when the tomato patch had been weeded and the dirt hoed into small hills around the roots of each plant, teddy and his chums were free to go deer hunting.
“first,” decided teddy as he led his friends from the garden, “we ought to wash up and then get something to eat.”
“i’m in favor of that last, anyhow,” dick said. “lead the way to the pantry, teddy.”
removing some of the grime and the stains of weeds from their hands, the boys sat on teddy’s back stoop, disposing of several glasses of milk and some cookies which teddy got from the kitchen.
“now i feel strong enough to play with any deer!” declared dick.
“even one with big horns?” asked joe.
164 “bring on the deer—horns and all!” dick challenged.
but though the boys spent the remainder of the afternoon scouting around for traces of the deer, they saw none and when night came they decided to give up the chase for the time being.
tired from the day’s work in the garden and from following a deer trail that led nowhere, teddy was reading in his room that evening when he heard a rattle of gravel against the window. at the same time he heard what seemed to be a tree-toad trilling.
casting aside his book, teddy jumped to the window, the lower sash of which was open since it was a warm night. the gravel had rattled against the upper panes.
teddy whistled back the tree-toad signal and called down:
“is that you, joe?”
“it’s dick,” was the answer.
“what’s the matter?” teddy wanted to know. “this isn’t secret club night, is it?”
165 “no,” answered dick. “but i thought maybe you couldn’t get out to go with me and joe, so i gave the secret signal.”
“go where?” demanded teddy.
“after the deer. joe saw him. he’s keeping him in sight and i came for you. hurry!”
“i’ll be right down,” teddy answered.
besides the mystery club, the boys had a secret society. instead of leaving by the front or back doors to attend sessions, it was one of the rules they should slide down a rope from their bedroom windows. and the boys took turns going quietly after dark, signalling to one another by tossing gravel against a window and giving the tree-toad whistle.
there was no reason why teddy and his chums could not have gone out the front or back doors to the meetings of the secret club.
their parents would probably have made no objections, since the existence of the club was known to them.
166 but, somehow, it seemed much more fun to go to a meeting of the secret club after a summons by thrown gravel, a strange whistle and after sliding down a rope.
so teddy got his rope out of a closet where he kept it hidden, fastened one end firmly to his bed and tossed the other end out of the window. it was no trick at all to go down it hand-over-hand to the ground where dick was waiting in the shadow of some bushes.
“so you sighted the deer, did you?” asked teddy as he and dick made their way down through the back yard and across lots.
“joe did,” dick answered. “we had been downtown and were on our way home by the back way, through the little patch of woods near fountain park when joe saw the deer. i had left him but he came running after me to tell me. then he said he’d keep the deer in sight and i was to come for you.”
“so you did,” agreed teddy. “but do you think that deer is going to stay in one place167 while joe watches him, and until you and i get there?”
“joe thought maybe he would,” said dick. “joe said the deer was feeding right in that little patch of woods, and acted as if he were going to stay there a while.”
“well, maybe he will,” teddy said. “golly! this is swell! we have a good chance to get that deer now!”
“come on! hurry!” advised dick.
the two boys hurried on through the darkness. now and then they stumbled. once dick, who was in the lead, tripped and fell. teddy tumbled over him.
“gosh! what happened, dick?” asked teddy.
“there was a ditch here. i didn’t see it.”
“i should say you didn’t! well, anyhow, we know it’s here now,” teddy said rather ruefully as he got to his feet. “we should have brought flashlights.”
“i guess you’re right,” dick replied. “but168 joe and i didn’t know we were going deer hunting. we didn’t have time to go back and get our flashlights.”
“that’s right. but i should have brought mine,” teddy said. “never mind. we’ll go a bit slower from now on.”
this plan of advance worked well and in a short time teddy and dick emerged into a little clearing near a small recreation spot on the edge of town. the place was called fountain park.
“there’s joe!” called dick excitedly.
teddy saw a figure dimly waving its arms in a signal to hurry.
“we’d better run!” teddy advised.
in another few seconds he and dick had joined their chum.
“where is he?” demanded teddy excitedly.
“he’s gone,” joe replied.
“gone? you mean the deer got away?”
“yes. but he hasn’t gone far i guess. he169 walked off into the patch of woods just before you fellows got here. i thought you weren’t ever coming!”
“we came as fast as we could,” dick said. “i fell down.”
“and i fell over him,” added teddy. “but we’re here now. do you know which way the deer went?”
“sure i do! straight ahead. follow me!”
joe darted off in the darkness. teddy and dick followed. they were out of the clearing now and into the small patch of woods which was separated from fountain park by a highway. it was a seldom-used thoroughfare and there was no traffic on it now.
“did you see anybody near the deer?” asked teddy as he and dick trotted along beside joe.
“no. he was all alone. he was feeding quietly. then, just before you fellows got here, he seemed to take fright. he raised his head. i was about fifty feet away and i could170 see him very well. then, all of a sudden, he turned around and walked off through the woods.”
“maybe you scared him,” suggested teddy.
“no. i didn’t move or make a sound. i was still and quiet. i could see the deer as plain as anything. but i thought you fellows would never—”
“hark!” suddenly interrupted teddy.
they stopped and listened. ahead of them they could hear the clatter and cracking of the branches of trees and bushes.
“that’s the deer!” cried joe. “he’s just ahead of us!”
“we’ll get him now!” exclaimed teddy.
“hurry!” advised dick.
in the excitement of the chase, neither of the boys gave thought to how they might capture the mystery deer even if they got within sight. they had nothing with which to make the animal fast. they broke into a run. it wasn’t quite so dark now. a half171 moon was beginning to lift in the dark sky and it gave a little light.
the noise of the boys increased. plainly some animal was making its way through the little patch of woods ahead of them.
then, suddenly, teddy who was now in the lead, came to such an abrupt stop that joe bumped into him.
“what’s the matter?” joe demanded.
“wrong number!” cried teddy, starting to retreat.
“wrong number?” questioned his two chums.
“yes. can’t you smell it?”
a dank, strong and most oppressive odor was wafted to the three boys.
“skunk!” they cried together. “skunk!” and teddy added: “come on! beat it before we get any closer! we might have bumped right into him if we’d kept on!”
it was all too evident they were in the neighborhood of a skunk. and they well knew the consequences of coming to close quarters172 with one of these animals. harmless if left alone, a skunk can loose a barrage of what is practically a poison gas—not deadly but terribly offensive.
“so that was your deer—just a skunk, joe!” taunted teddy as the three boys started back to their homes.
“i tell you i saw the deer as plain as anything!” joe declared. “i know a deer when i see one, even in the dark.”
“and i know a skunk when i smell one—even in the dark!” laughed teddy. “but maybe you were right, joe. probably you saw the deer but he got away. maybe the deer scared the skunk or maybe he even might have stepped too close. anyhow the skunk is on the trail ahead and that means we lay off.”
“i guess you’re right,” joe said. “but we had a swell chance!”
“i don’t want to take any chances with a skunk,” teddy said.
