DIGGING FOR GOLD
The dog began to bark, the engine of the train whistled, the woman with
her head out of the car window kept on screaming, and the conductor,
standing out on the platform, shouted something, though no one could
tell what it was.
"It sounded," said Daddy Bunker, afterward, "like that Mother Goose
story, where the fire begins to burn the stick, the stick begins to beat
the dog, the dog begins to chase the pig and the old lady got home
before midnight."
"What is the matter?" asked Cousin Tom, who had stopped greeting the six
little Bunkers to look at Margy and the dog, and listen to the screaming
of the woman on the train.
No one seemed to know, but, suddenly, the engine whistled loudly once,
and then the train came to a stop. Out of the car rushed the woman,
down the steps and toward Margy.
"My dog!" she cried. "Oh, my pet dog! I thought he was killed!"
"No'm, I picked him up," explained Margy, as the woman took her pet
animal. "I saw him, and he came to me, 'cause he liked me. I almost got
a little kitten, but it went under a stand and when I pulled it out
Mother wouldn't let me keep it. Now I can't have the doggie, either,"
and Margy acted as if she were going to cry.
"I'm sorry, little girl," said the woman, "but I couldn't give up my pet
Carlo. He is all I have!" and she cuddled the dog in her arms as she
would a baby.
"Did you stop my train, lady?" asked the conductor, and he seemed rather
angry.
"Yes," was the answer. "My Carlo ran off, just as it started, and I saw
the little girl pick him up. Then I pulled the whistle-cord, and stopped
the train. I just had to jump off and get my Carlo!"
"Well, now that you have him, please get back on again," said the
conductor. "We are late now, and must hurry."
"I'm sorry I can't leave Carlo with you, for I'm sure you would love
him," said the woman to Margy. "But I could not get along without him."
Margy did not have time to answer, as the woman had to hurry back to the
train. The conductor was waiting, watch in hand, for the train had
stopped after it had started away from the station, and would be a few
minutes late. And on a railroad a few minutes mean a great deal.
"Oh, dear!" sighed Margy. "I had a little kittie and then I didn't have
it. Then I had a little dog and now I haven't that, either! Oh, dear!"
"Never mind," said Cousin Tom, as he patted the little girl on the head.
"You can come down to the bungalow and play in the sand, and maybe you
can find a starfish or something like that."
"Oh, are there fish down in your ocean?" asked Russ.
"Lots of 'em, if you can catch 'em," said Cousin Tom, laughing.
"And is there any gold?" Laddie asked.
"I never found any, if there is," was the answer. "But then I never had
much time to dig for it. You may, if you like. But now are you all
ready?"
"All ready, I think," said Mother Bunker. "Don't pick up any more stray
dogs or cats, Margy, my dear."
"This one came to me," said the little girl. "I loved him, I did, but
now he is gone."
However there was so much new to see and talk about down at the seashore
that Margy soon forgot about her little troubles. There were some
carriages and automobiles at the station, and, dividing themselves
between two of these, the Bunkers and Cousin Tom and his wife were soon
driving down toward the ocean, for Cousin Tom lived on a street not far
from the beach. He was the son of Mr. Ralph Bunker, who had been dead
some years, and Mr. Ralph Bunker was Daddy Bunker's brother. So the
children's father was Cousin Tom's uncle, you see.
"Did you have a nice trip?" asked Cousin Ruth, of Mrs. Bunker, as she
rode beside her in the automobile.
"Yes, very. Laddie thought a search-light was a thunderstorm, when we
were coming down on the Fall River boat, Margy crawled under a fruit
stand in New York to get a stray kitten, and Mun Bun got mixed up with
another little boy. But we are used to such things happening, and we
don't mind. I hope you will not be driven wild by the children."
"Oh, no, I love them!" said Cousin Ruth with a smile, as she looked over
at the six little Bunkers.
"That's good," said their mother with a smile. "Of course they get into
mischief once in a while, but they are usually pretty good and don't
give much trouble. They play very nicely together."
"I'm sure they must. I shall love them all--every one! I wonder if they
are hungry."
"They generally are ready to eat," said Mrs. Bunker. "But don't fuss too
much over them. They can wait until meal time."
But the six little Bunkers did not have to do this, for when they
reached the bungalow, not far from the beach, where Cousin Tom and his
wife lived, there was plenty of bread and jam for the hungry
children--and hungry they were, you would have believed, if you could
have seen them eat. Cousin Ruth seemed to think it was fun.
"Welcome to Seaview!" cried Cousin Tom, when the children were eating
and Mr. and Mrs. Bunker had laid aside their things and the baggage had
been carried to the different rooms. "Now I want you all to have a good
time while you're here. Make yourselves right at home."
"They seem to be doing that," said Daddy Bunker, for the children just
then finished their bread and butter and jam, and began to run all
around the house.
Cousin Tom's bungalow was about a block from the ocean, and on a new
street in Seaview, so there were no other houses very near it. Not far
away was what is called an "inlet." That is, the waters of the ocean
came into the land for quite a distance, making a place where boats
could get in and out without going through the surf, or heavy waves.
This inlet was called Clam River, for toward the upper end, a mile or so
from the sea, it was shallow and sandy, and many clams were found
there.
Clam River was a harbor for fishing and lobster boats, and they could
run into it and be safe from storms at sea.
"I'm going out and dig in the sand!" cried Mun Bun.
"I'll come, too," said Margy.
"Well, don't pick up any stray dogs or cats," warned her mother.
"Perhaps you had better go with them, Rose," she said to the oldest
girl.
"All right, Mother. I'll look after them," was the answer, and Rose
became her mother's little helper again.
Vi and Laddie seemed to be looking for something. They wandered about
the big porch of the bungalow, and out in front, up and down.
"What do you want?" asked Cousin Ruth, who saw them.
"Something we can use to dig for gold," answered Laddie.
"Dig for gold!" exclaimed Cousin Ruth. "Is that a riddle?" for she had
heard that Laddie was very fond of asking riddles.
"No, this is real," answered the little fellow. "'Tisn't a riddle at
all. Sammie Brown's father dug for gold, and we're going to. There is
always gold in sand."
"Oh, I'm glad to know that," answered Cousin Ruth. "We have so much sand
around us that if it all has gold in it I'm sure we shall soon be rich.
But I wouldn't be too sure about it, Laddie. Some sand may not have any
gold in it. But you may dig all you like. You'll find some shovels and
pails on the side porch. I put them there on purpose for you children."
Vi and Laddie found what they wanted, and hurried down to the beach to
dig. Margy and Mun Bun went also, with Rose, while Russ, having found
some bits of driftwood, began to whittle out a boat which he said he was
going to sail on Clam River, where the water was smooth.
Mr. and Mrs. Bunker sat in the bungalow talking to Cousin Tom and his
wife, telling them about their trip and the visit to Aunt Jo's, from
whose house they had just come.
"I hope you can stay the rest of the summer with us," said Cousin Tom.
"It is a lovely place," said Mrs. Bunker, "And we shall stay as long as
you like to have us, for I think the children will like it here. And we
are more than glad to be with you and Cousin Tom. But we have half
promised to visit Grandpa Ford."
"Yes, and he surely expects us," added her husband. "Is it all right for
the children to play on the beach?" he asked his nephew.
"Oh, yes, surely. Did you think anything could hurt them?"
"Well, I didn't know. It's so near the water----"
"The beach is a very safe one, and the water is shallow, even at high
tide," said Cousin Tom. "At low tide you can wade quite a distance out.
The children will be all right. But do they really expect to find gold
by digging?"
"I believe they do. It's a story they heard," said Mr. Bunker with a
laugh. "Near Aunt Jo's lived a boy whose father was a sea captain, and
who, I believe, did once find gold on an island. It set Laddie and Vi to
thinking they might do the same. But, of course, there isn't any gold
here."
"Of course not," said Cousin Tom.
So Mr. and Mrs. Bunker talked with Cousin Tom and his wife, while the
children played outside. The sun was going down, and it would soon be
time for supper, when Mrs. Bunker, who had gone upstairs to change her
dress, heard Rose calling:
"Come back, Laddie! Come back! You mustn't get into that boat!"
"Into a boat? Oh, I should say not!" cried Mrs. Bunker, who could not
see from her window what was going on. "What are you doing, Laddie?" she
called, as she hurried down.
She heard her little boy's voice in answer:
"I'm going off in the boat and dig for gold. No, I won't come back,
Rose. I'm going to dig for gold. Come on, Vi!"
Fearing that something was going to happen, Mrs. Bunker ran out on the
porch, from where she could see the beach.