The Banner Boy Scouts

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The Banner Boy Scouts

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Banner Boy Scouts, by George A. Warren This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Banner Boy Scouts Or, The Struggle for Leadership
Author: George A. Warren
Release Date: December 9, 2005 [EBook #17266]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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The Banner Boy Scouts
Or The Struggle for Leadership
By GEORGE A. WARREN

THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO. CLEVELAND, O. NEW YORK, N.Y.
Copyright, MCMXII
by CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I
A Meeting in the Barn
II What it Means to be a Boy Scout
III The Disappearing Coins
IV The First Scout Leader
V Checking a Coward
VI A Strange Suggestion
VII The Trap that Peleg Set
VIII Turning the Tables
IX "Well Done, My Boy!"
X An Unexpected Offer
XI Caught Napping
XII The Rival Troops
XIII "Fire!"
XIV Jack's Chance
XV The Honor Brand
XVI The Fire Test
XVII Clearing Skies
XVIII Carlo Does His Turn
XIX The Warning Over the Wire
XX Such Glorious Luck
XXI The Meeting
XXII Scouting in Earnest
XXIII The Red Car
XXIV A Call for Help
XXV A Camp in the Woods
XXVI What Woodcraft Told
XXVII Ted Finds Something
XXVIII Forced to Tell
XXIX The Capture
XXX Found Out at Last
XXXI Well Done, Stanhope Troop!--Conclusion

PREFACE
My Dear Boys:
Knowing that ninety-nine lads out of every hundred love outdoor life above all else, I have taken it upon myself to give you a series of what I hope will prove to be clean, wide-awake, up-to-date stories, founded upon a subject that is interesting our whole nation--the Boy Scouts of America. You know what a hold this movement has taken upon the rising generation of our broad land. There never was anything like it before--there never may be again.
At first many people made the mistake of believing that it was simply a new military order, and that boys who joined were to be taught the duties of soldiers, and learned how to fight. They know better now. It is really the greatest movement for Peace ever started. Not only that, but the lads who belong to this vast organization are taught how to be manly, self reliant, brave, courteous, kindly and steadfast.
When you examine the roster of the officers who have loaned their names to help along the good cause you will find such honored signatures as those of President William Howard Taft, ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, and many others dear to the hearts of our boys.
This glorious field opens up a very tempting opportunity for a series of stirring stories concerning the fortunes of real Boy Scouts, who have gone into the movement heart and soul, with a desire to excel in all they undertake; and at the same time enjoy themselves hugely. I only hope and trust that you may be pleased with what you read in this book, about the doings of the Red Fox Patrol, of Stanhope Troop, and that the story will do you much good.
Yours faithfully,
George A. Warren.

THE BANNER BOY SCOUTS
CHAPTER I
A MEETING IN THE BARN
"All here now, Paul!"
"Call the roll, somebody, won't you?"
"Keep quiet, fellows, please!"
"Shall I strike a match, Paul?"
"Not on your life, Bobolink. That crowd of Ted Slavin's is out, looking for us. Somebody must have leaked, or else Ted was tipped off. We've got to be mighty cautious, I tell you, if we want to give them the slip."
"S-s-say, d-d-don't you k-k-know we've got a fi-fine b-b-barn on our p-p-place, fellows?"
"For goodness sake; won't somebody please pound Bluff Shipley on the back, and make him bite his twisted tongue, so he can talk straight?" cried a pleading voice.
"Listen!"
There must have been a streak of authority in the tone used by Paul Morrison when he spoke this last word; every one of the other six boys crouched there, craning his neck, and listening to catch the unusual sound that had apparently reached the trained ears of their leader.
The woods surrounded the boys on all sides, gloomy, and full of mystifying noises.
Yet Paul knew full well just what every one of the sounds meant. An owl called mournfully to its mate from a hollow tree. Katydids and merry crickets added their shrill music to the chorus of that late summer night. Even a colony of tree frogs solemnly chanted their appeal for "more rain."
During the day just ended six fellows in the thriving town of Stanhope had received urgent telephone calls from Paul, who was an only son of the leading doctor in the place.
And each boy had promised to meet him at the Three Oaks by the time the clock