The old man stared, as well he might.

“By gum!” Paul heard him mutter; and the words seemed to express the situation so well that the boy could hardly keep from laughing outright.

Finally the puzzled farmer turned and looked at the lad who stood there beside him.  Easily might Paul have made his escape at any time now; but that was really the last thing he thought of doing.  He would much rather remain and see the bewilderment of Peleg Growdy reach its conclusion.

“Look here, Paul, what’s this hull thing mean?” finally demanded the farmer.

And Paul, remembering the fact that the old man was hard of hearing, raised his voice as he thought fit when making reply.

“Do you want me to tell you the whole thing, sir?”

“I sartin do, every word.  Blest if I kin make head or tail out o’ it.  Reckons as how them leetle fairy twins ye read about must ‘a’ ben workin’ wile I slept; er else I’m dreamin’ things that caint be true.”

“Listen, Mr. Growdy,” Paul went on.  “Perhaps you may not know that we have started a troop of the Boy Scouts here in Stanhope.  Some twenty of us have joined, and later on we hope to get uniforms, and other things needed, when we have earned the money to buy them.  Those boys you heard running away were my friends and comrades, every one going to be a true scout.”

“Soldier bummers then, out on a raid, and ready to kerry off everything they kin lay hands on,” grumbled the old man, still unable to grasp the true condition of affairs.

“At a meeting to-night in Mr. Shipley’s barn we made further progress looking to perfecting our organization.  But boys will be boys, you know; and one of our number asked the rest to help him get even with you, because you forced him into the ditch this afternoon, upsetting his wagon.”

Old Growdy moved uneasily.

“I was real sorry to see William do that.  If he’d only waited till I lighted my pipe I ’spected to pull out a leetle more, so’s to let him git by; but he was that impatient he must push on,” he said.

“Just as I thought.  Well, Mr. Growdy, one of the rules of the scouts is that a member must never return an evil deed by another of the same kind.  I proposed that we try to make you change your mind about detesting all boys.  So we came here, not to paint your pigs as some other fellows did, I’m told; not to let your stock loose, or run off with your wagons; but to clean up your dooryard, and give you the greatest surprise of your life when you came out in the morning!”

“Sho! now.  That takes the cake!”

“When one of my chums upset that bench by accident, and the pans fell with a racket, of course it gave the whole thing away, and we started to run; but unfortunately I happened to drop into your nice little trap, and you found me upside down.  That is all, Mr. Growdy.  Do you want to whip me now, or take me in to the lockup, which?”