THE EYRIE
True to the arrangement, Dalton's man arrived the next morning with two
trucks instead of one and another man to assist. They were real New
Englanders, with speech quaint to these young people. The head man told
the girls that the shack would be up by night. They thought that he was
joking, but if it had not been for a few hindrances it might have been
accomplished. It was necessary, however, to fasten it very securely to
the rocks, for lack of much foundation, though Sarita declared that it
fulfilled every requirement of a house founded upon the rock.
It was surprising how much two men with Dalton's trained assistance
could accomplish in one day, and they left for home well satisfied with
what had been done. As some more lumber was needed the men drove the
trucks back to town, but they promised to come early and expected to
stay the next night and, indeed, until the Eyrie was completed.
Neither Jack nor Peggy put in an appearance, but the girls scarcely
thought about it, in the excitement of the growing building. Leslie had
told Sarita and Dalton about her having seen the launch move toward
Steeple Rocks, and both girls related what had happened before to
Dalton. He said little, but seemed to agree with them in regard to the
possibilities.
That night it was the girls who retired before Dalton. He was fussing
around, as Leslie expressed it, seeing that tools were under cover and
everything about their materials in order, when they left him and went
into their tent.
Remembering what warnings had been given him, Dalton felt a little
uneasy, now that they were actually launched in building, though in so
small a way. He hoped that no one had discovered the undertaking so far.
Finally he went to bed and slept till some time past midnight when he
woke with an uneasy feeling. The surf was booming beyond the camp and
the rocks. He heard an owl hooting in the woods. Then he thought he
heard sounds as if someone or something was moving through the thickets
or brushing by the bushes along the path. It would be hard to make one's
way through this grove without some noise.
Again he heard the cracking of a stick. Reaching for his gun, Dalton
sprang out of his cot and peered through the flap of his tent. A dark
figure was stealthily entering the camp, making its way toward the pile
of lumber. It was carrying something. This was placed against the lumber
and a match was lit.
Dalton waited no longer. He stepped out from his tent, directed his gun
toward the stars, away from the tents, and fired. Crack! The shot
reverberated among the rocks and the intruder lost no time in getting
out of range and sight. Dalton smiled grimly as he ran in apparent
pursuit, but really to see that the dropped match had gone out. He
darted behind the lumber, then, not knowing but the shot might be
returned. The sounds of someone crashing through the woods came to him
and he came to the conclusion that he had successfully frightened away
his enemy. Most likely he would not want to be identified, Dalton
thought. There was not much danger that there would be any battle now.
"Oh, Dal! What is the matter? What--are you hurt?"
Here was Leslie, coming from the door of his tent, where she had
evidently gone first to find him.
"Here, Sis,--get back to bed _instanter!_ No, nobody is shot. I'm sorry
that I had to wake you all up, but somebody was trying to set fire to
our lumber and I had to scare him away. Did you hear him smashing
through the woods?"
"Yes, and I thought that he had shot you. I was glad to see your cot
empty, then I was afraid that you were shot out in the woods!"
"Go back and tell the girls what happened. We'll not be bothered again
to-night; besides, I'll stay awake till daylight. You sleep on and wake
me up when the men come, if I oversleep."
"All right. I don't think that Beth even woke up. Her nerves certainly
have gotten cured. Sarita is awake, though. I told her I'd find out.
Want my flashlight, Dal?"
"No, thank you, Les. I have my own if I need it."
"Well, don't stay where you might get hurt, then."
"No. I'm going back to the tent again, but I'll have to sneak around a
little from time to time. Don't worry if you hear me."
Fortunately for Dalton, Leslie wakened early and roused her brother when
the workmen arrived. Such progress was made that in a few days the
entire Eyrie was complete, "lookout," stone wall and all. There was
plenty of material for the wall. Boulders near at hand were pried and
rolled into position and smaller stones were lifted to place above, all
secured by mortar, like a brick wall. The roof, with the little window
that looked toward the sea and above the rocks, took some little time,
for it must be made weather-proof. But so small a shelter was soon
finished. Elizabeth promised herself much fun in their finishing the
inside to their liking. It was to be their watch tower as well as "The
Artist's Retreat," Leslie declared.
"I'll give you a day or two more of my valuable time," said Dalton, "to
put up shelves and make the step that we need at the door, then I'm
going to begin on the trees. The men have another job and that is why
they were willing to work overtime every day and finish this. If I
decide to stay here all winter by myself, I'll have this plastered. But
this boarding up will do this summer.
"The other man that I engaged for the log house can come pretty soon. My
plans are fine unless something interferes. I think that I will report
to Mr. Ives the matter of the man who tried to set fire to our lumber. I
can't think that he would want that to happen. A fire here would spread
to his own woods. Trust a man to look after his own interests, even if
he is willing that something should happen to us. I don't think that he
was concerned in it. It is hard to understand, unless Bill or someone
works on his own in smuggling."
"You are sure that it is smuggling, Dal?"
"What else could it be?"
Then at last came Peggy and Jack, the very day after the Eyrie was
completed, coming in the Ives' launch and docking where they had left
Leslie. Up by the rocky steps they climbed, not seeing Sarita and
Leslie, who were peering at them over the rocks.
"Welcome to our Eyrie!" cried Leslie as they reached the top.
"Oh, hello, girls," Peggy returned. "You almost scared me. I didn't know
that you were so close. We just had to come as soon as we could to see
what you have been doing. Have you built your Eyrie, then, or started
it?"
"Just come on a little way and then turn around to your right. Couldn't
you see the little lookout window from the bay?"
"Didn't notice it. Oh, how cute! And you are making the step of stones,
too, with concrete."
Peggy ran around to where Dalton was on his knees, pointing up the step
in front of the Eyrie door. He was so absorbed in his work that he did
not look up for a moment. Then he lifted his face and saw Peggy.
"Yes; this is home-made concrete. Let's hope that it will last. Where
have you been, Peggy? Leslie told us that we might expect you over some
time ago. You have missed all the excitement of our first
home-building."
"I know it. It's been so stupid, except for our playing tennis and
cruising around a little. Jack is perishing for someone old enough for
him to have real fun with. The rest of our guests are too old and I
guess that they are all leaving anyhow. We couldn't come, you know.
Well, yes, we _could_, but Dad was home, and I didn't want to risk
having an order not to come over at all. So I told Jack that we'd just
wait and say nothing till Dad left. Mother said that he was going away
again, and we made no remarks at all.
"But now Dad is gone and we can have that beach party. Leslie told you,
I suppose, that she told me about Dad's claiming to own your land."
Dalton was rather surprised at the way in which Peggy put it, but he
answered her seriously. "Yes, Leslie told us about the visit she had
with you. I hope that we shall not have any trouble with Mr. Ives. We
have had word that we have an abstract of title, so we shall not leave,
of course. But I scarcely think that it would be the thing for us to go
to Steeple Rocks when he might not want us there. It is very kind for
your mother to invite us, but you must remember that she does not know
anything about it all. Can't you continue to come here instead? You
girls can have all kinds of fun together."
"But we like you, too. Didn't you rescue, me from a--stony grave? I want
_you_ to see Steeple Rocks."
"And I confess that there is no place I should rather see." Dalton was
on his feet now, replacing the boards by which they could enter the
Eyrie door without setting foot upon the wide step, just completed.
Jack, Sarita and Leslie came up now, for an introduction between Jack
and Dalton, and to peep within the one large room of the Eyrie. It was
still quite primitive, with a sliding bar on the inside of the door to
make it secure at night, and a hasp, staple and padlock on the outside,
but the boards had been neatly fitted together, perpendicularly, and the
rafters were not unpleasant to the eye. Already the girls had decorated
them with spruce, and a bouquet of wild flowers stood upon the long
shelf which Dalton had put up.
"We can't have any fireplace here," said Leslie, "but we shall in our
bigger house."
"Who knows?" Dalton inquired. "We may enlarge this place sometime and
make what Father expected it to be."
"Sure enough, who knows?" quoted Peggy. "I believe that Dalton will do
anything he wants to do!"
Dalton gave Peggy a big brotherly smile. "Thanks," he said. "I'm going
to try, but things do not always turn out as you expect, Peggy."
"I should say they don't!"