CHAPTER VII
ON THE WAY TO SMOKY BALD
"The crowd always goes with the upper dog," nodded Rector, as themountaineers crowded about Tad to congratulate him on his pluckyfight. But Tad was too much interested in rescuing the letter to hismother to give heed to the men who clamored to tell him what a braveboy he was.
There were a few among the mountaineers, however, whose faces weredark and threatening. These did not offer their congratulations.They were men who, for reasons best known to themselves, sympathizedwith Smoky Griffin, but who had not dared to go to his assistancewith the ready revolvers of Ned Rector and Chunky Brown so plainly inevidence.
"Come in here and help yourself to anything in my store," shouted JimAbs from the doorway. "Any galoot that can fit like that withoutturnin' a hair is welcome to anything that Jim Abs's got. Come rightalong in, all the rest of you strangers. Hi, men, if them ponies wantto drink don't let 'em suffer."
"Thank you," smiled Butler. "There is nothing that I can think ofthat would make me any happier than a glass of water, if I mighttrouble you."
"Shore, little pardner. Want a bit of lemon in it?"
"If you will let me pay for the lemon."
"Nary! I reckon you've done me more'n five cents' worth of benefitin getting rid of Smoky Griffin. He won't be around these partsright smart, I don't reckon."
"Then I will take the water without the lemon," decided Tad.
"You'll do nothing of the sort." Jim hustled around, setting out fiveglasses which he filled from a pump at the rear of the store. Intoeach glass he squeezed some juice from a lemon, adding a spoonful ofsugar that he dipped from a barrel. He shoved the concoction acrossthe counter grinning good-naturedly.
"Drink hearty, lads."
"My goodness, I'm glad he gave me a glass of that lemonade," gaspedChunky between gulps. "I nearly got lockjaw watching him fix it."
"Say, but you-all can fit," declared Abs, addressing Tad, at whom hegazed in admiring wonder.
"Thank you, sir. That's the very best glass of lemonade I've everdrunk," answered Butler, smiling sweetly. The battle grin had givenplace to a smile that was almost girlish in its sweetness. It was awinning smile, too, but the person who thought an effeminate naturewas hidden back of the smile was likely to be keenly disappointed.
The boys went back to the porch where they sat down to finish writingtheir letters. Tad's letter to his mother was so trodden with dirtthat he was obliged to rewrite it.
"If any more of those bad men come along here looking for a fight,please tell them to wait till I finish my letter, then I'll attend tothem," said Stacy pompously as he sat down. "Say, that fellow didn'ttake his revolver, did he?"
A mountaineer shook his head. Chunky went out and picked up theweapon, examining it critically. He carried the weapon in and handedit to Mr. Abs.
"I reckon you'd better keep this," he said. "Smoke may come alonglooking for it when he gets his eyes open so he can find the way."
"No, sir, not Griffin. He won't show his face around these parts ina right smart time."
"Then you may have it. I wouldn't tote such a cheap gun as that.Why, he couldn't hit the side of a house with it and do any damage,"declared Stacy.
As Chunky emerged from the store he discovered the big eyes of BillyVeal peering around the corner of the building.
"You may come out now," grinned the fat boy. "Circus all over andthe concert let out. Perfectly safe for you now. Here, have abanana," offered Stacy, helping himself to one from the bunch on theporch and tossing it to the colored man. "Everything belongs to mearound here."
"Chunky, go in and pay for that banana," commanded Tad, glancing upwith a disapproving frown.
"But didn't the man say we could have whatever we wanted?"
"You do as I tell you."
"Lend me a nickel, then," begged the fat boy.
"Regular cheap man, you are, Stacy Brown." growled Rector.
"Here's your nickel," said Tad, handing out a five-cent piece. "Thatmakes seventy cents you owe me."
"Why do you want to remind me of it every time? Don't you think Ihave trouble enough without having to worry over my debts all thewhile?"
Muttering to himself, Chunky entered the store, laid the five centson the counter, uttering a deep sigh as he did so, then returning tothe porch threw himself down and began scribbling. After a fewminutes of this Stacy's head began to nod. He recovered himself witha start, grinned sheepishly, and started writing again. Five minuteslater he lay on his back on the porch, both legs hanging over,snoring loudly.
He was still asleep when the boys, having finished their writing,went in to post their letters. This done they started for theirponies, Chops having, in the meantime, packed the supplies. TheProfessor was about to awaken the sleeping boy when Tad whispered tohim. The Professor grinned.
"Mr. Abs, when we are off yonder by that rise of ground you wake himup, will you?"
"Sure," chuckled the storekeeper. "You'll see some fun then."
"How far is it to the rise?" asked Tad.
"Nigh onto three miles."
"Good. That will give him a run for his money. Thank you for allyour kindness. We may be back here for further supplies later on.We've got two good, healthy food-consumers in our outfit."
The storekeeper said he would be glad to see them at any time. Theyhad spent nearly twenty dollars with him, so of course he would beglad to see them again. He didn't care if they came back for moresupplies next day.
In the meantime the party quietly rode away, settling down to agallop after they had ridden far enough from the store so that thehoofbeats should not awaken the sleeper. While all this was goingon the loungers sat about watching the sleeping Chunky and grinningbroadly. They were appreciating the joke, and they knew they weregoing to have some fun.
Smoky Griffin's friends had taken their departure some time since, sothere was no apprehension felt as to their interfering with Stacy.The fat boy, in all probability, would not have awakened in hours hadnot someone carelessly stumbled over him when the party were drawingnear the rise referred to by Butler.
Chunky sat up grumbling.
"Say, fellows, what do you want to wake me up for--"
Stacy rubbed his eyes and gazed around him somewhat bewildered.Thinking the boys must have gone into the store, he got up andhurried in. Mr. Abs was unusually busy and it was fully two minutesbefore he found time to lend an ear to Stacy's urgings.
"Where's my party?"
"What, you here yet?" demanded the storekeeper in well-feignedsurprise.
"I reckon I am. Where's the rest of the crowd?"
"Don't you know?"
"If I knew I wouldn't be asking you, would I?"
This line of reasoning seemed to strike Jim Abs forcibly, for henodded his head until Chunky feared the storekeeper would dislocatehis neck.
"Where are they?"
"I reckon they're on their way to Smoky Bald."
"Smoky Bald? On their way to Smoky Bald?" shouted the fat boy.
"Sure. Didn't you know that?"
Chunky regarded the storekeeper keenly for a few seconds, then boltedout through the door. Shading his eyes he gazed off across theplateau. There in the far distance he could just make out a body ofhorsemen jogging along.
"Is--is that my crowd?" he demanded, turning to the grinning faces ofthe mountaineers.
"I reckon it is, boss," answered one.
"That's what I call a mean trick!" shouted the fat boy, making a dashfor his pony. In the meantime the pony had been moved around to theother side of the store. Chunky howled when he failed to find theanimal where he had left it, and it was some five minutes later whenhe discovered the horse. It did not take the boy many seconds toleap into the saddle, and urging his horse he went dashing off acrossthe plain in pursuit of his party, shouting and occasionally shootingup into the air to attract their attention.
A chorus of yells from the mountaineers followed him, b
ut Stacy Brownwas too angry to listen. Already the pony's neck was flecked withfoam, Stacy urging the animal on to renewed efforts by frequentapplications of the pointless rowels which he rubbed vigorouslyagainst the little animal's sides.
"There he comes," shouted Tad as a report from Stacy's revolverreached their ears.
Glancing back the boys saw a cloud of dust rising between them andJim Abs' store.
"Ride for it! We can get out of sight before he tops the ridge,"shouted Tad.
Professor Zepplin, sharing in the youthful enthusiasm of the moment,touched spurs to his own horse and the party swept away.
In the meantime Stacy Brown, the sweat rolling from his face, waspounding across the plateau.
The Pony Rider Boys on the Blue Ridge; or, A Lucky Find in the Carolina Mountains Page 8