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.

“I went out, after fixing my fire so I could easy enough get back, if nothing grabbed me. He kept calling, and soon I came on him, trying his best to limp along. You see, he’d gone and sprained his ankle pretty badly, and couldn’t bear to put that foot on the ground.

“That stirred me, I tell you, fellows. I tried to remember everything I’d ever been told about sprains, and what was best to do for them. Come to look and I found that it was a bad injury, with his ankle a heap swollen; and, say, I bet you it hurt like everything; all of which was especially bad for him, because, well for a good reason.

“I made him lean on me, and step by step managed to get the poor chap over to my fire, where I stowed him on some branches I’d gone and gathered and dried out with the heat. Then I took off his shoe, and bathed his ankle with cold water from a little creek that was running bank-full close by.

“He said he felt a lot better afterwards, but kept groaning every once in a while, I didn’t know just why, except that he knew he’d probably not be able to walk decent for weeks again. That makes some difference to a fellow, I happen to know, because I’ve had a sprained ankle myself, and had to stay out of school for three whole weeks, using a cane afterwards.”

“Huh! that _was_ a terrible time for you, Perk,” grunted Wee Willie, “and ever so many fellows saying they envied you the chance. But keep right along telling the details. Was he a dark-faced, wiry-looking chap; and could he talk like a house afire?”

“Not my visitor, Wee Willie. I hope now you don’t think I entertained that wild man, like you did?” Perk protested.

“Hardly possible,” said Elmer, “for he went away in the opposite direction to this; and besides, couldn’t have been at our fire until midnight, and then bobbed up away off here at the same time.”

“Just so,” continued Perk, sagaciously; and then went on to tell how he had arranged things for the comfort of his caller.

Elmer already “smelled a rat.” He began to see which way the wind was blowing, and could now understand why Perk had been casting so many queer glances in the direction of Amos. There was a _reason_, and a good one for this; and Elmer was now in a fair position to read between the lines as it were.

“Now I know,” broke in Wee Willie after a bit, “why you broke that cake of chocolate in two, and ate only half of it; you mean the rest for this fellow you’ve taken under your wing, eh, Perk?”

The other nodded eagerly.

“I’m sure he must be nearly as hungry as I am,” he explained, “though he said he wasn’t, and that he’d eaten a full supper last night, which of course I didn’t. But it wouldn’t be fair for me to swallow the whole cake, so I’m saving his share.”

“I believe you’d do the same for the worst scoundrel unhung, if he happened to fall into your hands, like this chap with the sprained ankle did,” Elmer boldly told him. “You’ve got a heart as big as a bushel basket, Perk; and think of every one before yourself.”

“But how anybody could do different, I can’t for the life of me see,” protested the other, simply.

By now Elmer believed he began to see light. Wee Willie, however, proved denser, for he was still wrestling with the problem in his mind, wondering who on earth it could be Perk had come upon so soon after the storm, and whose injuries he had attended to as best he knew how, with his limited knowledge of “first aid.”

Amos, too, was hanging on every word that was spoken. Apparently he had also conceived some sort of plausible explanation for Perk’s actions. When the latter found Amos so eagerly observing him, with that hungry light in his eyes, he hastily turned his head away. Elmer wondered why Perk did not seem to be embarrassed in any way, so he must conclude that the other simply meant to enjoy their bewilderment as long as he reasonably could, before lifting the curtain and disclosing his secret to full view.

“It’s going to break right away,” Elmer told himself, confidently. “He just can’t hug that much longer to himself. Besides, Perk never could be cruel, even to an insect. Haven’t I seen him carefully step over an ants’ nest many a time, when other boys would carelessly trample it underfoot? And he’ll soon realize that in holding back he’s causing some one to suffer.”

So Elmer did not raise a hand to hasten the disclosure, content to let matters take their course. Wee Willie on his part now began to scent some wonderful mystery.

“See here, Perk,” he broke in, with an assumption of severity; “you’re trying to pull the wool over our eyes, for some reason or other, I guess. Now quit your kidding, and show us. Where’s your friend? Produce this man with the sprained ankle, won’t you, Perk? We’d all like to make his acquaintance, don’t you know? Here’s Elmer getting as impatient as anything, even if he doesn’t show it; and as for Amos, why he can hardly wait for you to lift the lid. I’m in the same box myself; so lead us to him, Perk!”

“He’s close by here, I want you to know,” explained the fat chum, chuckling in his mysterious way. “Mebbe you’ll be surprised to meet up with him. It might even be you’ll think I builded better than I suspected when I answered that call for help, and ventured out to find this poor chap.”

He was looking straight at Amos while saying this, though apparently speaking to Wee Willie. Amos was as white as a sheet, and his limbs seemed to be trembling under him, for some reason or other. There was also a pleading look in his eyes that made Perk squirm, and feel that he was displaying unnecessary cruelty in holding back as he did.

“Please, oh! please take us to him right away, won’t you, Perk?”

“That’s just what I’m going to do, Amos,” he replied. “So come along, all of you, and meet my friend, the man who doesn’t expect to walk for a whole month, because it happens to be his only good foot that’s knocked out of business, since he’s lame in the other!”

Saying which, he started the excited boys on a bee-line through the woods.