CHAPTER XVI.
THE MEANING OF SOME QUEER SIGNS.
Arthur said he would gladly read to the tramps if they cared to hear him, and at the same time he wondered what valuable information the man could possibly give him.
Then all the tramps gathered as near to him as they could, and Arthur, sitting where the firelight shone brightest, with one hand laid protectingly on little Rusty, opened his precious book, and read the first story he came to, which happened to be that of “The Ugly Duckling.”
It was a striking picture, that of the fair-haired child, sitting in the red glow of the firelight, and reading a fairy tale to the rough men crowded about him, their uncouth figures half disclosed and half hidden in the dusky shadows. Close behind the big tramp, who was his father, sat the boy with whom Arthur had fought, still looking sullen and crestfallen over his recent defeat, and occasionally casting glances of mingled envy and hate at his rival.
As the tale proceeded, his hard, young face took on a softer expression, and when it was finished he heaved a great sigh.
“Well, Kid,” said the big tramp, turning to him at the conclusion of the story, “what do you think of that for a yarn? You are a pretty ugly sort of a duck yourself, and who knows but what you may turn out to be a swan after all, some of these fine days.”
“It’ll be a goose more like,” muttered one of the men; and Arthur, looking pityingly at the lad, wondered which it would be.
Now it was the big tramp’s turn to fulfil his part of the bargain. This he began to do by taking a bit of chalk from his pocket and drawing with it several rude figures like these, ❌︎ ❌︎ ɸ — ✓ on a piece of birch bark. Showing them to Arthur, he told him that these were signs understood by all the tramps of the country, and that whenever they saw them chalked on gate-posts or fences or other conspicuous places near houses, they knew at once what they meant. “This, for instance,” he said, pointing to one of the signs, “means ‘Stingy people in this house; won’t give a poor tramp anything.’ This one means, ‘Savage dog in here’; and this, ‘Good people, and plenty to eat.’” Another meant, “Man here keeps a gun for tramps”; and still another, “Only women folks here; no danger.” He also said that the older and best-known tramps had their private marks or autographs, which were very generally known and recognized by all the others along their particular lines of travel.
Arthur was greatly interested in this, and made copies of several of the marks thus shown him, so as to impress them upon his memory, though at that time he could not foresee that they would ever be of any use. At the close of this novel lesson, the big tramp told him that his name was Sandy Grimes, and showed him his own private mark or autograph, which was M̥, and said that Arthur was at liberty to use it, in proof of their friendship, whenever he found himself in company with any other tramps.
The boy thanked him politely for this favor, though thinking to himself that he hoped the time would never come when he should care to claim such a friendship. Then Arthur said he was tired, and would like to go to sleep, whereupon Sandy Grimes showed him a bed of dry leaves beside a big log near enough to the fire to feel its warmth, and told him he could lie down there. So there the tired little fellow lay, with Rusty nestled close beside him, and watched the stars twinkling overhead until he fell asleep.
Although on this occasion Arthur breathed great quantities of the night air that his Aunt Nancy had declared to be poison, its injurious effects were not apparent when he awoke the next morning, looking as bright and fresh as though he had slept in the downiest of beds. To be sure he felt somewhat stiff and sore; but after his encounter with the young tramp, it would have been most surprising if he had not.
The sun was just rising as he made his way to the brook to dip his face in its cool waters; but the camp was already astir. Tramps are proverbially lazy, but they are always among the earliest of risers. From the cheap lodging-houses and police-stations of the city they are turned out at daylight. The same thing happens in the country, where the thrifty farmer routs them out from his barn or haystacks, and hunger drives them from their camps at the same early hour. A want of food was what set this particular camp astir by sunrise on this occasion; for its occupants had exhausted their entire supply on the feast of the previous evening. Now they were setting forth to beg, or steal, something to eat at the nearest farm-houses and villages.
Some of them, careless of their promise made the night before to go with Arthur and help him and Uncle Phin get their boat afloat, had already left, while others sullenly refused to keep their word, now that they were reminded of it. However, five of them, including the big tramp and his boy, said they were going that way anyhow, and didn’t mind giving the youngster a lift with his scow if it didn’t take too long and prove too hard work. So, in a few minutes after leaving his bed by the old log, Arthur found himself walking down the ravine toward the river in company with five as disreputable and rascally-looking tramps as could be found in the country.
He had not forgotten poor little Rusty. Oh, no indeed! Nor had the dog forgotten him, but now followed close at his heels without paying the slightest attention to any other person in the party. He had been stolen by the “Kid” from the Chapmans’ house during the excitement caused by the burning oil tank, and had evidently suffered much at the hands of his captor, for never after that day did he see a tramp without growling and showing his teeth at him.
The tramps’ camp was located but a few hundred yards from the road that ran along the river bank, and the relief party had hardly turned into it before Arthur, with a cry of joy, sprang forward and flung himself into the arms of Uncle Phin, who, looking the picture of misery and utter dejection, was hobbling toward them.
The old man was so overcome by joy and bewilderment that for a few moments he was utterly speechless. Then he broke out with “Tank de good Lawd, Honey, I is foun you! Ole Phin die ob de heart broke shuah if he didn’t fin you pretty quick, an he’s bin sarchin fo you all de night long.” This was said with such a heartfelt earnestness, that the boy realized in a moment how greatly his old friend had suffered.
Although Uncle Phin had found several houses during his absence of the afternoon before, none of their inmates had been willing to return and help him get the Ark afloat. He had not got back to it until after sunset, and then, to his dismay, had found it dark and deserted.
Too greatly distressed to eat or sleep, he had spent the night in wandering up and down the road hunting, and calling for, his “lil Marse,” and now that he had found him, his joy was almost too great for expression.
It was but a short distance to where the Ark lay aground, and it was but a five minutes’ job for those sturdy tramps to work her off the sand-bar and set her once more afloat.
The last thing Arthur did before scrambling aboard was to shake hands with the boy whom he had fought the evening before, and, as he bade him good-bye, he said: “I hope you won’t be an ‘ugly duckling’ much longer.”
Then, with its three passengers safely aboard, the Ark slowly drifted away with the current, while the tramps watched it and waved their tattered hats in farewell to the bravest twelve-year-old boy they had ever known.