TWO LITTLE RUNAWAYS
"That fellow must be Jasper Nown, the caretaker here," remarked Dale,
after they had driven out of hearing of the man who had come after the
Wilbur children.
"I guess you're right," returned Owen. He drew a long breath. "I
wouldn't have him around me five minutes," he added.
"Nor I, Owen. But I guess it's the style to have an Englishman around.
I know they have English butlers and English coachmen down in Boston."
"Oh, well, an Englishman is all right--you know that as well as I do.
One of the best fellows I ever worked with at Odell's was Nestor, and
he was an Englishman. But this fellow is one of the over-bearing,
know-it-all kind."
"Perhaps he doesn't act that way when Mr. or Mrs. Wilbur is around."
"More than likely he doesn't."
The work on the new road through the woods continued day after day.
During that time there was only one little shower, which scarcely wet
the ground. As Dale said, everything was as dry as punk, and the
bushes and trees showed that a heavy downpour was needed.
During those days the two young lumbermen had occasion to pass the
Wilbur lodge several times. Once they met Jasper Nown, and he stared at
them surlily, but without speaking.
"Mr. Wilbur must have scolded him for having allowed Ducrot and Axton
to break into the lodge, and he must think that we are in some way
responsible for the calling-down he got," said Owen, and his chum
agreed that this might be so.
One afternoon they met Mrs. Wilbur out walking with Gertrude and
Bertie. Both of the children recognized the young lumbermen, and set up
a shout.
"Give us another ride?" came from Bertie.
"Yes, yes!" put in Gertrude. "I like to ride in that big wagon."
"Not now, dears," said Mrs. Wilbur, and then she smiled and bowed to
Dale and Owen, and they tipped their caps to her. "You were kind to
give them a ride the other day," she remarked sweetly.
"Oh, they were welcome," replied Owen, and Dale said something similar.
"What is your name?" asked Bertie, of Dale.
"Dale Bradford."
"And what is yours?"
"Owen Webb."
"Oh, are you the young men who caught the fellows who wanted to rob the
lodge?" cried Mrs. Wilbur quickly.
"Guess we had a hand in it," answered Owen, reddening a little.
"Mr. Wilbur told me all about it. You did us a great service. Those men
were going to take away some silverware that has been in our family for
a hundred and forty years."
"Oh, did they catch the bad robbers?" came from Bertie. "You must be
awfully brave."
"We only helped, Bertie," answered Dale.
"Some day you must come up to the lodge and call on us," went on Mrs.
Wilbur.
"Thank you," answered both young lumbermen; and after a few other
pleasant words they drove on, Mrs. Wilbur smiling after them, and
Bertie and Gertrude waving their hands.
"She's all right," came from Owen. "She knows how to treat a fellow
civilly."
"Certainly she didn't treat us as Jasper Nown did," returned Dale.
"It's easy to see that she is a perfect lady." And then he thought of
his own sweet mother, now gone so many years, and heaved a deep sigh.
On the following day the weather turned out unusually hot, and both
Dale and Owen were glad when Gilroy told them that he wished both to
go for him on an errand to the next camp, a distance of eight miles
through the forest. They had to go to this place on foot, and he told
them they might take their time and do a little hunting on the way.
"It beats chopping, on such a day as this," said Owen. "We can not only
hunt a little, but fish too, and take a fine swim in the bargain, when
we reach the head of the lake."
They started off directly after breakfast and were soon well on the
way. Each had a fishing line with him, but, at the last minute, only
Owen took his gun.
"I can fish while you hunt," said Dale.
Deep in the forest it was much cooler than in the open, and though the
trail was unusually rough in this direction, they made fairly good
progress, and by ten o'clock had reached the end of the lake Owen had
mentioned. Here they stopped for a short swim, and then struck out
again, resolved to do their hunting and fishing when on their way home.
Their course now took them around in the direction of one end of Pine
Tree Lake. Here was a little lake called the Mirror, on account of
its clearness, on the shore of which some hunters had erected a small
lodge.
"The sun seems to be clouding over," remarked Dale, as they approached
Mirror Lake. "It didn't look a bit like rain when we started."
"Dale, I don't believe those are clouds."
"Not clouds? What do you mean?"
"That is smoke. The forest is on fire some distance from here."
Dale sniffed the air. "I believe you are right, Owen. I hope the fire
doesn't come this way."
"It will unless something stops it. Just look how dry everything is."
For several minutes they watched the smoke with much concern. It was
moving to the northward, but presently it shifted in their direction.
"It's coming this way, Owen."
"I see it is; and the wind is coming up, too!"
"What had we better do--turn back?"
"I don't know. The fire may be a long way off. Smoke will carry for
miles and miles, you know."
"But if it comes this way----"
"I think if we can reach Granger's camp we'll be all right. He has cut
everything big off of White-cap Hill, and there is a wide brook to the
northward."
They continued on their way, watching the sky as before. Soon the sun
went under the smoke and appeared like a great ball of fire hanging in
space. Then the wind freshened, and the smoke came down so that they
could smell it plainly.
"I must say this doesn't suit me at all," exclaimed Dale. "If we don't
look out we'll be hemmed in by that fire."
They had now reached the little lake in the woods, and were walking
towards the small lodge mentioned, when, to their astonishment, they
saw the Wilbur children sitting on the bank fishing.
"Hullo!" ejaculated Owen. "What brought them up here?"
"The children must be having a day's outing in the woods," returned
Dale. "Wonder who is with them?"
The children were a little startled to see them approaching, but set up
a shout of gladness when they recognized the two young lumbermen.
"We are out camping all by our own selves," announced Bertie proudly.
"We are going to fish and hunt, and build a big campfire, and
everything."
"Alone?" queried Dale, in amazement.
"Yes, all alone," answered Gertrude. "Nurse wouldn't let us come, but
we run away when she wasn't looking. And Bertie's got a real gun and
fishing lines, and I brought along some fruit cake and two oranges, and
a box of candy, and my Polly doll."
"I wanted to bring Rover, but he barked so I was afraid Jasper would
hear him," went on Bertie. "We are going to stay here two whole days.
What do you think of that?"
"I think you did very, very wrong to run away from your nurse and your
mamma," said Owen soberly. "Your mamma will think you are lost, and
she'll look all over for you."
"And you mustn't think of using a gun," put in Dale. "Why, it might
kill somebody."
At these words both Bertie and Gertrude grew very sober. All in a
minute the outing lost its charm for them.
"I am going home to mamma," announced Gertrude. "She'll cry if she
thinks I am lost."
"I didn't catch a fish," came from the boy. "I don't believe there are
any here."
"Do you know the way home?" questioned Owen.
At this query both children looked perplexed.
"That way," said Bertie, pointing with his hand.
"No, that way," announced the little girl, pointing in another
direction. Both were wrong.
"We'll have to take them home," said Dale. "If we don't they may become
worse lost than ever. It's a good three miles to the lodge from here."
"I don't see how they got so far," said Owen.
"Oh, we jes' walked and walked and walked," answered Gertrude. "I
didn't get tired, but I guess Polly did," and she caught up the doll
that lay near, and hugged it to her breast.
The things the children had brought with them were gathered up, and the
start for the Wilbur lodge was made without further delay.
"Give me a piggy-back?" asked Bertie of Owen, and the young lumberman
did so, while little Gertrude was accommodated in a similar fashion by
Dale. This lasted until the party had a rough mountain path to climb
down.
"We didn't come this way," said Bertie.
"If you went around this hill you had a long walk," said Owen. "This is
the nearest way to your home."
The smoke was now growing thicker and thicker, while the wind increased
steadily. Then of a sudden a hundred sparks appeared to fly around and
over them, setting fire to the forest in a dozen places.
"This won't do!" ejaculated Dale. "It's getting altogether too close
for comfort!"
"You're right; we've got to hustle, or we'll be scorched sure,"
answered Owen.
"Oh, the fire!" screamed Gertrude, as a spark fell on her hand. And
dropping her doll, she began to suck the blistered spot.
The two young lumbermen caught up the children once more and set off
as fast as the nature of the trail permitted. The fire behind was now
coming closer, and they could hear the roaring and crackling of the
flames distinctly. Both Bertie and Gertrude were badly frightened
and cried loudly, while they dropped everything they carried. Then
Owen tripped and fell, and lost his gun, but did not give it a second
thought.
"We can't get to the lodge, that's sure," said Dale. "The fire is
coming between us and that spot."
"Make for Pine Tree Lake!" cried Owen. "It's our only hope. If we don't
reach it we'll be burned up!"