YOUTH
VOLUME 1 NUMBER 4
1902
JUNE
An ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY JOURNAL for BOYS & GIRLS
The Penn Publishing Company Philadelphia
CONTENTS FOR JUNE
FRONTISPIECE (Priscilla and the Hopolanthus) Anna Whelan Betts Page
PRISCILLA AND THE HOPOLANTHUS Sidney Marlow 115
JUNE (Selected from the Vision of Sir Launfal) Lowell 118
WITH WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE (Serial) W. Bert Foster 119
Illustrated by F. A. Carter
A PROVIDENTIAL SPARK William Murray Graydon 128
A DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST (Serial) Evelyn Raymond 131
Illustrated by J. H. Betts
SIX (Selected) Minot J. Savage 140
WOOD-FOLK TALK J. Allison Atwood 141
LITTLE POLLY PRENTISS (Serial) Elizabeth Lincoln Gould 143
Illustrated by Ida Waugh
JUNE MEADOWS Julia McNair Wright 150
Illustrated by Nina G. Barlow
WITH THE EDITOR 152
EVENT AND COMMENT 153
IN-DOORS (Parlor Magic, Paper IV) Ellis Stanyon 154
THE OLD TRUNK (Puzzles) 155
WITH THE PUBLISHER 156
YOUTH
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Copyright 1902 by The Penn Publishing Company.
[Illustration: HE BOWED VERY POLITELY]
YOUTH
VOL. I JUNE 1902 No. 4
Priscilla and the Hopolanthus
By Sidney Marlow
Priscilla just laughed quietly to herself and lay perfectly still. Then
Susette called again, but now you could tell from the sound that she
had taken Grace and Halbert and gone further into the woods. Probably
she had decided that Priscilla had run on ahead and would be waiting
for them at the shaky little bridge or the old red saw mill. What a
scare Susette would have when she reached the old mill and Priscilla
wasn’t there? And what business had Susette to make such an awful fuss
just because a person chose to eat quite a good deal of cake, and a
pickle, and a rather large plate of ice cream at the same meal? They
wouldn’t hurt Susette, anyway.
Then once more the little girl heard her nurse calling her, and the
voice came from such a long way off that somehow the sound made
Priscilla feel just the least bit lonely. In about a minute and a half
she would get up and follow the others. She would hide, though, and
watch Susette clap her hands to her ears, and hear her give one of
those jumpy little French screams when she came to the mill and there
was no one there. No one could be quite so funny as Susette when she
was really and truly frightened.
Priscilla was still smiling at the way the prim little nurse was sure
to behave when she caught sight of something that made Susette, and
the children, and the bridge, and the old mill, all fly out of her head
just the way she had seen a flock of English sparrows dart out of the
front lawn when Rover pounced down upon them from the terrace. It was
only a big yellow and black bumble-bee, but who in this world ever saw
a bumble-bee act like--well, the best way is just to go ahead and tell
what it really did.
Almost the very first thing, and before Priscilla had time to even
think whether she liked him or not, he put his little front foot up to
his pert little countenance and wiggled his saucy little fingers at
her, in a most objectionable manner. It was exactly for all the world
like what the butcher’s boy did when Priscilla offered him a cream
chocolate on the first day of April. At least, that’s the way it looked
to Priscilla, but, between you and me, I rather suspect the bumble-bee
was just wiping off the pollen that had stuck to his lips ever since
dinner time. He hadn’t any napkin, you know, so what else could he do?
However, that wasn’t any excuse at all for what he did next. Remember,
Priscilla had her eyes on him all the time, so there couldn’t be any
mistake about it. The bumble-bee just simply reached up and raised
his--yes, it was really--a dainty little three-cornered hat--just like
the one in the picture of her great-great ancestor in the dining-room.
Then he bowed, and he did it every bit as politely as Mr. Alwin, the
minister, when he came up the front steps Sunday afternoon. Did you
ever hear of anything like it? At first Priscilla thought she must have
fallen asleep, so she sat bolt upright and rubbed her eyes. The moment
she moved the bumble-bee again took off his hat, but for the life of
her Priscilla couldn’t tell what he did with it. Once it seemed as if
he must have slipped it under his left wing, but it’s quite as likely
that he swallowed it. At any rate, there he sat with his head cocked to
one side, and his little black bead of an eye twinkling impertinently,
as if he had just asked, “Did you speak, ma’am?” It was very provoking.
Now, I wonder whether any little girl who reads this would have been
wise enough to do what Priscilla did next? She saw now that at the
very instant--really, at the beginning of the instant--she began to
move, the bumble-bee would stop doing all these remarkable things. So
she just lay quietly back in the deep, soft grass and half closed her
eyes--or, perhaps, it was three-quarters--and must have looked exactly
as though she were asleep. Then some things happened in that big oak
tree which I’m sure never, never would have happened if the bumble-bee
had known that, really, Priscilla was perfectly wide awake.
Indeed, his conduct was so very singular that Priscilla almost stopped
being surprised. You couldn’t blame her, though, for giving a little
start when she saw that he had changed his color from yellow to all
black, and that, instead of buzzing about her, he was running along the
limb of the tree on all his six legs, just exactly like--Why, really,
he’d changed into a big black spider. To tell the truth, just at this
point Priscilla was so astonished again that she couldn’t so much as
move an eyelid.
The spider came running along the limb of the big oak until he was
straight above Priscilla’s head. Then he stopped suddenly and began to
fumble in some sort of a back pocket in his black velvet coat. The
next moment a delicate silken thread came dangling down, down, down,
and, before she fairly understood what was happening, Priscilla felt it
tickling her very puggish little nose. Of course she was indignant, and
raised her hand and brushed the ugly thing away. Only--the thread stuck
to her fingers, and when she tried to wipe it off with her other hand,
it stuck to that hand, too. And the miserable old spider, holding the
thread lightly over one claw and pressing the other against the side of
his puffy black stomach, was looking down and laughing fit to shake his
eyes out.
But that was only the beginning. Priscilla was no coward, but you
can guess how she felt when suddenly that old spider sat up straight
and commenced to whirl his claws around each other like an electric
fan, and the web commenced to roll up, and the girl began to be drawn
right straight up into the tree. Even a grown person would have been
astonished. And the spider kept on laughing.
In almost no time she was up in the tree, and truly she didn’t feel
much bigger than the spider, and yet it didn’t seem to her that she’d
lost much flesh since she left the ground. It was all very puzzling.
“That’s what I call bringing you up with a round turn,” said the
spider, laughing immodestly--or immoderately, Priscilla wasn’t quite
sure which of the words her mother used in such cases. His jacket was
so tight that it seemed it must burst the very next giggle.
“Now, to business,” he remarked, suddenly, tucking his line away in his
coat-tail pocket, and looking severely at Priscilla, as though it were
she, and not himself, who had been behaving so foolishly.
“The Hopolanthus desires you to call and explain.”
“The--the who? I want to go right straight home.” interrupted
Priscilla, with quite a good deal of shakiness in her voice.
The spider looked surprised, and for a moment he stood up perfectly
erect--that is to say, as perfectly erect as is possible for a person
with that kind of a stomach.
“Whenever a little girl lies down in the shade of the Hopolanthus
Tree,” he went on, sternly, “it means that the Hopolanthus has business
with her, and the only thing for me to do is to decide upon the route.
I must ask you a question or two. Did you ever study botany?”
“Why--why, yes--some,” replied Priscilla, as soon as she had caught her
breath.
“You have, eh! Well, then, how many cousins had your grandfather’s
aunt? Be a little quick, please.”
“Why--but--you see--I guess I--I don’t know. Anyway,” she added,
indignantly, as it dawned upon her that she was being imposed upon,
“that hasn’t anything to do with botany. Not the least mite in the
world.”
“Yes, it has. Yes, it has,” retorted the old spider, testily.
“It’s the very first thing you ought to know. It’s about your own
family tree. I’m simply shocked.”
“You’re just dreadful,” exclaimed Priscilla, angrily, stamping her foot
on the rough bark. “I shall not go a--”
“Oh, yes, I guess you will,” responded the spider, with a queer little
twinkle in his eyes.
Then, before Priscilla could tell him that she really and truly
wouldn’t move a step, she felt herself rapidly approaching the trunk
of the tree. It seemed as if the old oak were suddenly drawing in the
limb upon which she stood, just as a turtle draws in its long neck. She
noticed, too, for the first time, a hole in the trunk--a very ordinary
knot-hole, she would have said a moment before--which was growing
bigger and bigger as she approached. Unless, perhaps, she, herself, was
shrinking smaller and smaller. Suddenly, and exactly as if she did it
on purpose--although she tried her best not to do it--Priscilla raised
her two hands over her head and dived right through the knot-hole, just
grazing the tip of her nose as she went in. Indeed, if her nose had
been the least bit longer, or had stuck straight out from her face,
like some people’s noses, instead of having its own neat upward curve,
it would have been badly nipped. Of course, though, Priscilla had no
time just then to think about noses. Down she went, and around she
went, and very queerly, indeed, she felt.
Now, it isn’t quite easy to count the time while a person is falling,
as I am sure any friend of yours who has dropped from the top of a
church steeple will tell you if you ask him. To Priscilla it seemed as
if she had been going just about as long as her little brother Halbert
could sit still at the dinner table, when--puff, whist--and she had
stopped.
“Now, come right along and don’t talk back. That’s one thing the
Hopolanthus will not stand. You can say anything you choose if he
hasn’t spoken first, but--”
“But suppose he speaks just as soon as I come into his parlor?”
“That’s impossible,” responded the spider, in a very positive tone. “He
hasn’t any parlor; but come along.”
Everything was done in such a dreadful hurry that Priscilla felt as if
she were not getting more than half as many breaths as she should.
“Please, Mr. Spider,” she protested, “you know I’ve come quite a--a
quick distance, and I want to sit down and rest a few minutes.”
“Yes, of course,” replied the spider. But the instant Priscilla sat
down she found herself moving along after her guide just as fast as
before. It seemed to her that she was sliding out through one of the
roots of the big oak tree.
“Here we are. Now be sure you don’t talk back.”
Slowly it seemed to grow light--not bright light, but just so that she
could see where she was. She was in a room, and it looked a good deal
more like a cellar than a parlor.
At one end of the room sat the Hopolanthus, and really until he spoke
he wasn’t very terrible. He looked exactly like the kangaroo Priscilla
once saw in the Zoo--only after you’d looked at him twice he was a good
deal different.
“What has this--this young person been doing, now?”
The way he emphasized that word “now” made Priscilla forget all about
not talking back. It was just as much as to say that of course she was
always doing something wrong, and the only question was as to what she
had done last. She opened her mouth to reply, when she was violently
seized by the arms, and a shrill voice from just behind answered for
her.
“Ah, she eat ze cake--ze big piece of cake, and ze big--ah, ze emense
plate of ze ice cream. It is not wonder she lie here and keek ze grass,
and make ze dreadful groan. Ze sillee child.”
And Susette shook her again, and Grace and Halbert danced around and
yelled like a pair of young savages. It was a full minute before
Priscilla could find her voice.
“You had no business to wake me up just when--you always do things
wrong. I was just going to tell the old Hopolanthus that--”
But the children stopped dancing around, and Susette stood still and
stared--which wasn’t common for Susette--and Priscilla couldn’t help
seeing that they didn’t know what on earth she was talking about.
She rubbed her eyes and looked up among the branches of the big
oak. There was nothing there--neither bumble-bee, nor spider, nor
Hopolanthus--only a small green tree toad who winked his dull little
eyes just exactly as if he might, or might not, know all about it.
JUNE
Now is the high-tide of the year,
And whatever of life hath ebbed away
Comes flooding back with a ripply cheer,
Into every bare inlet and creek and bay;
Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it;
We are happy now because God wills it;
No matter how barren the past may have been,
’Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green;
We sit in the warm shade and feel right well
How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;
We may shut our eyes, but we cannot help knowing
That the skies are clear and the grass is growing;
The breeze comes whispering in our ear,
That dandelions are blossoming near,
That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing,
That the river is bluer than the sky,
That the robin is plastering his house hard by;
And if the breeze kept the good news back,
For other couriers we should not lack;
We could guess it all by yon heifer’s lowing;--
And hark! how clear bold chanticleer,
Warmed with the new wine of the year,
Tells all in his lusty crowing.
--_From The Vision of Sir Launfal._
WITH WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE
By W. Bert Foster
CHAPTER X
The Landing of the Enemy
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
The story opens in the year of 1777, during one of the most critical
periods of the Revolution. Hadley Morris, our hero, is in the
employ of Jonas Benson, the host of the Three Oaks, a well-known
inn on the road between Philadelphia and New York. Like most of
his neighbors, Hadley is an ardent sympathizer with the patriot
cause. When, therefore, a dispatch bearer is captured on the way to
Philadelphia, he gives Hadley the all-important packet to be forwarded
to General Washington. The boy immediately escapes with it, and,
after many perilous experiences, finally makes his way across the
river to the Pennsylvania side. On the road, Hadley, failing to give
the countersign, is stopped by a foraging party of Americans; but
by his honest bearing he wins the attention of John Cadwalader, a
personal friend of Washington, just then journeying to the American
headquarters. Under his protection, our hero speedily arrives at his
destination, and delivers the dispatches. Hadley then returns to
the Three Oaks to resume his duties. But the lad is destined for a
more eventful life. Shortly afterwards he receives an urgent summons
from Cadwalader, whereupon he immediately sets out for the patriot
headquarters.
As Lafe Holdness said, the enemy could take nothing from the boy
courier on this journey--nothing of information or papers of value; but
the possibility of being waylaid and beaten, perhaps killed, was not
pleasant to contemplate. Hadley could scarcely understand the veiled
warning he had received from Lillian Knowles. Was her father about to
stop him on the road, believing that he again carried documents of
importance to the American forces? He did not wish to fall into Colonel
Creston Knowles’ hands just then, for the latter was angry enough with
him as it was, and Hadley did not care to add to his irritation.
It might be, however, that somebody else had overheard a part of the
recent conference in the inn stable, and Lillian was cognizant of the
fact. Some Tory visitor, perhaps, had known of his starting forth. He
drew rein again in the shadow of a long pile of cordwood which bordered
the wall of the Benson estate, and felt in the darkness for a stout
club, heavy enough to do a man’s head serious damage, but not too
clumsy for him to swing easily. Then he chirruped to Black Molly, and
she trotted on, her master keeping his eyes sharply open for trouble.
He was too proud to ride back and ask Lafe to come with him; Hadley
did not lack personal courage. But he was nevertheless all of a tremor
as the little mare trotted over the hard road. He gripped the club
nervously, and tried to pierce the gloom, which was thickest, of
course, under the trees which bordered the road. He was taking the
shortest road to the ferry to-night, for there was no trouble to be
apprehended there from British soldiers, and he would be sure to get
quick transportation to the other side, for the people at the ferry
were loyal. He would not have gone around by the Alwood house again for
a good deal.
Rod after rod the inn was left behind and Black Molly had now brought
him quite a quarter of a mile from the Benson place. There were no
other houses on this road until he passed the Morris pastures, where
he had his unpleasant meeting with Lon Alwood the day before. The mare
footed it nicely over the road until now; but suddenly she threw up her
head, her quivering ears pointed forward--Had could see them as dark as
the night was--as though she listened to some sound too faint for her
rider’s dull hearing to catch.
“What is it, Molly?” the youth demanded, holding a tight rein and
gripping the club more firmly than before.
Instantly a harsh voice addressed him out of the darkness. “Stand
there, and deliver!” At the same instant a figure sprang before the
little mare and her bridle was seized by a firm hand. “Don’t make her
dance!” ordered the stranger; “for if you do I’ll put a ball through
her head and perhaps one through you.”
Hadley saw that the speaker waved a big horse-pistol in his other hand,
and he spoke quietingly to Molly. “What do you want?” he demanded, in
as brave a tone as he could assume.
“Give me what you carry,” commanded the other, still speaking gruffly.
Hadley felt sure that it was a disguised voice, and remembering what
Lillian Knowles had said to him as he left the inn, he wondered who
the person was who had halted him. “No slippery tricks, Had Morris!”
growled he at the horse’s head. “Hand me the papers you carry. Give me
what you’ve got.”
But the strain of disguising his voice grew too much for the fellow,
and as he talked he unconsciously dropped back into his usual manner of
speaking. At once Hadley, although he was still unable to see his face,
knew that it was Lon Alwood who had stopped him. And he was puzzled by
the discovery, for he wondered how Mistress Lillian could have known of
the Tory youth’s intention.
His mind did not work in one direction alone, however. Before Alwood
had reiterated his demand Hadley was preparing to make answer. “You
want what I carry?” he cried. “Then take it!” and swinging up the club
suddenly he brought it down again upon the shoulder of his enemy. Lon
roared and dropped both the pistol and the mare’s bridle rein; but
Hadley did not come out of the affray without trouble.
Black Molly was startled by the blow and darted to the side of the
road. Before the American youth could pull her in she was in the
ditch, and only her quickness saved her from a disastrous fall. As she
slid down the steep side of the gulley Had slipped his feet from the
stirrups and leaped to the ground. Lon, with many imprecations and
threats, groped madly about the dark roadway, and finally found the
pistol. He was maddened beyond all control now, and dimly beholding
Hadley’s bulk through the gloom--where he stood on the edge of the
ditch urging the mare out upon the level again--he aimed the weapon and
would have fired at his old schoolfellow point-blank!
But before his finger pressed the trigger a third actor appeared upon
the scene. A man sprang from the bushes on the far side of the road and
in two strides was beside the Tory. He seized Alwood’s arm, and the
pistol ball flew wide of its intended mark.
At the moment the shot was fired Hadley had managed to half drag
Black Molly from the ditch. His quick side glance saw the danger, and
he sprang for the steed’s back; the explosion of the heavy pistol
frightened Black Molly again, and before her rider was firmly settled
in the saddle she was off like the wind. He obtained, however, another
swift glance at the two figures struggling in the roadway behind him,
just as the second barrel of the weapon was exploded. The flash lit up
the scene, and with astonishment Hadley recognized the person who had
saved him as Colonel Knowles’ cockney servant.
He and Molly were a good mile further on their way, however, before he
had time to think much of this surprising fact, for the little mare
ran like a scared rabbit. “Who could have sent the man to help me?”
he thought, when Molly had finally settled into a respectable pace.
“Surely not his master, and Mistress Lillian--”
To believe that the Colonel’s daughter had done him this favor--had
sent William to assist him in overcoming the Tory youth--was rather
pleasant; yet it seemed too improbable to be true, and he wondered much
as he rode swiftly on to the ferry.
There was no trouble in crossing the river on this night. He found
fires burning on the banks, and the ferrymen were wide awake. There was
considerable bustle at the landing, and Hadley learned that several
parties bound for Philadelphia had gone over ahead of him, and that
others were expected. The loyal Jersey farmers and farmers’ sons were
hastening to join General Washington, eager to take part in this new
movement against the enemy. The boy was not delayed or molested in any
way, and once on the Pennsylvania shore he urged the little mare to the
utmost, passing party after party of recruits, all hastening in the
same direction.
Not long past midnight he reached the farmer’s at which he had
previously changed horses. The man remembered him, and, thanks to
Hadley’s first appearance there under Colonel Cadwalader’s protection,
the youth was enabled to get a fresh mount on this occasion. The
farmer, too, was able to give him certain information about the
movements of the American forces.
“You will not find his Excellency at Germantown,” the farmer declared.
“Aye, an’ ye’ll not catch him at Philadelphia, I’m thinkin’. The
Redcoats are coming up the Chesapeake, an’ the army’s movin’ south to
shelter the city from attack.” Then followed directions relating to
crossroads and bridle paths, by following which he might overtake the
army on its way to Wilmington.
Without waiting for sleep, but fortified with a hearty meal which
the farmer’s wife prepared, Hadley set off again within the hour on
a fresh mount. He was weary, saddle-sore, and parched by the August
heat. But he was obeying orders, and although he did not understand
the importance of the verbal message Holdness had given him for Colonel
Cadwalader, the youth knew what his duty was. He could not foresee
what was to happen and what sights he should witness before he again
rode into the yard of the Three Oaks Inn. The people whom he passed,
the Tory element was not in evidence, were very cheerful regarding
the battle which they believed would be fought as soon as Lord Howe’s
troops landed. Despair and inaction had held the Colonials in a hard
grip during these past few months; but now there was a chance to do
something, and the farmers were again hopeful.
It so happened that while Hadley Morris was riding hard over the dusty
roads to overtake Washington’s personal staff on this 24th day of
August, the American army, augmented by fresh recruits, and some 11,000
strong, marched through the length of Front street. Philadelphia had
seen some gloomy days of late, but the appearance of so many armed men
was calculated to raise the spirits of the populace a little; yet it is
said that the cheering along the line of march lacked that inspiring
quality with which a conquering army usually goes to battle. It was
known that they were about to meet an enemy well-trained and seasoned,
and, in addition, outnumbering them by several thousands.
Philadelphia had from the beginning of the war been the headquarters
of rebellion, and the British were determined to humble the city. How
could Washington’s forces hope to cope with men who had fought on
half the battle-fields of Europe? It had been a handful of untrained
farmers, however, who had beaten back the grenadiers at Bunker Hill;
and it could scarcely be called a trained army that had driven the
Redcoats finally out of Boston town.
It was long past mid-afternoon when Hadley overtook the rear guard of
the American army. It was no easy matter to find the commander and his
staff, and, when found, to select Colonel Cadwalader from the other
officers and get near enough to him to deliver the message he carried.
But the instant the officer saw and recognized the youth he graciously
called him near. Evidently Lafe Holdness’ message, which had been a
mystery to Had because he did not understand what the seemingly simple
sentence meant, was most important, for Colonel Cadwalader hurried off
at once to General Washington, bidding the boy remain with the column
until he returned.
When he did return there was with him the young officer who had
desired Hadley as a recruit on the day he brought dispatches to the
Commander-in-Chief at Germantown. “I cannot let you go back just yet,
Master Morris,” Colonel Cadwalader declared; “I may have work for
you to do later. Meanwhile I shall place you in Captain Prentice’s
care,” and he indicated the smiling subordinate officer. “You are not
obliged to fight if it be against your conscience; but you may see some
fighting before you return to Jersey.”
He wheeled his horse and rode away again, and Captain Prentice offered
the youth his hand. “Leave the nag, Morris,” he said, cordially, “and
take your place with ‘Foot and Leggets’ company. Your horse seems about
done for anyway, and you will be able to pick up a better one when you
return. You’re to go with me, and I am in the infantry.”
And so, rather unexpectedly, Hadley found himself marching with the
patriot forces toward Wilmington. Captain Prentice secured him a gun,
and he shared the rations of the good-natured fellows about him. The
youth was very tired after his long ride, but walking was better than
riding, and there were times when the ranks rested. The next day,
however, the army reached the Delaware town, only to learn through the
scouts that the British had landed at the head of the Elk River, fifty
miles or more from Philadelphia. The news spread, too, how greatly the
Redcoats outnumbered the Americans. There were 18,000 of the former,
and the faces of even the rank and file grew grave.
The Americans marched to Red Clay Creek, beyond Wilmington, and for
several days there were smart skirmishes between portions of the two
armies. But there was no decisive engagement, and finally Washington
outgeneraled Howe and fell back upon the Brandywine, which he crossed
at Chadd’s Ford, posting his army on the hills to the east. Meanwhile
Captain Prentice’s command had seen little fighting, and both the young
officer and Hadley Morris were anxious to get closer to the firing line
than they had been thus far.
Hadley had forgotten his original expectation of returning at once
to the Three Oaks Inn, after having delivered his message to Colonel
Cadwalader; and it looked as though the Colonel had forgotten him.
But he was so excited by the prospect of a battle that he was not
chafing over the delay of his return journey. Without doubt a fight was
imminent, the commanders of the opposing forces maneuvering for the
best positions for their line of battle.
Thus August slipped away, September came, and the fateful eleventh day
approached.
CHAPTER XI
A MESSENGER OF DEFEAT
In the excitement of those September days, when the two armies overran
the Pennsylvania hills to the west and south of Philadelphia, Hadley
came near forgetting his Uncle Ephraim and the promise he had made his
mother regarding the old man. Miser Morris had so repelled his nephew’s
kindly efforts to help him, that the boy felt he was no more able to
do him any good while at the Three Oaks than he was miles away from
the Morris farm in the lines of the Continental troops. And then, the
glamour of the life--the drilling, the marching, the uncertainty, the
danger--all fed his imagination and inspired him with actual delight.
Prentice declared almost hourly that Hadley was “spoiling a good
officer by hanging about a country inn.”
“I don’t feel that I could regularly enlist,” the boy said to him,
“so I am not likely to be an officer yet awhile. I am here only as a
volunteer, and my conscience troubles me, too, at that.”
But all things end in their own good time, and the long wait which
ensued after the landing of the British finally was closed on the
morning of September 11th. Captain Prentice’s command had not even
tasted a skirmish until that day; but Hadley--nor the captain
himself--could find no fault with the position they occupied during the
fearful hours which followed the first gun of attack. Hadley was eager
to see a real battle, to see the armies charge each other and try their
strength upon a real battle-field, instead of individual men snapping
their muskets at one another in little skirmishes. Before the end of
that day he could not realize what awful motive had ever urged such
foolish desire in his heart.
He saw men lying dead upon the browning hillsides; he heard wounded
horses screaming in their death agony; the earth shook with the
discharge of the heavy guns; the crackling of the musketry fire
deafened him. The fife and drums, the uniformed officers, the marching
soldiery made no appeal to Hadley Morris now. Wounds and death were all
about him, and fear gripped his heart as though in a vice. Time and
again as he heard the shriek of the bullets over his head he could have
fainted, or run away in abject terror, had he dared! But the thought of
being considered a coward frightened him even more, and he stayed.
Once, when there was a lull of heavy firing on both sides, a strange
sound reached his ears. Captain Prentice’s command was somewhat above
and to one side of the main line of battle, and this sound, growing
louder and more ear-piercing as the strange silence continued, had
such an eerie effect upon the listener that Hadley actually shook with
a nervous chill, without knowing what caused it. The sound was little
more than a murmur--yet a very insistent, penetrating murmur.
“What is it?” Hadley whispered to the man who stood next him in the
broken line.
“The cries of the wounded,” was the stern reply, and the boy was glad
when a renewal of the conflict drowned the awful sound.
No history fittingly tells the story of that day’s struggle--the high
hopes with which the battle was begun by the Americans, the determined,
dogged resistance they offered the British soldiery. Yet its salient
points are familiar enough. We do not like, even now, to speak at
length upon the defeats of our arms even in that unequal war. But
without doubt, had not Sullivan blundered and lost to the American
cause a good twelve hundred men, the Battle of the Brandywine would
have been placed upon the list of American victories.
Hadley saw the patriot army driven back and as they retreated he
observed many of the men weeping like women at the thought of flying
before an enemy which they had practically held in check since early
morning. Captain Prentice, who had been recklessly courageous during
the engagement, was wounded, yet still kept on the firing line with
his arm and shoulder swathed in bandages. As they broke into the final
disorderly retreat, an aide galloped to the young captain and said a
word to him.
“Morris!” exclaimed Prentice, “follow this man to Colonel Cadwalader.
He wants you. All’s lost here, anyway; there’s nothing more to be done.”
Hadley threw down his musket and ran beside the aide’s stirrup along
the dusty road for nearly a quarter of a mile before overtaking the
group of officers of which Colonel Cadwalader was the centre. The
Colonel sat on his horse firmly and, despite the creature’s dancing,
was writing rapidly on the pommel of his saddle.
“Morris,” he said, scarcely glancing at the youth. “It is over for
to-day. You are not kept here with Captain Prentice by any enlistment,
I believe?”
“No, sir.”
“Then you can go back if you wish--you can go home. We shall retreat,
and whether His Excellency secures another such chance to meet the
enemy soon, we know not. It is an awful thing--an awful thing! But that
is not why I called you. There is a fresh horse yonder being held for
you. Here branches the road to Philadelphia. You will not be molested,
for the British have not yet crossed it--though it’s not sure they’ll
not throw a column out between us and the city.
“This letter goes to Holdness at the Indian Queen Hotel in Fourth
street--anybody will direct you. Then, when it is delivered, you may
follow your own wishes, Master Morris,” and the gentleman leaned down
and dropped the unsealed note into the boy’s hand with a grave smile.
“Leave the horse where you exchanged steeds before on the Germantown
pike--you already have a horse there, have you not?”
“I left one there, sir.”
“Very well. Now, off with you! I shall see you anon--and hear more of
you to your credit, I believe,” and with a wave of his hand Colonel
Cadwalader dismissed him.
Together with the men beside whom he had fought Hadley was nigh
heartbroken over the result of the battle. The retreat was almost a
rout in some parts of the field. The boy sprang upon the horse held by
an orderly, and at once dashed away through the broken lines and soon
left the disorganized army behind. It was a bitter hour, and, young as
he was, the youth felt it keenly. How would he be greeted in the city
toward which he was carrying the news of the battle? He could imagine
with what despair the result of the struggle would be received.
But he could not imagine all that had occurred in the capital during
the hours of that fateful day. The days of anxiety and suspense which
had followed the landing of the enemy culminated that morning when the
distant booming of heavy guns announced the beginning of a general
engagement in the southwest. At the first cannon shot many people left
their houses and collected in the streets, and all day long their
straining ears listened to the thunderous muttering of the guns. About
six o’clock it died away, but the groups in the street still listened
and waited. The sun set and supper-time came and went unnoticed by
those still remaining in the Quaker City.
Naturally there were not any great number of male adults, excepting the
old men, or those burdened by family or business cares which actually
forbade their being in the ranks of the patriot army. Of course, there
were a few Tories left, but they were not active, as had been Joseph
Galloway and the Allens before they were banished from the town. There
were no young men--only boys and children hanging on the skirts of
the various groups about the State House, or listening to the remarks
of the wise ones gathered before the doors of the houses of public
entertainment.
The women, too, whispered on their doorsteps to each other, or craned
their necks out of the darkened windows to look nervously along the
street. The sound of the guns had brought that grim, horrible Thing
called War so much nearer to them than it had ever seemed before.
About eight o’clock there was some little disturbance at one of the
inns called the Old Coffee House, where the story gained credit that
Washington had won a victory, and some few began to cheer. But there
was no authority behind the story, and the enthusiasm died out, and by
nine o’clock the suspense was actually painful.
At last, far out Chestnut street toward the distant Schuylkill, there
rose the sound of rapid hoof-beats. As the approaching horseman tore
down the street voices rose and hailed him as he passed, and soon
the clamor grew to a roar, which roused the town for blocks around.
The people ran together toward the State House, and saw a youth on a
foam-flecked horse, covered with dust, and exhausted, riding hard along
the rough way.
Once he drew rein for a moment to inquire the way again to the Indian
Queen; but he refused to answer any questions until he had ridden
around into Fourth street and stopped before the door of the old
hostelry.
“Had Morris!” exclaimed a voice in the crowd which poured out of the
place, and the lank figure of Lafe Holdness pushed through the throng
and helped the boy from the saddle.
“What’s the news? Tell us of the battle!” cried the crowd. “What does
the lad bring?”
Hadley thrust Colonel Cadwalader’s letter into the scout’s hand first.
Then he said weakly to the anxious citizens: “There has been a battle
fought to-day; but there are plenty of stragglers to tell you of it.
There is another messenger in town already--he can tell you better than
I.”
“But, is it defeat or victory?” somebody cried.
“The army has been beaten--I don’t know how badly. They say somebody
blundered, and General Washington is obliged to fall back. The French
Marquis was wounded, I was told--seriously. The army is marching
northward and there will be plenty of stragglers here soon.”
Then he clutched Holdness by his sleeve. “Get me a bed, Lafe. I am
nearly dead with riding so far on top of all that’s been done to-day.
And I have no money.”
“Tut, tut!” exclaimed the Yankee. “Never mind money here, lad. Ye’ll be
well entertained--I’ll speak to somebody about ye. But I must be off
myself at once.”
And in ten minutes Hadley was alone in a little room at the top of the
house, anxious to rest after his toilsome ride, while Holdness was
away on some business connected with Colonel Cadwalader’s note. The
city was, however, in a tumult. Hadley’s news had now been verified by
a dozen other messengers of ill-tidings, and few in Philadelphia that
night believed that Washington could successfully oppose the enemy
again before Howe threw his troops upon the city itself.
Indeed, when Hadley appeared in the street the next morning to mount
his horse brought around by the stableman, the same groups of excited
citizens seemed to surround the Indian Queen which had been there the
night before when he arrived. As far as he could learn, everybody
seemed to believe that the city was doomed to capture by the British,
and that the defeat of Brandywine could not be retrieved. A night’s
sleep, however, had renewed Hadley’s courage as well as refreshed his
body. When he clattered out of town, following the road northward
toward Germantown, he drew in, with every breath of the fresh morning
air, the feeling that all was not yet lost. He remembered how bravely
his comrades had fought the day before; how reluctant they had been
to fall back, even when commanded to do so. He thought of General
Washington himself, and a mental picture of His Excellency’s stern,
firmly lined face rose before him. That was not a man to give up--nor
would General Knox, nor Wayne, nor Colonel Cadwalader, nor even young
Captain Prentice! Before he reached the farm-house where he had left
his horse, he was confident that Philadelphia would not be given over
to the enemy without a second struggle.
And with that belief another idea entered the boy’s mind. He had
experienced a real battle. It had frightened him, and the thoughts of
some of the awful things he had seen and heard still troubled him; but
he felt that now, when he had been initiated in war’s alarms, it was
too bad that he should not remain and fight again when the patriots
tried to keep the enemy out of the city.
“I’ll go home as quick as ever I can and beg uncle to let me go--he
must let me enlist!” the boy thought. “Anyway, if he says ‘no,’ I’ll go
just as I did this time, find a gun, and stay as long as the battle’s
on. I know Jonas won’t care.”
He came again to the Ferry and crossed it at night, Black Molly, he had
found her in good condition at the farmer’s, apparently as eager to be
home as himself. The news of the disastrous battle had preceded him,
and everywhere Hadley was met by anxious inquiries. He met no Tories,
for most of them had gone to join the British forces; but the American
farmers had again lost hope.
As he was poled across the river one of the ferrymen said to him:
“Morris, ye’d best watch sharply as ye go along home. It is reported a
party of Tories crossed below here not two hours ago. They used old
Alwood’s bateau, and Brace Alwood is with them. They’re meaning no good
to folks, I take it.”
“I thought all the Tories would be with the King’s men,” said the boy.
“I heard on the road that they’ve sworn to march into Philadelphia with
the Redcoats when the city is captured.”
“Well, Brace has got business of some kind over here--and it isn’t any
good business, I’ll be bound. You’d better warn Jonas. They may come to
the inn.”
Hadley was somewhat troubled by this information. Brace Alwood had
been a reckless sort of a young man before the war broke out, and had
incurred the enmity of many of the neighbors. It was reported that
since he had joined the British he had given full sway to his more
harmful propensities, and that he was noted among the Tory hangers-on
of the King’s troops for his cruelty and bitter enmity against the
patriots. He had obtained some petty office in the army, and now,
with others, perhaps as brutal as himself, had come into his own
neighborhood for no good purpose. Surely, if he had crossed the river
merely to visit his father and mother, he would not have brought a
troop with him.
But Hadley saw nobody on the road until he came abreast of his uncle’s
property. Then he did not see any man, but a light in a clump of trees
some distance back from the horse-path, and in Miser Morris’ pasture,
attracted his attention. This was so strange a place for a fire, for a
fire it was Hadley could tell by the intermittent leaping and fading
of the light, that he could not go by without investigating, and
after riding Black Molly a few rods beyond the grove in question, he
dismounted, tied her to a fence rail, and crept over to reconnoitre.
There was a campfire in the middle of the clump of trees. It was well
hidden from the house and outbuildings, and scarcely discernible from
the highway. But when he got into the edge of the grove Hadley saw
with surprise that although the fire was small there was a good-sized
company about the blaze. He counted eight heavily armed and roughly
dressed men lying about the fire, but Brace Alwood, Lon’s older
brother, was not among them.
[Illustration: EIGHT HEAVILY ARMED MEN STOOD ABOUT THE FIRE]
“Now, why should these fellows be roosting here?” thought the American
youth, quite puzzled. “Of course they know that most of our men are
away now with the army, and have they really come over here to harass
the unprotected homesteads? If they have, and if they trouble the
farmers’ wives, it will be too hot about here for the Alwoods to stay
when the men do come back.”
A crackling in the bushes startled him, and he crouched lower. The
Tories seemed so sure of their position that they did not keep a
guard, and now two other figures came rapidly into the circle of the
firelight, Hadley noticing that their approach was from the direction
of his uncle’s house. An instant later he recognized Brace Alwood, the
probable leader of this party of bushwhackers. He was grown much older
looking since he had left home, and his bronzed face was covered by a
tangled growth of beard. His companion he held by the arm, and Hadley
saw that it was Alonzo.
“Here he is, boys,” declared Brace, with a laugh. “He’s young, but he’s
sharp--a reg’lar fox for cunning. I found him watching the premises
yonder, and he tells me everybody’s gone for the night, and the old man
is in the house. All we got to do is to wait an hour or so till things
get thoroughly quieted down, and then make our call. Miser Morris’ll be
glad to see us, eh?” and the fellow laughed unpleasantly.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
[Illustration]
A PROVIDENTIAL SPARK
By WILLIAM MURRAY GRAYDON
If there is any one incident in my past life that I particularly
dislike to dwell upon, it is the night I spent in a lonely mountain
cabin in Northwestern Arizona.
I had left the little mining settlement of San Rosa early that morning
to visit a ranch belonging to a friend of mine that lay some ten or
twelve miles to the westward.
I had never been there before, but from the directions given me, I felt
sure I could find the place without difficulty.
I had to cross two or three mountain spurs, and pass through a couple
of deep ravines to reach the high stretch of table land where the ranch
was located.
I am fond of sport, and to this must be attributed the adventure which
placed me in such peril. At sunrise I was four or five miles on my way,
and while riding through a deep wooded hollow, I discovered bear tracks
in a bit of soft ground, which had the appearance of being fresh.
Here was a temptation too great to be resisted, and, hoping to obtain
a shot at Bruin, I followed the trail up the side of the ridge.
The footprints which were too small to be those of a grizzly, soon
vanished, of course, but I rode on over the hilltop and down into the
ravine beyond, eager to get a glimpse of the animal.
But Bruin failed to make his appearance, though I followed the hollow
for several miles, and finally concluded to give up the search and
strike for my destination.
But here I was confronted by a puzzling problem.
I had passed several intersecting ravines on my way, and now I was
utterly at a loss which one to take.
I made a speedy choice, however, for there was no time to lose in
hesitation, and rode briskly on for two or three hours.
But none of the landmarks which I had been warned to look for appeared,
and I had to admit that I was lost.
It was now about four o’clock in the afternoon, and the setting sun
showed that I had been traveling in the proper direction--in the
general sense of the word, but whether the ranch was close at hand or
not, I had not the remotest idea.
Some distance ahead I could detect the sound of running water, so I
concluded to slake my thirst, and then strike for the highest point of
ground to be found where I could obtain a view of the country.
In a moment I saw the water sparkling at the bottom of the ravine, and,
as I rode down to the spot, a startling and unpleasant sight met my
eyes.
Two men, an evil-faced Mexican and an Apache Indian, were sitting by
the side of a great rock. Their horses were tied to saplings a few feet
away, and their arms, I noted with relief, were lying on the ground,
almost equally distant.
The surprise was mutual, for the mossy path had muffled the sound of my
horse’s hoofs.
I recognized both instantly. The Mexican was Luiz Castro, a man
who bore a bad name among the settlements, and his companion was
Scarface--so called from a couple of ugly knife marks on his cheek--and
a very bad Indian, indeed, if reports were to be believed.
The Apache had been driven from his tribe for some misdemeanor, and for
several years he and the Mexican had been inseparable companions--a
very odd friendship, to say the least.
I concluded not to stop for a drink at that spring.
“Can you tell me the way to Block’s Ranch?” I inquired, respectfully.
The Apache looked at me stolidly, but Castro quickly replied:
“Si, señor; straight ahead through yonder ravine. You can’t miss it.”
I thanked him, and nodding briefly, rode on. The ravine referred to was
just ahead, and I had gone a mile or more when the suspicion suddenly
occurred to me that Castro might have misdirected me for some evil
purpose.
I carried quite a sum of money which I had no desire to lose, and as
rapidly as possible I rode on until a sudden gloom warned me that
darkness was at hand. The ravine showed no signs of terminating, and my
suspicion became a certainty.
The two scoundrels had guided me to this lonely spot with the
intention, no doubt, of waylaying and shooting me. They were quite
capable of such a deed, I well knew.
I shivered at the thought, and taking a hasty glance behind, put spurs
to my mustang and trotted ahead as rapidly as the narrow, uncertain
path would allow.
In five minutes the ravine widened and I saw a small clearing just
ahead, in the centre of which was a rude log cabin. I rode eagerly to
the door and was disappointed to find it empty. Some lonely miner,
perhaps, had once lived there until he either met a violent death or
abandoned the place in search of a better claim.
It was now quite dusk, and I realized the hopelessness of proceeding
farther that night.
The ravine narrowed again just ahead, and the steep ridges on each side
forbade any attempt at climbing.
My mind was made up in an instant. Here I must spend the night.
I hastily picketed my horse outside where he could find plenty of
grass, and entered the cabin. I was agreeably surprised to find it in
such good condition. The door was firm on its hinges, and sockets on
each side seemed to invite the heavy bar that was lying close by on the
floor. The window shutter could be secured in the same way.
I lost no time in securing the door and window, and then I felt
comparatively safe, for I was well armed with a Winchester and a pair
of revolvers.
I had crackers and jerked beef in my knapsack, and, making a cheerful
blaze in the fireplace, I ate a hearty lunch. Then I lit my pipe and
sat down with my back against the wall where the heat could easily
reach me.
I could hear my horse moving about outside, but no other sound reached
me; and I began to be ashamed of my fears. I smoked and pondered for
two or three hours, and I was just considering the advisability of
bringing my horse inside the cabin for better security, when, without
the least warning, a sharp report rang in my ears, and a bullet buried
itself in the log within an inch of my face.
Startled as I was, I had sufficient presence of mind to throw myself
flat on the floor, grasping my rifle in the fall.
I did not intend this for a ruse, but my unknown enemy evidently
thought I had fallen from the effects of his bullet, for instantly I
heard a thumping on the door, and a few words spoken in a low voice.
Castro and the Apache were outside, I had no doubt.
The shot was fired through a chink in the logs, and, creeping over
the floor, I put my Winchester to the orifice and let fire twice
in succession, to let them know that I was not a dead man yet, and
determined not to be one if I could help it.
A hasty glance at the cabin walls showed me that wide cracks abounded
everywhere, and, alarmed at the peril I was in, I tore off my coat,
and, running swiftly to the fireplace, smothered the blaze and stamped
out the embers.
I breathed easier when this was done, for, of course, my foes could not
do any accurate shooting in the dark. Then I sat down in the centre
of the floor to await the next move. It was a trying situation, and
the thought of spending the long hours of the night in baffling the
attempts of two would-be assassins was terrifying.
For a long time all was quiet, and then I heard them fumbling at the
door and the window. This gave me little concern. I knew they could
not force an entrance there.
Then another hour went by, and I was beginning to hope the miscreants
had abandoned their scheme, when I suddenly became aware that some
one was on the roof. I understood instantly what this meant. My foes
intended to come down the chimney.
The sounds were so loud and so close that I believed one of them to be
already descending, and snatching an armful of straw from the pallet, I
dashed it on the fireplace and applied a match.
A few seconds later I realized what a dangerous trap I had blundered
into, for as the blaze flooded the room with light, a rifle cracked,
and I was knocked forcibly to the floor.
I believed for a moment that I was mortally wounded, but a little later
I found that the bullet had struck my watch and glanced harmlessly off,
after shattering the works.
I was not slow to comprehend the trick that had been played on me, and
without any delay I crept to one corner of the room, which by this
time was comparatively dark, for the straw had nearly burnt itself
out. One of the fellows had remained below, ready to shoot, while his
confederate worked the cunningly laid scheme from the roof.
For a time I was pretty sore from the shock, and then I began to fear
that as a last resource they would come down the chimney in earnest.
I concluded to be on the safe side by preparing for such an emergency,
and as the fire was now out, I gathered up what straw remained and
piled it in the chimney place, ready to use if occasion required,
though I determined to make sure that my enemy was actually on his way
down before I flooded the cabin with light again.
I suppose two hours must have passed this time without the slightest
move from the miscreants, but I remained watchful and alert, with my
Winchester on my knee.
Then I was startled to see a tiny flame licking the base of the straw
pile. Some sparks must have lingered in the embers of the previous
fire, and I rose quickly to put out the blaze.
But before I could reach the spot the tiny flame had expanded with
startling celerity, and the fireplace was a glowing furnace.
I looked hurriedly around for shelter, but, before I could move, a
hoarse cry rang out from the chimney, and down tumbled Scarface, the
Apache, into the seething fire.
I dashed forward and dragged him out on the floor by one leg, before
the flames could do him serious injury. He was stunned from the fall,
though, and before he was able to offer any resistance, I had him
securely bound, hand and foot, with a strong rope that I fortunately
chanced to have in my pocket.
During this time Castro was probably on the roof, for no shots were
fired through the logs; and, as the straw burned itself out, I felt
that the siege had ended in my favor.
From Scarface I had nothing to fear, and I knew that the cowardly
Mexican would not attempt to carry out a plan at which his comrade had
failed so disastrously.
The Indian spent the remainder of the night in groaning, and when the
welcome daylight shone through the logs my friend, Block, arrived on
the scene with several of his ranchmen, and my siege was over.
The ranch turned out to be only two miles away. My friend had been
expecting me on the previous day, and the sound of shooting during the
night led him to make a search in this direction.
Castro had decamped, taking my horse with him, but he was captured at a
neighboring settlement a week later.
Scarface recovered from his burns and was handed over to the sheriff,
who put him where he was not likely to injure any person for some time
to come.
My escape that night was truly a providential one. The crafty Apache
had been stealing without a sound down the broad chimney, when the
little spark that was smouldering for hours burst into a blaze at just
the right moment, for if Scarface had gained the interior of the cabin
this story would probably have never been written.
A DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST
By Evelyn Raymond
CHAPTER XI
Departure
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
Brought up in the forests of northern Maine, and seeing few persons
excepting her uncle and Angelique, the Indian housekeeper, Margot
Romeyn knows little of life beyond the deep hemlocks. Naturally
observant, she is encouraged in her out-of-door studies by her uncle,
at one time a college professor. Through her woodland instincts, she
and her uncle are enabled to save the life of Adrian Wadislaw, a youth
who, lost and almost overcome with hunger, has been wandering in the
neighboring forest. To Margot the new friend is a welcome addition
to her small circle of acquaintances, and after his rapid recovery
she takes great delight in showing him the many wonders of the forest
about her home. Many weeks later, in one of their conversations, a
remark from Adrian causes Margot to question her uncle as to her
father’s whereabouts. It is just this knowledge that her guardian,
knowing it to be best, has so carefully kept from her. Fearing that
Adrian’s presence might, in some way, increase the girl’s interest
in her father, he puts the matter before the young man. It is then
decided that it were better for Adrian to take his departure.
But Adrian need not have dreaded the interview to which his host had
summoned him. Mr. Dutton’s face was a little graver than usual, but
his manner was even more kind. He was a man to whom justice seemed the
highest good, who had himself suffered most bitterly from injustice.
He was forcing himself to be perfectly fair with the lad, and it was
even with a smile that he motioned toward a chair opposite himself. The
chair stood in the direct light of the lamp, but Adrian did not notice
that.
“Do not fear me, Adrian, though for a moment I forgot myself. For you,
personally--personally--I have only great good will. But--will you
answer my questions, believing that it a painful necessity which compels
them?”
“Certainly.”
“One word more. Beyond the fact, which you confided to Margot, that you
were a runaway, I know no details of your past life. I have wished not
to know and have refrained from any inquiries. I must now break that
silence. What--is your father’s name?”
As he spoke the man’s hands gripped the arms of his chair more tightly,
like one prepared for an unpleasant answer.
“Malachi Wadislaw.”
The questioner waited a moment, during which he seemed to be thinking
profoundly. Then he rallied his own judgment. It was an uncommon name,
but there might be two men bearing it. That was not impossible.
“Where does he live?”
“Number --, Madison Avenue, New York.”
A longer silence than before, broken by a long drawn “A-ah!” There
might, indeed, be two men of one name, but not two residing at that
once familiar locality.
“Adrian, when you asked my niece that question about her father, did
you--had you--tell me what was in your mind.”
The lad’s face showed nothing but frank astonishment.
“Why, nothing, sir, beyond an idle curiosity. And I’m no end sorry for
my thoughtlessness. I’ve seen how tenderly you both watch her mother’s
grave, and I wondered where her father’s was. That was all. I had no
business to have done it--”
“It was natural. It was nothing wrong, in itself. But--unfortunately,
it suggested to Margot what I have studiously kept from her. For
reasons which I think best to keep to myself, it is impossible to run
the risk of other questions which may arouse other speculations in her
mind. I have been truly glad that she could for a time, at least, have
the companionship of one nearer her own age than Angelique or myself,
but now--”
[Illustration: ADRIAN TOOK THE ACCOUNT BOOK]
He paused significantly, and Adrian hastened to complete the
unfinished sentence.
“Now it is time for her to return to her ordinary way of life. I
understand you, of course. And I am going away at once. Indeed, I did
start, not meaning to come back, but--I will--how can I do so sir? If I
could swim--”
Mr. Dutton’s drawn face softened into something like a smile; and
again, most gently, he motioned the excited boy to resume his seat. As
he did so, he opened a drawer of the table and produced a purse that
seemed to be well filled.
“Wait. There is no such haste, nor are you in such dire need as you
seem to think. You have worked well and faithfully, and relieved me of
much hard labor that I have not, somehow, felt just equal to. I have
kept an account for you, and, if you will be good enough to see if it
is right, I will hand you the amount due you.”
He pushed a paper toward Adrian, who would not, at first, touch it.
“You owe me nothing, sir, nor can I take anything. I thank you for your
hospitality, and some time”--he stopped, choked, and made a telling
gesture. It said plainly enough that his pride was just then deeply
humiliated, but that he would have his revenge at some future day.
“Sit down, lad. I do not wonder at your feeling, nor would you at mine
if you knew all. Under other circumstances we should have been the best
of friends. It is impossible for me to be more explicit, and it hurts
my pride as much to bid you go as yours to be sent. Some time--but,
no matter. What we have in hand is to arrange for your departure as
speedily and comfortably as possible. I would suggest”--but his words
had the force of a command--“that Pierre convey you to the nearest
town from which, by stage or railway, you can reach any further place
you choose. If I were to offer advice, it would be to go home. Make
your peace there; and then, if you desire a life in the woods, seek
such with the consent and approval of those to whom your duty is due.”
Adrian said nothing at first; then remarked:
“Pierre need not go so far. Across the lake to the mainland is enough.
I can travel on foot afterward, and I know more about the forest now
than when I lost myself, and you, or Margot, found me. I owe my life to
you. I am sorry I have given you pain. Sorry for many things.”
“There are few who have not something to regret; for anything that has
happened here no apology is necessary. As for saving life, that was by
God’s will. Now--to business. You will see that I have reckoned your
wages the same as Pierre’s--thirty dollars a month and ‘found,’ as the
farmers say, though it has been much more difficult to find him than
you. You have been here nearly three months, and eighty dollars is
yours.”
“Eighty dollars! Whew! I mean, impossible. In the first place, I
haven’t earned it; in the second, I couldn’t take it from--from you--if
I had. How could a man take money from one who had saved his life?”
“Easily, I hope, if he has common sense. You exaggerate the service
we were able to do you, which we would have rendered to anybody. Your
earnings will start you straight again. Take them, and oblige me by
making no further objections.”
Despite his protests, which were honest, Adrian could not but be
delighted at the thought of possessing so goodly a sum. It was the
first money he had ever earned, therefore better than any other ever
could be, and as he put it, in his own thoughts, “it changed him from a
beggar to a prince.” Yet he made a final protest, asking:
“Have I really, really, and justly earned all this? Do you surely mean
it?”
“I am not in the habit of saying anything I do not mean. It is getting
late, and if you are to go to-night, it would be better to start soon,”
answered Mr. Dutton, with a frown.
“Beg pardon. But I’m always saying what I should not, or putting the
right things backward. There are some affairs ‘not mentioned in the
bond’: my artist’s outfit, these clothes, boots, and other matters. I
want to pay the cost of them. Indeed, I must. You must allow me, as you
would any other man.”
The woodlander hesitated a moment as if he were considering. He would
have preferred no return for anything, but again that effort to be
wholly just influenced him.
“For the clothing, if you so desire, certainly. Here, in this account
book, is a price list of all such articles as I buy. We will deduct
that much. But I hope, in consideration of the pleasure that your
talent has given me, that you will accept the painting stuff I so
gladly provided. If you choose, also, you may leave a small gift for
Angelique. Come. Pride is commendable, but not always.”
“Very well. Thank you, then, for your gift. Now, the price list.”
It had been a gratification to Mr. Dutton that Adrian had never worn
the suits of clothing which he had laid out ready for use on that
morning after his arrival at the island. The lad had preferred the
rougher costume suited to the woods, and still wore it.
In a few moments the small business transactions were settled, and
Adrian rose.
“I would like to bid Margot good-by. But, I suppose, she has gone to
bed.”
“Yes. I will give her your message. There is always a pain in parting,
and you two have been much together. I would spare her as much as I
can. Angelique has packed a basket of food and Pierre is on the beach
with his canoe. He may go as far with you as you desire, and you must
pay him nothing for his service. He is already paid, though his greed
might make him despoil you, if he could. Good-by. I wish you well.”
Mr. Dutton had also risen, and as he moved forward into the lamplight,
Adrian noticed how much altered for the worse was his physical
bearing. The man seemed to have aged many years, and his fine head
was now snow-white. He half extended his hand, in response to the
lad’s proffered clasp, then dropped it to his side. He hoped that the
departing guest had not observed this inhospitable movement--but he
had. Possibly, it helped him over an awkward moment, by touching his
pride afresh.
“Good-by, sir, and again--thank you. For the present, that is all I
can do. Yet I have heard it was not so big a world, after all, and my
chance may come. I’ll get my traps from my room, if you please, and one
or two little drawings as souvenirs. I’ll not be long.”
Fifteen minutes later Pierre was paddling vigorously toward the further
side of the lake and Adrian was straining his eyes for the last glimpse
of the beautiful island which, even now, in his banishment from it,
seemed his real and beloved home. It became a vague and shadowy
outline, as silent as the stars that brooded over it; and again he
marveled what the mystery might be which enshrouded it, and why he
should be connected with it.
“Now that I am no longer its guest, there is no dishonor in my finding
out; and find out--I will!”
“Hey?” asked Pierre, so suddenly that Adrian jumped and nearly upset
the boat. “Oh! I thought you said somethin’. Say, ain’t this a go? What
you done that make the master shut the door on you? I never knew him do
it before. Hey?”
“Nothing. Keep quiet. I don’t feel like talking.”
“Pr-r-r-rp! Look a here, young fello’. Me and you’s alone on this dead
water, and I can swim--you can’t. I’ve got all I expect to get out of
the trip, and I’ve no notion o’ makin’ it. Not ’less things go to my
thinkin’. Now, I’ll rest a spell. You paddle!”
With that he began to rock the frail craft violently, and Adrian’s
attention was recalled to the necessity of saving his own life.
CHAPTER XII
A DISCLOSURE
As the sun rose, Margot came out of her own room, fresh from her
plunge that had washed all drowsiness away, as the good sleep had
also banished all perplexities. Happy at all times, she was most so
at morning, when, to her nature-loving eyes, the world seemed to have
been made anew and doubly beautiful. The gay little melodies she had
picked up from Pierre, or Angelique--who had been a sweet singer in
her day--and now again from Adrian, were always on her lips at such an
hour, and were dear beyond expression to her uncle’s ears.
But this morning she seemed to be singing them to the empty air. There
was nobody in the living room, nor in the “study-library,” as the
housekeeper called the room of books, nor even in the kitchen. That was
the oddest of all! For there, at least, should Angelique have been,
frying, or stewing, or broiling, as the case might be. Yet the coffee
stood simmering at one corner of the hearth and a bowl of eggs waited
ready for the omelet which Angelique could make to perfection.
“Why, how still it is! As if everybody had gone away and left the
island alone.”
She ran to the door and called, “Adrian!”
No answer.
“Pierre! Angelique! Where is everybody?”
Then she saw Angelique coming down the slope and ran to meet her. With
one hand the woman carried a brimming pail of milk and with the other
dragged by his collar the reluctant form of Reynard, who appeared as
guilty and subdued as if he had been born a slave, not free. To make
matters more difficult, Meroude was surreptitiously helping herself to
a breakfast from the pail and thereby ruining its contents for other
uses.
“Oh! the plague of a life with such beasts! And him the worst o’ they
all. The ver’ next time my Pierre goes cross-lake, that fox goes or I
do! There’s no room on the island for the two of us. No. Indeed, no.
The harm comes of takin’ in folks and beasties and friendin’ them ’at
don’t deserve it. What now, think you?”
Margot had run the faster, as soon as she descried poor Reynard’s
abject state, and had taken him under her own protection, which
immediately restored him to his natural pride and noble bearing.
“I think nothing evil of my pet, believe that! See the beauty now!
That’s the difference between harsh words and loving ones. If you’d
only treat the ‘beasties’ as well as you do me, Angelique, dear, you’d
have less cause for scolding. What I think now is--speckled rooster.
Right?”
“Aye. Dead as dead; and the feathers still stickin’ in the villain’s
jaws. What’s the life of such brutes to that o’ good fowls? Pst!
Meroude! Scat! Well, if it’s milk you will, milk you shall!” and,
turning angrily about, Snowfoot’s mistress dashed the entire contents
of her pail over the annoying cat.
Margot laughed till the tears came. “Why, Angelique! only the other
day, in that quaint old ‘Book of Beauty’ uncle has, I read how a Queen
of Naples, and some noted Parisian beauties used baths of milk for
their complexions; but poor Meroude’s a hopeless case, I fear.”
Angelique’s countenance took on a grim expression. “Mistress Meroude’s
got a day’s job to clean herself, the greedy. It’s not her nose’ll go
in the pail another mornin’. No, no, indeed.”
“And it was so full. Yet that’s the same Snowfoot who was to give us no
more, because of the broken glass. Angelique, where’s uncle?”
“How should I tell? Am I set to spy the master’s ins and outs?”
“Funny, Angelique! You’re not set to do it, but you can usually tell
them. And where’s Adrian? I’ve called and called, but nobody answers. I
can’t guess where they all are. Even Pierre is out of sight, and he’s
mostly to be found at the kitchen door when meal time comes.”
“There, there, child. You can ask more questions than old Angelique can
answer. But the breakfast. That’s a good thought. So be. Whisk in and
mix the batter cakes for the master’s eatin’. ’Tis he, foolish man,
finds they have better savor from Margot’s fingers than mine. Simple
one, with all his wisdom.”
“It’s love gives them savor, sweet Angelique, and the desire to see me
a proper housewife. I wonder why he cares about that, since you are
here to do such things.”
“Ah! The ‘I wonders!’ and the ‘Is its?’ of a maid! They set the head
awhirl. The batter cakes, my child. I see the master comin’ down the
hill this minute.”
Margot paused long enough to caress Tom, the eagle, who met her on
the path, then sped indoors, leaving Reynard to his own devices and
Angelique’s not too tender mercies. But she put all her energy into the
task assigned her and proudly placed a plate of her uncle’s favorite
dainty before him when he took his seat at the table. Till then she had
not noticed its altered arrangement, and even her guardian’s coveted
“Well done, little housekeeper!” could not banish the sudden fear that
assailed her.
“Why, what does it mean? Where is Adrian? Where is Pierre? Why are only
dishes for three?”
“Pst! ma p’tite! Hast been askin’ questions in the sleep. Sure, you
have ever since your eyes flew open. Say your grace and eat your meat,
and let the master rest.”
“Yes, darling, Angelique is wise. Eat your breakfast as usual, and
afterward I will tell you all--that you should know.”
“But I cannot eat. It chokes me. It seems so awfully still and strange
and empty. As I should think it might be were somebody dead.”
Angelique’s scant patience was exhausted. Not only was her loyal
heart tried by her master’s troubles, but she had had added labor
to accomplish. During all that summer two strong and, at least one,
willing lad had been at hand to do the various chores pertaining to all
country homes, however isolated. That morning she had brought in her
own supply of firewood, filled her buckets from the spring, attended
the poultry, fed the oxen, milked Snowfoot, wrestled over the iniquity
of Reynard, and grieved at the untimely death of the speckled rooster.
“When he would have made such a lovely fricassee. Yes, indeed, ’twas a
sinful waste!”
Though none of these tasks were new or arduous to her, she had not
performed them during the past weeks, save and except the care of her
cow. That she had never entrusted to anybody, not even the master; and
it was to spare him that she had done some of the things he meant to
attend to later. Now she had reached her limit.
“Angelique wants her breakfast, child. She has been long astir. After
that the deluge!” quoted Mr. Dutton, with an attempt at lightness which
did not agree with his real depression.
Margot made heroic efforts to act as usual, but they ended in failure,
and as soon as might be her guardian pushed back his chair, and she
promptly did the same.
“Now, I can ask as many questions as I please, can’t I? First, where
are they?”
“They have gone across the lake, southward, I suppose. Toward whatever
place or town Adrian selects. He will not come back, but Pierre will do
so, after he has guided the other to some safe point beyond the woods.
How soon I do not know, of course.”
“Gone! Without bidding me good-by? Gone to stay? Oh, uncle, how could
he? I know you didn’t like him, but I did. He was--”
Margot dropped her face in her hands and sobbed bitterly. Then ashamed
of her unaccustomed tears, she ran out of the house and as far from it
as she could. But even the blue herons could give her no amusement,
though they stalked gravely up the river bank and posed beside her,
where she lay prone and disconsolate in Harmony Hollow. Her squirrels
saw and wondered, for she had no returning chatter for them, even when
they chased one another over her prostrate person and playfully pulled
at her long hair.
“He was the only friend I ever had that was not old and wise in sorrow.
It was true he seemed to bring a shadow with him, and while he was here
I sometimes wished he would go, or had never come; yet now that he
has--oh, it’s so awfully, awfully lonesome. Nobody to talk with about
my dreams and fancies, nobody to talk nonsense, nobody to teach me any
more songs--nobody but just old folks and animals. And he went--he went
without a word or a single good-by!”
It was, indeed, Margot’s first grief; and the fact that her late
comrade could leave her so coolly, without even mentioning his plan,
hurt her very deeply. But, after awhile, resentment at Adrian’s seeming
neglect almost banished her loneliness; and, sitting up, she stared at
Xanthippé, poised on one leg before her, apparently asleep but really
waiting for anything which might turn up in the shape of dainties.
“Oh, you sweet vixen! but you needn’t ‘pose.’ There’s no artist here
now to sketch you, and I don’t care, not very much, if there isn’t.
After all my trying to do him good, praising and blaming and petting,
if he was impolite enough to go as he did--Well, no matter!”
While this indignation lasted she felt better, but as soon as she came
once more in sight of the clearing and of her uncle finishing one of
Adrian’s uncompleted tasks, her loneliness returned with double force.
It had almost the effect of bodily illness, and she had no experience
to guide her. With a fresh burst of tears she caught her guardian’s
hand and hid her face on his shoulder.
“Oh! it’s so desolate. So empty. Everything’s so changed. Even the
Hollow is different and the squirrels seem like strangers. If he had to
go, why did he ever, ever come!”
“Why, indeed!”
Mr. Dutton was surprised and frightened by the intensity of her grief.
If she could sorrow in this way for a brief friendship, what untold
misery might not life have in store for her? There must have been some
serious blunder in his training if she were no better fitted than this
to face trouble; and for the first time it occurred to him that he
should not have kept her from all companions of her own age.
“Margot!”
The sternness of his tone made her look up and calm herself.
“Y-es, uncle.”
“This must stop. Adrian went by my invitation. Because I could no
longer permit your association. Between his household and ours is a
wrong beyond repair. He cannot help that he is his father’s son, but
being such, he is an impossible friend for your father’s daughter. I
should have sent him away at my very first suspicion of his identity,
but--I want to be just. It has been the effort of my life to learn
forgiveness. Until the last I would not allow myself even to believe
who he was, but gave him the benefit of the chance that his name might
be of another family. When I did know--there was no choice. He had to
go.”
Margot watched his face as he spoke, with a curious feeling that
this was not the loved and loving uncle she had always known, but
a stranger. There were wrinkles and scars she had never noticed, a
bitterness that made the voice an unfamiliar one, and a weariness in
the droop of the figure leaning upon the hoe which suggested an aged
and heartbroken man.
Why, only yesterday, it seemed, Hugh Dutton was the very type of a
stalwart woodlander, with the grace of a finished and untiring scholar,
making the man unique. Now, if Adrian had done this thing, if his mere
presence had so altered her beloved guardian, then let Adrian go! Her
arms went round the man’s neck and her kisses showered upon his cheeks,
his hands, even his bent white head.
“Uncle, uncle! Don’t look like that! Don’t. He’s gone and shall never
come back. Everything’s gone, hasn’t it? Even that irreparable past,
of which I’d never heard. Why, if I’d dreamed, do you suppose I’d even
ever have spoken to him? No, indeed. Why, you, the tip of your smallest
finger, the smallest lock of your hair, is worth more than a thousand
Adrians! I was sorry he treated me so rudely, but now I’m glad, glad,
glad. I wouldn’t listen to him now, not if he said good-by forever and
ever. I love you, uncle, best of all the world, and you love me. Let’s
be just as we were before any strangers came. Come, let’s go out on the
lake.”
He smiled at her extravagance and abruptness. The times when they
had gone canoeing together had been their merriest, happiest times.
It seemed to her that it needed only some such outing to restore the
former conditions of their life.
“Not to-day, dearest.”
“Why not? The potatoes won’t hurt, and it’s so lovely.”
“There are other matters, more important than potatoes. I have put them
off too long. Now--Margot, do you love me?”
“Why--uncle?”
“Because there is somebody whom you must love even more dearly. Your
father.”
“My--father! My father? Of course; though he is dead.”
“No, Margot. He is still alive.”
CHAPTER XIII
CARRYING
Pierre’s ill temper was short-lived, but his curiosity remained.
However, when Adrian steadily refused to gratify it his interest
returned to himself.
“Say, I’ve a mind to go the whole way.”
“Where?”
“Wherever you’re going. Nothing to call me back.”
“Madoc?”
“We might take him along.”
“Not if he’s sick. That would be as cruel to him as troublesome to us.
Besides, you need go no further than yonder shore.”
“Them’s the woods you got lost in.”
“I know them better now.”
“Couldn’t find your road to save your life.”
“I think I could. Besides, you will be wanted at the island. I don’t
think Mr. Dutton is a well man. With nobody but an old woman and a
young girl he’ll need somebody. You’re not much good, still--”
Pierre laughed. They had about reached the forest and he rested his
paddle.
“You hear me. I’m going to where you go. That was the master’s word. I
wouldn’t dare not do it. If I did, my mother’d make me sorry. So that’s
settled.”
Adrian had doubts as to the truth of this statement of the islander’s
commands. He recalled the words, “as far as you desire.” After all,
this was not setting a time limit, and it was perfectly natural that
anybody should like company through the wilderness. Why, it would be
a wild, adventurous journey! the very sort of which he had dreamed
before he had tasted the prosaic routine of the lumber camp. He had his
colors and brushes, the birch-bark which served so many forest purposes
should be his canvas. They had food, and Pierre, at least, his gun and
ammunition--no lad could have protested further.
“All right. It will be a lark after my own heart. We can quit as soon
as we’re tired of it; and--look here, Mr. Dutton said you were paid to
take me to the nearest town. How far is that? How long to get there?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Donovan’s nighest. Might go in four days--might a
week. Canada’s closer, but you don’t want to go north. South, he said.”
“Ye-es. I suppose so. Fact is, I don’t care where I go nor when. I’m in
no hurry. As long as the money and food hold out, I’m satisfied.”
“Speakin’ of money, I couldn’t afford to waste my time.”
Adrian laughed at this sudden change of front. It was Pierre who had
proposed the long road, but at the mention of money had remembered
prudence.
“That’s all right, too. It was of that I was thinking, you greedy
fellow. What do guides get here in the woods?”
Pierre stepped ashore, carefully beached his canoe, and as carefully
considered his reply before he made it. How much did this city lad
know? Either at camp or on the island had he heard the just rates of
such service?
“Well--how much you got?”
“I’m asking a question, not you.”
“About four dollars, likely.”
“Whew! not much. You can get the best of them for two. I’ll give you a
dollar a day when we’re resting and one-fifty when we’re traveling.”
Adrian was smiling in the darkness at his own sudden thrift. He had
taken a leaf out of his comrade’s book, and beyond that, he almost
loved his precious earnings, so soon as the thought came of parting
with them. He instantly resolved to put aside a ten-dollar piece to
take the “mater,” whenever he should see her. The rest he would use, of
course, but not waste. He would paint such pictures up here as would
make his old artist friends and the critics open their eyes. The very
novelty of the material which should embody them would “take.” Already,
in imagination, he saw dozens of fascinating “bits” hung on the line at
the old Academy, and felt the marvelous sums they brought swelling his
pockets to bursting. He’d be the rage, the hit of the next season; and
what pride he’d have in sending newspaper notices of himself to Peace
Island. How Margot would open her blue eyes, and Angelique toss her
hands, and the master slowly admit that there was genius where he had
estimated only talent.
“There’s such a wide, wide difference in the two!” cried Adrian, aloud.
“Hey? What?”
The dreamer came back to reality, and to Pierre, demanding:
“Make it one-seventy-five, and I’ll do it.”
“Well, I will. Now for to-night. Shall we camp right here or go further
into the forest. In the woods I’m always ready for bed, and it’s later
than usual now.”
“Here. I know the very rocks you got under in that storm. They’ll do as
good as a tent, and easier.”
Adrian, also, knew that spot, and in a few moments both lads were
asleep. They had not stopped even to build the fire that was customary
in such quarters.
Pierre was awake first, on the next morning, and Adrian slowly rose,
stretching his cramped limbs and yawning widely.
“Well, I must say that Angelique’s good mattress beats rocks. You
don’t catch me doing that again. I guess I’ll walk down to the water
and have a last look at the island.”
“I guess you won’t. You’ll eat your breakfast right now. Then you’ll
fix that birch for the carry. If I do the heavy work you’ve got to do
the light.”
“Sounds fair enough, but you’re paid and I’m not.”
“It is fair.”
Adrian did not contest the point, the less readily because he saw that
the fried chicken Angelique had given them was rapidly diminishing in
quantity.
“Think I’ll fall-to myself. My, but I’m hungry! Wish I had a cup of
coffee.”
“Can’t waste time now. We’ll have some to-night.”
“Did they give us some?”
“Look in the pack.”
“After breakfast I’ll oblige you.”
Pierre grinned and helped himself to a wing.
Adrian seized the tin basin which held the fowl and placed it behind
himself. “Enough’s as good as a feast. We shall be hungry again. See
here. What kind of a bird was this? or birds? all legs and arms,
no bodies. Freaks of nature. Eh? How many breast portions have you
devoured?”
“Three.”
“Oh! Then, travel or no travel, you get no wage this day. Understand.
I’m commander of this expedition. I see to the commissariat. I’ll
overhaul the pack, and take account of stock.”
Pierre assisted at the task. Though he had been impatient to get away
from that locality, still too dangerously near his mother’s rule, he
intended to keep an eye on everything. Paid or not paid, as Adrian
fared so would he--only rather better.
“Why, they must have thought we would be in the woods a long time. They
were certainly generous.”
They had been, but Pierre considered that they might have been more so.
“This was for both trips. Half is mine.”
“Nonsense. But--there. We’re not going to squabble all the time, like
children. And we both know exactly what we have to depend on. We must
fish and shoot--”
“How’ll you do that? The only gun is mine.”
“It’s part of the outfit. Let’s see. A good little tent cloth--not big
enough to cover any but good-natured folks--salt pork, beans, sugar,
coffee, tea, flour, meal, dishes. Hello! We’re kings, Ricord! Monarchs
of Maine.”
“Cut the splints.”
After all, it seemed to be Pierre, who did the ordering, but Adrian had
sense to see that he was the wiser of the two in woodcraft; even though
he himself had made it a study during the last weeks. He seized the
axe and attacked a cedar tree, from which he had soon cut the binding
strips he wanted. Then he laid the paddles in the boat, fastening them
with rootlets to the three thwarts. He also fastened two broad bands of
the pliable splints in such a way that when it was inverted the weight
of the canoe could be borne in part by the forehead and shoulders. He
was ready almost as soon as Pierre had retied the pack, which was to be
Adrian’s burden.
“All right! I’ll swing her up. This ‘carry’ isn’t a long one, and the
first thoroughfare is ten miles before we come to dead water. But it’s
up-stream that far, and we’ll have to warp up some. Part is fair, but
more is rips.”
If Pierre thought to confound his mate by his woodland slang he was
disappointed. Margot had been a good teacher, and Adrian had been eager
to learn what he had not already done from the loggers. Pierre had been
puzzled by “commissariat” and “expedition,” and felt that he had evened
matters nicely.
“Oh! I know. A thoroughfare is a river, and a dead water is a lake. And
a carrier is--yourself!”
To show his new skill he caught up the canoe and inverted it over his
own head. He, also, had been calculating a bit, and realized that the
birch was really the lighter burden. So he generously left the pack to
his neighbor and started forward bravely.
“All right, like you say. One little bit, then you change. Then, too,
maybe I’m not ready.”
With a whistle and spring Pierre hoisted the pack to his shoulders,
wound its straps around his body, and started off through the forest at
a sort of dog-trot pace, pausing neither for swamp nor fallen tree, and
Adrian realized that if he were to keep his companion in sight he must
travel equally fast.
Alas! this was impossible. The birch which had seemed so light and
romantic a “carry” became suddenly the heaviest and most difficult. He
caught its ends on tree trunks, and righting these blunders he stumbled
over the rough way. The thongs that had seemed so smooth cut his
forehead and burned into his chest, and putting pride in his pocket he
shouted:
“Pierre! Pierre Ricord! Come back or you’ll get no money!”
It would have been a convincing argument had it been heard, but it was
not. Pierre had already gone too far in advance. Yet at that moment a
sound was borne on the breeze toward Adrian which effectually banished
all thought of fatigue or of ill-treatment. A long-drawn, unmistakable
cry that once heard no man with the hunter instinct ever forgets. The
boy’s heart beat faster.
“A moose! and Pierre has the gun!”
[TO BE CONTINUED]
SIX
Well, well, I never! Who’d a’ thought
A boy’d grow so quick’s
This fellow has! Law sakes alive,
The buster’s grown to six!
He was a little baby, and
He had such funny tricks!
But, oh, dear me! the baby’s gone,
And here’s a boy of six!
I’ve seen him lie upon the floor,
And lift up howls and kicks;
But now he is a gentleman,--
No crying when you’re six!
When grown so large, boys must be tough,
Just regular little bricks;
No tears for any bumps or hurts,
When one is big and six!
--_Minot J. Savage._
Wood-Folk Talk
By J. ALLISON ATWOOD
KINGFISHER’S CREST
All of you know Kingfisher by sight. But have you ever noticed anything
peculiar about him--anything different from the other birds? No? Well,
if you look again you will see that the feathers on top of his head
do not lie smoothly, as is the case with most birds, but stand almost
on end in the form of a crest. To say the least, this will seem odd,
unless one happens to know the cause.
Kingfisher was always a rather solitary fellow. It is said that he came
originally from the South. Whether this is so or not, we cannot say,
but we do know that he has no relatives in Birdland. He was not called
Kingfisher then; indeed, at that time he had no name at all. When he
first made his appearance he was in a very unfortunate plight. No one
understood his language, so that he could get no help whatever. And,
besides, the birds were a little wary of his big bill. Afterwards, when
more was known of his quiet habits, their fear turned to something like
contempt, and the newcomer was made the object of no end of ridicule.
They never ceased to laugh at his great high collar, for it really
looked amiss upon a person having so little care of his appearance
otherwise.
All this he took rather meekly, for the simple reason that he did not
in the least understand it. In reality, Kingfisher possessed a quick
temper, and had he guessed that they were making fun of him it would
have gone hard with some of them.
On the second day after his arrival, Kingfisher was sitting on a dead
limb over the water. He was almost in despair, for as yet he had had
no food, and as he was in a strange land, he did not know how to get
anything to eat. Suddenly he saw something move in the water below him.
Kingfisher did not know what it was, but he did know that it was alive,
and, therefore, must be good to eat. Quick as a flash he dived for it.
The object sank immediately; still, he followed it. Before he could
think he was well under water, but when he came up his feathers were
dripping and in his bill was the shining object. Although the fish--as
he afterwards learned that these creatures which lived in the water
were called--made only a mouthful, Kingfisher was more hopeful, for he
now knew how he could make a living. Soon, indeed, he became such an
expert that folks called him Kingfisher, meaning, of course, the best
fisherman.
When Kingfisher first came to Birdland, he dug a long, narrow tunnel
in the sand bank near the creek, and at the end of it he built himself
a large room which served him as a home, for he was afraid to remain
out of doors all night. Of course, this queer dwelling caused much
wonderment, and, more than that, it suggested to the birds a way of
frightening Kingfisher. What fun it would be to have him try to scold
them in his broken language!
Accordingly, Song Sparrow, Marsh Wren, and Blackbird went in a body to
visit Muskrat--a great, lazy fellow, who might always be found loafing
about the banks of the stream. What their plan was no one overheard,
for they spoke in very low tones. At the end of the consultation
Muskrat was seen to climb the bank near Kingfisher’s dwelling. After a
moment or two, to make sure that Kingfisher was out, he crept quietly
to the entrance and disappeared within.
Then all the birds along the creek and from the woods gathered in the
neighboring bushes to await Kingfisher’s arrival. They had a long
wait, for he had gone far in search of his dinner. But, at length,
Catbird spied the sturdy form wending its way up stream. Breathless
with anticipation, the birds hid in the undergrowth just as Kingfisher
took his favorite perch in the dead willow. Here he spent much time
in arranging his plumage, a performance which greatly aggravated the
birds in hiding. But at last, even this was over, and everybody in
the thicket gave a start of expectancy as Kingfisher, after a wary
look about, launched himself from the dead limb. Then, as he entered
the hole where, unknown to him, Muskrat was hiding, each one held his
breath.
But surely the listeners were not prepared for such a sound as greeted
their ears. With a terrified rattle which no one had ever heard before,
Kingfisher shot out of the hole and bolted down stream. He looked
neither to the right nor left, nor, indeed, did he even see the birds
on either side of him. His ears were wide open and every feather of his
head stood on end. To tell the simple truth, he was frightened out of
his wits.
Many of the birds were sorry for their prank when they saw how
frightened Kingfisher was, but many also enjoyed it. Cuckoo, from
the willow, kept calling after Kingfisher, “Coward, coward, coward,
coward!” And, of course, Chewink, as he hops from limb to limb, with
his usual quick temper wanted to know to whom Cuckoo referred, and
called in a challenging voice, “To me? to me? to me?”
But Kingfisher was too far away to hear either of them. Even if he
had, he would not have dared to stop. His fright was so great that he
never got over it. Ever since, the feathers of his head have remained
on end, and his voice, save for that terrified rattle, is gone. Listen
some day, if you will, as long as you wish, and you will hear him make
no other sound. Some say--but, let us not repeat it unless we are
sure--that he has never recovered his mind. Certainly, as we see him
sitting on the dead willow hour after hour, gazing into the water, he
does seem a little peculiar. But, perhaps, he is only trying to rid
himself of the remembrance of his narrow escape from that frightful
monster which he found occupying his home.
[Illustration]
LITTLE POLLY PRENTISS
BY ELIZABETH LINCOLN GOULD
CHAPTER IX
HIRAM
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
Polly Prentiss is an orphan who, for the greater part of her life, has
lived with a distant relative, Mrs. Manser, the mistress of Manser
Farm. Miss Hetty Pomeroy, a maiden lady of middle age, has, ever since
the death of her favorite niece, been on the lookout for a little
girl whom she might adopt. She is attracted by Polly’s appearance and
quaint manners, and finally decides to take her home and keep her
for a month’s trial. In the foregoing chapters, Polly has arrived at
her new home, and the great difference between the way of living at
Pomeroy Oaks and her past life affords her much food for wonderment.
Polly went down the steps and along the driveway to the barn. Hiram was
sitting on a long bench just inside the door, rubbing and polishing
some silvery bells. He looked at Polly with a broad and hospitable
smile.
“It appeared to me ’twas about time we got acquainted,” he remarked,
sociably. “I had some expectations you might drop in on me come milking
time last night, but I suppose you had other engagements. Can you spare
time to sit awhile? Your friends seem to feel to home,” said Hiram,
with a wave of his hand toward Snip and Snap, who had followed Polly
and were racing up the steep stairs to the hay loft.
“I can stay till Miss Pomeroy wants me,” said Polly, delightedly, as
she slid onto the end of the bench. “Is there room for me here, Mr.
Hiram?”
[Illustration: IS THERE ANY ROOM FOR ME HERE?]
“Let’s see,” said Hiram, gravely, taking a foot rule from his pocket
and measuring the distance between Polly and some bells lying beside
him on the bench. “There’s most a yard leeway; if you don’t wriggle
more’n twelve inches this way there’ll be no trouble.”
Hiram closed the rule and put it in his pocket. As he did this Polly
heard a subdued chuckle. She clasped her arms about her knees and
rocked back and forth on the fence, laughing gayly.
“Oh, you’re some like Uncle Sam Blodgett!” she cried, as Hiram looked
at her in pretended alarm. “That’s the way he used to talk to me, all
solemn, but with the fun inside of him. Oh, I like folks that talk like
you and Uncle Blodgett!”
Hiram rose from the bench, and made a low bow to Polly, the bells
jingling in his hands.
“That’s the first compliment that’s come my way since I got through
my schooling,” he said, with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “While I
was ’tending school the teachers would praise me up because I had a
good head for remembering. I could recite pieces. There was a piece
beginning ‘On Linden when the sun was low,’ that was in considerable
demand. I presume I could recollect it, if given time.”
“Oh, will you please say it to me, some time?” pleaded Polly. “I do
love to hear poetry!”
“I’ll teach it to ye, gestures and all,” said Hiram, much gratified.
“There’s a good deal depends on the gestures, mind. What’s this now,
coming to interrupt?” he added, as Arctura appeared in the doorway.
“Mis’ Deacon Talcott has come to call, and Miss Hetty told me to send
Mary in,” said Arctura. “She’s a real pleasant woman, you won’t mind
her.” She straightened out Polly’s apron bows, and the little girl
walked slowly away, after saying good-by to her host and promising to
“call again soon.”
“She’s got a pair of honest eyes in her head as ever I saw, and she’s
a real sweet-dispositioned child,” said Arctura, looking after Polly,
“but I don’t know as I ever saw one of her age so quiet.”
“She’s been kept with a parcel of old folks, and we aren’t much
better,” said Hiram, thoughtfully. “Miss Hetty was telling me she
couldn’t seem to find out any kind of play the child cared about, but
I said to her, give the little thing time; probably work is what she’s
used to, more’n anything else; let her get used to play gradual, I say;
don’t try to make her give up her old folks’ ways all at once. She’s
ready for fun, soon as she knows it is fun,” said Hiram, “I can see
that.”
“Well,” said Arctura, briskly, “I’ll say one thing for her, she don’t
tell how hard she’s been worked, or say anything but what’s pleasant
about the Manser Farm folks. She seems fond of ’em all, and yet I kind
of think she holds back something, for once in a while she’ll start to
tell one thing or another, and then stop and bite her lip.”
“I know one thing, sure,” said Hiram, firmly, as his sister stepped out
of the barn, “that little thing’s no hypocrite, nor no cheat, or my
name’s something beside Green! Let’s see, how did that piece go? ‘On
Linden when the sun was low, all bloodless lay the untrodden snow.’
Soon as I get these bells out of my hands,” he muttered, as he turned
back to the bench, “I’ll just run through that, with the gestures. I
don’t believe there’s a line of it that’s escaped me, if I am going on
a hundred!”