To this day they will tell you at Temple Camp of the storm which blew the shutters7 off the cooking shack8 on the night of July thirty-first, that year. A wind-driven rain beat against the tents all night, filling the drain ditches, and driving the occupants into the pavilion and the commissary shack. You could hear the boats banging against each other at the landing all night. The big swimming contest had been won by a scout9 in the Fox patrol from Ohio and the aerial which they had proudly erected10 outside their tent to bring the wandering voices of the night to their prize receiving set, was wrecked11 utterly12. In dismantling13 the camp of its gala decorations, the boisterous14 elements had saved the scouts15 this task. The gay bunting was torn from pavilion and boathouse and plastered here and there, or carried away altogether.
Such was the end of all that gala splendor16 in which the Mary Temple contest had been celebrated17. Of all the artistic18 drapery of flags and streamers only a few drenched19 and plastered shreds20 remained, their colors running, their loose ends flapping in the gale21. Such was the scene which greeted Wilfred Cowell on August first, a day destined22 to be memorable23 in the annals of Temple Camp. There was a certain fitness in his rising early that morning and sallying forth24 amid the drenched litter, for he had wrecked the hopes of his patrol, even as the storm had wrecked these festive25 memorials of the big event. And he was running amuck26, even as the furious demon27 of the storm was.
It was not yet breakfast time when he was to be seen trudging28 through the rain past the cooking shack and through Tent Lane, as they called it. He wore his overcoat with collar turned up. Several scouts who were contemplating29 the weather from the shelter of Administration Shack noticed him and one observed that Wandering Willie was out for a stroll. The quarters in Tent Lane consisted of a row of tents pitched on a long platform under the shelter of a long shed. At the seventh tent, Wilfred paused. Within were the sounds of belated rising and hurried dressing30. He stooped and knocked on the platform and there followed a quick silence within.
“Is Edgar Coleman in there?” he asked. And without waiting for the obvious answer he added, “He’s wanted out here.”
Edgar Coleman, never prepossessing, looked anything but natty31 as he emerged from the tent, his hair as yet unbrushed, the evidences of recent slumber32 still upon him. Those of his comrades who were sufficiently33 interested crowded in the opening to the tent, staring.
“I want to get this over with early in the morning,” said Wilfred; “stand outside, the rain won’t hurt you. I’m not afraid of it and you called me a coward. You remember that morning at breakfast—when you called me Wilfraid Coward? You thought I wouldn’t hit back just because I took my time about it.” In an easy, businesslike way he unbuttoned his old overcoat, brought forth a piece of paper, a lead pencil, and four thumb tacks35; these he handed to the astonished Coleman.
“Go in your tent and write an apology for what you called me,” said Wilfred; “then go and put it up on the bulletin board. I don’t care when you do it as long as you do it before you go in Eats Shack. You might as well finish getting dressed.”
If Edgar Coleman had been as observant as scouts are reputed to be, he might have been assisted to a decision (however humiliating) by Wilfred’s right eye, which was half-closed, the lid quivering. But he did not avail himself of this grim sign. Instead he thought of the audience (always a bad thing to do) and for their edification, he said in a voice that had a fine swagger in it:
“Say, how do you get that way, Willie?” And by way of completing his scornful amusement he cast tacks, paper and pencil to the ground.
He did not have to stoop to pick them up, for like a flash of lightning he went sprawling36 on the ground himself. Speechless, aghast with amazement37, he raised himself, holding one hand against a mud-bespattered ear. And in that brief moment he saw more stars than ever boy scout studied in the bespangled firmament38.
“Pick up the pencil and the tacks,” said Wilfred coldly. “I’ll give you another piece of paper; pick them up, quick. You fellows keep away from here.”
For a moment Edgar Coleman paused; then, all too late for his dignity, he saw that half-closed, quivering eye, loaded with a kind of cold concentration. He felt of his bleeding ear and glanced down at his mud-smeared clothes. He was about to make an issue of this incidental damage, but a good discretion40 (prompted by that quivering eye) deterred41 him from debate or comment.
“What do you say?” asked Wilfred grimly.
“I suppose you’re going to tell everybody,” Edgar Coleman ventured.
“I’m not going to tell anybody about this,” said Wilfred, “and I’m sorry about your clothes. I’m not so sorry about your ear; you’d better put some iodine42 on it,” he added. “Everybody’ll know that you apologized to me and that’s all they need to know. All you have to know is that I do things just when I happen to want to do them. I just as soon be good friends with you after this. If your patrol doesn’t tell, I won’t. Here’s another piece of paper and you might as well make the apology so everybody’ll understand it; just tack34 it on the board. If it leaves everybody guessing I don’t care. Have you got some iodine?”
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1
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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5
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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6
ostracized
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| v.放逐( ostracize的过去式和过去分词 )；流放；摈弃；排斥 | |
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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11
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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12
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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dismantling
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| （枪支）分解 | |
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14
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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15
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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16
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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17
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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19
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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21
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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23
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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26
amuck
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| ad.狂乱地 | |
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27
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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28
trudging
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式） | |
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29
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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30
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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31
natty
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| adj.整洁的，漂亮的 | |
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32
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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33
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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tacks
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| 大头钉( tack的名词复数 )； 平头钉； 航向； 方法 | |
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36
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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38
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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39
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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40
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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41
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
iodine
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| n.碘，碘酒 | |
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