An Exciting Afternoon
IT was three o'clock before the speck on the water began to show signs
of life.
"Hurrah!" cried Bettie, who spent much time lying on her stomach on the
beach with her heels in the air, since she was not permitted to use
them recklessly for walking purposes. "I hear something 'chugging.'
Listen, everybody."
"I do believe it's really coming," announced Marjory, who was perched
on a fallen pine tree, whose upturned root rested edgewise on the
bank while its trunk, firmly upheld by the stout stubs of its broken
branches, extended far out over the shallow water. Light-footed Marjory
delighted in running the length of that log, or in perching at its
outer end. Henrietta enjoyed it, too. Sometimes all the girls sat on it
in a giggling row, with their feet dangling over the water.
"Yes," said Mr. Black, rolling up his sleeves (there would be plenty
of work for all hands when the boat should arrive), "that craft is
certainly headed this way."
"By the way," said Mr. Black, with a comprehensive glance that swept
the entire group, "how many of you would like to go home when that boat
goes back?"
"Not I," cried Bettie.
"Not I," echoed Jean.
"Nor I," said Marjory.
"I'm going to stay forever," declared Henrietta.
"As for me," said Mabel, "I feel as if I'd only just got here!"
"You don't look it," said Henrietta; "there's a suspiciously dark ring
about your neck, your wrists are black, and you're fairly bursting out
between your buttons."
"Well," retorted Mabel, "there isn't much use in taking a bath when
you haven't any soap or towels or clean clothes. You just wait till
my--gracious!"
"What's the matter?" asked Jean; for over Mabel's plump and not
over-clean countenance had spread a look of blank dismay.
"I never asked for a thing but bananas," groaned the youngest member of
Mr. Black's flock.
"You can string the skins and wear those," suggested Henrietta,
wickedly, for she delighted in teasing Mabel. "You've seen pictures of
Fiji Islanders, haven't you? Well, no doubt you'll come to that."
"Never mind," soothed Jean, the peacemaker. "Mother always sends a lot
more of everything than anybody needs; so perhaps I'll be able to lend
you a thing or two. I'd do anything to stay."
"How is it with you, Sarah?" asked Mr. Black. "Do _you_ want to go
home?"
"Peter," replied Mrs. Crane, "this _is_ home."
"I'm beginning to think," said Mr. Black, "that we were all born wild
Indians. I don't want to go home myself; and I hope that Saunders won't
send any news that will make me feel that I ought to. How about you,
Ambrosial Delight? Do _you_ like the woods, little cat?"
The frisky kitten, always responsive to attention, scrambled up Mr.
Black's leg, leaped to his broad shoulder, and began running in a
circle round and round Mr. Black's neck.
"He says," interpreted Henrietta, "that he wouldn't go home for the
best cow's milk in the country."
At last the boat, headed straight for the shore, was so near that the
campers could see that every available inch of the craft was filled
with boxes, bundles, and baskets. The excited little girls pranced
so recklessly on the edge of the bank that a lot more of it crumbled
and rolled to the beach, a youngster or two with it. Mabel, anxious
to obtain a closer view of the boat's cargo, as Captain Berry dropped
anchor, rushed recklessly toward the end of the long, prostrate pine.
"Oh!" shrieked Marjory, "you're shaking the whole log! Oh! Oh! Don't
touch _me_!"
But Marjory's admonition came too late. Plump, clumsy Mabel, feeling
the need of some other support than the log afforded, flung her arms
about her slender comrade. There was another alarmed shriek from
Marjory, two wildly scrambling figures clutching at empty air--and a
prodigious splash. The water at this point was just knee deep; enough
of it, fortunately, to break the girls' fall and not enough to drown
them.
Dave and his dog plunged overboard from the launch and waded rapidly to
the rescue. That is, Dave waded and Onota swam. Mr. Black, too, waded
hurriedly to the spot where Mabel, on all-fours, was endeavoring to
stand upright and where Marjory was thrashing about like a frenzied
trout.
Dave seized one, Mr. Black the other, and, in another moment the girls
were safe on their feet, gasping, sputtering, and trying to wipe their
wet faces on their wetter skirts.
"It's a good thing," said Mr. Black, leading his half of the rescued
victims ashore, "that your dry clothes are in sight."
"I only hope they are," breathed Mabel. "I didn't _ask_ for any."
As there was no dock, the launch could not be taken very close to
shore, so her cargo was carefully unloaded by Captain Berry into one of
the three small boats that he was towing. Dave, already so wet that a
little more moisture did not matter, pushed this smaller craft ashore.
The boat's nose was drawn up on a strip of wet sand, perhaps three feet
across. Next to this came about twenty feet of dry, white sand. After
that a sand bank eight feet high led by a steep path to the grassy
plateau above.
"All hands unload," shouted Mr. Black, seizing some of the lighter
parcels and tossing them up to Mrs. Crane, who carried them back a few
yards from the edge and piled them under a tree. The girls grabbed
baskets and bundles, too, and scrambled up the steep bank with them and
scurried down again for more. Mabel and Marjory worked also, which was
better than sitting still in wet clothes; and Dave, Captain Berry, and
Mr. Black toiled up the bank with the heavier articles. When the first
boat load was cared for, the little craft was rowed back to the launch
for another cargo--it made four trips.
Two of the small boats that Captain Berry had towed behind the launch
were pulled high on the beach, with oars and oar-locks laid carefully
inside. The girls were delighted when they learned that they were to be
left at the camp.
Some of the baskets and bundles were addressed to the little girls and
you may be certain that it wasn't long before those eager children had
the wrappings torn from their many parcels.
"Hey!" shrieked Mabel, prancing heavily on one foot and waving aloft a
pair of stockings and a freshly laundered petticoat, "they _did_ send
my clothes, and my bananas, too. Now I can dress up."
Everybody laughed, because, if ever a human being looked in need of
clean garments, Mabel did. Her tumble into the lake, followed by sundry
other tumbles up and down the sand bank, had certainly not improved the
appearance of Mabel's pink gingham frock.
"I've two clean dresses, too," added Mabel, after another excursion
into her basket, "and a cake of soap."
At sight of the soap, the girls fairly shrieked with mirth.
"For goodness' sake," advised Marjory, "go use it."
Mr. Black found the hammer he had sent for (fortunately Saunders had
marked the outside of all the parcels that he had packed, so that
one could be reasonably certain as to the nature of the contents)
and knocked the covers off all the boxes in order to ascertain if
everything he had ordered had been sent. When he and Mrs. Crane were
satisfied as to this matter, they told Captain Berry that everything
was all right.
"But," suggested Mrs. Crane, "hadn't he better come back in about a
week to see if we need anything? And there's the Whale----"
"We can send Dave to town again if we find we need provisions. And
Saunders writes that he couldn't tell from Dave's directions how to
reach us with horses and would await further orders concerning the
car. Now that I have tools I can build a temporary shelter over the
Whale."
"I'll have to be starting homeward pretty soon," said Captain Berry,
who had been casting anxious glances at the sky. "Those clouds are
traveling pretty fast and there's considerable ripple on the water.
There'll be something doing before morning."
"Rain?" asked Mrs. Crane, anxiously.
"Wind," said the Captain, "but there may be rain, too."
"If that's the case, we'd better get those tents up at once," said Mr.
Black, "and then we shan't care if it does rain. We have five tents and
plenty of blankets."
"Well," offered Captain Berry, "if you've five tents to put up, I guess
I'd better help you; but you mustn't keep me too long."
Fortunately, poles and stakes came with the tents and the ground in the
grassy clearing was level. Soon, with valuable assistance from Dave, a
large octagonal tent of gaily striped canvas was in place.
"This," said Mr. Black, viewing it with satisfaction, "is our
dining-room."
Next, the three men hurriedly put up a large, straight-walled sleeping
tent that looked very clean and new.
"This," said Mr. Black, wiping the perspiration from his brow, "is for
you five girls--you'll have room for your bed and space enough to dress
in."
Of the remaining tents, one was for Mrs. Crane, another for Mr. Black,
and the third was for the provisions. As soon as the tents were up,
and good Captain Berry was chug-chugging away as fast as he could in
his very much lightened launch, there was plenty of work for all hands
to do. Provisions were placed under cover, fresh balsam beds were
arranged in the three sleeping tents--Dave brought the boughs and made
the beds--and the girls stored their bundles of clothing in their big
bedroom.
In addition to garments for their charges, the three mothers, Marjory's
Aunty Jane, and Henrietta's grandmother had sent large baskets of
delightful things to eat. Mrs. Slater had sent two roasted chickens,
some bread, a huge frosted cake, and some oranges; besides all the
things for which Henrietta had asked. Mrs. Mapes had dispatched bread,
doughnuts, and three gigantic apple pies. Mrs. Bennett's contributions
were some fine home-made rolls, a large veal loaf, a big box of
cookies, besides a huge basket of bananas for her daughter Mabel. Aunty
Jane had sent four kinds of pickles, four kinds of jelly, four kinds of
jam, and a large beefsteak. Mrs. Tucker had added a large jar of baked
beans, a generous salad, and two big pans of gingerbread.
"I guess," said Mrs. Crane, almost overwhelmed with these contributions
to her pantry, "we won't have to use the flour, the yeast cakes, and
the tin oven I sent for, just yet awhile."
"Nor the potatoes, canned things, and other provisions that _I_
ordered," said Mr. Black. "We're certainly bountifully supplied with
food."
"We'll have a ready-made supper to-night," promised Mrs. Crane.
"If you'll wait half an hour," said Mr. Black, "we'll have a table to
eat it on. Now that I have nails and a saw, we can have real furniture."
Dave and Mr. Black made not only a table but four benches, each long
enough to hold four persons. The table had to have a hole in the center
to accommodate the tent pole; but Mr. Black managed that. Then he
fastened two lamps with reflectors to the pole, Mrs. Crane spread a
big sheet of white oil-cloth over the table, and the dining-room was
complete.
Jean begged a number of wooden boxes from which the contents had been
removed. "We can put our extra clothes in them," said she, "and keep
our toilet articles on top. I'm so glad to have a hairbrush that I feel
as if I ought to frame it."
"Anything more to build?" asked Mr. Black.
"I'd like a cupboard for my dishes," said Mrs. Crane, who was setting
the attractive table. "But you needn't make it to-night. It's a good
thing the plates came--our wooden ones wouldn't have stood another
washing. And I'm glad to have a dishpan."
"Wasn't the lake big enough?"
"It wasn't in the right place. Where's Dave? He seems to think he
belongs to us. Hadn't we better give him some supper?"
"Yes. If you'll put something on a plate I'll carry it to him--he's
gone to his wigwam. I want to tell him that we took his venison and
potatoes. Here, that's enough--I can't carry _three_ plates."