The Boy Scouts Book of Stories   By: Walt [Illustrator] Louderback

[Illustration: THE BUTCHER LOOKED DOWN AT THE FUNNY FACE AND SAW THE KINDLY MOTIVE UNDER THE EXAGGERATED BLUFFNESS

[PAGE 12]]

THE BOY SCOUTS BOOK OF STORIES

EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES

BY FRANKLIN K. MATHIEWS CHIEF SCOUT LIBRARIAN BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

PUBLISHED FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

[Illustration]

ILLUSTRATED BY WALT LOUDERBACK

DECORATIONS BY ARTHUR D. SCOTT

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY NEW YORK LONDON 1920

COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION

So much of my time is given to reading boys' books that, when I read books for grown ups, now and again I find myself saying, "What a bully story for boys to read!" Latterly, I have been putting down the titles of such stories. When the list began to lengthen, it occurred to me, why not make a book for boys containing stories like that: stories written for grown ups but also of interest to boys in their early teens.

Such a collection of stories could not be made, however, without the consent of the authors and publishers, but since everybody loves a boy, I didn't have much trouble in convincing them they ought to grant permission to use their stories for such a purpose and, as a result, I am pleased to present to the boy readers of our country the BOY SCOUTS BOOK OF STORIES.

Looking over the list, I find it covers pretty well the reading interests of boys. There are stories about boy scouts, school stories, stories of the sea and "wild west" stories, detective and mystery stories; most of all, though, a goodly number of humorous stories, and I am willing to hazard the guess there will be no regrets on the part of readers because the selections happen to abound in stories of the latter sort.

How about it, boys?

CONTENTS

PAGE

I. THE GREAT BIG MAN Owen Johnson 1

II. A TWILIGHT ADVENTURE Melville Davisson Post 27

III. TAD SHELDON, SECOND CLASS SCOUT John Fleming Wilson 45

IV. THE RED HEADED LEAGUE Arthur Conan Doyle 71

V. THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF O. Henry 108

VI. THE HONK HONK BREED Stewart Edward White 125

VII. THE DEVIL FISH Norman Duncan 140

VIII. THE JUMPING FROG Mark Twain 155

IX. BINGISM Booth Tarkington 165

X. CONCHO CURLY AT THE OP'RA Edward Beecher Bronson 191

XI. THE LIE Hermann Hagedorn 206

XII. STORY OF THE BANDBOX Robert Louis Stevenson 229

XIII. THE HERO AND THE COWBOY Joseph C. Lincoln 265

XIV. THE DOLLAR Morgan Robertson 289

XV. THE MASCOT OF "TROOP 1" Stephen Chalmers 315

XVI. THE LION'S SMILE Thomas W. Hanshew 330

XVII. THE ROLL CALL OF THE REEF A. T. Quiller Couch 361

XVIII. THE HOUSE AND THE BRAIN Lord Edward Bulwer Lytton 386

ILLUSTRATIONS

Facing Page

The butcher looked down at the funny face and saw the kindly motive under the exaggerated bluffness Frontispiece

"Some of the men stood about; behind them two men sat on their horses, their elbows strapped to their bodies" 32

"I went to leeward and there found me bould Tad launchin' the little dingy" 64

The black scout jumps on Bill's back and digs his heels in his side 120

"'Tis the devil fish!" screamed Bobby 140

"But before he could lite on her with his knife, I hopped out of my close pen into the cañon" 204