so I could stay up here. I’ll go home if I have to but he’s _got_ to stay up here--he’s got to--listen, there’s the train--will you answer me!” Gee, I never saw Will so excited in all his life. He was right about the south bound train, it was whistling up the line. The train the Dawsons came on started off. I could see the smoke of the other one over the trees way up the river.

“It’s--it’s coming,” Will said. He just kept pulling his father’s coat. “I don’t want a new radio anyway,” he said.

Jiminies, you can’t hurry Mr. Dawson. He took it easy walking over into the station with Will and I after him. Then he went over to the news stand and bought a cigar and lighted it. I thought maybe he was mad about what Will did--breaking the rule like that, I mean. Then he went over to the ticket window and asked the man about the down trains next day. I guess Will and I didn’t know what to think. Will was terribly excited. When Mr. Dawson came out on the platform again he said,

“That the boy--the one sitting on the jigger? What’s his name?”

“His name is Dorin Smedley,” I said, “but we call him Dub.”

“No khaki huh?” Mr. Dawson said.

Then, all in a hurry, Will told his father all about Dub--all that we knew about him. The train was coming along but that didn’t seem to worry Mr. Dawson. It worried Will and me though. Mr. Dawson just kind of strolled over to the baggage truck and he screwed his cigar over into one end of his mouth and he looked awful kind of shrewd like. He held out his hand just like he would to a man and he said, “H’lo Dub.”

Dub jumped down because the train was puffing all ready to start but Mr. Dawson kind of smiling didn’t let go his hand, he just kept shaking it. Mrs. Dawson and Mabel came up, but Mr. Dawson just kept on shaking Dub’s hand. Poor Dub didn’t know what to make of it. All of a sudden the bell on the engine rang and the train started to move. A lot Mr. Dawson cared about the train! He travels around a lot and I guess he misses lots of trains--he should worry.

That’s the way he is, always fooling, kind of. He just kept hold of Dub’s hand and Dub tried to get away, but he couldn’t. And so he missed the train! “What’s all the hurry about, Dub?” Mr. Dawson asked him.

Jiminy crinkums, that man should worry about trains!