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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, by Evelyn Raymond
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Dorothy's Travels
+
+Author: Evelyn Raymond
+
+Illustrator: S. Schneider
+
+Release Date: May 28, 2008 [EBook #25630]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY'S TRAVELS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Dorothy's Travels
+
+ BY
+
+ EVELYN RAYMOND
+
+ Illustrations by S. Schneider
+
+ A. L. CHATTERTON COMPANY
+
+ NEW YORK, N. Y.
+
+
+
+
+ COPYRIGHT 1908
+
+ BY
+
+ CHATTERTON-PECK CO.
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration: "ALLOW ME! AND HELPED MOLLY UP."
+ _Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+ CHAPTER                                                     PAGE
+
+
+    I. SAILING DOWN THE HUDSON                                 9
+
+   II. A RACE AND ITS ENDING                                  24
+
+  III. ADRIFT IN THE GREAT CITY                               40
+
+   IV. ON BOARD THE "PRINCE"                                  57
+
+    V. MOONLIGHT AND MIST ON THE SEA                          73
+
+   VI. SAFE ON SHORE                                          89
+
+  VII. FINNAN HADDIE IN A GARDEN                             106
+
+ VIII. DOROTHY AND THE BASHFUL BUGLER                        124
+
+   IX. AN OX-OMOBILE AND A SAILBOAT                          142
+
+    X. WHAT BEFELL A "DIGBY CHICKEN"                         158
+
+   XI. IN EVANGELINE LAND                                    171
+
+  XII. SIGHT SEEING UNDER DIFFICULTIES                       187
+
+ XIII. A MESSAGE FOR THE CAMP                                202
+
+  XIV. HOW MOLLY CAME TO CAMP                                217
+
+   XV. MRS. CALVERT PLANS AN INFAIR                          234
+
+  XVI. WHEN JOURNEYS END IN WELCOME                          249
+
+
+
+
+DOROTHY'S TRAVELS
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+SAILING DOWN THE HUDSON
+
+
+"All aboard--what's goin'! All ashore--what ain't!"
+
+The stentorian shout of the colored steward, so close to Dorothy's ear,
+made her jump aside with a little scream. Then as she saw that the boat
+hands were about to draw the gang plank back to the steamer's deck, she
+gave another little cry and fairly pushed Alfaretta toward it.
+
+"Never mind hugging me now, girlie, you must go or you'll be left!"
+
+But the lassie from the mountain only smiled and answered:
+
+"I don't mind if I am. Look a-here!" and with that she pulled a shabby
+purse from the front of her blouse and triumphantly displayed its
+contents.
+
+"Oh! Alfy! How'll you ever get back?"
+
+"Easy as preachin'. I--"
+
+But Dorothy had no further time to waste in argument. Here were Jim
+Barlow and Monty Stark shaking either hand and bidding a hasty good-by,
+while Molly Breckenridge was fairly dancing up and down in her anxiety
+lest the lads should also be left on board, as Alfaretta was likely to
+be.
+
+But they were not. Another second they had bounded down the stairs from
+the saloon to the lower deck, a workman had obligingly caught Monty by
+his coat collar and laughingly flung him over the plank to the dock
+beyond, while Jim's long legs strode after and made their last leap
+across a little chasm of water.
+
+"Good-by, good-by, good-by!"
+
+Handkerchiefs waved, kisses were tossed across the widening water, the
+bell rang, the whistle tooted, and Dorothy's travels had begun. Then as
+the group of schoolmates watching this departure from the shore grew
+more indistinct she turned upon her old mountain friend with the
+astonished question:
+
+"But Alfaretta! Whatever made you do this? What will become of you,
+alone in that great city of New York?"
+
+"I didn't say anything about Ne' York, did I? Should think you'd be glad
+to have me go along with you a little bit o' way. Course, I shall get
+off the boat when it stops to Cornwall landing. And I thought--I
+thought--Seems if I _couldn't_ have you go so far away, Dolly. It's
+terrible lonesome up-mounting now-a-days. And I--I don't see why some
+folks has everything and some hasn't nothin'!"
+
+There was more grief than grammar in this speech and a few tears sprang
+to the girl's eyes. But Alfy boasted that she was not a "crier" and as
+she heard the stewardess announcing: "Tickets, ladies and gentlemen,"
+she dashed the moisture away and stared at the woman.
+
+After her usual custom, "Fanny" was collecting money from the various
+passengers and would obligingly procure their tickets for those not
+already provided. As she made her way through the throng, which on that
+summer morning crowded the upper deck of the pretty "Mary Powell," the
+three young friends watched her with surprised interest.
+
+Apparently she took no note of the amount anybody gave her, carrying
+bills of all dimensions between her fingers and piles of specie on her
+broad palm.
+
+"How can she tell how much she's taken from anybody? How can she give
+them their right change?" wondered Dorothy.
+
+"I give it up! She must be a deal better at arithmetic than I am. I
+should make the mixedest mess of that business;" answered Molly, equally
+curious.
+
+"Yet you will see that she makes no mistakes. I've been traveling up and
+down the river on this same boat for many years and I've given her all
+sorts of sums, at times, on purpose to try her. But her memory never
+fails," said Miss Greatorex who was in charge of the party. She sat
+quite calmly with the amount of three fares in her hand but with a most
+forbidding gaze at Alfaretta.
+
+Who that young person was or why she had thrust herself into their
+company she did not understand. She had herself but known of this trip
+on the day before, when Miss Penelope Rhinelander had been obliged to
+give it up, on account of the extreme illness of a near relative.
+
+However, here she was with her two pupils, whom she taught at the
+Rhinelander Academy, bound for a summer's outing in--to her and
+them--unknown lands. Also, as there may be some who have not hitherto
+followed the fortunes of Dorothy, it may be well to explain that she was
+a foundling, left upon the doorstep of a man and wife, in a quiet street
+in Baltimore. That he had lost his health and his position as a
+letter-carrier in that city and had removed to his wife's small farm in
+the Hudson Highlands. That among their friends there was somebody who
+had taken an interest in the orphan girl and had burdened himself--or
+herself--with the charge of her education. That she had passed the last
+school year at the Academy and had been in some most exciting episodes
+detailed in "Dorothy's Schooling;" and that now, at the beginning of the
+long vacation, she was traveling with her closest school friend and a
+teacher, whose life she had been the means of saving at the time of the
+Academy fire, toward New York; and from thence to Nova Scotia--there to
+grow strong for another year of study.
+
+Alfaretta Babcock's home was near to her home upon the mountain; and
+though unlike, there was a sincere affection between this untaught
+country girl and the dainty Dorothy, and Alfy had begged a ride in a
+neighbor's wagon going to Newburgh, that she might bid her friend good
+by and watch her set sail on what seemed must be the most wonderful of
+journeys.
+
+She was to have returned home as she had come; but when the steamer was
+on the point of leaving an impulse had seized her to travel thus
+herself, if only for the brief distance between this landing and the one
+nearer her own home. She had a few cents in her purse and hoped they
+would be enough to pay her fare; and now when they were already moving
+down the stream and her familiar mountain-top came into view, she made a
+wild dart toward the stewardess, shouting:
+
+"Ma'am, please, ma'am, take mine! I've got to get off the next place
+and--and--I mustn't be left!"
+
+Fanny picked up the camp-chair Alfy had stumbled over, remarked in a
+soothing voice, "Plenty of time, little gal, oceans of time, oceans of
+time," and glanced at the money so suddenly thrust into her already
+crowded palm.
+
+"Four cents, little gal? Hardly enough. Fifteen is the regular fare. All
+you got, sissy? Look and see."
+
+The tone was kind but the statement sounded like a knell in poor
+Alfaretta's ears. Thousands of times she had watched the many boats pass
+up and down the river, but only once had she been upon any and that was
+a row-boat. It had been the dream of her life to voyage, as she was
+doing now, far and away beyond those Highlands, that seemed to meet and
+clasp hands across the mighty stream, and see the wonderful world that
+lay beyond. For the boats always disappeared around that projecting
+point of rock and forest, and so she knew that the mountains did not
+meet but merely seemed so to do. Well, of course, she wasn't to find out
+about them to-day. She knew that quite well, because her own landing was
+on this side the "Point" and she could go no further. Indeed, could she
+now go even so far?
+
+"Fifteen cents! My heart!--I--I--What can I do? Will the captain drop
+me--in the--river? Will--"
+
+The stewardess was very busy. People were watching her a little
+anxiously because of her indifferent handling of her money and the
+tickets she had not hurried to bring; and the sudden terrified clutch at
+her skirts which Alfy gave set her tripping among the crowded chairs and
+made her answer, crossly:
+
+"For goodness sake, girl, keep out from under foot! If you haven't the
+money go to your friends and get it!"
+
+"Friends! I haven't got any!" cried Alfaretta, and flung her skirt over
+her face and herself down upon the nearest seat.
+
+From their own place Molly and Dolly watched this little by-play for a
+moment, then darted forward themselves to see what was the matter.
+
+"Why, Alfy dear, what's happened? Won't the woman get your ticket for
+you? Never mind. I'll ask her. Maybe she will for me."
+
+"You needn't, Dolly girl! There ain't enough and I'm afraid they'll drop
+me off into the water! She--she--"
+
+"Alfy! How silly! Nobody would do such a thing. It would be murder. But
+you shouldn't have come unless you had the money and I'll go ask Miss
+Greatorex for some. She has our purses in her satchel, taking care of
+them for us. Wait a minute. You stay with her, Molly, while I go get it.
+How much, Alfy?"
+
+The girl began to count upon her fingers:
+
+"Four--that's what I have and it was meant for candy for the
+children--five, six--How many more'n four does it take to make
+fifteen I wonder? I'm so scared I can't think. And I wish,
+I--wish--to--goodness--knows I'd ha' said good-by back there to the dock
+and not let myself get carried off down river to nobody knows where. If
+they dassent to drop me off the boat they might keep me here till I
+paid--"
+
+"Alfaretta Babcock! I certainly am ashamed of you. That's a hard thing
+to say, just at parting, but it's the truth. The idea! First you fancy a
+decent human being will drown you because you haven't a little money,
+and then you can't reckon fifteen! What would dear Mr. Seth say, after
+teaching you so faithfully? Never mind. Don't act so foolish any more
+and I'll go get the money."
+
+This was not so easy as she fancied. The boat was already nearing the
+next landing where Alfaretta must go ashore, or be carried on to a much
+greater distance from her home, but it seemed difficult to make Miss
+Greatorex understand what was wanted and why. The poor lady's deafness
+had increased since her fright and exposure at the time of the fire and,
+now that she had been put into a position of greater trust than ever
+before, her sense of responsibility weighed heavily upon her. At
+parting, her principal, Miss Rhinelander, had enjoined:
+
+"Take particular care of the girls' finances, Cousin Isobel. It is
+important that they should learn to be wise in their small expenditures
+so that they may be equally prudent when they come to have the handling
+of larger sums--if that should ever be. Make them give a strict account
+of everything and check any foolishness at the beginning."
+
+The subordinate promised. She was a "poor relation" and knew that she
+was an unpopular teacher with many of the pupils of the fine school,
+though she had modified her sternness altogether in the case of Dorothy
+who had saved her from the fire. But the mandate of her superior was
+fresh in her mind. She had been touched by the rarely familiar "Cousin
+Isobel," and determined to do her duty to the utmost. Yet here was
+Dorothy already screaming into her deafest ear:
+
+"My purse, please, Miss Greatorex! I want some money right away! Quick,
+quick, please, or it'll be too late!"
+
+The girl's voice was so highly pitched that people around began to stare
+and some of them to smile. Like most afflicted persons the lady was
+sensitive to the observation of others and now held up her hand in
+protest against the attention they were attracting.
+
+"Softly, Dorothy. Better write what you wish if you cannot speak more
+distinctly;" and a small pad with pencil was extended.
+
+But Dorothy did not take them. The satchel upon Miss Greatorex's lap was
+open, her own and Molly's purses lay within. To snatch them both up and
+rush away was her impulsive act and to scamper back across the deck,
+wherever she could find a passage, took but a moment longer. But she was
+none too soon.
+
+Down below the steward was again crying:
+
+"All aboard what's goin'! All ashore what ain't! All who hasn't got deir
+tickets, please step right down to de Cap'n's office and settle."
+
+While another loud voice ordered:
+
+"Aft gangway for Cornwall! All ashore--all ashore! Aft gangway--all
+ashore!"
+
+Some were hurrying down the stairs to that "aft gangway," others
+speeding up them in equal haste with that excitement which always marks
+the infrequent traveler, and poor Alfaretta caught the same fever of
+haste. Without a word of real farewell, now that she had come thus far
+at so much risk to speak it, she dashed ahead, slipped on the
+brass-tipped stair and plunged headlong into the space below.
+
+For an instant there was silence even in that busy scene, people halting
+in their ascent and porters turning their skids aside with angry
+exclamations, lest the trunks they wheeled should fall upon her as she
+seemed bent to fall upon them.
+
+Yet only one thought now possessed the terrified girl--escape! She had
+bumped her head till she was dizzy, but she mustn't stop for that.
+Yonder yawned that open space in the deck-rail which they called the
+"aft gangway" and toward that point she propelled herself regardless of
+all that impeded her way.
+
+Down the plank, out upon the boards of the board dock, into the medley
+of stages and yelling drivers she hurried, very much as James Barlow and
+Montmorency Stark had done at that other, upper landing. But when she
+felt the solid quay beneath her feet she paused, clapped her hands to
+her dizzy head and--felt herself grasped in a wild and fierce embrace.
+
+Then both upon that dock and the deck of the outgoing steamer rang a
+shout of merriment, which made anger take the place of fear as she
+whirled about in the arms of whoever held her and shook her fist at the
+boat and its passengers.
+
+"Well! That was a short trip but it was full of incident!" remarked one
+passenger, near to Molly and Dorothy. They had run to the rail to see
+what followed Alfy's disappearance, and if she were carried away
+injured. "I saw her come aboard and depart and she managed to get a deal
+of action into those few minutes. Friend of yours, young ladies?"
+
+They faced about, wondering why this man should speak to them. He looked
+like a gentleman though a rather shabby one. Montmorency would have
+termed him "seedy." His coat had seen better days and his hat, lying on
+the bench beside him, was worn and discolored, and his thin white hair
+told that he, also, was old. This made the girls regard him kindly, for
+both of them had a reverence for age.
+
+More than that, a crutch rested against his knee and this made an
+instant appeal to Dorothy's sympathy. She had seen nobody with a crutch
+since she had said farewell to Father John; and now in pity for this
+other cripple she lingered near answering his many questions most
+politely.
+
+"Yes, she is a friend. She--I guess she ran away to sail a short
+distance with us. We shan't see each other again this summer. She forgot
+her money. I mean she didn't have any to forget; and--Sir? What did you
+ask me to find?"
+
+"To buy a morning paper for me, my dear. You see, being lame--Did you
+ever know anybody who was lame?" asked the old man, with a smile.
+
+"Ah! yes. The dearest man in all the world; my father."
+
+Thereupon Dorothy huddled down beside the stranger and gave a history
+of her father's illness, his wonderful patience, and the last effort he
+was making to regain his health.
+
+She did not know that it is often unsafe to talk with unknown people
+upon a journey; and in any case she would not have feared such a
+benignant old gentleman as this. She ended her talk with the inquiry:
+
+"Where will I find the paper, Mr.--Mr.--I mean, sir?"
+
+"Smith my name is. John Smith of Smithville. You'll find all the papers
+and books at a news-stand on the lower deck. There's a candy-stand
+there, too, such as will interest you two more than the papers, likely;"
+he answered with another smile.
+
+They started down the stairs leading from the main saloon to the lower
+part of the boat, and not until they had reached the news-stand did
+either of them remember that she hadn't brought her purse nor asked
+which paper their new acquaintance desired.
+
+"Oh! dear! Wasn't that silly of us! And we're almost to West Point,
+where my cousin Tom's a cadet! He promised to be on the lookout for us,
+if he could get leave to go to the steamboat landing. I wrote and told
+him about our trip and he answered right away. He's Aunt Lucretia's only
+child and she adores him. Hasn't spoiled him though. Papa took care
+about that! If I go back after our pocket-books I may lose the chance to
+see him! So provoking! I wish now we hadn't bothered ourselves about
+that old man. If he was able to come aboard the boat and go up those
+stairs to the deck he was able to buy his own old papers. So there!"
+cried Molly, stamping her little foot in her vexation.
+
+West Point cadets are given few permissions to leave their Academy for
+social visits, so that Tom had never been to the Rhinelander school
+where rules were also so strict that Molly had been but once to see her
+cousin in his own quarters. Until he went to the Point and she to school
+in the hill-city a few miles further up the river, they had lived
+together in her father's house and were like brother and sister. The
+disappointment now was great to the loving girl and Dorothy hastened to
+comfort, by saying:
+
+"Never mind, Molly, you stay right here. See! they're fixing that
+gang-plank again, at this very part of the deck. You stand right
+outside, close against the rail but where you won't be in the men's way
+and, if he's there, you'll surely see him.
+
+"I'll go back and get the purses. Where did you lay them?"
+
+"Hum. I don't know. I can't exactly think. You handed me yours, I
+remember, when you stooped to pick up his crutch he'd knocked down. Ah!
+Now I know. My hands got so warm and your pocketbook was red and I
+thought it would stain my new gloves. So I just laid them down on the
+bench beside him. You'll find them right there beside him. You can ask
+him which paper, then, and I say, Dolly Doodles, what right had that
+hindering old thing to expect us--us--to buy his papers for him? Why
+didn't he give us the money, himself? Seems if we'd been sort of--sort
+of goosies, doesn't it?"
+
+"Oh! Molly! That's not nice of you to think about that dear, lame old
+man! And why he didn't was, I suppose, because he didn't think. We don't
+always think ourselves, dearie. Never mind. I'll hurry and be right
+back."
+
+"Yes, do--do hurry! I've said so much about you in my letters I'm just
+suffering to have you two meet. Just suffering! Hark! They're whistling
+and ringing the bell and we'll be there in a minute! Do, do hurry--for I
+believe I see him now--that tall one at the end of the wharf--Hurry--or,
+better still--Wait! Wait!"
+
+But long before the excited Molly had finished speaking Dorothy had run
+up the stairs, along the long passage to the aft deck where she had left
+her lame acquaintance waiting for her to do his simple errand.
+
+He was not in the spot where she had left him. He was not in the big
+saloon, or parlor. He was not upon the forward deck; not yet amid the
+crowd pressed to the deck's rail, to watch for whatever might be seen at
+this historic landing place. Flying to the rail she scanned the few
+departing passengers and he was not among them. She saw, but scarcely
+realized that she did, a group of three cadets who had come as near the
+steamer as the wharf permitted and were gaily chattering with her chum,
+during the short stop that was made.
+
+"Could he have fallen overboard? And if he did why did he take our
+purses with him?" she wondered. Then reflected that it would be a
+difficult thing to explain this affair to Miss Greatorex; and also that
+the missing pocket-books contained a full month's "allowance" for both
+Molly and herself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+A RACE AND ITS ENDING
+
+
+Dorothy's search for the missing old man and, to her, the more important
+missing purses brought her to the lower deck and Molly. The latter was
+still leaning upon the rail, gazing a little sadly into the water, for
+the brief glimpse she had had of her cousin Tom had recalled their happy
+days in their old southern home. There were even a few tears in her
+bright blue eyes as she raised them toward her friend; but she checked
+them at once, frightened by the expression of Dorothy's own.
+
+"Why, honey, what's the matter?"
+
+"Our pocket-books are lost!"
+
+"Lost? Lost! They can't be. You mustn't say so. We can't, we daren't
+lose them. Weren't they on that bench beside the old man?" demanded
+Molly.
+
+"No, they were not. They were not anywhere--any single where. He wasn't
+either."
+
+"Pooh! He must be. He probably wanted to change his seat and was afraid
+to leave them lying on the bench, lest somebody might be tempted to pick
+them up. Somebody to whom they didn't belong, I mean."
+
+"Molly, what shall we do? What will Miss Greatorex say?"
+
+"Humph. She'll probably scream out her disgust as if we were deaf too
+like herself. That's the way she always does: when there's something to
+be said you don't want anybody else to hear she just talks her loudest;
+and when there's something you're longing to know she merely whispers.
+That's the way all deaf people do, Miss Penelope says. And--you're the
+one that lost them, so you'll be the one to tell her, Dorothy girl."
+
+"Why, child, I don't see how I lost them any more than you did! I'm
+sorry as I can be. Sorrier about yours than mine even, though I'd
+planned so many nice things to do with the money. Five dollars! Think of
+it! I never before had five whole dollars at a time, never in my life!"
+said Dolly, mournfully.
+
+"Well, what's the use staying down here and just worrying about the
+thing? Let's go and look again for the man. When we find the man we
+shall find the purses; but--whether he'll give them back to us is
+another matter."
+
+"Molly, what a dreadful thing to say! As if you thought he--he stole
+them, a nice old gentleman like that!"
+
+"Pooh! Once my Aunt Lucretia had her little handbag snatched out of her
+hand, right on Broadway street in New York city. She did so; and all she
+could remember about the snatcher was that he was a handsome young man
+with an eyeglass in one eye. A regular dandy he was, if the thief was
+the fellow who brushed against her so rudely. Anyhow, after he'd
+brushed, her bag was gone and all her shopping money in it. Papa told
+her it served her right. That to carry a purse, or a bag, that way was a
+temptation to any rogue who happened to pass by. He said the snatcher
+was smarter than Auntie and he hoped it would teach her a lesson. Aunt
+Lu thought Papa was almost as horrid as the thief; and what will either
+of them say to us for being so careless?"
+
+"I suppose we'll have to tell them!" reflected Dorothy, in sad
+perplexity.
+
+"Course we will. Aren't they both to meet us at the steamer? Aren't they
+going with us all the way to Halifax? Why, I should want to tell the
+very first thing. How else would I get any more money?"
+
+"I don't know, I'm sure. Lucky you! As for me there's nobody to replace
+my five dollars, so far as I know."
+
+"Oh! come on. Don't let's stand moping. I'll tell you. Let's begin right
+here at this spot. You go one side this lower place, all along that
+passage beside the engine-rooms and things and I'll go the other. Then
+if we don't see him anywhere here we'll meet at the foot of the stairs
+and search the upper floor just the same way. Out on both ends of the
+boat, poke into closets and barber-shop and captain's office--everywhere
+there is a chance a man, a passenger man, might be."
+
+It seemed a fine scheme and they promptly separated to put it into
+execution. But when they met at the foot of the stairway, leading to the
+upper saloon, neither had any success to report. Nor did they meet with
+any better fortune when they had made a prolonged examination of the
+whole steamer, even climbing to the hurricane deck and questioning the
+officer upon the bridge.
+
+As they slowly descended to the place where Miss Greatorex awaited them,
+alarmed by their absence and equally afraid to move from the spot lest
+somebody else should confiscate their three comfortable camp-chairs and,
+possibly, their hand luggage, Dorothy suggested:
+
+"Let's write it. That'll save other people, strangers, from hearing.
+Miss G. always carries a pad and pencil with her and I'll do it myself,
+since you think I'm most to blame. But I'm afraid even my writing won't
+stop her talking when she finds out! Oh! dear! I wish Alfy Babcock had
+never come on this boat! Then I shouldn't have gone to watch her and
+seen him."
+
+"Huh! I don't think it's quite fair to blame poor Alfy for our own
+fault. We'd no business to be so careless, either one of us. I had a
+bright notion that maybe that stewardess or some official had picked up
+the pocket-books, so I asked every single one of them, big and little,
+black and white, and not a soul knew a thing about it. No, Dolly
+Doodles, the blame's our own and--the man's," said Molly, with
+conviction.
+
+Miss Greatorex was vastly relieved to see her charges returning to her
+side. She had become anxious over their prolonged absence and in her
+nervousness had imagined all sorts of accidents which might have
+befallen them. Yet the same nervousness had prevented her questioning
+any employee of the steamer, who had come near, she shrinking from the
+observation this would attract to her deafness.
+
+Therefore, it was with a much brighter smile than ordinary that she
+welcomed the truants, and was disappointed to have her greeting so
+dejectedly returned.
+
+"I began to worry over you, my dears, I cannot call either of you really
+mischievous, yet I hope you won't leave me in suspense so long again.
+Anywhere, so that you are in my sight all of the time, you are free to
+move about. But--Why, my dears! What has happened to make you so sober?"
+
+It certainly was vexing, when the lady was making such extra effort to
+be agreeable and to adapt herself to young people's ideas, to have these
+efforts so disregarded; and it was a strange thing that Dorothy should
+without permission take the notebook and pencil from her teacher's lap
+and begin to write.
+
+Miss Isobel had set forth upon her travels with the firm intention of
+making notes about everything along the way and it disturbed her
+methodical soul to have anybody else "messing" with this neat little
+record. It was only a trifle better that the girl should have turned to
+the very back of the book and chosen a fly leaf there to scribble on.
+Scribbling it seemed, so rapidly was it done, and after a brief time the
+book was returned to its owner and she silently requested to examine
+what had been written in it. This is what she read:
+
+"We've lost our pocket-books. Or, maybe, I lost them both. We've lost
+the man, too. He was a little, shiny old man, with a fringe of white
+hair around his head. When he put his hat on he had two foreheads under
+its rim, one before and one behind. His coat was shiny. His hat was
+shiny and had a hole in it. He--he seemed to shine all over, especially
+in his smile. That was perfectly lovely. Have you seen him? Because if
+you know where he is I'd like to ask him for our purses. That is if he
+has them as Molly and, maybe, I think. Else how could we buy his paper
+for him without any money and how can we give him the paper if
+he--_isn't_?"
+
+Poor Dorothy fancied that she had made everything most explicit yet, at
+the same time, very gently broken the news of the lost purses. She was
+unprepared for the expression of confusion that settled upon Miss
+Greatorex's austere features as she read this communication once, then
+more carefully a second time.
+
+Leaning forward, eagerly observant of "how she'll take it" Molly
+perceived that Dorothy's explanation hadn't been sufficient; or else
+that it had not dawned upon Miss Isobel's comprehension that her girls
+had really been so careless, that the loss was genuine. As the lady
+looked up, after this second reading, with a question but no anger in
+her expression, the observer exclaimed:
+
+"Dolly, I don't believe you've told her all. Give me the book, please,
+Miss G. and I'll see what it says."
+
+Then after a rapid perusal of the message Molly turned upon her chum
+with an amused indignation:
+
+"You've said more about your 'shiny old man' with his adorable smile
+than our own trouble. Here, I'll write and I guess there won't be any
+mistake this time."
+
+So she also possessed herself of the cherished notebook and made her own
+brief entry:--
+
+"We laid our purses down on a bench and a man stole them. The same man
+D. described. Now somebody must have stolen _him_ 'cause he isn't on the
+boat."
+
+"Laid your purses down on a bench and left them there?" demanded Miss
+Greatorex in her most excited tones. Tones so loud that all the
+passengers sitting near turned their heads to look and listen; thereby
+calling attention to the two blushing girls, in a manner most
+unpleasant.
+
+All they could do to avert this audible upbraiding was to point to the
+notebook and mutely beg that she would do her scolding by that silent
+channel. Not she, however. Never in all the years of her drudgery of
+teaching had she felt her responsibility so great as now. To be
+entrusted with the charge of Miss Rhinelander's most indulged
+pupils--all the school knew that--had, at first seemed a burden, and
+next a most delightful honor. But, after all, they were just like other
+girls. Just as careless, just as disrespectful and annoying; for the
+sensitive old gentlewoman had considered the use of her notebook a
+presumption and their long absence from her side a proof that they were
+inconsiderate. However, these were mere matters of sentiment, but the
+loss of ten good dollars was a calamity.
+
+"Well, young ladies, all I have to say, and you may note that it is my
+final word, is: _Those pocket-books must be found._ You cannot leave
+this steamer until they are. I have promised especial care over your
+expenditures and I shall do my duty. I am now going to read my history
+of Hendrik Hudson. While I am reading you can seek your purses. We have
+still a long time before reaching New York and the better you employ it
+the better for--all of us."
+
+Every syllable was as distinctly uttered as if she were dictating to a
+secretary, but she ignored all the curious glances turned her way and
+resumed her reading with an air of great dignity.
+
+Molly and Dolly exchanged dismayed glances; then giggled, perceiving
+amused expressions upon the faces of many travelers near them. The whole
+affair began to seem more absurd than serious, and, finally, unable to
+longer restrain their rather hysterical mirth, they rose and walked
+away arm in arm.
+
+But they did no more searching. Had they not already looked everywhere?
+Besides, as Molly declared:
+
+"We're more apt to see that man somewhere if we sit right still in one
+place. Papa told me that was the way to do, if I were ever lost
+anywhere. I was once, in a big store in New York, but I remembered, I
+sat right down by the door and just waited and prayed all the time that
+Auntie Lu would come and find me there. I was a little tacker then, not
+bigger'n anything. And she came. I don't know how much the praying did
+'cause all I knew then was 'Now I lay me;' or how much the waiting.
+Anyhow she found me. So, maybe, if we keep still as still, the 'shiny
+man' will get around past us sometime. _He's_ the lost one in the case,
+isn't he? And did you ever see how restless the people all do seem? I
+guess they're tired of the long sail and anxious to be off the boat."
+
+"I guess so, too. Let's do something to pass the time. Count how many
+girls and women we can see in white shirt-waists--seems if it had rained
+them, seems if! Or how many people go trapesing up and down the deck.
+Make up stories about them, too, if you like, and fit names to them. I
+always do give a name to anybody I see and don't know. Let's call that
+nice looking man yonder 'Graysie.' He's all in gray clothes, hat,
+gloves, tie, and everything. There's another might be what Monty'd say
+was a 'hayseed.' I think that's not a nice name, though, but just call
+him 'Green Fields.' He's surely come from some farm up the river and
+looks as if he were enjoying every minute of this sail. I'm beginning to
+enjoy it too, now; only I'm getting dreadfully hungry. If I had my purse
+I think I'd go down to that stand in the corner and buy us some
+sandwiches;" said Dorothy, in response.
+
+Cried Molly, indignantly:
+
+"Don't talk about sandwiches to a poor, starving girl! Sailing does make
+a body ravenous, just ravenous, even though we did have a
+'vacation-breakfast' with something besides cereals and milk. When Miss
+Rhinelander does 'treat' us she does it thoroughly. But, what shall you
+order when we get to New York and meet Papa and Auntie Lu? You know
+we're all to dine at a big hotel, for the Nova Scotia boat doesn't sail
+till two o'clock. Two o'clock sharp! Not a minute before nor a minute
+after, Papa says; and he goes out to that country every year. Sometimes
+in the hunting season and now just to camp out and fish and get--get
+fat, I tell him. It's dreadful wearing to be a Judge. Judge of the
+Supreme Court. That's what my father is. He's a bank president, too, and
+has lots to do with other people's money. But he's something to do with
+a railway besides, and all these things and his taking care of Aunt
+Lucretia's 'property' wears him out. She hasn't any property, really,
+except the little tumble-down house where she and Papa were born. Papa
+says it isn't worth the cost of powder to blow it up; but Auntie loves
+it and makes more fuss over it than Papa does over all his own things."
+
+"A Judge is a man that can send a person to jail or not, isn't he?"
+
+"Worse than that! He can send one to the gallows or the electric
+chair--if he has to. That's the wearing part; having to be 'just' when
+he just longs to be 'generous.' If it wasn't that he has the same power
+to set a person free, too, I guess he'd give up Judging. If he could. I
+don't know about such things. What I do know is that he and some other
+Judges and some more bankers and such men have the greatest fun ever,
+summer times. They hunt up old clothes and wear them right in the woods.
+Auntie says she doesn't know where they find such duds 'cause they
+certainly never owned them at any other time. Then they sleep on the
+ground, and cook over a fire they make themselves, and fish and tell
+stories. 'Just loaf' Papa says, and to hear him tell makes me sorrier
+than ever I'm not a boy. If I were I could go too. But a girl--Pshaw!
+Girls can't do a single thing that's worth while, seems to me!"
+
+"I'm afraid I shall be afraid of a real Judge, Molly. I'm afraid I--"
+
+"The idea! You'll forget all those 'afraids' the minute you see my
+darling father! But you didn't say what you'd order for your dinner."
+
+"How can I order anything if I haven't the money to pay for it? Or does
+that all go in with the expenses of the whole trip, that Miss Greatorex
+has to take care of?" asked Dorothy, who was in real ignorance of some
+most practical matters, having merely been told that she was to take
+this journey under Miss Greatorex's charge.
+
+"I don't know what goes in or out; but I do know that my father wouldn't
+let ladies pay for their dinners when he was along. A pretty kind of a
+gentleman that would be! And Judge Schuyler Breckenridge is a Perfect
+Gentleman, I want you to understand," answered Molly, proudly.
+
+"So is my Father John," said Dorothy with equal decision; and for a few
+minutes there was silence while each loyal daughter reflected upon the
+astonishing merits of their respective fathers.
+
+Afterward they interested themselves in watching the people near them;
+so that it was with some surprise they heard "Diamond," the steward,
+announcing:
+
+"New Yawk! Twenty-third street landin'! Fo'wa'd gangway fo'
+Twen-ty--thir-d-st-r-e-et!!"
+
+Then followed a little scurry as they sought Miss Greatorex to inquire
+if this were where they would leave the boat. However she said not; that
+they were to remain on board until the steamer landed at Desbrosses
+street, lower down the city. There she had been informed that Judge
+Breckenridge and Mrs. Hungerford would meet them. After dining together
+they would cross the city to the other East River and take the steamer
+for Yarmouth. It was all very simple and yet very exciting.
+
+Both Miss Isobel and her pupils had "read up" on Nova Scotia and felt
+as if the short ocean trip would land them in a foreign country. Whether
+the entire vacation should be passed in that Province or they to travel
+further afield had not yet been decided.
+
+However, New York was sufficiently exciting, even to Molly who had been
+there many times, and far more so to Dorothy, who had passed through it
+but once. They could scarcely keep their feet from dancing as they
+gathered with the rest of the downtown passengers to await the landing
+of the "Powell" and their going ashore.
+
+"See! See! Papa! Darling Auntie Lu! There they are, there they are!"
+almost shrieked Molly, frantically waving her handkerchief to somebody
+on the wharf.
+
+There were many answering wavings of handkerchiefs from expectant
+friends to those still on board, and Dorothy peered eagerly among them
+trying to decide which was the pair to whom her chum belonged. Turning
+her head to beg information on this point she suddenly perceived her
+"shiny old man." He was on the edge of the crowding passengers, holding
+back and yet apparently in haste to get forward, by watching for little
+breaks in the ranks and dodging swiftly through them. His crutch was
+under his arm, he was not using it. His hat-brim had been lowered over
+his face, his coat collar pulled high about his ears and securely
+buttoned. There was none of that benign appearance about him now which
+had so won Dorothy's sympathetic heart and if he were lame he admirably
+disguised the fact.
+
+It was her chance! In another moment he would have left the boat and she
+would miss him. She would run up to him and ask him if he remembered
+about the purses--Quick, quick! He must have forgotten--
+
+He was going. Everybody was going. She kept her eyes fixed upon him,
+unmindful of the fact that somebody else was crowding her apart from
+Molly and Miss Greatorex, or that, as the throng pressed outward, they
+were getting further and further away.
+
+The "shiny man" wasn't three feet ahead of her when they at last gained
+the gang-plank and surged forward to the wharf. She could almost touch
+his shoulder--she would in a minute--she was gaining--
+
+No she wasn't! He had slipped aside and was hurrying away with the
+agility of youth! It couldn't be the cripple and yet--there was the
+point of his crutch sticking out behind! Well, she reckoned she could
+run as fast as he did and she promptly set out to try!
+
+It was a strange race in a strange place. West street in New York is a
+very crowded, dirty thoroughfare. An endless, unbroken line of drays,
+beer-wagons, vehicles of every sort, moves up one side and down the
+other of the hurrying street cars which claim the centre roadway. The
+pavement is always slippery with slime, the air always full of hoarse
+shouts, cries and distracting whistles. Car bells jangle, policemen
+yell their warnings to unwary foot passengers, hackmen screech their
+demands for patronage, and hurrying crowds move to and fro between the
+ferries and the city. A place that speedily set Dorothy's nerves
+a-tingle with fear, yet never once diverted her from her purpose.
+
+As she had once followed poor Peter Piper in a mad race over the fields,
+"just for fun," so now she followed her "shiny man," to regain her lost
+property. She had become convinced that he had it. He looked, at last,
+exactly like a person who would rob little girls of their last five
+dollars! Their own whole monthly allowance and a most liberal one.
+
+"But he shall not keep it! He--shall--not!" cried Dorothy aloud, and
+redoubling her speed, if that were possible.
+
+He darted between wagons where the horses' noses of the hinder one
+touched the tail-boards of the forward; so did she. He bobbed under
+drays; so did she. He seemed bent upon nothing but escape; she upon
+nothing but pursuit and capture. She believed that he must have seen her
+though she had not caught him turning once around to look her way.
+
+They had cleared the street; they were upon the further sidewalk; a
+policeman was screaming a "halt" to her but she paid no attention. In
+that medley of sounds one harsh cry more or less was of small account.
+What was of account, the only thing that now remained clear in her eager
+brain was the fact that the fugitive had--turned a corner! A corner
+leading into a street at right angles with this broad one, a street
+somewhat narrower, a fraction quieter, and even dirtier. She followed;
+she also flashed around that dingy, saloon-infested corner, bounded
+forward, breathless and exultant, because surely she could come up to
+him here. Then she paused for just one breath, dashed her hand across
+her straining eyes, and peered ahead.
+
+The "shiny man" had disappeared as completely as if the earth had opened
+and swallowed him up; and there Dorothy stood alone in the most unsavory
+of alleys, with a sudden, dreadful realization of the fact that--she was
+lost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+ADRIFT IN THE GREAT CITY
+
+
+"My darling! My darling!" cried Judge Breckenridge, clasping his
+daughter close to his breast, then holding her off at arm's length, the
+better to scan her beloved face and to observe the changes a few months
+of absence had wrought. "My darling Molly! More like the other Molly
+than ever! Now my vacation has indeed begun!"
+
+"Papa, Papa! You sweetest, dearest, beautifullest Papa ever lived! How
+good it is to see you! And, yes Auntie Lu, you're dear too; but a body's
+father--Why, he's her father and nobody like him, nobody!"
+
+In her enthusiastic greeting of and by her relatives Molly forgot
+everything and everybody else. She had crossed the gang-plank as swiftly
+as the people crowding behind and before her would permit, her feet
+restlessly dancing up and down in the limited space; and now that she
+was upon the solid wharf to which the steamer was moored she bore them
+along with her by an arm linked to each, eager to be free of that throng
+and in some quiet spot where she could perch upon her father's knee and
+talk, talk, talk!
+
+Had any of the trio thought about it for a moment they would have
+observed Miss Greatorex lingering close to the plank and staring at
+everyone who crossed it, searching for Dorothy.
+
+"Strange! She certainly was right here a minute ago! I thought she had
+gone off the boat ahead of me, but she couldn't have done so, for she's
+nowhere in sight;" she murmured to herself.
+
+When all had crossed and still Dorothy did not appear, the anxious
+teacher returned to the boat and renewed her search there: asking of all
+the employees she met if they had seen her missing charge. But one of
+them had noticed the girl at all; that was a workman who had helped to
+drag the gang-plank into place upon the wharf and against whom Dorothy
+had rudely dashed in her pursuit of the "shiny man."
+
+He remembered her excited manner, her swift apology to himself for the
+accident, and her frantic rush across the wharf. He had looked after her
+with curiosity and had remarked to a bystander:
+
+"That little passenger is afraid she'll get left! Maybe she doesn't know
+we lie alongside this dock till mid-afternoon."
+
+Then he had gone about his own affairs and dismissed her from his mind
+till, thus recalled by Miss Greatorex's question, he wished he had
+watched her more closely. He was afraid she might have been hurt among
+the heavy wagons moving about, and that was the poor comfort which he
+expressed to the now thoroughly frightened lady.
+
+Meanwhile the Breckenridge party had crossed the street, under
+conveyance of a waiting policeman, and had paused upon the further curb
+while Molly explained:
+
+"Miss Greatorex is dreadful slow, Papa dear. But she'll be here in a
+minute. She's sure to be and Dolly with her. Oh! she is the very
+sweetest, dearest, bravest girl I ever knew! If I had a sister I should
+want her to be exactly like Dorothy. I wonder what does keep them! And
+I'm so hungry, so terribly hungry and we lost our purses--couldn't be
+she'd linger to search for them again when we've already ransacked the
+whole boat! Why, Papa, look! Miss Greatorex is on the boat again,
+herself. Running, fairly running around the deck and acting as if she,
+too, had lost something. How queer that is!"
+
+Both the gentleman and lady now fixed their attention upon the teacher,
+until that moment unknown to them. She certainly was conducting herself
+in a strange, half-bewildered manner and the Judge realized that there
+was something wrong. Bidding his sister and child:
+
+"Stay right here on this corner. Don't leave it. I'll step back to the
+steamer and see what's amiss;" and to the hackman he had summoned, he
+added: "Keep your rig right on the spot and an eye upon these fares!
+I'll be back in a minute."
+
+[Illustration: "ARE YOU A POLICEMAN?"
+_Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+But he wasn't. When he did come, after Mrs. Hungerford and Molly had
+had ample time to grow anxious themselves, it was with a woe-begone Miss
+Greatorex upon his arm and a very disturbed expression on his own face.
+
+"Why, Papa, where's Dolly? Why didn't she come, too?" cried Molly,
+darting to meet him.
+
+"That, my dear, is exactly what this lady and I would like to know. I
+was in hopes she might have seen you standing here and crossed to join
+you. Well, she's been in too great haste, likely, and started by herself
+to go--I wonder where! Anyway, the best thing to be done is for you
+three to get into this carriage and drive to the Astor House and order
+dinner for all of us. It's an old-time hotel where my father and I used
+to go when I was a boy myself, and I patronized it for old association's
+sake. You, small daughter, had fixed your mind on nothing less than the
+Waldorf-Astoria, I expect! Never mind; you'll get as good food in one
+place as the other."
+
+"But, Papa, aren't you coming with us?"
+
+"Not just yet. I'll stop behind a bit and set a few policemen or small
+boys in search for Miss Dorothy. Tell me something by which we can
+recognize her when found. New York is pretty full of little girls, you
+know, and I might miss her among so many."
+
+The Judge tried to make his tone a careless one but there was real
+anxiety in it as his sister promptly understood; but she also felt it
+best to treat the matter lightly, for already poor Miss Isobel was on
+the point of collapse. So she answered readily enough:
+
+"Very well, brother, so we'll do. I reckon I know your tastes so that I
+can cater for you and--is there any limit to what we may order? I'm a
+bit hungry myself and always do crave the most expensive dishes on the
+menu. Good-by, for a little while."
+
+The Judge bade the driver: "To the Astor House;" lifted his hat to those
+within the carriage, and it moved away.
+
+Then he summoned a policeman and asked that scouts be sent out all
+through that neighborhood, to search for a "thirteen-year-old girl, in a
+brown linen dress, dark curly hair, brown eyes, and--'Oh! just too
+stylish for words!'" which was the description his daughter had given
+him. Indeed, he felt that this very "stylishness" might be a clue to the
+right person; since denizens of that locality, girls or women, are not
+apt to have that characteristic about them.
+
+He was a weary man. He had been up late the night before, and previous
+to his journey hither had been extremely busy leaving matters right in
+his southern home for a prolonged absence. He had counted upon the hour
+or two before sailing in which to procure some additions to his
+sportsman's outfit, and sorely begrudged this unexpected demand upon his
+time. Yet he could do no less than try to find the runaway, and to make
+the search as thorough as if it had been his own child's case.
+
+It was more than an hour later that he appeared in the dining-room of
+the hotel where his family awaited him. They had still delayed their own
+dinner, though Molly's hunger had almost compelled her to enjoy hers.
+Only the thought of "eating with Papa," had restrained her, because she
+had little fear that Dorothy would not be promptly found, or that she
+had done more than go a few blocks out of the way. She had often been in
+that city before, though only in its better parts, and it all seemed
+simple enough to her. It had been explained that the upper part was laid
+out in squares, with the avenues running north and south, the
+cross-streets easily told by their numbers. How then could anybody who
+could count be lost?
+
+"No news, Schuyler?" asked Aunt Lucretia.
+
+"Not yet. Not quite yet. But there will be, of course there will be.
+I've set a lot of people hunting that extremely 'stylish' young maiden,
+so I thought I'd best come down and get my dinner and let you know that
+all's being done that can be. Don't worry, Miss Greatorex. A capable
+girl like Dorothy isn't easy to lose in a city full of policemen, if
+she'll only use her tongue and ask for guidance. Probably she has gone
+back to the 'Powell' already, hoping to find us all there. Before I eat
+I'll telephone again and inquire, although I did so just a little while
+ago, as I came in."
+
+The more he talked the less he convinced his listeners that it would be
+that "all right" he had so valiantly asserted. Even Molly's hunger
+suddenly deserted her and she pushed away a plate of especially
+enticing dessert with a shake of her head and an exclamation:
+
+"Papa's talking--just talking! Like he always does when he takes me to
+the dentist's! His voice doesn't ring true, Auntie Lu, and you know it.
+You needn't smile and try to look happy, for you can't. Dorothy is lost!
+My precious Dolly Doodles is lost--is LOST!"
+
+For a moment nobody answered. Miss Greatorex echoed the exclamation in
+her own sinking heart, realizing at last how fully she had depended upon
+the Judge's ability to find the girl, until he had once more appeared
+without her. He had promptly sent a messenger to telephone again and
+awaiting the reply made a feint of taking his soup. Mrs. Hungerford kept
+her eyes fixed upon her plate, not daring just then to lift them to Miss
+Greatorex's white face; and altogether it was a very anxious party which
+sat at table then instead of the merry one which all had anticipated.
+
+When their pretence of a meal was over and they rose, the Judge looked
+at his watch. Then he said:
+
+"We have only time left to reach the 'Prince' in comfort. It is a long
+way up and across town to the dock on East river. You three must start
+for it at once. I'll step into a store near by for a few things I need
+and follow you. Of course, Dorothy knew all about her trip, the steamer
+she would sail by, and its landing place. Even if she didn't know that
+most of the officers would know and direct her.
+
+"I now think that having missed us at the 'Powell' she has gone straight
+to the other boat and you will find her there. I'll follow you in time
+for sailing and till then, good-by. A hack is ready for you at the
+door."
+
+Then he went hastily out, and Mrs. Hungerford said:
+
+"Brother is wise. We certainly shan't find Dolly here, and we may at the
+'Prince.' Have you all your parcels, both of you? Then come."
+
+They followed her meekly enough but at the street entrance Miss
+Greatorex rebelled. Her anxiety gave a more than ordinary irritation to
+her temper and harshness to her voice, and her habitually ungracious
+manner became more repellent than ever as she announced:
+
+"That's all very well, Mrs. Hungerford, and Molly. But I shan't go one
+step toward Nova Scotia till I've found my little girl. You three are
+all right, _you've got yourselves_ and of course other people don't
+matter. But Dorothy saved my life and I'll not desert her to nobody
+knows what dreadful fate! No, I will not, and you needn't say another
+single word!"
+
+As nobody had interrupted her excited speech this last admonition seemed
+rather uncalled for, but Molly waxed indignant thereat, though her Aunt
+Lucretia merely smiled compassionately. Then as they still stood upon
+the sidewalk, hesitating to enter their carriage, Miss Isobel waved her
+umbrella wildly toward another hack, and when it had obeyed her summons
+sprang into it and was whirled away.
+
+Where was Dorothy all this time? Little she knew of the commotion she
+had caused. Indeed, for a long time, her only thought was for herself
+and her unfortunate predicament. She had never been so frightened in her
+life. Nothing had ever looked so big, so dismal, and so altogether
+hopeless as this wretched side street where her fugitive had
+disappeared. There was not a policeman in sight. She didn't know which
+way to go, but promptly realized that she should not stay just there in
+that degraded neighborhood. Even the wider street from which she had
+diverged, with its endless lines of wagons and people, was better.
+But--she must go somewhere!
+
+She set out forward, resolutely, and as it proved eastward toward that
+famous Broadway which threads the city from its north to south, but that
+was yet many blocks removed. Indeed, it seemed an endless way that
+stretched beyond her; and it was not until she had run for some distance
+that her common sense awoke with the thought:
+
+"Why, how silly I am! I must go back to the boat. That's where I'll be
+missed and looked for. Of course, Miss Greatorex wouldn't go on and
+leave me, and oh! dear! I reckon I've made her wait till she'll be
+angry. I'll ask the first nice looking gentleman I see, if no policeman
+comes, the way to the 'Mary Powell.' Here comes one now--"
+
+A busy man came speeding toward her, whose coat skirt she tried to
+clutch; but he didn't even hear the question she put. He merely waved
+her aside, as he would any other street beggar with the passing remark:
+"Nothing. Get away!"
+
+The second person to whom she applied was German and shook his head with
+a forcible negative. So he, too, moved on and she stopped to think and
+recover some portion of that courage which had almost deserted her.
+
+"Of course. I couldn't be really lost, not really truly so, right in the
+broad daylight and a city full of people. But I am ashamed to have
+stayed so long. Oh! good! There comes a man in uniform--a policeman, a
+policeman!"
+
+Quite at rest now she darted forward and caught at the hand of the
+uniformed person who stared at her in surprise but not unkindly.
+
+"Well, little maid, what's wanted?"
+
+"O, sir! Are you a policeman? Will you take me to where I belong?"
+
+"Sorry to say 'no' to both your questions, but I'm only a railway
+conductor, in a hurry to catch my outgoing train. Wait a minute, child,
+and a real police officer will come and will look out for you."
+
+The blue-coated, much brass-buttoned man snatched his hand from her
+clinging grasp and strode westward in desperate haste. He had calculated
+his time to the last second and even this trifling delay annoyed him.
+
+But he had prophesied aright. A policeman was coming into view,
+leisurely sauntering over his beat, and on the lookout for anything
+amiss. Dorothy hurried forward, planted herself firmly in this man's
+path and demanded again:
+
+"Are you a policeman?"
+
+"Sure an' 'tis that same that I be! Thanks for all mercies! Me first day
+alone at the job, an' what can I do for ye, me pretty colleen?"
+
+"Tell me, or take me, back to the 'Mary Powell,' please. I--I've lost my
+way."
+
+"Arrah musha! An' if I was after doin' that same I'd be losin' mine! The
+'Mary Powell' is it? Tell me where does she be livin' at. I'm not long
+in this counthry and but new app'inted to the foruss. Faith it's a
+biggish sort of town to be huntin' one lone woman in."
+
+To anybody older or wiser than Dorothy Chester the very fact of his
+loquacity would have betrayed his newness to the "foruss." There wasn't
+a prouder nor happier man in the whole great city, that day, than Larry
+McCarthy, as he proceeded to explain:
+
+"First cousin on me mother's side to Alderman Bryan McCarthy, as has
+helped me over from Connemara, this late whiles, and has made me a
+free-born Amerikin citizen, glory be."
+
+"That must be very nice. I suppose an alderman is some sort of a very
+high-up man, isn't he? But--"
+
+"High is it, says she. Higher 'an I was when I was carryin' me hod up
+wan thim 'sky-scrapers' they do build in this forsaken--I mane
+blessed--counthry, says he. Sure it's a higher-up Bryan is, the foine
+lad."
+
+"Please, please, will you take me to the 'Mary Powell'?"
+
+"How can I since ye've not told me yet wherever she lives?"
+
+"Why she isn't a--she! She's a boat!"
+
+"Hear til the lass! She isn't a she isn't she? Then she must be a he,
+and that'd beat a priest to explain;" and at his own joke the
+newly-fledged officer indulged in a most unofficial burst of laughter.
+So long and so loud was this that Dorothy stamped her foot impatiently
+and another uniformed member of "the force," passing by on the other
+side of the street, crossed over to investigate.
+
+At whose arrival officer Larry straightened himself like a ramrod,
+squared his shoulders, and affected to be intensely angry with the small
+person who had delayed him upon his beat. But he could not deceive the
+keen eyes of the more experienced policeman and his superior in rank.
+
+With a swift recognition of the newcomer's greater intelligence, Dorothy
+put her inquiry to him, breathlessly stating her whole case, including
+the loss of her purse and her regret over it.
+
+"'Cause now, you see, sir, I haven't any money to pay for being taken
+back. Else I would have called a carriage, like people do sometimes, and
+got the carriage man to take me. That is, _if_ there was any carriage,
+and any man, and I--I had any money. Oh! dear! That isn't what I wanted
+to say, but I'm so tired running and--and--it's dreadful to be lost in
+a New York city!"
+
+Her explanation ended in a miserable breakdown of sobs and tears. Now
+that help had come--she was sure of it after one glance into this second
+officer's honest face--her courage collapsed entirely. The sergeant
+allowed her a moment to compose herself and then said, as he took out a
+notebook and prepared to write in it:
+
+"Now, once more. Tell me exactly, or listen if I have the facts right.
+You are a pupil at the Rhinelander Academy in Newburgh. You are starting
+upon a trip for your summer vacation. You are under the care of Miss
+Greatorex, a teacher. You ran away from the steamer 'Mary Powell' in
+pursuit of a man whom you think carried off your own and a friend's
+purse. Very well. I will send you to the boat and if your story is true
+you will be restored to your friends and nothing more will come of it.
+If it isn't true, you will be sent to a station-house to await
+developments. McCarthy, proceed upon your beat."
+
+Larry shrugged his shoulders more snugly into his new uniform, assumed
+the bearing of a drum major and duly proceeded. The superior officer put
+a whistle to his lips, and like the genii in Arabian Nights, his servant
+instantly appeared.
+
+"Call a cab. Take this young person to the 'Mary Powell,' foot of
+Desbrosses street. If her guardian is not there, drive to the other
+landing at Twenty-third street and inquire if the girl has been sought
+for there. If this is a false story, report to me at the station and, of
+course, bring the girl with you."
+
+The words "station house" sounded ominous in Dorothy's ears. During her
+Baltimore life she had learned all that was necessary about such places
+to infect her with fear, having with other children sometimes watched
+the "police patrol wagons" make their dreary rounds. She had peered at
+the unhappy prisoners sitting within the van and had pitied them
+unspeakably, despite the fact that they must have been wicked. A picture
+of herself thus seated and despairing flashed before her mind, but she
+put it resolutely aside and with great humility stepped into the cab
+which her new protector had summoned.
+
+This was one of those then new electric cabs and instantly riveted her
+attention. To move through the streets so swiftly without visible means
+of locomotion was as delightful as novel; and the skill with which the
+driver perched up behind twisted around corners and among crowding
+vehicles seemed fairly wonderful.
+
+It was a most charming ride, despite the fact that she was a lost person
+seeking her friends, and it came all too soon to an end at the dock she
+had named. She recognized the place at once and was out of the cab,
+hurrying along the wharf, calling back to her guide:
+
+"Here she is! This is the 'Mary Powell!' See?"
+
+He was promptly at her side again, his duty being not to lose sight of
+her until that "report" had been duly made when and where ordered. Also,
+the recognition of her by "Fanny" and the other boat hands proved that
+thus much of her tale was true. She had come down the river on that
+steamer's last trip and people had been back upon it, frantically
+seeking news of her.
+
+"You oughtn't to have run away like that, little girl, and scare them
+people into forty fits. That nice Judge--somebody, he said his name
+was--he hired no end of people to go searching for you and now you've
+come and he hasn't. Like enough they've gone to the other landing,
+up-town, to seek you. Better drive there, policeman, and see."
+
+"All right. But, stewardess, if anybody comes again to inquire, say that
+she'll be taken to the 'Prince' steamship, East river, and be held there
+till the boat sails. Afterward at station number --."
+
+There is no need to follow all of Dorothy's seeking of her friends.
+Already, as has been told, they had made a fruitless search for her; and
+when at length fully convinced that she was telling a "straight case"
+the official who had her in charge, failing to find Miss Greatorex at
+that "up-town landing"--though a dock-hand said that she had been there
+and again hurried away "as if she was a crazy piece"--the cab was turned
+toward that east-side dock whence the voyage to Nova Scotia was to be
+made.
+
+Here everything was verified. Dorothy's luggage marked with her name
+was in the baggage-room, having been sent down the day before in order
+to prevent mischance. With it was the luggage of Molly Breckenridge and
+Miss Greatorex. Also upon the steamer's sailing list was her name and
+the stateroom to which she had been assigned. To this point then must
+all the rest of the party come if they were to sail by that vessel.
+Obviously, it was the safest place for her to await her friends, and she
+was promptly permitted to go aboard and watch for them.
+
+She had expected to see a much larger craft than the "Prince." Why, it
+wasn't half as large, it seemed to her, as some of the boats which
+passed up and down the Hudson. It had but one deck, high up, so that to
+reach it she had to climb a ladder, or gang-plank almost as steep as a
+roof. But she climbed it with a feeling of infinite relief and security.
+Sitting close to the rail upon one of the many steamer chairs she found
+there, herself almost the only passenger who had yet come aboard, she
+leaned her weary head against the rail, and, despite the hunger which
+tormented her, fell fast asleep. She knew nothing more; heard none of
+the busy sounds of loading the luggage, now constantly arriving, and was
+peacefully dreaming, when a girlish voice from the dock pierced through
+the babel and the dream:
+
+"Why, Papa Breckenridge! There she sits--asleep! _That runaway!_
+Dorothy--Dorothy! how came you here? How dared you scare us so?"
+
+She sprang to her feet and looked down, answering with a rapturous cry.
+There they were, Molly, Auntie Lu and the Judge! But--and now she rubbed
+her eyes the better to see if they deceived her--where was Isobel
+Greatorex.
+
+Alas! That was the question the others were all asking:
+
+"Where is Miss Greatorex? Only two minutes to sailing--but where is Miss
+Greatorex?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+ON BOARD THE "PRINCE"
+
+
+There wasn't an instant to waste in questions. The captain of this
+steamship prided himself upon his exceeding punctuality, and had often
+declared that if he delayed for one passenger one day he would have to
+do so the next; that somebody was always late; that it might be that
+delinquent's misfortune if he were left but was not Captain Murray's
+fault.
+
+Knowing this fact Judge Breckenridge handed his sister her ticket and
+Molly's, hastily bade her:
+
+"Go aboard, Lucretia, while I claim our luggage. Miss Greatorex may
+already be there."
+
+"Step lively, please!" requested a sailor in a blue uniform as the lady
+began to slowly mount the almost upright ladder. Other sailors were
+speeding up and down it, between the ascending passengers and an air of
+great bustle and haste pervaded the whole scene.
+
+Then the blue-coat gallantly put his hand under Mrs. Hungerford's arm
+and fairly shoved her up the plank. Molly sprang lightly after, caught
+her foot in one of the little cross-pieces nailed across the plank to
+prevent people slipping and sprawled her length, hindering everybody a
+deal more than if she had climbed more slowly.
+
+However, they gained the deck and Dorothy's side in safety, and took
+their stand against the rail to watch the Judge and many another
+passenger hurriedly identifying their baggage ranged under the wharf
+shed; and, as each piece was claimed, to see it swiftly tossed upon a
+skid and rolled into the lower part of the ship.
+
+Captain Murray stood at the foot of the ladder, chronometer in hand, a
+picture of calm decision; while another uniformed official faced him
+from the other side the plank, to scan the tickets presented. Judge
+Breckenridge finished his task and also climbed to the deck, while a
+sigh of relief escaped Aunt Lucretia's lips.
+
+"That's all right! I got so worried lest we should miss the steamer and
+there isn't another sailing for three days. I'm so glad to get our
+things! I never do feel comfortable until I see my trunks aboard my
+train or steamer."
+
+"Yes, indeed! A woman bereft of her 'things' is a forlorn creature!"
+laughed the Judge, in gentle sarcasm, but his sister disdained reply.
+She merely reflected how much greater annoyance her brother would have
+felt had his sporting outfit been delayed and this was the very first
+piece of luggage he had identified--her trunk the last. However, there
+was the utmost good nature in their jesting intercourse, and both now
+turned their attention to the wharf where the "very last" passenger was
+hurrying to the ladder.
+
+After him ascended the two officers, and the boat and dock hands seized
+the ropes to haul the plank aboard. The whistle was blowing, wheels were
+turning, passengers crowded the rails to wave farewells to friends
+ashore who had come to see them off, and at this very last second a cab
+came dashing furiously down the street and up to the steamer's side.
+
+A woman leaped out, and rushed to the spot where the ship had been
+moored. She was almost past speaking from haste and excitement as she
+scanned the groups upon the deck, then with a look of satisfaction at
+sight of the Judge's party, clasped her hands imploringly toward the
+captain and the mate.
+
+"Don't leave her, Captain Murray! I know her--she belongs to us--it
+isn't her fault--throw the ladder out again, even if--" shouted the
+Judge.
+
+There was no withstanding the sight of so many clasped, entreating
+hands, even by such a rigid disciplinarian as this fine skipper. For not
+only Miss Greatorex upon the wharf, but the two girls and Mrs.
+Hungerford had clasped theirs, also, begging a brief delay.
+
+Then the officer waved his hand, down went the plank again, and a couple
+of sailors sprang forward to the teacher's assistance. They had fairly
+to drag her up the now slippery incline, and almost to toss her upon
+the deck, where the Judge's arm shot out for her support and the captain
+himself helped her to a chair.
+
+Another instant they had put a stretch of water between them and the
+land, and a fresh uproar of whistles and bells announced that the
+steamer "Prince" had sailed.
+
+But those near her had thought now only for Miss Greatorex. Her face was
+at first intensely red and she leaned back in her chair, with closed
+eyes and gasping breath. Indeed, so difficult her breathing that it
+seemed as if after each respiration she would never breathe again. Mrs.
+Hungerford made haste to hold a smelling bottle to the sufferer's
+nostrils, but it was feebly waved aside as if it hindered rather than
+helped.
+
+Then the color faded from the crimson face and all that terrible gasping
+ceased, so that those watching thought for a moment that life itself had
+ended.
+
+"Fainted!" said the captain, tersely. "Get her to bed. Number Eight,
+take her ticket to the purser, get her stateroom key, and send the
+stewardess. Prompt, now."
+
+Fortunately, the room engaged for Miss Greatorex and Dorothy was on that
+deck and very near; and thither the dignified lady was quickly conveyed,
+very much as a sack of corn might have been. But as for Dorothy's
+thoughts during this brief transit there is nothing comforting to say.
+
+"Oh, I've killed her, I've killed her! If I hadn't been so careless and
+left the purses, and if I hadn't chased that 'shiny man' and made all
+this trouble, she wouldn't have--I can't bear it. What shall I do!" she
+wailed to Molly, as they followed hand in hand, where Miss Greatorex was
+carried.
+
+"You can stop saying 'if' and worrying so. You didn't do anything on
+purpose and she's to blame herself. If she hadn't gone off mad from the
+hotel and left Auntie and me, maybe she wouldn't have run too hard and
+hurt herself. If--if--if! It isn't a very happy beginning of a vacation
+is it? Even though we have got Papa and Auntie Lu and everything. And I
+don't know yet what you did after you ran away from the boat. We can't
+do a thing here to help. Let's go to Papa, there and you tell us the
+whole story. He took a lot of trouble to find you and paid a lot of
+money to men to seek you, and he looks awful tired and--and disgusted. I
+guess he wishes he'd just brought Auntie and me and not bothered himself
+with you and Miss Greatorex. And that's my fault, too. If I hadn't asked
+him to do it he would never have thought of it. Seems if things never do
+go just as you plan them, do they?"
+
+Under other circumstances Dorothy might have replied to her friend's
+unflattering frankness by some reproaches of her own, but not now. She
+realized the truth but was too humble to resent it. So she merely
+glanced once more through the door of the little stateroom at Miss
+Greatorex stretched upon the bed and Mrs. Hungerford with the stewardess
+attending her, and followed Molly.
+
+The Judge met them with an encouraging smile and the command:
+
+"Shorten up your countenances, little maids! This is a holiday, did you
+know? Folks don't go holiday-ing with faces as long as your arm. Here,
+cuddle down beside me and watch the sights. Tell me too, Miss Dorothy,
+all that befell you after you disappeared. I'm as curious as Molly is,
+and she's 'just suffering' to know. Don't worry about Miss Greatorex,
+either. She's simply over-exerted herself and allowed herself to get too
+anxious about this one small girl. The idea! What's one small girl more
+or less, when the world's chock full of them?"
+
+But the affectionate squeeze he gave to the "girl's" shoulders as she
+sat down beside him, while Molly sat herself upon his knee, told her
+that he had already forgiven any annoyance she had caused him. He was
+too warm hearted to hold a grudge against anybody; least of all against
+as penitent a child as Dorothy.
+
+She related her adventures and the Judge laughed heartily over her
+mimicry of Larry McCarthy, the "new policeman." Nor did he make any
+criticisms when the story was ended. She had been sufficiently punished,
+he considered, for any lapses from prudence and the lessons her
+experience had taught would be far more valuable than any word of his.
+So he merely called their attention to the scenery before them.
+
+"This beautiful, green spot that we are passing is Blackwell's Island,
+where the city's criminals and other unfortunates are sent. Doesn't seem
+as if wicked people could be hidden behind those walls, does it? Well
+keep out of mischief and don't go there!
+
+"Soon we'll be going up Long Island Sound, and you'll get a glimpse of
+some handsome homes. Hello! What's this? My little bugler, as I live!
+Good day to you, Melvin; and what is this present 'toot' for, if you
+please?"
+
+A fair-faced boy came rather shyly forward and accepted the hearty hand
+grasp which the Judge extended, but he seemed to shrink from the keen
+observation of the two girls; though a flush of pleasure dyed his smooth
+cheeks, which were as pink-and-white as blond Molly's own.
+
+"My respects, Judge Breckenridge, and glad to see you aboard again, sir.
+To get your table seats, sir, if you'll remember."
+
+"Thank you, lad, and good enough! Come on, lassies, let's go down and
+scramble for best places and first table, when eating time comes."
+
+All over the deck people were beginning to rise and make their way
+toward a further door, from which a flight of stairs descended to the
+dining-room, and these three followed the crowd. The very mention of
+"eating" had brought back to Dorothy a sensation of terrible hunger. She
+had eaten nothing since her breakfast at the Academy, and her sail had
+sharpened her appetite beyond ordinary. During her late experiences in
+the city and her terror concerning Miss Greatorex she had forgotten
+this matter, but now it came back with a positive pang. Suddenly Molly,
+too, remembered the fact and exclaimed:
+
+"Why, you poor girlie! Talk about eating--you can't have had a bit of
+dinner! Papa, Dorothy hasn't had her dinner this livelong day!"
+
+Her tone was so tragic that people behind her smiled, as her abrupt
+pause upon the stairs arrested their own progress, and she was promptly
+urged forward again by her father's hand.
+
+"Heigho! That's a calamity--nothing less! But one that can be conquered,
+let us hope. Now, fall into line close behind me and watch this
+interesting proceeding."
+
+From the earnestness depicted upon the countenances of the passengers,
+this securing of good seats at the first table, in a room which would
+not allow the serving of all at one time, was a vital matter. The purser
+stood at the entrance of the saloon and assigned a seat to each person
+upon the examination of a ticket presented. His office was not a
+pleasant one. There were the usual grumblers and malcontents, but he
+preserved his good nature amid all the fault-finding and selfishness;
+and the Judge had the good fortune to secure five places at the
+Captain's table, which was significant of "first call to meals."
+
+This accomplished he led his charges out of line, carefully deposited
+his "meal tickets" in an innermost pocket, and crossed an ante-room to
+where there were plates of ship's biscuits and slices of cheese.
+
+"Take all you want, all you can eat, both of you youngsters. Sorry to
+say no regular meal will be served, not even for Dorothy's benefit, till
+the six o'clock dinner. Unless she choses to get seasick; when she would
+have tea and toast sent to her and wouldn't be able to touch it! Enough?
+Take plenty. There's no stinting on Captain Murray's good ship though a
+lot of cast-iron rules that one must never break. Hark! There's Melvin's
+toot again! There must be a great crowd on board, if all haven't come to
+get their seats here yet. Now we'll interview our women folk and see how
+they're faring."
+
+Munching their crackers and cheese the girls hurried to "Number
+Thirteen," the only stateroom on the promenade deck which Miss
+Rhinelander had been able to secure for her cousin Isobel and Dorothy;
+and though she had held her peace concerning it Miss Greatorex had
+inwardly revolted against this "unlucky" number.
+
+But it was in fact among the very best on that small steamship. It's
+door opening directly upon the deck so that after retiring one could lie
+and watch the stars and breathe the pure air of the sea. Also, her short
+sojourn in it was to do her much good physically. Even now, when Molly
+and Dorothy peeped in they saw her sitting upright, drinking a cup of
+tea and chatting with the stewardess as calmly as usual.
+
+At sight of Dorothy, however, she promptly dismissed the attendant and
+bade the girl enter and explain everything that had happened after her
+disappearance from the "Mary Powell."
+
+Molly made a grimace, and Dolly sighed. Repetition of unpleasant things
+made them doubly disagreeable, and she now longed to enter into the
+Judge's spirit and feel that this was happy holiday. She cut the tale as
+short as she could; listened meekly to Miss Isobel's reproofs; waited
+upon that fidgetty person with admirable patience; and with equal
+patience received all the many instructions as to "suitable conduct"
+during their whole journey. When the final word had been said, and she
+had been told that no other "allowance" could be hers until "advices"
+had been received from Miss Rhinelander, and that she must report every
+cent expended, she ventured to cut the "lecture" also short, by kneeling
+in the little aisle between their berths and kissing her guardian's hand
+with the petition:
+
+"Please forgive me, dear Miss Greatorex, for all the worry I gave you. I
+will be good. I will be 'prudent,' I will remember--everything--if only
+you'll say you'll love me just the same again!"
+
+Miss Isobel was touched. In her heart she was very fond of Dorothy and
+grateful to her, on account of her bravery that night of the fire. But
+she felt it beneath her dignity to show this fondness openly, and
+answered more coldly than she felt:
+
+"Certainly, it would be unworthy in me to harbor ill will against
+anybody. But I trust you will give me no further annoyance. Rise,
+please; and there is Molly. Thank you, Miss Breckenridge, I am much
+better. It was but a momentary weakness to which I yielded. Please make
+my regards to your father for his courteous messages of regret. Yes,
+Dorothy, you may go with your friend for a walk on the deck. I will join
+you very soon."
+
+"Hope she won't, mean old thing!" grumbled Molly, under her breath.
+"She's one of the plans that didn't go right. Instead of darling Miss
+Penelope with her sweet mother-ways to have the 'Grater' forced on us
+this way is too bad. I know Papa and Auntie Lu aren't pleased with her
+either, though they're too polite to say so."
+
+"O, Molly, don't! I was bad, I can't deny it and I deserve to have her
+stiff and cross with me. I don't believe she's half so vexed as she
+seems but she doesn't think it's 'proper' to let me know how thankful
+she is I wasn't really lost. Folks can't help being themselves, anyway;
+else I'd be a perfectly angelic sort of a girl, and be it quick! Hark!
+Those bells!"
+
+"Yes, honey, let me tell you! Papa just told me. That's four o'clock,
+'eight bells.' In half an hour it'll strike once. At five will strike
+twice. Every half hour one more stroke till at the end of four hours
+it'll be eight bells again. That's the beginning and the end of a
+'watch.' A 'watch' is four hours long and the sailors change off then,
+one lot comes from 'duty' and another lot 'stand' theirs. Isn't it odd
+and interesting? Oh! I think being on shipboard is just too lovely for
+words! And aren't we going to have a glorious time after all?"
+
+"Oh! Molly, I hope so. Course I think it's splendidly interesting, too,
+if I could get over feeling so ashamed of myself and my foolishness. I
+don't like to go near your father for he must think I have been horrid.
+I don't know how I can ever pay him back the money he spent hiring folks
+to hunt for me, and the trouble I gave him--oh! dear! Why didn't I let
+that old 'shiny man' go and not try to follow him!"
+
+"Give it up Dolly Doodles. Reckon you happened to value that five
+dollars more than you did us, just about then. And you might as well
+have 'let him go' since he went anyhow and our precious purses with him.
+Now, honey, you quit. Don't you say another single word of what _has_
+happened but let's just think of all the nice things that _are going_ to
+happen. Ah! Hold up your head, put on all your 'style,' make yourself as
+pretty as you can, for here comes that adorable young bugler and he's
+perfectly enchanting! Oh! I do so love boys! Don't you?"
+
+"Molly Breckenridge, stop making me giggle. He'll think we're laughing
+at him and I don't like to hurt anybody's feelings."
+
+"My dear innocent! You couldn't hurt his. Why, Papa says that all the
+passengers try to make a pet of that sweet youth, so he knows he's all
+right no matter who laughs. The trouble is he'll never speak to anybody
+if he can help it and unless it happens to be his duty. Sailors are
+great for 'duty,' you know. But did you ever see such funny clothes?"
+
+The girls continued their walk around the deck, the bugler passed them
+by, unseeing--apparently; and quoth mischievous Molly:
+
+"I'm going to get acquainted with that Melvin before we leave this ship,
+see if I don't! I believe he has a lot of fun in him, if he wasn't
+afraid of his 'duty.' Papa said he was the only son of his mother and
+their home is at Yarmouth. Papa met her last summer when he stopped
+there for a few weeks' fishing. I'll make him understand I'm my father's
+daughter; you see!"
+
+"Molly Breckenridge, you'll do nothing to disgrace that father,
+understand me too. Here comes 'Number Eight.' Isn't he funny?"
+
+To their unaccustomed eyes the sailor's clothing did look odd. The Judge
+had explained to Molly that these "numbered" officials were recognized
+by their numbers only. That they acted in various capacities; as
+table-waiters, and especially as "chamber maids." Each "number" had his
+own section of staterooms to attend, each one his especial table to
+serve in the dining saloon.
+
+In a natural reaction from their anxiety of the earlier day the spirits
+of both girls had risen proportionately. They were ready to see humor in
+everything and poor Number Eight came in for his share of absurd
+comment, when he had passed out of hearing.
+
+"He's such a big, red-faced, red-haired man, and his jacket is so
+little. Looks as if his arms and shoulders had just been squeezed into
+it by some machine. Did you notice his monstrous trousers? Enough in
+them to piece out the jacket, I should think, and never be missed. All
+these Numbers are dressed alike; little bit o' coaties, divided skirts
+for panties, and such dudish little caps! Who wouldn't be a sailor on
+the bright blue sea, if he could wear clothes cut that fashion? 'A life
+on the ocean wave,'" she quoted. "'A home on the rolling deep--'"
+
+"'Where the scattered waters rave. And the winds their revels keep. The
+wi-i-inds their r-r-r-ev-el-s-s k-e-e-e-ep!'" A rich voice had caught
+the burden of Molly's song and finished it with an absurd flourish.
+
+"Now, Papa!" cried the girl, facing suddenly about. So suddenly, indeed,
+that she collided with an unseen somebody, slipped on the freshly washed
+boards, and fell at her victim's feet. A bugle shot out from under his
+arm and banged against the deck-rail; but before he recovered that
+Melvin had stooped, said "Allow me!" and helped Molly up again. Then he
+lifted his cap, picked up his bugle, and proceeded on his way without so
+much as another word.
+
+Molly stared after him, blushing and mortified, shaking her tiny fist
+toward his blue-uniformed back, and remarking:
+
+"Huh! Master Melvin! I'd just declared I'd get acquainted with you but I
+didn't mean to do it in quite that way!"
+
+Maybe, too, her chagrin would have been deeper could she have seen the
+amused expression of the young bugler's face; and again she observed--to
+Dorothy as she supposed:
+
+"Anyhow, if you'd been a gentleman, a real gentleman-boy, you'd have
+stopped to ask if I was hurt. Huh! you're terribly 'sot up' and
+top-lofty, just because you wear a uniform and toot-ti-ti-toot on little
+tin-horn kind of a thing that I could play myself, if I wanted to. Don't
+you think so, Papa and Dolly? Wasn't it horrid of him to trip me up that
+way and make me look so silly? Why don't you answer, one of you?"
+
+She turned the better to see "why," and found herself gazing into the
+stern countenance of Captain Murray. That strict gentleman had recently
+been annoyed by the "skylarking" of girlish passengers who had tried
+"flirting" with his "boys" and was bent upon preventing any further
+annoyance of that sort.
+
+"Your father has gone forward to meet your ailing friend and the little
+girl is with him. I would advise you to join them."
+
+That was all the reproof he administered, but it was sufficient to make
+Molly Breckenridge flush scarlet again, and this time with anger against
+the skipper. She hurried to "join" the others who had met Miss
+Greatorex and exclaimed with great heat:
+
+"I just detest that horrid stiff Captain! He looked--he believed I
+tumbled against that precious bugler of his just on purpose! I wish I
+need never see either one of them again or hear that wretched thing
+toot!"
+
+She could not then foresee how important a part in her own life that
+"toot" was yet to play; nor was the laughter with which her outburst was
+received very comforting.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+MOONLIGHT AND MIST ON THE SEA
+
+
+However and despite her declaration to the contrary it was a most
+welcome "toot" which sounded along the deck and announced to the hungry
+voyagers that dinner was served; and Molly was among the first to spring
+up and hurry her father tableward.
+
+"Seems as if I'd never had anything to eat in all my life!" she
+exclaimed. "Come on, Dolly Doodles, _you_ must be actually famished."
+
+"I am pretty hungry," admitted Dorothy; but mindful now of her recent
+resolve to do everything as Miss Greatorex would have her, she waited
+until that lady rose from her steamer chair, gathered her wraps about
+her, and anxiously inquired of Mrs. Hungerford:
+
+"Will it be safe to leave my rug behind? or should I carry it with me to
+table?"
+
+"Oh! leave it, by all means. There's none too much room below and I
+never worry about my things. Lay it on your chair and that will prove to
+anybody who comes along that your especial seat is 'reserved.' I'm
+leaving mine, you see;" answered the more experienced traveler,
+wondering if Miss Isobel's nervousness would not prove a most unpleasant
+factor in their vacation fun. Also thinking that she had too readily
+given consent to Molly's written plea: that Dorothy and a teacher should
+be invited to join them on this trip.
+
+Because there had been some question as to where the girl should pass
+the long vacation. Deerhurst would not be open, even if Mrs. Calvert had
+expressed any desire for a visit from Dorothy, which she had not. The
+old gentlewoman was to spend that season at the White Sulphur Springs,
+whither she had been in the habit of going during many years; and where
+among other old aristocrats she queened it at their own exclusive hotel.
+
+The mountain cottage would, of course, be in the hands of the Martin
+family, and Mother Martha had not approved Dorothy's coming to Baltimore
+and passing the heated term there with herself. Indeed, deep in the
+little woman's heart was a resentment against the unknown benefactor who
+was now supporting her adopted child and sending her to such an
+expensive school. As she complained to the aged relative with whom she
+now lived:
+
+"I feel, Aunt Chloe, that I've been meanly treated. I've had all the
+care of Dorothy through her growing up and having the measles, scarlet
+fever, whooping cough, and all the other children's diseases. I've sewed
+for her, and washed and ironed for her, and taught her all the useful
+things she knows; yet now, just as she is big enough to be some company
+and comfort--off she's snatched and I not even told by whom. I doubt if
+John knows, either, though he won't say one way or other, except that
+'it's all right and he knows it.' So I say I shan't worry; and I
+wouldn't think it right, anyway, for her to come down south if only this
+far after being north for so long."
+
+Seth Winters had not come back to his beloved mountain, so that she
+could not go to him; and the only thing that was left was to go to her
+father at his Sanitorium or remain with Miss Rhinelander.
+
+Neither of these plans was satisfactory. Father John did not want her to
+pass her holidays in an atmosphere of illness; and Miss Rhinelander
+craved freedom and rest for herself. There were still extensive repairs
+to be made to the Academy and she wished to superintend them.
+
+Finally, Molly Breckenridge had taken the matter in hand with the result
+related; and with the one unlooked for feature, the presence of Miss
+Greatorex where Miss Penelope had been desired.
+
+However, here they all were at last; a few hours outward bound on their
+short ocean trip and looking forward to the most enjoyable of summers in
+lovely Nova Scotia. They were to make a complete tour of the Province,
+then settle down in some quiet place near the fishing and hunting
+grounds where the Judge would go into camp.
+
+Molly was thankful that her table-seat was well removed from that of
+Captain Murray at its head. But she soon found that she need not have
+worried, and that the closer she could be to him--when he was off
+duty--the better she would like it. This wasn't the austere officer in
+command! who told such amusing tales of life at sea, who kept his guests
+so interested and absorbed, and who so solicitously watched his waiters
+lest anybody's wants should be unsupplied! No, indeed. He was simply a
+most courteous host and delightful talker, and before that first meal
+was over she had forgotten her dislike of him, and, after her impulsive
+manner had "fallen in love" with him.
+
+Then back to the deck, to watch the moon rise and to settle themselves
+comfortably for a long and happy evening; and after awhile, begged
+Molly:
+
+"Now, Papa darling, if your dinner's 'settled,' please to sing. Remember
+I haven't heard you do so in almost a year."
+
+"Now, my love, you don't expect me to make an orchestra of myself, I
+hope? I notice they haven't one aboard this little steamship. Nobody but
+Melvin to make music for us. I must tell you girls about that lad. He--"
+
+"Never mind _him_ now, Papa. He will keep. He can wait. But I do want
+you to sing! Dorothy, go take that chair on Papa's other side; and here
+comes Number Eight with more rugs. Wouldn't think it could be so cool,
+almost cold, would you, after that dreadful heat back there in New York?
+Now, sir, begin!" and the Judge's adoring "domestic tyrant" patted his
+hand with great impatience.
+
+"Very well, Miss Tease. Only it must be softly, so as not to disturb
+other people who may not have as great fancy for my warbling as you
+have."
+
+Mrs. Hungerford leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes in great
+content. Like his daughter she thought there was no sweeter singer
+anywhere than her beloved brother; but the too-correct Miss Isobel drew
+herself stiffly erect with an unspoken protest against this odd
+proceeding. She was quite sure that it wasn't good form for anybody to
+sing in such a public place and under such circumstances. Least of all a
+Judge. A Judge of the Supreme Court! More than ever was she amazed when
+he began with a college song: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," in which
+Molly presently joined and, after a moment, Dorothy also.
+
+But even her primness could not withstand the witchery of the
+gentleman's superb tenor voice, with its high culture and feeling;
+because even into that humdrum refrain he put a pathos and longing which
+quite transformed it.
+
+People sitting within hearing hitched their chairs nearer, but
+softly--not to disturb the singers; who sang on quietly, unconsciously,
+as if in their own private home. Drifting from one song to another, with
+little pauses between and always beginning by a suggestive note from
+Molly, the time passed unperceived.
+
+Evidently, father and child had thus sung together during all their
+lives; and long before her that "other Molly," her dead mother, of whom
+his child was the very counterpart, had also joined her exquisite tones
+to his. Into many melodies they passed, college songs left behind, and
+deeper feelings stirred by the words they uttered; till finally
+perceiving that his own mood was growing most un-holiday like, the Judge
+suddenly burst forth with "John Brown's Body."
+
+Then, indeed, did mirth and jollification begin. Far and near, all sorts
+and conditions of voices caught up the old melody and added their quota
+to the music; and when their leader began mischievously to alter the
+refrain by dropping the last word, and shortening it each time by one
+word less, delight was general and the fun waxed fast and furious.
+
+The abrupt termination left many a singer in the lurch; and when the
+last verse was sung and ended only with "John--," "John--," "John,"
+there were still some who wandered on into "the grave" and had to join
+in the laugh their want of observation had brought upon them.
+
+By this time also Miss Isobel Greatorex had become quite resigned to a
+proceeding which no other passenger had disapproved and which, she could
+but confess, had added a charm to that never-to-be-forgotten evening.
+Moonlight flooded the sea and the deck. The simplicity and
+good-fellowship of Judge Breckenridge and his sister had brought all
+these strangers into a harmony which bridged all distinctions of class
+or interest and rendered that first night afloat a most happy one for
+all.
+
+Until--was the moonlight growing clouded? Did those six strokes of the
+bell actually mean eleven o'clock? So late--and suddenly so--so--_so
+queer_!
+
+Even if the little concert had not already ended nobody could have sung
+just then.
+
+"I guess we've left the Sound and struck the ocean;" remarked one
+gentleman, in a peculiar tone. "Good night all," and he disappeared.
+
+A lady next Miss Greatorex made an effort to extricate herself from her
+rugs and chair and observed:
+
+"I've such a curious feeling. So--so dizzy. My head swims. Is--is there
+a different--motion to the boat? Have you noticed?"
+
+Yes, Miss Greatorex had noticed, but she couldn't reply just then. Nor
+was this because of her "stiffness" toward a person who had not been
+properly "introduced." It was simply that--that--dear, dear! She felt so
+very queer herself. She would try and get to her stateroom. In any case
+it was very late and everybody was moving.
+
+A petulant cry from Molly expressed her own desires exactly.
+
+"Papa, dear Papa! What makes the folks go wobbling around the way they
+do? I wish they wouldn't! I wish they would--would keep
+real--perfectly--still! I wish! Oh! dear!"
+
+The Judge rose at once and, despite her size, caught up his daughter and
+marched off with her toward Mrs. Hungerford's stateroom, whither that
+experienced voyager had as suddenly preceded him. When he came back, a
+few minutes later, he found that Miss Greatorex had vanished, and that
+Dorothy sat alone on the deserted deck wondering what in the world was
+the matter to make everybody rush off at once, or almost everybody.
+Wondering whether she should follow, and if her guardian would return
+and need her rugs again; yet placidly thinking over the delightful
+evening she had spent and how strange it was for her, "just plain
+Dorothy," to be having such a splendid trip in such charming company.
+
+"Well, lassie, are you all right? Don't _you_ feel a 'little queer,'
+too?"
+
+"Yes, thank you, Judge Breckenridge. I'm right enough but I don't know
+whether Miss Greatorex wants me to come to our room now or whether
+she'll need her things again. She went away in a great hurry, seems if;
+and so--so did 'most everybody else. Funny for them all to get sleepy
+just in a minute so."
+
+The old traveler laughed and patted Dorothy's shoulder.
+
+"A 'fog swell' is what we've struck. That explains the darkness and the
+hasty departure of our neighbors. Seasick, poor creatures! and no
+suffering worse, while it lasts. Sure you aren't yourself, Dorothy?"
+
+"No. I don't feel any different from ever, yet, Judge Breckenridge."
+
+"Good enough. I'm mighty glad for you. Poor little Moll will be apt to
+have a sorry time of it until we reach Yarmouth and land. By the way,
+lassie, I observe that you've been well trained to give a person their
+name and title when you speak to them. But we're on our holiday now, you
+know, and mustn't work more than we can help. So, my dear, suppose you
+call me Uncle Schuy, or simply Uncle, while we are together. 'Judge
+Breckenridge' is considerable of a mouthful for a small maid who, I
+hope, will have to address me a great many times. I shall find it
+pleasant to be 'Uncled' for I greatly miss our boy, Tom."
+
+He did not add, as he might, that some pity mingled in this desire.
+Coming unobserved upon the little figure sitting alone in the
+steamer-chair, amid a pile of rugs which almost hid her from sight,
+deserted, and possibly also in the throes of illness, he had resolved to
+make her time with him and his as happy as he could. He would have done
+this under any circumstances; but Molly's fervid description of
+Dorothy's orphanage and ignorance of her real parentage had touched him
+profoundly.
+
+Loving his own little daughter beyond all others in the world he loved
+this deserted child for Molly's sake; and felt that he should promptly
+love her for her own.
+
+Sitting down again beside her he covered himself with rugs and begged
+permission to smoke; remarking:
+
+"It's a shame to keep you up longer but I fancy that your stateroom
+wouldn't be very pleasant just now. It's next to my sister's, you know,
+and I saw Number Eight coming out of it with considerable haste. Miss
+Greatorex is probably ill, but should be better once she gets settled in
+bed. Then you must go and also get to rest. Quite likely you'll be the
+only little girl-companion I'll have for the rest of the trip. I was
+afraid Molly would make a poor sailor, and she's proving me correct. My
+sister, though, never suffers from seasickness and is a charming
+traveling companion as you'll find."
+
+He relapsed into silence and a great drowsiness began to overpower
+Dorothy. Her day had been long and most eventful and the sea air was
+strong. Presently, her head drooped against the back of her chair, the
+Judge grew indistinct in her sight, and she fell asleep.
+
+He considered then what was best to do; and presently decided that, if
+she wasn't sent for, she might well and safely pass the night on deck as
+he intended to do.
+
+Indeed, so often had he voyaged on that ship that its employees had
+learned his wishes without telling; and now there came to him one Number
+Seven, his own room attendant, bringing a pillow and more rugs. He was
+dispatched for another pillow and between them they gently lowered the
+back of Dorothy's chair, placed a pillow under her unconscious head and
+tucked her warmly in. Then he settled himself to rest and neither of
+them knew distinctly anything more until the daylight came and the
+sunshine struggled with the enwrapping fog.
+
+She, indeed, had had vague dreams of what went on about her. Had heard
+muffled bells and passing footsteps, but these had mingled only
+pleasantly with her sense of rest and happiness; and it was a very
+surprised young person who at last opened her eyes upon a gray expanse
+of mist-covered ocean and a gray-haired man asleep on a chair beside
+her.
+
+Sitting up, she stared about her for a moment till she realized what had
+happened; then smiled to think she had actually slept out of doors.
+Afterward, she wondered with some anxiety if Miss Greatorex had sent for
+her during the night, or if she were still too ill to care about anybody
+save herself.
+
+"Anyhow, I must go and see. My! how damp these rugs are and yet I am as
+warm as can be. That's what dear Miss Penelope said she meant to
+do--sleep on deck. But she didn't come and I've done it in her stead.
+What a queer world it is and how things do get twisted round! Now I must
+be still as still and not wake that dear Judge--'Uncle', who's so lovely
+to me!"
+
+With these thoughts she slipped softly out of her rugs and tiptoed away,
+having some slight trouble to locate "Number Thirteen" stateroom; and,
+having done so, discovered its door ajar, fastened against intrusion by
+a chain.
+
+She peeped through the opening. Miss Isobel lay with her eyes closed,
+but whether asleep or not Dorothy couldn't decide. She was very pale and
+perfectly motionless, and a too-suggestive tin basin was fastened to the
+railing of her berth.
+
+"Ugh! I can't go in there and wake her, if she's asleep; or to go any
+way. I'll slip around to this other side the boat where there are such
+heaps of chairs and nobody in them. My! It's cold and I haven't anything
+to put over me here. Never mind, I'll stay. If I go back to where I was
+I might wake Judge Breckenridge, and I shouldn't like to do that. I
+don't wonder Molly called him a handsome man. He looked better than
+handsome to me, sleeping there, he looked _noble_."
+
+Thus reflecting she settled herself on a chair against the inner wall
+and watched the men at work mopping the wet decks and putting the
+steamer generally "ship-shape" against the day's voyage. It was a
+forlorn outlook into the world of fog, through which the sound of the
+bells rang strangely. Also, there was an almost continuous blowing of
+whistles and a look of some anxiety on the faces of such of the crew as
+passed by.
+
+Finally, out of some far-off stairway, young bugler Melvin came tripping
+and hurried along the deck in her direction. She fancied a look of
+surprise in his eyes as he perceived her and that he would pass on
+without further notice. Yet, just as he reached a point opposite her
+chair, he flashed one glance toward her; and almost as quickly turned
+about to retrace his steps. Shivering and rather miserable she watched
+him idly, and now the surprise was her own.
+
+He returned and still without speaking, yet with an almost painful flush
+on his face, tossed two heavy rugs into her lap and instantly passed on.
+She had no chance to thank him, but readily answered a laugh from a
+deck-hand near by who had witnessed the little incident and enjoyed it.
+The "Bashful Bugler" was Melvin's shipboard nickname and no lad ever
+better deserved such. Yet he had been well "raised" and there was
+something very appealing to the chivalry of any lad in the look of
+Dorothy's just now sad eyes; though commonly their brown depths held
+only sunshine.
+
+The sweeper on the deck moved the chairs near her and even her own,
+though without her leaving it, the better to clear off the moisture
+which the fog had deposited. She had echoed his laugh and he remarked:
+
+"Nice boy, 'Bashful' is; but no more fitted to go round 'mongst
+strangers'n a picked chicken."
+
+Both the sailor and Dorothy were glad to speak with anybody, and she
+asked:
+
+"Will this fog last long? Is it often so cold right in the summer time?"
+
+"Cold enough to freeze the legs off an iron pot, slathers of times. This
+is one of 'em! As for fogs lastin', I reckon, little Miss, there won't
+be no more sunshine 'twixt here and Yarmouth harbor. If you're cold out
+here though, and don't want to go to your room, you'll find things snug
+down yonder in that music-room, or what you call it."
+
+"Oh! is there a place? Under shelter? Will you show me?"
+
+"Sure. If 'tis open yet. Sometimes it's shut overnight but likely not
+now. I'll take them rugs for you, Sissy, if you like."
+
+"Thank you. Thank you so much. How nice everybody is on a steamship! Is
+it living all the time on the water makes you kind, I wonder?"
+
+"Give it up!" answered this able seaman, not a little flattered by
+Dorothy's appreciation of his service, and in Molly's own frequent
+manner. With another smile at this memory, Dorothy followed as he walked
+ahead, dragging his mop behind him and leaving a shining streak in his
+wake.
+
+They found the little saloon, music-room, writing-room, or "what you
+call it," closed, but the door opened readily enough, and Dorothy was
+delighted to creep within the warmth and comfort of the place. It was
+dark inside but the man turned on the electric light, and, doffing his
+cap, went out, shut the door behind him, and left her to her solitary
+enjoyment.
+
+"What a pretty room! How cozy and warm! I'm going to cuddle down in this
+easy chair and take another nap. There's nobody stirring much and I
+heard one man say to another that there were more folks sick this trip
+than had been all summer. I wonder if poor Molly is yet! I'd go and see
+only I don't want to disturb Mrs. Hungerford.
+
+"Now, Dorothy girl, shut your eyes and don't open them again till
+breakfast time. I am awfully disappointed. I'd counted upon watching the
+sun rise over the ocean and was going to get up so early to do it: Huh!
+I'm early enough, but the poor sun is taking a bath and can't be seen."
+
+Artificial heat had been turned into the room which accounted for the
+warmth she found so grateful. This, succeeding her shivering fit, made
+her drowsy and she shut her eyes "just for forty winks." But a good many
+times "forty" had passed before she opened them once more and found
+herself still alone. She got up and looked about her, thinking that she
+must go to "Number Thirteen" and bathe her face and hands, though not
+much more than that could be accomplished in such limited quarters.
+She'd go in just a minute. Meanwhile there was a piano. She'd like to
+try it, though her lessons on that instrument had been but few.
+However--
+
+"Oh! joy! There's a violin case on the shelf yonder! I'm going to look
+at it. If there's a violin inside--There is! I'd love, just love to try
+that, far more than a jingling piano. I wonder would anybody hear me? I
+don't believe so. It's so far away. I'm going to--I am!"
+
+With a fiddle once more under her chin Dorothy forgot all but that happy
+fact. Delicately and timidly at first, she drew her bow across the
+strings, fearing an interruption; but when none came she gathered
+boldness and played as she would have done in Herr von Peter's own
+helpful presence.
+
+How long she stood there, swaying to her own music, enwrapped in it and
+no longer lonely, she didn't know; but after a time the minor chords of
+her last and "loveliest lesson" were rudely broken in upon by other
+strains which cut short her practicing and set her face toward the door.
+
+There stood the "Bashful Bugler" tooting his "first call to breakfast"
+directly toward her, and her response was a crash of discord from the
+violin. The effect upon Melvin was to make him lower his bugle and flash
+out of sight as if propelled by a hurricane.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+SAFE ON SHORE
+
+
+The bad weather continued. So did the illness of Miss Greatorex and
+Molly Breckenridge. Neither of them left their stateroom again till that
+day and another night had passed and the "Prince" came to her mooring in
+Yarmouth harbor.
+
+Both Mrs. Hungerford and Dorothy spent much of their time with one or
+other patient, yet were often alone together on deck or in the
+music-room and became very well acquainted, indeed, during their hours
+of loneliness. From the girl Auntie Lu drew many details of her short
+life, and was especially interested when she found that Mrs. Betty
+Calvert was a friend of them both; exclaiming:
+
+"Why, my dear, I've known Mrs. Betty Calvert all my life! She was my
+mother's dearest correspondent. They had been girls together, though
+Mrs. Calvert was older than mother. Their homes were near each other in
+Maryland; and--why, the Calverts, or Somersets, were as intimate as it
+is possible for families to be with our folks--the Breckenridges! This
+is most interesting. Most certainly interesting. I must tell my brother.
+Schuyler is so loyal to all our old Marylanders; he thinks there are no
+people like them anywhere, though for my part I find human nature's
+pretty much the same all the world over."
+
+"Yes, Mrs. Hungerford, I've heard Mrs. Calvert say that there was no
+gentleman so fine as a southern one. Mr. Seth laughs at her and says
+that's a 'hobby,' and she's 'mistaken.' He says 'gentlemen don't grow
+any better on one soil than another,' but are 'indigenous to the whole
+United States,' though Mr. Winters is a Marylander himself." Then she
+naïvely added in explanation, and in a little vanity about her botanical
+lore: "'Indigenous' means, maybe you don't know, a plant that belongs
+to, is a native of, some particular region. Mr. Seth taught me and
+Father John. They both know lots about botany, though father hasn't
+lived in the country as long as our 'Learned Blacksmith,' who does know,
+seems if, all there is worth knowing in this world. For a man, I mean."
+
+Aunt Lucretia smiled and nodded, but in an absent sort of manner as if
+she had scarcely heard what Dorothy had said. Then as the girl rose,
+remarking: "I'll go now and sit a while with Molly if she's awake.
+Funny! She says she feels all right as long as she lies down and so
+horrid when she tries to get up and dress;" the lady's gaze followed her
+little figure with a keenly critical interest. Also, she eagerly greeted
+the Judge, who now came to her, with the ambiguous exclamation:
+
+"Schuyler Breckenridge, the most marvellous thing! I've discovered--or I
+believe I have--what that remarkable likeness is which has so perplexed
+me. Blood always tells, always crops out!"
+
+"Exactly. Especially in cases like this. Having nothing else to do
+I've tried whittling--with this result. Tie it up, Lu, and explain
+yourself--if you can," he answered, whimsically holding out a finger
+he had cut and that was slightly bleeding.
+
+"Oh! you poor dear!"
+
+"Yes. Am I not! Wait. Here's a bit of court-plaster. Forgot I had it or
+wouldn't have troubled you. Now, talk ahead."
+
+"Schuyler, a man like you shouldn't trifle with edged tools. You have no
+gift for anything but--lawing. It wouldn't be any laughing matter if you
+should develop blood-poison--"
+
+"It certainly would not, and as I like to laugh I shan't do it. Now,
+what is this marvellous thing you've discovered, please? I'm getting
+tired of fog, no newspapers, and chess with a stranger; so welcome even
+a woman's gossip with delight!"
+
+She paid no heed to his chaffing but began:
+
+"I believe I know who that Dorothy's parents were. I'm as positive as if
+I'd been told; and I'm perfectly amazed at Mrs. Betty Calvert. Isn't it
+wonderful?"
+
+"Apparently--to you. Not yet to me. I've understood that two and two
+makes four; but how your 'belief' and poor old Betty Calvert make
+sensible connection I fail to comprehend. I await instruction."
+
+"Stop jesting and you shall have it. Then tell me if I haven't given
+you better food for thought than you'd find in to-day's paper--if you
+could get it here at sea."
+
+Thereupon, hitching her chair a little nearer to her brother's and
+glancing about to see no stranger overheard, the lady began a low toned
+conversation with him. This proved, as she had foretold, far more
+entertaining than the day's news; and when it was over, when there was
+nothing more to be said, he rose, pulled his traveling cap over his
+eyes, thrust his hands into his capacious pockets and walked away "to
+think it over." Adding, as he left:
+
+"Well, if you're right everything is wrong. And if you're wrong
+everything's right."
+
+Over which eminent legal opinion Mrs. Hungerford smiled, reflecting:
+
+"He's convinced. There's nobody I know so well versed in Maryland
+genealogy as Schuyler Breckenridge. It's been his pastime so long he'll
+be keen on this scent till he proves it false or true. And if it is
+true--what a shame, what a shame! That horrid, lonely old woman to take
+such an outrageous course. Poor, dear, sweet little Dorothy!"
+
+The result to Dorothy of this conversation was a greater kindness than
+ever on the part of Molly's people; who now seemed to take her into
+their hearts as if she were of kin to them. She often found them looking
+at her searchingly, trying to trace that "likeness" which one of them
+had discovered. But no word of what was in their minds was said to her.
+She was merely invited to call Mrs. Hungerford "Aunt" as she was to call
+the Judge "Uncle."
+
+So despite the dullness of the fog, which prevented her seeing much of
+the ocean, the day passed very well. When she was asked if she could
+play and to give her new friends a little music, she took the violin
+from its shelf and gave them her simple best. To please them who were so
+kind to her was a delight to herself and her readiness to oblige was
+instantly construed by Aunt Lucretia as a fresh proof of her
+"discovery."
+
+"Only a well-born child has that easy grace of manner, Schuyler, as you
+must often have observed," she remarked with pleased conviction.
+
+To which he replied by warning:
+
+"Take care you don't build up a romance that will fall to pieces like a
+house of cards at the first breath of reality. But as to birth, be it
+high or low, Dorothy is a most winning little maid and I'm thankful to
+have her along with us on our holiday. Thankful, also, that impulsive
+Molly chose just such an unselfish, ingenuous girl for her 'chum.' My
+poor little lass! Her first ocean voyage will be a dreary memory for
+her!"
+
+"Oh! not so bad. She's perfectly comfortable when she lies still. She
+has plenty of attention and sleeps a deal. She's not losing much fun out
+here in this weather and will be no more glad to step onto solid land
+again than I shall. Except that, but for this enforced close
+companionship with little Dorothy I might not have thought out her story
+as I have."
+
+"There you go again! Well, the suggestion haunts me, too. I'll
+investigate promptly; and--what I shall do after that I haven't yet
+decided. I hate a meddler and am not anxious to become one. Heigho! No
+matter how hard a tired man tries to mind his own business he can't do
+it! Here comes that young Melvin Cook, and he's a lad with a pedigree,
+let me tell you, as long as any oldest Marylander of all. He and I have
+a bit of business to discuss, so I'll walk the deck with him awhile.
+Dorothy, I suppose, will sleep in her own stateroom to-night, since Miss
+Greatorex is comfortable. Good night, and sleep well."
+
+The deserted deck and the quiet gloom were a forcible contrast to the
+radiance and hilarity of the evening before, so that Mrs. Hungerford did
+not linger long after the Judge had left her, to pace up and down in
+earnest conversation with the "Bashful Bugler." Yet her thought was now
+upon the lad and his name which her brother had mentioned.
+
+"Cook! Cook, from Yarmouth. Why, that's the same as that quaint old
+fellow brother took into his private office. He came from Nova Scotia,
+too, and called himself a typical Bluenose. Feared he was liable to
+consumption and left home for our milder climate. Wonder if he is a
+relative of the blond bugler! After all, as Molly so often exclaims,
+'what a little bit o' world it is! Everybody you know turning up
+everywhere you go!' Quite a keen observer is my flighty little niece,
+in spite of all her nonsense; and bless her heart! I must go and see
+how she is and send small nurse Dorothy to her own slumbers."
+
+So she too walked forward, and was seen no more till the grating sounds
+and the shouted orders told that the good ship "Prince" was docked and
+her goodly company had reached that safe "haven where they would be."
+
+Then as if by magic the decks filled with a merry company, even those
+who had suffered most from seasickness the gayest of all.
+
+"So good to go ashore! Too early for breakfast? Of course; but I'll take
+a walk on dry--or fog-wet ground before I take mine!" said the gentleman
+who had been first to succumb to the "fog swell," and stepped down the
+ladder, whistling like a happy lad.
+
+Miss Greatorex and Molly emerged from their staterooms a little pallid,
+rather shaky on their feet, but quite as happy as their neighbors. Not
+the less pleased, either, because the Judge promptly announced:
+
+"We'll not bother for breakfast here. Some of us don't remember the
+'Prince's' dining-room with great affection, eh?" and he playfully
+pinched Molly's wan cheek. "We're going to stop in Yarmouth for a few
+days, and the hotel carriage will take the rest of you up to it at once.
+You'll find your rooms all ready for you. I'll see to our luggage and
+have that sent up, then follow in time to join you at table. All right,
+everybody? All your small belongings in hand? Then driver, pass on."
+
+Already the fog was lifting, and the urbane old man upon the box leaned
+down and informed his fares:
+
+"Going to be a fine day, ladies. You'll see Ya'mouth at her purtiest.
+Ever been here before, any of you?"
+
+Miss Greatorex's propriety began to return. A sure sign, Mrs. Hungerford
+thought, that she was feeling better; and she watched in secret
+amusement the sudden stiffening of the angular figure and the
+compression of the thin lips as the "instructress" looked fixedly out of
+the carriage window and vouchsafed no other reply.
+
+But Aunt Lu always adapted herself to the habits of any country of the
+many she had visited and replied, with an eagerness that was
+half-mischievous and for Miss Isobel's benefit:
+
+"No, indeed! and we're anxious to see and learn everything new. So
+please point out anything of note, and thank you."
+
+"Hmm. I should suppose there could be nothing 'of note' in a place like
+this," murmured Miss Isobel, severely, as she scornfully observed the
+dingy streets and dwellings of that neighborhood.
+
+But the hackman was gratified by Mrs. Hungerford's interest and a chance
+for his own garrulity, and promptly informed them:
+
+"'Tain't never fair to judge no town by its water-front. Course not.
+Stands to reason that shipyards and docks and sailorses' saloons ain't
+laid out for beauty. But just you wait till we get up the hill a speck
+and then you'll see somethin' worth seein'. True. There ain't a nicer
+town in the whole Province o' Novy Scoshy 'an Ya'mouth is. Now we're a
+gettin'. _Now!_ See there?"
+
+"Ah! how lovely!" "Oh! Auntie Lu!" "Oh! my heart, my heart! If only
+darling Father John could see that hedge? What is it, Auntie Lu, can you
+tell?" cried Dorothy in rapture; for, indeed, the hedges of this old
+town by the sea are famous everywhere the name of Yarmouth is heard.
+
+The driver didn't wait for Mrs. Hungerford to reply, even if she could
+have done so. He received every question and exclamation as personal and
+proudly answered:
+
+"Ha'tho'n, them are, this side. Then yonder is spruce. And our gardens!
+If you women-folks love posies as most females does, you'd ought to be
+here a spell later. Roses ain't out yet but cherries is in flower."
+
+"Roses not in bloom? Why, they're past it with us!" responded Auntie Lu,
+surprised.
+
+"Hmm, ma'am. And where might that be, if I c'n make so bold?"
+
+"The vicinity of New York, I was recalling."
+
+"Hmm. Exactly. A poor kind of country, New York is, even though they do
+call it the 'Empire State' and try to bolster up its failin's with a lot
+of fine talk. Now our Province o' Novy Scoshy, and this Ya'mouth, don't
+need to do no talkin'. All's necessary for us and them is just to--BE!
+Once a feller comes and gets a good square look at us--no water-front
+way--" he interpolated, with a shrewd glance toward Miss Isobel's
+averted face and an absurd wink to Mrs. Hungerford--"he just sets right
+down and quits talkin' of his own places. Fact. I've lived here all my
+life and that's the reason I know it."
+
+The man's good nature and self-satisfaction were vastly amusing to Aunt
+Lucretia, who ignored what seemed impertinence to the more formal Miss
+Greatorex, while the former inwardly delighted in this to her "new type"
+of liveryman, and was already anticipating the Judge's entertainment
+when the story of this ride was told him.
+
+But Molly waxed indignant over his disparagement of her native land and
+exclaimed:
+
+"I wish you'd not talk that way! We're Americans. I don't like it!"
+
+"American, be you? So'm I."
+
+"Oh! well. Course it's all America, but I mean we're from--from the
+States," as she chanced to recall an expression she had heard.
+
+"From the States, hey? So be I."
+
+"Yet you say you've lived here all your life. If you hadn't you'd have
+been more--more liberal--like travel makes people. If you'd once seen
+New York you wouldn't think that little Yarmouth was so mighty pretty. A
+right smart you know about it, anyway!"
+
+"Huh! Gid-dap!" was the scornful rejoinder, as Jehu whirled about on his
+seat and touched his team to a gallop.
+
+Mrs. Hungerford gave Molly a warning tap, though she was inwardly
+pleased to find the child so far recovered as to take an interest in
+defending her own home.
+
+It was rather startling to have an ensuing silence broken by the old
+driver's facing about once more and declaring with great glee:
+
+"You ain't no New Yorker, so you needn't be touchy about that little
+village. You're from down south."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Yorkers don't say 'mighty pretty' and 'right smart,' as the Johnny Rebs
+do. I know. I've druv a power of both lots. As for me, I'm a Yankee,
+straight descent. My forbear, Sealed Waters, was one the first settlers
+here. A Yankee I claim to be, and the 'wa'' ain't over yet, 'pears like.
+Ha, ha, ha!"
+
+His mirth was contagious and they all joined in it; even Miss Greatorex
+emitting a faint little cackle, which was all her dignity permitted.
+Also, by that time the carriage had been halted before a fine hotel,
+into which other passengers from their steamer were already passing; and
+they were duly helped to alight and enter, their loquacious jehu calmly
+extending his card with his name and number and, after a most
+business-like fashion, requesting their patronage during the rest of
+their stay.
+
+"Show you the purtiest little town in the world, and'll live to hear you
+admit it, Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am, and good-day to you."
+
+The Judge had secured their rooms long in advance of their arrival, and
+it was well that he had. The Province had come greatly to the fore as a
+summer pleasure ground and less thoughtful travelers did not always
+obtain such quarters as they preferred.
+
+"Oh! this is fine!" exclaimed Mrs. Hungerford, as she entered her
+chamber with its neat appointments and refreshing bath. But Miss
+Greatorex was not enthusiastic. She was disappointed in the inn as she
+had been in the steamer, having anticipated something much larger and
+finer. The exaggerated term of "palatial," which the proprietors had
+attached to both, had deceived her and it was no great comfort to have
+her companion explain:
+
+"Of course, one can't find Broadway hostelries nor European 'liners' in
+this part of the world; but brother has often stayed in this house and
+knows it well. There is a larger, newer hotel, but he likes this little
+inn. The fare is excellent, the place is safe and quiet, and the
+landlord becomes your actual host. That's the charm of the Canadians;
+they are all so simple and so courteous. Try and ignore the
+disadvantages, dear Miss Isobel, and get all the fun out of our trip you
+can. If you'd seen some of the places I've slept in you'd think this is
+really 'palatial.'"
+
+The girls were out of hearing and Mrs. Hungerford felt herself
+justified in thus much of admonition to her traveling mate, whose ideas
+had been too highly raised by the circulars and descriptions she had
+read. Fortunately, Miss Greatorex was so thankful to be once more on
+land that she really tried to forget minor annoyances and to look upon
+whatever happened as so much further "education." Her little notebook
+was promptly put to use and she filled several pages with memoranda of
+the old seaport which she had so despised at first and found so
+historically instructive afterward. Indeed, as Molly declared:
+
+"You'll have to buy a good many books to hold all you want to write,
+even in that fine hand, dear Miss Greatorex; and what a lot of things
+you'll have to tell the girls at our 'twilight talks!'"
+
+Nor could any inexperienced traveler have found better companions than
+Judge Breckenridge and his sister. They were so simple, so friendly, and
+such keen observers. Everywhere they went they met and mingled with the
+people exactly as if they were old and familiar friends; and in the
+gentleman's case this was quite true. He had been in the Province many
+times, as has been said, and he had the happy gift of a good and
+_willing_ memory. He never forgot an acquaintance nor recalled one
+unkindly, and it surprised even Mrs. Hungerford to see how many faces
+brightened at his approach and how often the greeting came: "Welcome,
+welcome, friend!"
+
+"Why, Judge, you back again? Well, I'm certain glad to see you?
+'Tourists' like you are the sort we welcome heartiest to Ya'mouth. Fact,
+ain't it? The more folks know, the more they've traveled, the more they
+find to admire and enjoy even in such a place as this!" cried one old
+seaman, whom they met on their morning walk.
+
+For having enjoyed a most excellent breakfast and the sun now shining
+brilliantly, they set out for a stroll through the pretty streets and
+past the charming gardens of the town; and finally brought up at the
+postoffice where there were letters for everybody, even for Dorothy.
+
+Hers was from Jim Barlow, and full of news of the mountain and old
+friends there; saying, also, that he had been invited to join his tutor,
+the Rev. Mr. Sterling, who was sometimes called the "tramping parson,"
+on a walking tour through the northern part of the Empire State. It was
+overflowing with enthusiasm over the places he would visit and the
+wonderful "good luck" which had so changed the life of the truck-farm
+lad; "and I mean to make the whole 'tramp' a part of my education. I
+tell you, Dolly girl, if there's much gets past me without my seeing and
+knowing it, it'll be when I'm asleep. Mr. Sterling's a geologist, and
+likes to take his vacation this way, so's he can find new stones, or
+hammer old ones to his heart's content.
+
+"Whilst he's a hammering I'll be hunting things in the woods. I mean to
+make a regular list of every bird I see, and every animal, and study all
+their little habits and tricks. I'll carry some old newspapers and a
+book, too, so that if I come across any new kind of flower or plant I'll
+press it for you. That way my vacation'll be considerable of a help to
+you too.
+
+"Try and learn all you can, Dorothy child, whilst you have the chance.
+There's nothing so perfectly grand in all this world as learning things.
+I've noticed you were getting a little flighty, along back, and setting
+more store by your clothes than you used to, or that a girl who'll have
+to teach for her living had ought to. Needn't get mad with me for
+reminding you. I can write it easier than I could say it to your face,
+some way; and amongst all the good times you're having don't forget to
+write to me once in a while, for we've been so like brother and sister
+this long time that I want to hear. So no more at present from your
+affectionate
+
+                         "JAMES BARLOW.
+
+"P. S.--I had a letter from Mrs. Cecil Somerset-Calvert. She wrote I was
+to call to Deerhurst and get Peter and Ponce, her two Great Danes, and
+take them with me on my tour. She'd already written to Mr. Sterling,
+because she knew he was a dog-lover, and he was pleased to have them on
+the trip. Good-by.
+
+                         "JIM."
+
+"Well, this changes our plans somewhat," remarked the Judge, looking up
+from one of his letters, with an expression of some disappointment. They
+had all paused outside the postoffice building to hastily scan their
+news, and now grouped about him in interest, as Mrs. Hungerford rather
+anxiously asked:
+
+"Why, Schuyler, what's happened?"
+
+"Oh! nothing unpleasant. Not at all. Only this is from Ihrie, and the
+boys will be on hand earlier than expected. So, to get around to all the
+places we want to see and yet be at our rendezvous in time we'll have to
+cut our stay here short. I wouldn't like to fail the boys."
+
+"Not on any account!" exclaimed Aunt Lu, merrily; and then explaining to
+Miss Greatorex: "Let me tell you, Miss Isobel, that these 'boys' range
+anywhere from fifty to seventy-five years in age! and that one of them
+is a college president, another a world-famous surgeon, and the third an
+equally notable merchant. Old class-mates under their president, whom it
+is their glory to have with them on these annual trips."
+
+"Why, I--I think that is beautiful!" returned the teacher, with so much
+enthusiasm that the others reflected how she was "waking up."
+"Beautiful," she added again, after a pause in which she had looked with
+new interest upon her own young pupils.
+
+"Yes, we must get on. So let's plan our day the best we can, and take
+the evening express for Digby. How does this suit? To call a carriage
+and have you ladies driven all around, to 'do' Yarmouth as thoroughly as
+possible in so short a time. Don't wait dinner for me--for us. I have a
+visit to make which must not be postponed, since it concerns the
+interests of other people. I'll take the girls with me and give them a
+chance to see the inside of a Yarmouth cottage. Also, if we're invited,
+to taste a bit of native Yarmouth cookery. We'll get around back to the
+inn in time for collecting our traps and making the train. Eh?"
+
+"Suits me well enough;" answered Mrs. Hungerford, and Miss Isobel nodded
+acquiescence, saying to the surprise of the others: "That descendant of
+'Sealed Waters' might impart the most information of any driver,
+possibly."
+
+"But--Molly! Why, Molly, what are you acting that way for?" demanded
+Dorothy, smiling at the antics of her mate. For the girl had hastily
+scanned two of her letters and having saved "the best to the last" was
+now prancing all over the sidewalk, waving the missive overhead and
+crying:
+
+"Splendid! Splendid! SPLENDID!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+FINNAN HADDIE IN A GARDEN
+
+
+As Molly's excitement seemed pleasurable they did not tarry for its
+explanation but promptly separated; the ladies returning to their hotel
+to order their carriage and repack the few articles they had taken from
+their valises.
+
+The Judge set off down the street, still examining his mail and bidding
+the girls to follow; and, as they did so, Molly exclaimed:
+
+"It's just too lovely for words! Monty's coming, Monty's coming!"
+
+Dorothy almost lost sight of the Judge as he turned a corner into a side
+street, so long she paused and so disgusted she felt.
+
+"That boy! What's he coming for? I hope not to be with us!"
+
+"Exactly what he is, then! We laid a little plan that last morning when
+we started. His mother was in Newburgh, you know, and hadn't decided
+where she would pass her vacation. So I suppose he went right to her and
+asked and she always does just what he wants. He writes that she'd never
+visited Nova Scotia nor Canada and was simply delighted to come. She
+wouldn't force their society upon our party, oh! no, not for anything!
+But she'll manage to take the first steamer out from Boston and will go
+straight to Digby. We'll meet there; and if Aunt Lucretia doesn't think
+a Stark is good company for a Breckenridge, I'll know the reason why.
+Oh! fine, fine."
+
+"Oh! nuisance, nuisance! But come on! Your father is ever so far ahead
+and we'll have to hurry to catch up."
+
+They set off upon a run and for a few minutes neither spoke. Molly was
+disappointed that Dolly didn't "enthuse," and the latter felt that a
+boy--such a boy--would effectually spoil the good times she and her mate
+might have had together, alone. Finally, Molly asked:
+
+"Who was your letter from?"
+
+For answer and with considerable pride Dorothy drew James Barlow's
+epistle from its envelope and held it toward her friend, saying:
+
+"You can read and see."
+
+Molly read and returned the letter, with a little sniff of contempt and
+the remark:
+
+"Huh! The only interesting part of that is the post-script. It will be
+just fine to have those dogs along. I suppose Mrs. Calvert sent them up
+from Baltimore to Deerhurst. But if I were you, Dolly Doodles, I
+wouldn't let that ignoramus preach to me like he does to you in that
+letter. He's a prig, that's what he is, and I hate a prig. So there."
+
+"No, he isn't. Mr. Seth would say that he had only 'lost his head' for a
+minute. You see poor Jim can't get over the wonder of his getting his
+'chance.' He's simply crazy-wild over learning--now. He believes it's
+the only thing in the world worth while. He didn't mean to scold me.
+I--I guess. If he did I don't mind. He's only Jim. He just knows I'll
+have to take care of my father and mother, some day, if our mineral
+spring and mine don't pay better than now. He's afraid I'll waste my
+'chance,' that's all. Dear, faithful old Jim!"
+
+"Pooh! Horrid, pokey old Jim, I say. But Monty'll have some fun in him;
+unless--he thinks two girls are poor company."
+
+"I hope he will. I hope he'll coax your father and those old 'boys' to
+take him with them into the woods. That might do him some good and take
+the nonsense out of him."
+
+"Well, Dorothy, I think that's not a nice thing for you to say. You must
+have forgotten the night of the fire and what he did to help you. There
+wasn't any 'nonsense' about Montmorency Vavasour-Stark then, if you
+please!"
+
+Instantly touched by this reminder and fully regretful for her
+sarcasm--though still sorry that he was coming--Dolly returned:
+
+"That's true, Molly, honey. I did forget, just for a minute. He's not
+half bad, Monty isn't; and I guess he'll be useful to climb trees and
+pick cherries for us, or get flowers that we can't reach. Anyhow, we're
+fairly dawdling and almost quarreling, and all the time your father is
+getting further away. See! He's stopping before that house? I'll race
+you to the gate!"
+
+"All right. One--two--three--go!"
+
+It was a charming little cottage before which they brought up at the
+Judge's side. Its front yard was small, so that the bay-windows one upon
+each side the door, came almost to the white paling before the grounds;
+but one could catch a glimpse of a deep garden behind and Dorothy's
+flower-loving soul was enchanted by it, even as by the contents of the
+windows.
+
+"Oh! look! How lovely! Did you ever see such Gloxinias and Cyclamens?
+And that Weeping Fuschia in the other window! It is gorgeous, simply
+gorgeous! But how queer, too, to keep plants indoors as late as this!
+and their lace curtains up, right in the summer-time! Are we going in
+here, Judge Breckenridge?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. I paused only to let your rhapsody have vent, though I
+really wish the little mistress of this home could have heard such a
+spontaneous tribute to her skill as a florist. You'll notice that
+peculiarity all through the Province. Window plants remain in the
+windows all the year round and there is scarcely a home that hasn't its
+share of them and its tiny conservatory, such as is here.
+
+"Curtains? I hadn't thought why they're up, but maybe it's to keep out
+the prying gaze of too eager 'tourists.' A fine scorn the native always
+has for the average 'tourist'--though he has no scorn for the tourist's
+cash. Ah! Here she comes!"
+
+At that instant his summons upon the tiny knocker was answered by the
+soft footfall of a woman, and the opening of the door a narrow way. Then
+it was as instantly flung wide and a dainty little housemistress,
+white-capped and white-haired, extended two small, toil-worn hands in
+greeting.
+
+"Oh! Judge Breckenridge! You did give me such a start! But I'm so glad
+to see you! So more than glad. Do step right in, please. All of you step
+in."
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Cook, for your welcome and your invitation; but we'd
+rather step right out if you don't mind?"
+
+"Why--sir!"
+
+"No lack of appreciation, believe me. But I've a young lady here who is
+'plumb crazy' over posies and, coming along on the steamer, I promised
+her a glimpse of some of Yarmouth's garden 'cosy corners.' I know none
+lovelier than your own; and as for your window-plants--I'm afraid if we
+don't take her away from temptation she'll break the glass and 'hook'
+one of your 'Gloxamens' or 'Cyclaglinias' or--"
+
+The lady laughed as merrily as a girl and patted Dorothy's shoulder with
+appreciation of the Judge's joke. Then started to lead the way around
+the cottage into that inviting greenery behind, when a curious voice
+hindered her by a pathetic appeal:
+
+"Mamma! Oh! Mamma! Don't go and leave poor Mum! Quisanthemum must go
+with Mamma!"
+
+The visitors turned in surprise, toward this querulous "child" as the
+girls fancied it, though the Judge was already smiling his understanding
+of the matter. Then there appeared in the doorway a parrot, of wonderful
+plumage and exaggerated awkwardness; who waddled from side to side,
+climbed one side of its mistress's gown to her shoulder and walked
+head-first down the other, rolling its eyes and emitting the most absurd
+moans till the two girls were convulsed with laughter.
+
+Then Mrs. Cook held out her wrist, the parrot settled on it, and they
+proceeded to the garden; the lady explaining:
+
+"This little Miss Chrysanthemum is a spoiled baby. She's only a few
+months old, was brought to me by one of my sailor friends, and about
+rules the house now. Especially when my boy is away."
+
+As she mentioned her "boy" the tiny woman looked rather anxiously into
+the Judge's face; and Dorothy noticed that her own was really quite
+young, despite the white hair and widow's cap which crowned it. She
+thought the lady charming, she was so small, so delicate and quaint. Yet
+there was the real "English color" on her still fair cheek and her eyes
+were as bright a blue as Molly's own.
+
+"Son told me you would call. Also, Ephraim wrote me in his last letter;
+but I had not expected you to-day. I thought you were to be in Yarmouth
+for a week or more and didn't anticipate so prompt a kindness."
+
+Then opening a little bag which hung fastened to her waist, the cottager
+drew from it a pair of blunt-pointed scissors and gave them to Dorothy,
+saying:
+
+"It's you I see, who has the keenest eyes for flowers. Cut all you want
+of anything you fancy;" and she swept her hand rather proudly toward the
+hedges of sweet-peas, just coming into bloom, and the magnificent roses
+which were earlier in her protected garden than elsewhere in the town.
+
+Had Dorothy known it, this was a rare privilege that had been accorded
+her. Mrs. Cook loved her flowers as she did her human friends and had a
+fancy that cutting them was almost as cruel as wounding a person she
+loved. Until they faded she never cut them for her own enjoyment; and
+only now and then nerved herself to clip them for the cheer of some
+ailing neighbor. She was therefore greatly pleased when the girl
+returned the scissors, after one questioning glance toward Molly, as to
+her possible disappointment.
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Cook, but I don't like to do that. They are so lovely
+and look so happy in this beautiful garden, I'd hate to. We shall be
+going, I'm told, and they'll only be ruined for nothing. But, if you
+please, I'd like to sit down on these steps and enjoy them. Wouldn't
+you, Molly? While your father talks with Mrs. Cook."
+
+The steps belonged to a sort of lean-to, or outdoor kitchen. The little
+addition was covered with vines in leaf and more sweet-peas clambered
+about its base. Behind it was the living-room with its open door and
+table already set for dinner. A savory odor issued thence and set the
+girls to thinking how remarkably hungry they were, despite their late
+and substantial breakfast. Also, to wondering if Nova Scotia air was to
+whet their appetites this way all the time.
+
+Thought Molly, in especial: "If it is I shall buy me a little bag to
+wear at my waist, as Auntie does, and fill it with crackers."
+
+Then, thinking of food, she "pricked up her ears," hearing her hostess
+inviting:
+
+"But, Judge Breckenridge, I would take it the highest honor if you would
+share our dinner with us. Of course, it isn't what I'd have liked to
+have, had I known. But my husband used to say, 'Welcome is the best
+sauce.' Besides, if you're to leave so soon I'll be glad to talk over
+that matter of which I just spoke. I am really so perplexed as to what
+is best. You've been so kind to my brother-in-law, Ephraim, that--"
+
+She interrupted herself to laugh and observe:
+
+"Yet that's presumptuous of me, too. The fact that you've been a kind
+adviser to one of the family doesn't form a precedent for all the rest
+of us. But, business aside, cannot you and your daughters join us?"
+
+"Thank you. We will be most happy; though I must set you right on that
+point--of relationship. One is my daughter, the blonde, not the
+flower-lover; and one is my temporarily 'adopted.' Molly and Dolly their
+names; and two dearer little maids you'll travel far to find."
+
+"Aye, they're fair bonny, and so unlike. Now, sit you down, please,
+while I dish up; and tell me, if you will, how does the man, Ephraim? He
+was ever in fear of his health but a better one never lived. After my
+sister died--the pair of us married brothers--he grew lost and finical.
+Nought we could do for him just suited the man. It was the grief, I
+knew. So, after he'd mumbled along more years than he'd ought, fending
+for himself, he crossed over to the States and drifted south to Richmond
+and you. 'Twas a sad pity he'd neither son nor daughter to cheer him in
+his widower life, but so was his Providence. Mine has been better. Son
+is my hope and--and my anxiety. He's not found his right niche yet, poor
+lad. There's a love of the sea in him, like his sailor father; but he's
+never got over that tragedy of his father's death."
+
+"Where did that happen, Mrs. Cook? Ephraim told me he was drowned,"
+asked the visitor, sympathetically.
+
+"Off Pollock Rip Shoals. A bad and fearsome place that, where many an
+honest fellow has sunk to his last sleep." She dashed a tear from her
+eye, and laid her hand for an instant upon her widow's cap. Then she
+went on more cheerfully, as if time had taught her resignation: "But
+that's a gone-by. Son's future isn't. It's laid upon me by the Lord to
+be both father and mother to the boy and I must study what's for _his_
+best, not mine. Ephraim wrote I was to consult you who are a Judge and
+wise. He said in his letter that he hadn't been a sort of
+general-utility-man in your office thus long without knowing it wasn't
+your best paying clients that got your best advice. That, wrote Ephraim,
+came out of your heart for the widows and orphans. We're that, son and
+I, and--What a garrulous creature I am!"
+
+All the time the little woman had been talking she had also been
+preparing for the meal; and it now being ready to serve she stepped to
+the rear door, opening on the place where the girls were sitting, and
+announced:
+
+"Our finnan haddie and greens are ready, young ladies, if you will come
+and partake of it. Also, lest you be disappointed, I'll say that there's
+a 'John's Delight' in the 'steamer,' and a dish of the best apples in
+the Province for the sweeties. Eh? What, my dear?"
+
+To Dorothy's utter amazement Molly was doing a very rude thing. She had
+risen and made her very prettiest courtesy, but had supplemented this
+act of respect by the petition:
+
+"Please, Mrs. Cook, may we have ours out here, on these steps?"
+
+"Why, Molly!" cried her chum, in reproof. "The idea of giving all that
+trouble!"
+
+"No trouble whatever, but a pleasure," replied the hostess, although
+she, also, was surprised.
+
+Molly wheeled upon Dorothy, demanding:
+
+"Wouldn't you like it here? Could you find a lovelier place to eat in?
+As for making trouble, I don't want to do that. I--If Mrs. Cook will
+just put it on one plate I'll fetch it here for us both. It would be
+like a picnic in a garden; and you could stay here and--and watch."
+
+"Watch? What am I to watch, except these beautiful flowers?" asked
+Dolly, even further surprised.
+
+Fortunately for Molly her father had not overheard her odd request or
+she would have received reproof far more effectual than Dorothy's. Also,
+Mrs. Cook was hospitality itself, and this meant wishing her guests to
+enjoy themselves after the manner they liked best.
+
+As swiftly as either of the girls could have moved, she was back in the
+pleasant living-room, arranging a tray with a portion of the palatable
+dinner she had provided; saying in response to the Judge's inquiring
+expression:
+
+"We thought it would be a fine thing, and one the lassies will long
+remember, to have their Bluenose dinner in a Bluenose garden. For all
+their lives long they can think of this summer day and my greenery yon;
+and, maybe, too, of the first time they ever ate 'finnan haddie' and
+'John's Delight.' More than that, it will give us the freedom of speech
+with son, as it wouldn't were they sitting by. He's aye shy, is my
+laddie."
+
+Then she carried out a little table, set it beside the steps and placed
+the tray thereon. After which she "Begged pardon!" and lifted up her
+gentle voice in an appeal that sounded almost pathetic in its entreaty.
+
+"Son! Dear son Melvin! Come now to dinner with your mother! Son! SON!"
+
+The last word was spoken in a tone he rarely disobeyed, and low-toned
+though it was, it was so distinctly uttered that people passing on the
+street beyond heard it. So also must he have heard who was summoned, if
+he was anywhere upon those premises--as he had been when these guests
+arrived.
+
+However, he did not appear; and Mrs. Cook and the Judge sat down alone,
+while "Son" for whom that "home dinner" had been specially prepared was
+"fair famished" for want of it.
+
+Out upon the steps of that lattice-covered, vine-enwrapped summer-house,
+the two girls enjoyed their dinner greatly. In particular did mistress
+Molly. Her eyes sparkled, her dimples came and went, her smiles almost
+interfered with her eating, and her whole behavior was so peculiar that
+Dorothy stared. She was puzzled and began to be slightly disgusted, and
+at last remarked:
+
+"Why, honey, I never saw you get so much--so much fun out of your food.
+I've heard about gourmands. I think I can guess now what they are and
+act like. Hark! What's that noise? Kind of a crackle, as if a cat or
+something was overhead among those vines. I hope it isn't. Cats love
+fish. I always have to shut up Lady Rosalind when Mother Martha has it
+for dinner. Isn't 'finnan haddie' a queer name?"
+
+"Yes. I've heard Papa tell of it before. It's haddock smoked, some sort
+of queer way. But this is nice--My! How nice this is! Umm, umm, umm!"
+giggled Molly, as if she found something most amusing in the food she
+smacked her lips over in such a very strange manner.
+
+"Well, Molly Breckenridge, one thing I can say for you. That is: it's a
+good thing Miss Rhinelander isn't here to see you now. You--you act like
+a little pig. Excuse me, but you really do."
+
+"Cats do like fish. Maybe it's a cat. Let's call it a cat, anyway,"
+answered Molly, in no wise offended by her chum's plain speech.
+Then lifting her voice she began to call: "Kitty! Kitty!
+Kitty--kitty--kitty--kitty--kitty--come!" as fast as she could speak.
+
+Just then Mrs. Cook came out to them to remove their plates and bring
+them generous portions of "John's Delight," a dessert which Molly
+declared was "first cousin to a Christmas plum pudding," and over which
+she was tempted to smack her lips in earnest, not pretence. A momentary
+soberness touched her merry face, however, when the hostess observed
+with keen regret:
+
+"I am so sorry Son isn't here to do the honors of this little picnic. I
+don't see where he can have gone. His dinner on shore is always such a
+pleasure to him and besides--I wanted him to meet you all in a private
+fashion, not as a bugler aboard-ship."
+
+"Maybe--maybe he is--_is_ doing the honors!" said Molly, half choking
+over the strange remark. "Maybe he's--he can see--he's rather shy, isn't
+he? The sailor said they called him the 'Bashful Bugler.' But he--he
+bugles beautifully, especially first calls to meals which a seasick girl
+can't eat. I--"
+
+Then she stopped abruptly. Mrs. Cook was looking at her with much the
+same expression Dorothy's mobile face had worn; and again from overhead
+came that ominous crackle of breaking twigs. Also, a few crushed leaves
+fluttered to the ground and caused Dorothy to exclaim:
+
+"Must be a pretty big cat to tear things like that. Did you see it? Do
+you suppose it's a wildcat? Don't they have all sorts of creatures in
+the Nova Scotia woods? Do you suppose it's wild--"
+
+"It certainly is. It's about the wildest thing I ever met--of its size.
+Isn't this pudding delicious? If I was a hungry, a sea-starved cat how
+angry I should be to be kept out of my share of it just by a couple of
+girls. Girls are cats' natural enemies. Sometimes girls eat cats--if
+they're nice, purry, pussy-cats! Some cats have blue eyes, and
+some--Why, Papa! Are you ready? Going so soon?"
+
+"Yes, dear. I can't wait any longer. I am greatly disappointed in not
+seeing Melvin again; but possibly he may run up to the station before
+the train starts. I'll try to be there early. As early as I can, though
+I have some little affairs here still to attend to. Good-by, Mrs. Cook.
+I think the plan we have discussed is the best all round. It will be a
+test, so to speak. There is nothing like life in the woods together to
+break down all barriers of shyness or reserve.
+
+"Thank you, cordially, for your hospitality. I haven't enjoyed a dinner
+so much in many a day. I will see you again, if we return this way, and
+I will keep you informed of my address if our plan falls through and we
+have to try some other."
+
+Deeply moved, the little mother began to utter her own profuse thanks;
+for what the listening girls did not know. But these were promptly
+suppressed by the Judge's manner of saying:
+
+"Don't do that, yet, my dear lady. Wait and prove Ephraim's words are
+true. And now good-by again. I had hoped to have you and my sister meet,
+but our unexpected departure has prevented that until some more
+fortunate future day."
+
+He raised his hat, bowed profoundly, and walked away; the girls making
+their adieus and expressing their own thanks for hospitality received in
+a manner which did credit to Miss Rhinelander's training. Only Molly's
+cheek burned with an unusual blush, and she did not lift her eyes to
+Mrs. Cook's as readily and affectionately as Dorothy did.
+
+The latter, indeed, was to receive a rare tribute; for the lady followed
+her to the street and slipping inside the front door broke from her
+beautiful Gloxinias a handful of blossoms and gave them to the girl,
+saying:
+
+"My dear, I'm sure you will appreciate these; and I'm equally sure you
+and I have much in common. Good-by. May all good things attend you."
+Then she kissed the red lips which had impulsively kissed her and
+watched them all out of sight.
+
+But she did not kiss Molly; and though that young person would not have
+expected such a caress, she was for an instant jealous of that bestowed
+upon Dorothy.
+
+The Judge waited for them to join him and taking a hand of each, in his
+fatherly fashion, remarked:
+
+"I find that sailor's widow a very charming woman and a perfect hostess.
+No apologies for what she had to offer, though in her heart a slight
+regret that it was not of some sort more expensive. A pity Melvin didn't
+appear. I would have liked to study him in his mother's presence. One
+can always tell what a boy is by the way he treats his mother; and I
+wasn't pleased that he so disregarded her call to dinner, because she
+said he had been there when I knocked and after we had entered the
+garden itself."
+
+A sudden comprehension of the state of things flashed through Dorothy's
+mind, and she turned her eyes inquiringly toward Molly, who flushed,
+hesitated, and finally burst forth:
+
+"He couldn't come, Papa dear, because--because I wouldn't let him! He
+got caught in the trap of his own horrid bashfulness."
+
+Somehow Molly was no longer giggling, as she had been at intervals ever
+since they reached the cottage. Things didn't look as "funny" as they
+had a few minutes before; nor was she pleased to have the Judge stop
+short on the path and demand:
+
+"Explain yourself, daughter."
+
+"Why it's easy enough. When that Melvin boy, that bugler, saw us coming
+to that porch he was scared stiff. He just looked at us a second, then
+scrambled up that lattice-work to the top of that arbor or whatever it
+is, and--course he had to stay there. That's why I sat down on those
+steps. Why I wanted my dinner out there. Oh! it was the funniest thing!
+A great big boy like him to stay up on such an uncomfortable place just
+because two girls whom he'll never see again had sat down beneath him.
+Of course, he'd have to pass us to answer his mother's call to dinner;
+and he'd rather go without that than do it. Oh! it was too funny for
+words! And when the leaves fell Dolly thought it was the 'cat.' She
+wondered if it was a 'wildcat,' and I said 'yes, it was wild!' Oh! dear!
+I was so amused!"
+
+Dorothy laughed. To her the affair had also its "too funny" side, now
+that she understood it. But the Judge did not laugh. If he felt any
+secret amusement at the girlish prank he did not betray it in his
+expression, which was the sternest his daughter had ever seen when bent
+upon her idolized self.
+
+"Well, Molly, you certainly have distinguished yourself. The joke which
+might have been harmless under some circumstances was an abominable
+rudeness under these. I am ashamed of you. I shall expect you to write a
+note of apology to Mrs. Cook, before you leave Yarmouth. And as for
+never seeing Melvin again, let me set you right. I have invited the lad
+to join us for our entire summer vacation. Understand?"
+
+Alas! She understood but too well. Yet if a bomb had exploded at her
+feet she could hardly have been more astonished.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+DOROTHY AND THE BASHFUL BUGLER
+
+
+The main street of pretty Digby runs close to the water. The bluff is
+crowned by a grassy sward and a row of well-grown trees, with a driveway
+between these and the buildings on the further side.
+
+"Oh! how lovely and how different from our own seaside places, with
+their hot sands, board walks, and cityfied shops. I hope no board walk
+will ever spoil this charming boulevard!" exclaimed a lady, who stood at
+a hotel window overlooking Annapolis Basin, on whose shore nestles the
+little town.
+
+"Yes, Mamma! Aren't you glad you came?" asked Monty Stark, entering the
+room and joining her at the window.
+
+"I hope I shall be, dear. I'm a little anxious about your friends. I
+should greatly object, myself, to having people force themselves upon a
+touring party I had organized. But you must understand, Montmorency,
+that if I discover the slightest sign of objection to us, I shall go on
+my own way and you will have to go with me. I--I am not accustomed to
+being patronized or--no matter. I came to please you, my precious boy,
+and I hope it will be all right. Let me see if you are quite correct. I
+suppose the guests wear evening dress for dinner as in other civilized
+places. Though--it looks more like a country village yonder, than a real
+watering place."
+
+"But, Mamma, it is a country village. Nothing else, the Judge says. And
+somehow I feel rather silly in this rig. I saw the Judge a moment ago
+and he wasn't in evening clothes, but he's a 'brick' all right!"
+
+"Montmorency! How can you use such dreadful expressions?"
+
+"Easy as preaching, _chere Maman_!"
+
+"I'm afraid your associates at Brentnor are not all of them as refined
+and exclusive as I had supposed. I've observed other phrases that I do
+not like. One of them was, I think, 'Shucks!'"
+
+"Yes, I reckon you did. I didn't catch that from a Brentnor, though, but
+from Jim Barlow."
+
+"Who is he, pray?"
+
+"Blest if I can tell or he either. He hails from a poorhouse. He was
+'bound out' to a woman truck farmer. He's been 'taken up' by Mrs. Cecil
+Somerset-Calvert, of Baltimore, and lots of other places. A lady that's
+so rich she has homes in ever so many different parts of the country.
+But better than that he's a 'trump,' a life-saver, a scholar, and--a
+gentleman! One of 'Nature's' you know. Would like to have you meet him
+because he's my present chum; that is, he would be if--if we lived in
+the same house and could be. But unfortunately, he has agreed to do
+'chores' for a parson in payment for his instruction in Greek and all
+the 'ologies.' He's off on a tramp now, 'hoofing it,' as he elegantly
+expresses it, for a vacation. He's taken the parson and a couple of dogs
+along for company. The parson's a trotting tramper, too. Maybe you've
+read some of his delightful articles in the magazines. Eh? What? Too
+much for you, Mamma? Well, never mind. I'll quit now, for there goes the
+last bell for dinner. Allow me?"
+
+Bowing and offering his arm Monty conducted his richly clad mother
+toward the dining-room, whither a crowd of tourists were hastening.
+These were garbed in any sort of comfortable traveling clothes, the
+women mostly in white shirt-waists such as Mrs. Stark would have
+disdained even for morning wear at home. The men looked as if they had
+just come from a dusty train, a too-fragrant fishing boat, or a rough
+camp in the woods; and at the foot of the stairs the fashionable Mrs.
+Stark paused in a sort of dismay.
+
+For an instant, too, she had an odd feeling as if it were she who had
+made a mistake, not those groups of merry, hungry holiday-makers, who
+elbowed one another good naturedly, in order to find a seat at the
+crowded tables. Mrs. Stark wasn't used to elbowing or being elbowed, and
+she gathered her silken train in her hand to preserve it from contact
+with the oil-cloth covered floor of the lobby, while her face gathered
+an expression of real alarm.
+
+"Why, my dear son! We can't stay here, you know! It is simply impossible
+to hobnob with such--such queer persons. We must seek another hotel at
+once. I'll step into that room yonder which is the 'parlor' probably,
+and you summon the proprietor. I--I am not accustomed to this want of
+courtesy and--indeed, dear, I am greatly displeased with you. You
+painted the trip in such glowing colors I--"
+
+"But, Mamma, don't the colors glow? Did you ever see anything in your
+life lovelier than this glimpse of the Annapolis Basin, with the
+moonlight on it, the great peaks and cliffs beyond? I'm sorry if you're
+disappointed but you didn't seem to be up in your room, looking out. As
+for changing hotels we'd simply 'hop out of the frying pan into the
+fire,' since this is the best one in the town. Else Judge Breckenridge
+wouldn't have come here."
+
+"Monty, dear! Such phrases again! Is that another lesson learned from
+the poorhouse boy?"
+
+"No, indeedy! I caught that from Alfaretta Babcock. She of the
+_retroussé_ nose and simple speech. A royal sort of girl, too, is Alfy;
+first of the alphabetical Babcock sisters. The second is--But come,
+Mamma. We're in for it and I don't want to go to bed hungry, even if you
+do. I'm afraid, Mother mine, that there's been too much 'de luxe' in
+your life and I shall have to reconstruct you."
+
+His mirthful face provoked her to laughter despite her real vexation and
+fortunately, at that moment, Mrs. Hungerford entered the room and
+advanced to Mrs. Stark with extended hand and the warmest of greetings.
+
+"This is Monty's mother, I'm sure. I am Molly's Auntie Lu. We exist I
+fancy, for our respective youngsters and mine discovered you through the
+doorway of the dining-room and commissioned me to fetch you. We've had
+seats reserved for you at our table in the corner and I apologize for
+not hunting you up earlier. The truth is we were out driving until the
+last moment and were greatly hurried ourselves. So, of course, we were
+none of us here when the train came in and I did not know you had
+arrived. Shall we go now? You will find that people grow desperately
+hungry when they first come into this bracing air, and with the best
+intentions in the world, the proprietor isn't always able to provide
+enough for such clamorous appetites. My brother says that explains the
+rather rude crowding to get 'first table,' and that our remedy lies in
+doing a bit of crowding ourselves. I rather enjoy it, already, though we
+only came here yesterday. Did you have a pleasant trip?"
+
+"No, I did not. I was never on such a poor steamer before. Fortunately I
+wasn't ill and it's not a long sail from Boston across. Is it really
+true, as Montmorency tells me, that there is no better hotel than this?"
+returned the other, rising to follow Auntie Lu.
+
+[Illustration: "HELLO SNACKENBERG! HERE AM I! GIVE ME A RIDE?"
+_Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+Since Monty had said that he was hungry, of course, she would stay for
+that one meal and let him get comfortable. Afterward--she would
+follow her own judgment.
+
+But she, also, was gently bred and born, and despite a lack of plain
+common sense was an agreeable person in the main. She had responded to
+Mrs. Hungerford's greeting with a correct society manner; and now, as
+she followed toward the dining-room, she bestowed upon that lady's back
+a keenly critical survey. She saw that Aunt Lucretia was well but simply
+gowned in white. She was immaculately fresh, and fragrant from her bath
+with a faint odor of violets about her that pleased rather than offended
+nostrils which habitually objected to "perfumery" as something common
+and vulgar.
+
+Her gown might have been expensive but did not look so and was eminently
+more fit for an evening dinner in a tourists' hotel than the elaborate
+costume of Mrs. Stark.
+
+Though she had been but twenty-four hours in the place, Auntie Lu had
+already adapted herself to it completely, and smiled away the services
+of a rather frightened head-waitress new to her business, as she
+threaded her way toward that distant corner of the crowded room where
+her own table overlooked the water.
+
+A little hush fell over the adjoining tables as Mrs. Stark's elegance
+bore down upon them in her majestic way. She was portly and
+heavy-motioned, as poor Monty was apt to be when he should arrive at her
+age; and chairs had to be drawn in closer, feet tucked under them, and
+heads bent forward as she passed by.
+
+As for the youth in her train misery and mortification shone on his
+chubby countenance. For a boy he had been absurdly fond of dress, but he
+had also a keen sense of what was fit and he knew his present costume
+was not that. However, all this trivial unpleasantness passed, as the
+entering pair were greeted by the rest of the party. The Judge still
+wore a business suit but his manner, as he rose to be presented to Mrs.
+Stark was so polished and correct that her spirits revived, thinking:
+
+"Well, the people are all right, if the place isn't."
+
+She acknowledged Miss Isobel's greeting with a slight haughtiness, such
+as she felt was due a social inferior. Upon Molly she bestowed an
+admiring smile and glance; and upon Dorothy a rather perfunctory one.
+The girl might also be "poorhouse born" for aught anybody knew, and from
+contact with such her "precious lamb" was to be well protected. She
+intended to see to it that further intercourse between her son and that
+"tramp," Jim Barlow, should be prevented also; and while she marvelled
+that "the Breckenridges" should make much of the girl, as apparently
+they did, it wasn't necessary that she should do the same. Monty had
+told her all about each member of the party so that Dorothy's story was
+familiar to her. The lad had concluded his recital with the words:
+
+"She's the bravest, sincerest girl in the world. She's braver than
+Molly Breckenridge, and I like her immensely. All the boys at Brentnor
+think she's fine, and we all hope some grand romance will come out of
+the facts of her parentage. She doesn't come of any illiterate, common
+stock, Mamma. You may be sure of that. So I hope you'll be nice and
+not--not too _Stark-ish_ toward her, please!"
+
+So this was the girl who had saved life. Of that grim teacher opposite
+and, later, of a farmer's son out of a tree where he was hanging. Very
+creditable, of course, though it couldn't affect herself, Mrs. Ebenezer
+Vavasour-Stark, and she fixed her attention elsewhere.
+
+It was due to the Judge that she altered her opinion of her present
+quarters so far as to decide upon remaining in them; and to make the
+best of the whole trip, "which you know is but a prolonged picnic. As
+for air and health and strength, you could find nothing better the world
+over, my dear Madam," he had said.
+
+After that first dinner also she had a talk with her son; which resulted
+in his displaying a common sense that did him credit.
+
+"Look here, Mamma. Let's just pack all these over-fine togs in the
+trunks and leave them here to be sent to us when wanted. All we shall
+need, I fancy, is a suit-case a-piece with the plainest things we own.
+Even that 'fancy' hunter's suit I bought is ridiculous. The Judge uses
+the oldest sort of things--'regular rags,' Molly says; and I--I may _be_
+a fool but I don't like to _look_ like one! Do it, Mamma, to please me.
+And let's put our 'society' manners into the trunks with the clothes.
+Let's live, for these few weeks, as if we were real poor--as poor as
+Dolly or Miss Greatorex. I don't believe even that lady has any money to
+speak of and as for Dorothy, she hasn't a cent. Not a cent."
+
+"How do you know that, Montmorency? Are you on such intimate terms with
+that foundling that she confides the state of her finances to you? If
+so, she is probably hinting for presents."
+
+"Umm. Might be. Didn't look like it though when I proposed just now to
+buy her one of those Indian baskets on sale in the lobby. She wouldn't
+take one, though Molly took all I wanted to give--and more. _That_ girl
+hasn't any scruples about having a good time and letting anybody pay
+that wants to."
+
+"That, son, is a proof of good birth and breeding, she has always been
+accustomed to having her wants supplied and takes it as a matter of
+course. But, Monty darling, you must be good to Mamma. She doesn't feel
+as if she had come to a 'Paradise of a place,' as you told me I would
+find it. Yet if it pleases you to see your mother dressed like a servant
+why, of course, for your sake I'll consent. But I warn you, no
+skylarking with underbred people or I shall take you straight home."
+
+This little conversation shows that Mrs. Hungerford was right when she
+informed her brother on that same evening:
+
+"We made a blunder when we allowed the Starks to join our personal
+party. They fit into it about as well as a round peg in a square hole.
+The woman--Well, she may be high-born and rich but I don't want our
+Molly to copy her notions. She's not nice, either, to poor Miss Isobel
+nor Dorothy. The result is that Miss Greatorex has grown more difficult
+and 'stiff' than she was in the beginning. Such a pity when she's just
+begun to get softer and more human!"
+
+In his heart the Judge was not over-pleased by this untoward opening of
+the new association, but he wouldn't admit it to her. He merely said:
+
+"I'm sorry if you're going to let the prejudices of silly women spoil
+your own vacation. Don't do it. Just remember what you often say, that
+human nature is the same everywhere. We have the pride of wealth to
+contend with on one hand and the pride of poverty on the other; but
+beneath each sort of pride lies an honest heart. I believe it, and that
+we shall yet see these two opposing elements merged in a warm
+friendship. Watch for it. It takes all sorts of people to make a world
+and another sort will be added, to-morrow, when Melvin joins us. Throw
+in the college Prex, the millionaire financier, and surgeon Mantler, and
+we shall have a miniature world of our own in our traveling mates."
+
+"Schuyler, you haven't told me yet what part that lad Melvin is to play
+in this 'world.' Why did you ask him?"
+
+"To test him, Lu, nothing else. His mother is anxious he should make a
+man of himself and isn't sure how best he can. She permitted him to take
+a bugler's place on the 'Prince' because he wanted to try a sea-faring
+life. Two seasons of it, even under the comfortable conditions of a
+passenger steamship, has sickened him of that. He fancied he could be a
+musician and has talent sufficient only to 'bugle.' Now he wants to see
+the world, though he didn't dream I was to offer him a chance. She
+thinks he would make a good lawyer, and so his uncle Ephraim thinks. Her
+pastor thinks he ought to be a minister; and the only point upon which
+all his friends and himself agree is that he should not spend all his
+days in 'Ya'mouth.' I'm going to take him to camp with me, to act as
+handy-man for all of us. That will give me a chance to see what stuff
+he's made of; and if he's worth it--if he's worth it--I'll take him down
+to Richmond and set him at the law.
+
+"Molly, however, must let him alone. That girl can upset more plans than
+the wisest man can lay; and if she gets to teasing him on account of his
+strange bashfulness she'll scare him away from us and disappoint his
+mother's tender heart. _She_ thinks that 'son' is a paragon of all the
+virtues. So does this other mother who's just joined us, think of her
+beloved Montmorency Vavasour-Stark. What a name! Between them and their
+'laddies' I reckon I shall have less peace than from the wildest of
+tricksy Molly's capers."
+
+"Schuyler, you mustn't be hard on her. She's exactly like what you were
+at her age! And she is the dearest child, you know it!"
+
+"I must have been what you call 'a sweet thing,' then! But, of course,
+she's my own 'crow,' therefore she's pure white," laughed the adoring
+father, with more earnest than jest.
+
+"Also, brother, in all your plans for others don't forget little
+Dorothy's. I know you're busy but I must find out who her own people
+are. I _must_. It's a sin and a heartless one to keep her young heart
+longer in suspense. I know she often ponders the thing, in spite of her
+cheerfulness, even gayety."
+
+To which he returned:
+
+"Don't attribute more pondering to her than belongs. Of the two I fancy
+you do the most of that. Nor think I've forgotten her interests. Her
+history is already being unravelled, thread by thread, and stitch by
+stitch. When the thread's wound clear up I trust it may make a goodly
+ball."
+
+"Oh! my dear brother, what do you mean?" cried Aunt Lucretia, eagerly.
+
+"I mean that I set old Ephraim Cook to the task. He's already down at
+Annapolis, fairly burrowing in archives and genealogies, and the
+skeleton closets of all our old Maryland families. It's the most
+congenial task he ever undertook in all his generally-useful life; for
+back here in 'Markland' he's long ago prepared a history of the
+peninsula that deserve publishing. He can trace every Bluenose household
+to its very beginning, and claims his own came to this side the sea in
+the Mayflower. That's one reason he wants Melvin, the last of his race,
+to make a name for it. Trust me he'll forage for our Dorothy better than
+I could myself; but he isn't to disturb us with letters of theories or
+'maybes.' When he gets his facts--hurrah for the _dénoûment_! Now, dear,
+to your rest. The burdens of a peacemaker rest on your shoulders
+but--you'll make and keep the peace. Good night."
+
+After all, when the sun rose on the following morning and this oddly
+assorted traveling party met to discuss the day's plans, each was so
+rested and refreshed that an abnormal amiability pervaded the whole
+group.
+
+"What would you like to do best?" "Oh, no! You say!" "I'm sure whatever
+the rest propose will be agreeable to me in the way of sight-seeing."
+"Or even staying quietly at the hotel and just enjoying the outlook on
+the sea."
+
+Such were the remarks exchanged and with such suavity of manner that
+Molly clapped her hands and cried:
+
+"I declare, you're all too sweet to be wholesome! And it happens that I
+know what _I_ want to do, even if you don't. Let's go away down to the
+end, I mean the beginning, of the town where they are curing fish. I saw
+them from the car window, and even then they were so interesting. I mean
+the fish were. Or--or the things where they fixed them. And, beg pardon,
+Mrs. Stark, even if you looked at that water all day long you couldn't
+make it into a 'sea.' It's only a Basin, the fag end of Annapolis Basin.
+Yonder, where there are so many sails and steamers, is the Bay of Fundy,
+and to get to the really truly sea you must go beyond that. The reason
+I'm so wise, if you want to know, is that I've been here twenty-four
+hours longer than you and I improved my time by asking questions."
+
+With that the little maid swept her new acquaintance a courtesy and
+smiled so sweetly that any presumption on her girlish part was readily
+forgiven. Besides she was a Breckenridge; and though Mrs. Stark had now
+resolved to be as "democratic" as her new friends were it was easier
+resolved than practiced. If it had been Dorothy who ventured to plan for
+her elders her suggestions would have been coolly ignored.
+
+The Judge drew near in time to hear the end of the talk and added:
+
+"That is a sight we won't meet elsewhere in the same proportion as here.
+Also, the walk will do us good, and we shall pass the postoffice on our
+way. I like going for my own mail to the 'general delivery' better than
+having it sent to the hotel. I like the mingling with the eager crowd
+that waits before the little window to ask: 'Anything for me?' I like to
+watch the faces of the people when they open their letters. One can
+guess the 'home' ones by the expression of joy and the merely friendly
+by the indifference. I like--"
+
+"Dear Schuyler, spare us! If there's anything upon earth you _don't_
+like that's even half-way interesting I can't guess it." Then turning to
+Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Hungerford added: "Brother is like a boy when he gets
+leave of absence, this way. Suppose you walk along with him and find out
+if there is anything he _doesn't_ like along the way."
+
+Her brother gave her an arch glance. Evidently she had begun her
+peaceful adjustment of "assorted" temperaments by assigning himself to
+Mrs. Stark's escort, though she knew all the time that he wanted to be
+with the youngsters. She placed herself along side Miss Isobel, smiling
+at that lady's inquiry if she were going into a public street without a
+hat.
+
+"Surely. 'When in Rome do as the Romans do,' you remember. And see.
+Though most of the people have on some sort of wrap very few women are
+bonneted and even the men carry their hats in hand. Brother has snatched
+his off already."
+
+The Judge was in front, attentively courteous and listening to Mrs.
+Stark's remarks, yet seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; for
+presently he asked:
+
+"What are you youngsters lagging behind for? Dolly, take Melvin under
+your shelter and make him tell you everything you want to know about
+Digby. He's been here before many times, I've learned. And Molly, you
+and Monty walk ahead if you please. I like to keep my eye on my own and
+I fancy Mrs. Stark does too."
+
+Separated from these two, who had been in the rear of the whole party,
+Melvin did exert himself to overcome his abnormal shyness and to talk;
+and when after proceeding a little way and his finding Dorothy eagerly
+observant of even the most trivial things that were new to her, he had
+an abrupt burst of courage--or was it a harmless spite against his
+tormentor of the day before, Molly? Whatever it was that emboldened him,
+he suddenly laid his hand on her arm and said:
+
+"Wait just a minute! There comes a man I know. He's a transplanted
+Yarmouthian who's moved to Digby to 'haul' for his livelihood. He'll be
+glad to see me and hear the news from home; and won't want to waste time
+in doing it. I'll ask him to give us a ride. I don't believe either of
+you girls from the States ever did ride in such an equipage."
+
+She had paused as he wished and was listening in surprise. As much
+because he talked so well and so easily as at the really joyous tone in
+which he hailed his uncouth acquaintance from "Home."
+
+"Hello, Snackenberg! Here am I! Give me a ride?"
+
+"Well, well, well! Son of all the Cooks! What you doin' here? Allowed
+you was sailin' the 'blue and boundless' just about now!" cried the
+teamster and leaning forward shook the lad so heartily by his own hard
+hand that Melvin squealed and protested:
+
+"Well, we can't stand here, you know. I'll just help this young lady
+in--she's from the States--and you can jog on."
+
+The team was of the sort that is always willing to stop, and the
+"equipage" was easily entered by merely stepping into its open rear. It
+swung low to the ground, after the fashion of Nova Scotian carts, and
+for seats it had a bundle of clean straw.
+
+In another moment the animals had been goaded to fresh effort, their
+owner had turned about on the chain where he balanced himself for a seat
+and also turned a corner into a side street that climbed the hill behind
+the town. Then he ordered:
+
+"Fire ahead! Tell everything you know; and I say, Sissy, did you ever
+see a purtier pair of creeturs than them be? I'm prouder of 'em than I
+could be of the finest team o' thoroughbreds ever stepped. Gee, there!
+Haw, I tell ye!"
+
+Beyond, at the postoffice, the truants had been suddenly missed; and
+with varying degrees of anxiety their elders were asking one another:
+
+"What do you suppose has become of Dorothy and that queer boy?"
+
+But Molly was more vexed than anxious and she looked upon Monty with
+rising disfavor. She guessed that they were having some fun from which
+she was shut out and which Montmorency Vavasour-Stark would never have
+had the originality to suggest.
+
+"Oh! I wish I knew! Maybe they're eating each other up! Yesterday she
+asked if he was a 'wildcat' and I told her 'yes.' Maybe, maybe--Oh! Why
+did you make us walk in front, namby-pamby so, Papa dear? If we'd been
+with them we'd know what they are doing and what has happened. Oh! dear!
+If I hadn't been in front I'd have been behind!" she complained. Nor was
+she greatly pleased by the laugh which her Irish-cism raised.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+AN OX-OMOBILE AND A SAILBOAT
+
+
+Even Melvin had not expected that Dorothy and he would long be away from
+the rest of the party, though he did not realize that he was in any wise
+responsible to them, since his duties as camp-helper had not yet begun.
+But he enjoyed his freedom from the society of so many strangers and
+found Dorothy a pleasant companion. She might have been just another
+boy, for any "nonsense" there was about her; and she was so delighted
+with everything he pointed out that he, also, began to find new beauties
+in the familiar scenery, and to grow eager to show her all he could.
+
+For the teamster prolonged his journey to the very crest of the hill
+behind the town, and made it slowly. He had so many questions to ask
+concerning his old neighbors that he delayed all he reasonably could and
+rather resented Melvin's attempts to entertain Dorothy.
+
+"That's Point Prim lighthouse, yonder. See? Yes, Joel, Reuben Smith did
+paint his house bright blue, just as he vowed he would to spite his
+neighbor. That's Digby Gap, where the two hills come so near together in
+the water. The boats that sail from here have to pass through it and
+travelers say--No. I didn't hear what price that Company did get for its
+last 'catch.' Lobsters haven't been running so free this year, I hear;
+and there's another company started canning them. If Judge Breckenridge
+stays long enough I hope he'll take you sailing up Bear River. It's a
+nice drive there, too, but the sail is better. Up yonder is the
+Joggin--Why, Joel, I'm sure I don't know. I hadn't heard."
+
+Such was a sample of the talk which went on and which provoked from the
+lad, at last, the comment:
+
+"Learning under difficulties!" which he said with such an amused glance
+toward Dorothy that she laughed and felt that Molly had been right in
+her belief that "that boy has some fun in him." Thought of Molly made
+her also exclaim:
+
+"Oh! I do wish she were here! She would have liked this so much! I don't
+believe she ever rode in an ox-cart either, any more than I did before.
+How funny it is! And how much longer shall we be? I'm afraid I ought to
+have asked Mrs. Hungerford or Miss Greatorex before I came. But I didn't
+think. I never do think till--afterward."
+
+"Glad of it. Glad you didn't, else likely you'd have lost the ride. Joel
+doesn't call this an ox-cart, though. Not by any means. This, if you
+please, is an 'ox-omobile,' and very proud of it he is. Guess you
+needn't worry. Nobody can get lost in little Digby; and--Where now,
+Joel? How much longer will you be?"
+
+"Oh! I reckon not long. Just a little minute or few. Depends on folks
+havin' their trunks ready to haul. Some towerists have been stopping up
+here to one these houses and engaged me to take their luggage down to
+the pier. They're goin' over to St. John, I reckon, only one of 'em.
+She's goin' to the dee-po. When we go down hill you two may set on the
+trunks--if you can!" and Mr. Snackenberg laughed at his own thoughts.
+
+The trunks did happen to be ready. Indeed the "towerists" were even
+impatient to be gone and were just starting to walk to the pier when the
+carter arrived. They looked rather enviously at Dorothy and Melvin, so
+comfortably seated in the cart, but its owner did not extend an
+invitation to them to ride. Indeed, as he explained to his companions:
+
+"If I was a mind I could have all Digby village a ridin' in my
+'ox-omobile.' They seem to think it's powerful cunnin', as if they'd
+never seen a team of oxen before. Where've they lived at, I'd like to
+know, that they don't know an ox when they see it. There. Them trunks is
+in. Now, Sissy, you just set right down and--You'll find out the rest."
+
+The trunks did fill the cart pretty well but there was plenty of room to
+put one's feet in the spaces between; and Dorothy fixed herself
+comfortably, wondering why Melvin disdained to ride but strode along
+beside the teamster who also walked. Throned in solitary state all went
+well for awhile, until a corner was turned and the steep descent into
+the town began. Then the trunks slid upon the slippery hay, resting
+their weight against the chain at the rear, which alone prevented their
+falling out; and after a few efforts to maintain her seat Dorothy also
+sprang to the ground and joined the others.
+
+"Ha, ha, ha! Ridin' up-hill and ridin' down is two quite different
+things, ain't it, Sissy? Ever been to the pier to see the boat start
+across the Bay to St. John's, New Brunswick? No? First time you been to
+the Province? All right. You stick close to me and I'll p'int out all
+the 'lions' there is to see. Melvin, here, can talk as glib as the next
+one when he gets waked up, but I know more about Digby 'an he does. One
+the sights towerists rave the most over is the fish-grounds. They're
+right adj'ining the pier and you can kill them two 'lions' at once. Ha,
+ha!"
+
+"But, sir, I'm afraid I ought to go back. I mean--to where my friends
+are. Is the pier on the road home?" asked Dorothy.
+
+"All roads lead home--for somebody. The pier and the fish-curin' grounds
+amongst 'em. Don't you vex yourself, Sissy. If you was to go from one
+end to the other of this little town you couldn't never get fur from
+where you live."
+
+The truth was that the old teamster wanted to keep the young folks with
+him as long as he could. There were still numberless questions he hadn't
+put to Melvin and he had taken a fancy to Dorothy. If she was simply a
+"towerist" she was, of course, an idler and it was of no consequence her
+wasting her time. He hadn't learned yet why Melvin was here and if he
+didn't find that out he felt he "couldn't bear it." So now he asked:
+
+"Well, son of all the Cooks, what's fetched you here this time o' day?
+Lost your job?"
+
+"Not exactly. I've given it up. I'm tired of sailing back and forth over
+the same old route and a friend of mine wanted to take my place. I'm
+going to help a gentleman I know in his camping out. Cook, maybe, or
+whatever he wants. Now--that's all. You needn't ask me how much I earn,
+or what's next, or anything. You just go ahead and tell this Miss
+Dorothy anything you fancy; since you know so much more of things than I
+do."
+
+"H'ity-t'ity! Miffed, be ye? Never mind. You'd ought to rest your
+tongue, 'cause I 'low it's never wagged so fast afore in your whole
+life. But I'm ekal to it. I'm ekal. I've growed to be a regular 'Digby
+chicken,' I've tarried here so long already. Ever eat 'Digby chicken,'
+Sissy?"
+
+Joel was affronted in his own turn now and determined to ignore that
+"Miss" which Melvin had pronounced so markedly. Joel wasn't used to
+"Miss"-ing any girl of Dorothy's size and he wasn't going to begin at
+his time of life. Not he!
+
+Meanwhile, Melvin had relapsed into utter silence. He declined to answer
+any of the teamster's further questions, and if his knowledge of the
+locality had been quite as accurate as he had boasted he would have
+suggested to the girl that they take a short-cut back to the hotel. Yet,
+he had heard that teasing Molly say they were bound for the
+fish-grounds. Beyond these lay, also, that notable Battery Point, with
+its rusty old guns; its ancient, storm-bent trees; and the Indian
+encampment still further along. He had seen tourists so many times that
+he fancied they were all alike, full of curiosity, and with ample
+leisure to gratify it. So, in all probability, the Judge and his friends
+were still at that end of town and he had better stick to Joel till he
+conducted the girl and him to their presence. Then he would himself
+vanish until such time as the Judge might require his service.
+
+They came to the pier and drove along its great length, the teamster
+pointing out all sorts of interesting things, so that Dolly forgot all
+else in her eager listening.
+
+"Forty feet high the tide rises sometimes, right on this very p'int.
+That's why it's built so lofty. Look over the edge. See that sloping
+wharf clean down into the water? Well, sir, that's where folks land
+sometimes; and other times away up top here. My heart! The pretty
+creetur!"
+
+Joel abruptly checked his team and stooped above something lying on the
+wide planking of the pier. Then he lifted the object and handed it to
+Dorothy, explaining:
+
+"That's a poor little coddy-moddy! A little baby gull. Pity! Something's
+hurt it, but it's alive yet. Makes me feel bad to see any young creetur
+suffer; most of all to see a bird. Put it in the crook of your elbow,
+Sissy, and fetch it along. I'll take it home with me and see if I can't
+save its life."
+
+After a moment he added, seeing her look wistful, as he thought:
+
+"I'd give it to you, Sissy, but towering folks haven't no time nor
+chance to tend sick birds. It'll be better off in my house than jogglin'
+over railroads and steamboats."
+
+There was sense in this as Dorothy rather reluctantly admitted, for she
+would have liked to keep the "coddy-moddy" and made a pet of it. With
+Joel, however, it would simply be cured and set free, or it would die in
+peace. Also she was touched by the real tenderness with which the
+rough-handed teamster made a nest in the straw of his cart and placed
+the bird upon it.
+
+He had first deposited the trunks in the baggage-room and there was
+nothing to keep him longer; so with another whimsical glance at Melvin,
+who had sauntered behind them, he remarked:
+
+"Right this way to the fishin'-grounds! 'Stinks a little but nothin' to
+hurt!'"
+
+Then in the fatherly fashion which almost every man she met adopted
+toward her, he held out his hand to Dorothy C. and led her back over the
+pier and around to the broad field where numbers of men were salting and
+piling the haddock and cod they had caught. The fish were piled in
+circles or wheel-like heaps, after they were sufficiently dried; and the
+fresher ones were spread upon long frames to "cure." It was a great
+industry in that locality and one so interesting to Dorothy that she
+wanted to linger and watch the toilers despite the decidedly "fishy"
+odor which filled the air.
+
+But Joel said that he must leave them then and, after pointing with his
+whip to a grassy plain beyond the fishing-grounds, advised:
+
+"Best step right over to the Battery, Sissy, now you're so nigh it. I've
+learned in my life that things don't happen twice alike. Maybe you won't
+be just here again in such terr'ble agreeable company--" and he
+playfully touched Melvin on the shoulder--"and best improve it. And,
+Sissy, strikes me you're real likely. Sort of a common sense sort of
+little creetur without so many airs as some the girl-towerists put on.
+If so be 't you stop a spell in Digby just tip me the wink and I'll haul
+you with any load I happen to have on my 'Mobile.' Or, if so be we never
+meet again on earth, be sure, little Sissy, 't you meet me in Heaven.
+Good-by, till then."
+
+Off he went and left Dorothy standing looking after him with something
+very like tears in her brown eyes. Such a quaint figure he looked in his
+long blue smock, his worn hat pushed to the back of his head, his sandy
+beard sweeping his breast; jogging beside his beloved team, doing his
+duty simply as he found it "in that state of life to which it had
+pleased God to call him."
+
+"He's a very religious man, Joel Snackenberg, and never loses a chance
+to 'pass the word.' My mother sets great store by him and I must write
+her about our meeting him. Shall we go to the Battery or back to the
+hotel? Your friends don't--aren't anywhere in sight, so I suppose
+they've gone there," remarked Melvin.
+
+"Then we ought. Indeed, I feel afraid we've stayed too long; and yet I
+can't be sorry, since we've met that dear old man."
+
+Melvin had promptly recovered his "glibness" upon the departure of the
+teamster; and though he looked at her in some surprise he answered:
+
+"I don't believe many girls would call him 'dear.' I shouldn't have
+thought of doing so myself. That Molly wouldn't, I know; but you have a
+way of making folks--folks forget themselves and show their best sides
+to you, so I guess. Anyhow, I never talked so much to any girl before,
+and you're the only one in all that crowd I don't feel shy of. Even that
+boy--Hmm."
+
+"Thank you. That's the nicest thing I ever had said to me. And don't you
+think that life--just the mere living--is perfectly grand? All the time
+meeting new people and finding out new, beautiful things about them?
+Like Mr. Snackenberg asking me to meet him in Heaven. It was certainly
+an odd thing to say, it startled me, but it was beautiful--beautiful.
+Now--do you know the road home?"
+
+"Sure. We'll be there in five minutes."
+
+"All right. Lead the way. And say, Melvin Cook, do one more nice thing,
+please. Forgive my darling Molly for the prank she played on you and be
+the same friendly way to her you've been to me."
+
+"Well, I'll try. But I don't promise I'll succeed."
+
+They hurried back over the main street of the town to their inn, past
+the postoffice where a throng of tourists were still waiting for
+possible mail, past the little shops with their tempting display of
+"notions" representative of the locality, until they reached one window
+in which some silverware was exposed for sale.
+
+Something within caught Melvin's eye, and he laughed:
+
+"Look there, miss."
+
+"Dorothy, please!"
+
+"Look there, Dorothy! There's your 'Digby chicken' with a vengeance!"
+and he pointed toward some trinkets the dealer was exhibiting to
+customers within. Among the articles a lot of tiny silver fish, labeled
+as he had said, and made in some way with a spring so that they wriggled
+from the tip of a pin, or guard, in typical fish-fashion.
+
+"Oh! aren't they cute! How I would like to buy one! Do you suppose they
+cost very much?" cried Dorothy, delighted.
+
+"I'll ask," he said and did; and returning from the interior announced:
+"Fifty cents for the smallest one, seventy-five for the others."
+
+She sighed and her face fell. "Might as well be seventy-five dollars, so
+far as I'm concerned. I have exactly five cents, and I shouldn't have
+had that only I found it left over in my jacket pocket. You see, once I
+had five dollars. How much is that in Nova Scotia money?"
+
+"Just the same. Five dollars."
+
+"Well, come on. I mustn't stand and 'covet,' but I would so love to have
+that for Alfaretta. I promised to bring her something home and that
+would please her to death!"
+
+"Good thing she isn't to have it then!" he returned.
+
+Dorothy laughed. "Course. I don't mean that. I'm always getting reproved
+for 'extravagant language.' Miss Rhinelander says it's almost as bad as
+extravagant--umm, doing. You know what I mean. Listen. I'll tell you how
+I lost it, but we must hurry. I smell dinners in the houses we pass and
+I reckon it's mighty late."
+
+She narrated the story of her loss and her New York experiences in a few
+graphic sentences; and had only concluded when they reached the hotel
+piazza, bordering the street, and saw their whole party sitting there
+waiting the dinner summons. The faces of the elders all looked a little
+stern, even that of the genial Judge himself; and Molly promptly voiced
+the thoughts of the company when she demanded:
+
+"Well, I should like to know where you have been! We were afraid
+something had happened, and I think it's mean, real mean I say, to scare
+people who are on a holiday. Dorothy, child, where have you been?"
+
+"Ox-omobiling," answered poor Dorothy, meekly, and feeling as if she
+were confessing a positive crime.
+
+"W-h-a-t?" gasped Molly amazed.
+
+"Ox-omobiling. I didn't mean--"
+
+"What in the world is that? Did you do it with that boy? Is
+he--where--what--do tell and not plague me so."
+
+"No. I did it with the man who--" Here culprit Dolly looked up and
+caught the stern, questioning gaze of Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, and her wits
+fled. "With Joel, and I'm to meet him in--in Heaven--right away."
+
+Utter silence greeted this strange answer, part of which had been made
+to Miss Greatorex's austere gesture. This signified on the lady's part
+that her ward was late and hindering the meal and was so understood by
+the frightened girl. She looked around for Melvin to corroborate her
+statement but he had vanished. Having escorted her into sight of her
+friends he considered his duty done and disappeared.
+
+"Dorothy! You've been having adventures, I see, and have got things a
+trifle 'mixed.' Best say no more now, till we all get over our
+dinner-crossness and then tell us the whole story. Since you are safely
+back no real harm is done; and, friends, shall we go in to table? The
+second bell has rung," asked Mrs. Hungerford, smiling yet secretly
+annoyed by the delay Dorothy's absence had caused.
+
+The Judge had received more letters from his "Boys" and even more
+urgent ones. That meant cutting short their stay in every town they
+visited; even omitting some desirable places from their list. It had
+been decided that they must leave Digby on Monday, the next day but one,
+and they wished to utilize every moment of the time between in visiting
+its most attractive points.
+
+"Now, we'll take that ride. I was going to get Melvin to drive one small
+rig with the young folks and I would drive another surrey with us
+elders. He's taken himself off, though, so I'll just order a buckboard
+that will hold us all," said the Judge, when they had rather hastily
+finished their meal.
+
+So they did, and presently the four-seated wagon with its four horses
+and capable driver tooled up to the entrance and the party entered it.
+All but Monty Stark. Much to his mother's annoyance and regret, that
+young gentleman firmly objected to the trip.
+
+"I don't want to go. I hate driving. I don't care a rap for all the
+lighthouses or Bear Rivers in the world. I'd rather stay right here and
+watch the fishermen. I never had such a chance to see them so close at
+hand and--I--do--not want--to go."
+
+"Montmorency, darling! Don't turn nasty and spoil all poor Mamma's
+pleasure, don't. I can't see what's the matter with you, dear? You have
+been positively disagreeable ever since we took that walk. Did you get
+too tired, lovey? Is Mamma's baby boy ill?"
+
+"Oh! Mamma, please! I _shall_ be ill if you don't quit molly-coddling
+me, as if I were an infant in arms."
+
+They were speaking apart and in low tones, so that she caught but the
+word "Molly" and instantly inquired:
+
+"Is it that girl, dearest? Has she been behaving badly to you? You
+mustn't mind her sharp tongue, she's only a--a Breckenridge!"
+
+"Yes, she has been behaving outrageously. She's made me feel as cheap as
+two cents. Just because I couldn't think of any remarkably funny thing
+to do in this horrid old town--Oh! go on, and let me be. I'm not mad
+with you, Mamma, but I shan't go on that ride and be perched on a seat
+with either of those wretched girls, nor any old woman either, for the
+whole afternoon. Do go--they're waiting, and they'll wish no Starks had
+ever been born. I guess they wish it already."
+
+Perforce, she had to go; but it wasn't a happy drive for her. If her
+adored Monty was disgruntled over anything she felt the world a gloomy
+place. She did exert herself to be agreeable to the Judge, who sat
+beside her, yielding his place on the driver's seat to Molly, whose
+manner was almost as "crisp" as Montmorency's own. But she would rather
+have stayed behind to look after her son; and had she known what was to
+happen on that sunshiny afternoon she would have been even more sorry
+that she had not followed her inclination.
+
+However, at that moment there was no cloud upon the day; and no sooner
+had the buckboard disappeared from sight than Montmorency Vavasour-Stark
+performed a sort of jig on the hotel verandah, threw up his cap, gave a
+loud Brentnor "yell" and dashed up the stairs to his room as fast as his
+short fat legs could move. Thence he soon reappeared, clad in his
+"athletics"--of which a broad-striped blue-and-white sweater attracted
+much attention.
+
+He had now become "plain boy." He had shed the "young gentleman" with
+vigor and completeness and was bent upon any sort of "lark" that would
+restore his usual good nature and complacency. He had observed whither
+disappeared the various bell-boys when off duty and meant "to stir up"
+one of them if nothing better offered.
+
+Something better did offer, in the shape of Melvin Cook; calmly munching
+a slice of bread and butter in the stable-yard and as rejoiced as Monty
+himself to be quit for a time of women and girls and "manners" in
+general.
+
+Montmorency hadn't been attracted before to this "son of all the Cooks,"
+who was so fair of face and slender of build, but now he reflected that
+if he obtained permission to go into camp with the "Boys," and the
+Judge, Melvin would, perforce, be his daily companion. As well begin now
+as ever then; so he accosted the bugler with the question:
+
+"Say, can't you get up something dandy for the rest of the day? We've
+shed those folks till dark, I guess, and I'm dying for anything doing.
+Eh?"
+
+"I've hired a sail boat and am going out alone, except for Tommy here."
+
+Tommy was the most juvenile of all the bell-boys, a lad of not more than
+ten, who tried to appear quite as old as these others and who now
+strutted forward announcing:
+
+"Yes, me and him is going out in the 'Digby Chicken.' A tidy craft but
+we'll manage her all right, all right."
+
+"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" cried Monty, patting the child's shoulder and
+incidentally slipping a quarter into the little fellow's open palm; for
+it was a habit of the richer lad to bestow frequent tips whenever he
+journeyed anywhere, enjoying the popularity this gave him with his
+"inferiors."
+
+"A sail-boat? Can you manage a sail-boat, Melvin Cook, by yourself
+without a man to help you?" he demanded in sincere astonishment.
+
+"Feel that!" answered Melvin, placing Monty's hand upon his "muscle."
+"There's a bit of strength in that arm, eh, what? And you may not know
+that I come of a race of sailors and have almost lived upon the water
+all my life. Manage a sail-boat? Huh! If you choose to come along I'll
+show you."
+
+Ten minutes later they were moving out in a their frail craft from the
+little pier across the street from the hotel; Melvin for skipper, Tommy
+for mate, and Montmorency for a passenger. That was the beginning. It
+did not dawn upon any of the trio what the ending of that sail would be.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+WHAT BEFELL A "DIGBY CHICKEN"
+
+
+The second bell for the last meal of the day had again rung, and again
+the Breckenridge party waited on the verandah for delinquents. Mrs.
+Stark positively declined to enter the dining-room until she had found
+out what had become of Montmorency. Mrs. Hungerford as positively
+declined to leave Mrs. Stark, and the Judge's temper was again being
+sorely tried. Their twenty-mile drive and sight-seeing had sharpened
+appetites that already were quite sharp enough and the eminent jurist
+wanted his supper. To walk off his impatience, if he could, he paced up
+and down the long verandah at a brisk rate, which did not tend to allay
+that uncomfortable feeling in his "inner man."
+
+The hotel proprietor left the dining-room, where he personally
+superintended the serving of his guests, and joined the Judge, advising
+and complaining:
+
+"We've the usual Saturday, week-end crowd in the house and I'd like to
+have your party get through in yonder soon's you can, if you please.
+I'm driven half-crazy, nights like this, by the demands and exactions
+of these transient people. I need every man-jack of the help and
+somebody says that Tommy has gone off with your lads. Tommy is small but
+he's the best bell-boy in the house and--I'll trounce him well when he
+gets back for serving me such a trick. Best get your dinner now, Judge,
+or I'll not promise you'll be able to later. Excuse me for urging, it's
+in your own interest, and--There comes another load from somewhere! and
+I haven't a room to give them. Cots in the parlor, if they choose,
+nothing better?"
+
+With that he hurried to meet the newcomers and the Judge said to Aunt
+Lu:
+
+"We certainly should go in to table now. It does no good to sit here and
+wait. That doesn't bring the runaways any sooner and they'd ought to go
+without their suppers if they're so thoughtless of our comfort. Mrs.
+Stark, won't you come?"
+
+Then he observed that the lady was weeping copiously. It was now fixed
+in her mind that Monty was drowned. She had been told that he had gone
+sailing with that other dreadful bugler-boy the Judge had picked up,
+and, of course, this was the only explanation of his absence. She
+refused to be comforted and would have gone out in a boat herself to
+search for her son had she felt this would be of the slightest use.
+Indeed, she was fast becoming hysterical, and Mrs. Hungerford shook her
+head negatively when her brother begged her to leave her post and come
+with him.
+
+"Very well, then, sister, Miss Greatorex and the girls and I will go
+without you. Afterward, when the boys come, I'll try to have a special
+meal served for you somewhere. If I can! Come, Molly, Dolly; and I'm
+glad that you, Miss Greatorex, have some sense."
+
+So they departed and finding that Mrs. Stark was attracting the
+attention of the other guests upon the piazza, Aunt Lucretia persuaded
+her to cross the street to the pavilion that stood upon the bluff above
+the water and that was now deserted.
+
+"From there we can see the boat as soon as it approaches, dear Mrs.
+Stark, and I feel sure you've no cause for such anxiety. Doubtless the
+boys have been fishing and have not realized how long. It is still
+bright daylight yonder and these are glorious moonlight nights. Even if
+they stayed out till bedtime they could see all right enough."
+
+Mrs. Stark followed the advice to seek the pavilion; yet simply because
+it brought her that much nearer her lost darling. But when a tray of
+supper was sent out to the two ladies there she refused to touch it and
+her grief spoiled her companion's appetite as well.
+
+After a little time Miss Greatorex and the girls retired to their rooms,
+at the Judge's advice. He too had at last become infected with the
+anxious mother's forebodings and felt that there was no need for Molly
+and Dolly to be also frightened. Then he joined the watchers in the
+pavilion, where the other guests refrained from disturbing them,
+although it was a favorite resort on pleasant evenings.
+
+Many a boat came back to the various small piers extending from the
+shore into the water, here and there, but none was the little "Digby
+Chicken." Her owner took his place at the end of the pier and sat down
+to wait. Of all his boats she was the newest and prettiest. She had
+sailed out into the sunlight glistening with white paint, her new sail
+white and unstained, and on her shining hull a decoration of herring
+surrounding her red-lettered name. It had been the builder's conceit to
+omit the name, the string of painted fish answering for it to all but
+"foreigners;" but as it had been built for the use of these "foreigners"
+or "tourists" the printed words had finally been added.
+
+Minutes passed. Quarter-hours; an hour; two of them; even three. There
+was no longer any moonlight. The distant cliffs and headlands became
+invisible. One could only guess where the Gap strove to close the
+entrance to an outer world. The hotel verandah became more and more
+deserted, and one by one the lights in the upper windows shone out for a
+time, then disappeared. Gradually all lights vanished save those in the
+lobby and a faint glimmer from a corridor above.
+
+Though wraps has been early sent out to the anxious watchers in the
+pavilion, now heavy steamer rugs were brought, to keep out that
+penetrating chill. The Judge had on his heaviest overcoat and yet
+shivered, himself covering his long legs with a thick blanket. He had
+made several efforts to induce Mrs. Stark to go indoors but all had
+failed.
+
+The fog that was slowly rising when the boat-owner took his station on
+the little quay below had crept nearer and nearer into shore, and
+finally enveloped everything and hidden it. So dense it was that from
+his bench on one side the circular pavilion the Judge could barely make
+out the white pillars on its opposite side. A lamp had been lighted in
+the roof but against this Mrs. Stark had vehemently protested, because
+it made that wall of white mist seem closer and more impenetrable, and
+without it she fancied that her eye could still pierce the distance,
+still discover any incoming craft.
+
+About midnight the wind rose and the fog began to thin and scatter. The
+boatman on the pier had long ago left it, forced off by the rising tide,
+and now sat floating in one of the row-boats fastened there. He had put
+on his oilskins and set his oars in readiness for the first sign of
+distress on the face of the waters; but he had about given up hope of
+his pretty "Digby Chicken." That a couple of touring lads, even though
+one had protested that he was a good sailor, that these should come
+safely through a night like this seemed unlikely; but now that the wind
+was rising and the fog lifting, he drew his boat close under the pole at
+the pier's end and lighted the lantern which swung there. There was now
+a chance that its gleam might be seen from beyond and there had been
+none before.
+
+Then another time of waiting, which ended with the boatman pulling out
+from shore. The watchers above had heard nothing, had not even seen him
+leave, although the lantern had faintly shown him riding upon the wave,
+moored to the pier by a rope.
+
+But now, rubbing her strained eyes to clear their vision Mrs. Stark
+broke the long silence with a cry:
+
+"The man! He isn't there? He's gone--to meet them!"
+
+She was as sure of this now as she had been before that her son was
+drowned, and Mrs. Hungerford slipped an arm about her waist in pity. She
+dared not think what the result would be of a fresh disappointment.
+
+However, their long vigil was really ended. The trained ear of the
+boatman had caught a faint halloo from somewhere on the water and had
+rowed toward the sound with all his strength and speed. At intervals he
+had paused to answer and to listen--and the now swiftly dispersing fog
+enabled him also to see--and finally to utter a little malediction under
+his breath. It scarcely needed the glass he raised to show him the
+"Digby Chicken" riding quietly on the water not more than half a league
+off shore. Her sail was furled, she looked taut and trim, and he could
+discern a figure at her prow which raised its arms and again hallooed.
+
+"All's well that ends well." But it might not have been so well. The
+full story of that night's work did not transpire at once. All that Mrs.
+Stark knew was that she had her son once more within her close embrace;
+that he had been helped, even carried, up the narrow pier and placed
+dripping within her arms. She ascribed his soaked condition to the fact
+of the fog and not to the truth; and it was not until daylight came that
+he told her that. Then lying warm in his bed, with her hovering over him
+in a flutter of delight and reproof, he announced:
+
+"I tell you, Mamma, the only folks that amount to anything in this world
+are the poor ones!"
+
+"Very likely, love, very likely. Only don't distress yourself any more.
+I can't forgive that wretched little bugling boy for taking you out in
+that horrible boat and nearly killing you. You're very apt to have
+pneumonia or something--Don't you feel pretty ill now?"
+
+"Mamma, _you can't forgive him?_ What do you mean? Didn't anybody tell?"
+
+"Tell what, lovey. I certainly didn't stop to ask questions. All I cared
+for was to get you into bed and a warm breakfast or supper or whatever
+it is sent up."
+
+"Then you don't know that but for Melvin Cook I should be lying at the
+bottom of the Basin now, instead of in this bed?" demanded Monty,
+raising himself on his elbow.
+
+The pallor that overspread his mother's face was answer enough, and he
+blamed himself for the question. Even without knowing the worst truth
+she had evidently worried herself ill. But the mischief was done and
+when she asked: "What do you mean?" he thought it best to tell. Moreover
+he was anxious that she should know of Melvin's bravery at once. So he
+answered:
+
+"Well, I made a fool of myself. He had tackle and we fished along, just
+for nothing hardly, and I got cocky and jiggled the boat. Then when he
+said I'd better not but ought to lend a hand in working her and 'learn
+sense,' I--Well, I don't remember exactly what happened after that; only
+I got up on the gunwale, or edge of the 'Chicken' and the next I knew I
+was in the water. It all came over me in a flash that I couldn't swim
+and would drown and I shut my eyes and tried to say a prayer. But I
+couldn't think, and then I felt something grab me. It was that Melvin.
+He'd tossed off his jacket and dove for me and was dragging me to the
+surface and the boat. I tried to get hold of him tighter but he kicked
+me off and said if I did that we'd both go down. I thought we would,
+anyhow, so I did let go and then he got me to the boat, yanking me by
+the collar and--that was all for a good while. I--I was pretty sick I
+guess. I'd swallowed so much salt water and all. He and Tommy rubbed me
+and jounced me around and paid no attention to the boat, that kept
+drifting further out all the time.
+
+"I don't remember much else. I lay on the bottom of the thing and the
+boys put their coats over me to stop my shivering. Melvin said afterward
+that I shivered from fear and shock more than from dripping, too, but
+he couldn't stop for that. He had to try to get back to shore and the
+fog was rising.
+
+"Tommy told me a good deal, later on when I felt better. He said the fog
+got so thick Melvin was afraid to try and sail lest we should bump into
+some other craft. So we lay still till--I guess you know the rest. Now I
+want to hear, has anybody coddled either of those boys--heroes, both of
+'em--as you've coddled me? If they haven't been treated right I'll make
+it lively for somebody. Anyhow, I want to get up and dress. I'm ashamed
+of myself. When I see how other boys act I think I've been--Well, I
+won't call your lovey-dovey hard names! But you hear me say: I'll be a
+man after this or--or know the reason why!"
+
+It certainly was a long speech for a sick boy as Mrs. Stark persisted in
+considering him; and it left her shaken and most undecided on various
+points. Upon one, however, she was fully set; she would cut this Nova
+Scotia trip short at once. She would telegraph her husband in Boston and
+follow her telegram, bag and baggage, by that afternoon's train. With
+this resolve in mind she left the room; merely bidding her son "lie
+still till I come back."
+
+Then she descended to the hotel office and called for a telegraph blank.
+
+This was courteously provided; also pen and ink with which to inscribe
+it, which she promptly did, then the following dialogue:--
+
+"Please send this message at once, clerk."
+
+"Sorry, Madam, but I can't do it. Not to-day."
+
+"Why not?" haughtily.
+
+"Office is closed. No despatches sent on Sunday. Can do it about seven
+A. M. Monday."
+
+"You mean to tell me that ridiculous stuff? Where is the office? If this
+second-rate hotel can't accommodate its patrons I'll take it myself."
+
+"The office is at the railway station, Madam. You will find it closed."
+
+"Indeed? Well, when does the first train start for Yarmouth and a
+steamer for the States, either Boston or New York?"
+
+"At ten o'clock Monday morning. Upon arrival at Yarmouth meets steamers
+for both ports, Madam."
+
+"None, to-day?"
+
+"None, Madam. It is a law of the Province. From Saturday night to Monday
+morning all traffic is suspended."
+
+Mrs. Stark did not continue the dialogue. She couldn't. She was too
+astonished and too indignant. That she, Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, wife of the
+great banker of that name, should not be able to control a matter of
+this sort was simply incredible. With her head very high she left the
+desk and sought the Judge in his quiet corner of the piazza, where he
+sat, newspaper over face, trying to catch "forty winks" after his night
+of scant sleep.
+
+He suppressed a yawn as he rose at the lady's call.
+
+"Judge Breckenridge, a moment, if you please. Sorry to disturb you but
+it's most important. I want to send a telegram and that ridiculous
+clerk says I can't do it."
+
+"Quite right. I'd like to myself and can't."
+
+He placed a chair for her and she thoroughly aired her grievance. He
+sympathized but declared himself powerless to help her. She remarked:
+
+"It is simply outrageous. A trap to keep visitors here whether or no. My
+husband will make it his business to alter the whole thing. I must go
+and take Monty away from here. I am in fear for his life. I shan't rest
+till I see him safe back in his father's arms."
+
+The Judge listened courteously, but said:
+
+"We tourists have no business to find fault with the laws the
+Provincials make for themselves. We'd resent their interference in the
+States. As for taking your son away, just because of a little accident
+which ended all right, aren't you making a mistake? In any case, since
+you cannot get away till to-morrow, anyway, wouldn't it be wise for you
+to rest now and recuperate from your night of anxiety? Unless you will
+join us in church-going. Lucretia never lets me off that duty, even if I
+were inclined, but I'm not. Like herself I always enjoy service in
+strange churches. We would be most happy to have you?"
+
+"Thank you, but I couldn't. Not to-day. I'm too upset and weary. I
+couldn't leave my darling boy, either, after he's just been rescued from
+a--a watery grave. He's just told me that he fell, or was pushed
+overboard, and that the bugling boy was scared and helped him out. Oh!
+it makes me cold all over just to think of it!"
+
+The Judge was no longer sleepy. His tone was sharp and judicial as he
+asked:
+
+"Is that the version Montmorency gave of the affair?"
+
+Then when she hesitated to answer, he added:
+
+"Because I have heard quite a different one. I wormed it out of little
+Tommy, whom Melvin had threatened with punishment if he betrayed the
+really heroic part the 'bugling boy' played in the case. Doubly brave
+because, though he has tried his best to overcome it, Melvin has a
+horror of the sea. His father was drowned and if he followed his
+inclination the orphaned lad would never leave dry ground. But his race
+is a sea-faring one, and he knows that it may only be by following the
+profession of his forebears that he can ever earn a living for himself
+and his mother--though I should have put her first, as she certainly is
+in her son's thoughts. When Montmorency fooled and fell overboard--by no
+means was pushed--Melvin conquered his own horror and plunged after him.
+If he hadn't--Well, we shouldn't be talking so calmly together now, you
+and I."
+
+Poor Mrs. Stark! She was torn and tossed by more emotions than had ever
+been hers during her easy life, and each emotion was at variance with
+another. She dropped into a chair to collect herself; and at the end of
+a few moments remarked:
+
+"If that is the case I will do something for the boy. Whatever amount
+of money you think suitable, I will give you a check for."
+
+He wanted to retort sharply, but he didn't. He forced himself to say
+quite gently:
+
+"No payment, Mrs. Stark, would prove acceptable. In his victory over
+himself and his own cowardice Melvin has grown richer than any dollars
+could make him. If you will pardon my advice, don't offer him anything
+save kindness and don't make that too conspicuous. A shy boy needs
+careful handling."
+
+He bowed as she now rose and went her way, a very thoughtful woman. But
+her heart rejoiced beyond expression that no matter what the details of
+the night's episode had been, her best-loved object in this world was
+safe and sound. She would go to him and basking in the sunshine of his
+beloved presence content herself as best she could, until tomorrow's
+trains should bear them both away.
+
+Alas! When she came to the room where she had left him she found no
+chance to "bask." Her "sunshine" had again disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN EVANGELINE LAND
+
+
+The obliging operator at the telegraph office was almost at her wits'
+end. She had never been besieged so early in the morning and required to
+send so many lengthy messages, nor have them come crowding one another
+so confusingly. The strange part of it all was that although they were
+intended for one person, a Mr. Ebenezer Stark of Boston, there were
+three persons telegraphing him.
+
+One was a stout lady of exceedingly fashionable appearance and most
+peremptory manner. As seemed fitting the first reply of Mr. Ebenezer
+Stark was for her, and assured her that he would meet her at the wharf,
+with a carriage, upon the arrival of the first steamer out from
+Yarmouth. It also informed her that he had already sent her word by
+post--that letter could follow her home--of the dangerous illness of her
+mother and that she should make all possible haste. Thus far her message
+suited him exactly. He made no mention of their son nor did she. It went
+without saying that Monty would accompany his mother upon her return
+trip.
+
+Judge Breckenridge was also an early riser. He had met Monty hurrying
+down the back street toward the little railway station and the office in
+its corner, and had greeted him with gay surprise:
+
+"Heigho, lad! Whither so fast and so early?"
+
+"Trying to get ahead of Mamma."
+
+"Why, Montmorency!" cried the gentleman, with an assumed sternness yet a
+twinkle in his eye.
+
+"Fact. She's on the road somewhere, but she had to wait for them to
+hitch up a rig first. Thinks she can't walk these few blocks alone, I
+suppose, and didn't suspect I could have escorted her. But 'Lovey'
+didn't tell her his plans till he knows if he can carry them out. But
+I'm glad to see you. I didn't want to do anything sort of underhand with
+you, you know. Say, Judge, does your invitation to go camping still hold
+good? After my looking such a muff and acting it?"
+
+"Certainly. If your parents permit, I shall be glad to have you. I think
+that a few weeks' association with men like my friends would give you a
+new idea of true manliness; and I can promise you to hear more good
+stories from the 'Boys' than you ever heard in your life."
+
+"Thank you, sir. I'm going to wire Papa to let me stay. What he says
+goes, even with Mamma. He lets her have her way about my school, and
+clothes and all that stuff, but he hasn't ever quite let go of me
+himself. If it hadn't been for Papa I'd be a bigger muff than I am now.
+Only he's so awfully absorbed in business that he never takes a
+vacation himself or does anything except pile up the cash and shove it
+out for Mamma to spend. Beg pardon, I've no business to tell you, or
+bother you, with our affairs. I only wanted to know in case he says
+'Yes.'"
+
+They were almost at the end of their short walk and the Judge's face
+lightened with a whimsical expression, as he answered:
+
+"Well, Monty lad, muffs are mighty handy sometimes. I heard Lucretia say
+they wore them large last winter! If I take a muff into camp I shall
+expect it to add to the general comfort of the party. Ready to warm the
+heart of anybody who happens to get lonely or out of sorts."
+
+"This muff will do its duty, sir. You'll see; if--"
+
+He left his sentence unfinished and although his response was delayed
+till after Mrs. Stark's had been received he did not complain of it, but
+smilingly handed it to the Judge to peruse.
+
+His outward telegram had been:
+
+"Papa, let me stay;" and the incoming one was: "All right. Stay."
+
+He did not inform his mother why he was there at the office so early and
+she did not inquire. She attributed it to his filial affection and was
+accordingly touched by it. She petted him as usual, and carried him back
+to the hotel in her phaeton, while she thrilled with satisfaction at the
+knowledge she could at last get away from a benighted region where no
+Sunday trains were run.
+
+The Judge's messages were last, and the longest. His outgoing one gave
+Mr. Ebenezer Stark a sketchy outline of his vacation plans, announced
+the gentlemen who would share it with him, and added a formal invitation
+for Montmorency to be of the party, if agreeable to the lad's friends.
+Mr. Stark's reply was heartily grateful, expressed his appreciation of
+the Judge's courtesy and good nature in "loading himself with a boy of
+the calf age. A calf of good enough pedigree, but needed turning out to
+pasture away from the mother," and a little more to that nature.
+
+The rub came when trunks were being packed and Montmorency announced
+that his "things" needn't be put in; except the "dudish" ones which he
+wouldn't want in a vacation camp.
+
+Mrs. Stark was so astonished that she was silent and during that
+interval her son talked and explained with a rapidity that left her no
+chance for reply. "Father says so," was the final argument that clinched
+the matter; and she wisely refrained from further controversy,
+reflecting that "Father" might alter his opinion when she had met him
+and reported the true state of things. Then he would, of course,
+promptly recall his son and heir from a region so fraught with dangers
+and temptations as this Province.
+
+Therefore, the parting was effected with less friction than Monty had
+anticipated, and he watched the train that bore his too-solicitous
+mother out of sight with a delight that, for the present, knew no
+regret. He was fully in earnest to "make a man" of himself, and felt
+that he would be better able to succeed if freed from the indulgence
+which had surrounded him from his cradle.
+
+After allowing himself the relief of one "pigeon-wing" on the
+station-platform, he sprang up to the steps at the rear of the hotel
+stage which had brought departing guests to the train and hugged Tommy,
+perched there, till the little fellow squealed.
+
+"Good enough, Tommy boy! I'm to rough it now to my heart's content. Ever
+been hunting or fishing in the woods, younker?"
+
+"Yep. Go most every year--that is, I've been once--with the Boss. He's
+the best hunter anywhere's around. It was him got all those moose and
+caribou heads that are in the lobby. Oh! you bet it's cracky! I'm going
+this fall if--if I'm let, and my mother don't make me go to school."
+
+"Mothers--Well, mothers have a bad way of spoiling a fellow's fun, eh,
+lad? But after all, they're a pretty good arrangement. I hope my
+mother'll have a good trip over to Boston; and see? Look there?"
+
+With that he pulled from his pocket a handful of silver, explaining that
+when she traveled Mrs. Stark always provided herself with a large
+quantity of "change" expressly for "tips," and that she had generously
+handed the amount on to her son, since she was simply "going home" and
+wouldn't need it.
+
+"More in my suit-case, too, Tommy. But--I'm going to give it all away
+the minute I get back to the hotel."
+
+Tommy's eyes almost bulged from his head, as he ejaculated in intense
+amazement:
+
+"You _never!_"
+
+"Fact. I'm going to begin right now."
+
+Tommy nearly fell off the step. There in his own small hand lay the
+greater part of what had been in Montmorency's, but he couldn't believe
+in his own good fortune. Despite the tips he received at the hotel--they
+were neither many nor generous--master Thomas Ransom was a very poor
+little fellow. He held his position at the inn by the fact that he was
+willing to work "for his board" and whatever the guests might chance to
+bestow upon him. The landlord had the name of a "skin-flint," whether
+justly or not the boarders didn't know.
+
+It was to his interest, however, to serve _them_ well and he did it; but
+it was rumored that the "help" fared upon the leavings of the guests'
+plates, and in that atmosphere of healthy appetites such leavings were
+scant. Anyway, Tommy was always hungry, and the fact showed in his
+pinched, eager little face.
+
+"You're foolin'. Here 'tis back;" he finally gasped, extending his hand
+toward Monty with a pitiful attempt at a smile.
+
+"Fooling? Not one bit. You put that where it's safe, and the first
+chance you get run into the village to some restaurant and get yourself
+a good square meal. Then go to the circus, if you want. I see by the
+placards that one is coming."
+
+"Oh! Pshaw! I don't know what to say. But, if you do mean it, I ain't
+going to no restaurant. I'm going home to my mother the first leave off
+I get and give it to her. She can't make her rent hardly, sewing, and
+she'll cook a dinner for me to the queen's taste! Wish you'd come and
+eat it with us."
+
+"Wish I could," answered Monty, with a warm glow in his heart. He hadn't
+often had such a look of rapturous gratitude turned upon him and it gave
+him a most delightful sensation. "But you see we're off by the afternoon
+train. Going to hurry along now till we get into camp. See you later,
+maybe."
+
+Then they were at the hotel entrance and master Tommy made haste to
+bestow his treasure in the safest place he knew until his brief hour of
+recreation should arrive and he could take it home. But how he worked
+that day! Even the keen-eyed proprietor could find no manner of fault
+with the nimble little fellow, who answered bells like a flash, so
+smilingly trotted about with pitchers of ice-water, and so regretfully
+watched the departure of the Breckenridge party from the house. And in
+justice to him be it said this regret was after all and most sincerely
+for the courteous treatment all of them had given him.
+
+"Some folks--_some_ folks think a bell-boy hain't no feelings, but I
+might ha' been--Why, I might ha' been _them_, their own folks, so nice
+they all were to me;" thought the lad, watching the afternoon train
+bearing them all away, and secretly wiping the tears from his eyes.
+However, even for him, deserted as his childish heart felt then, there
+was comfort. The circus was coming to-morrow! It would be his day off
+and he had the money to pay for his ticket and one for Ma!
+
+The train was nearing Wolfville where the travelers were to leave it for
+a brief visit to "Evangeline land" before proceeding to Halifax whence
+the campers would set out. Aunt Lucretia had checked off the various
+stations from her time-table and now announced:
+
+"Better get your things together, everybody. Next stop will be ours."
+
+Then Montmorency Vavasour-Stark got his courage to the sticking point
+and went forward to where the Judge stood looking through the car door
+at the landscape whirling by.
+
+"Judge Breckenridge will you do me a favor? Another one, I mean, for
+you've done a lot already."
+
+"Certainly, if it's within my power."
+
+"It is, easy enough. I want you to take this and keep it for me. I want
+to actually give it away, or put it beyond my reach. I've been thinking
+it's the boys without money that amount to something. I want to make
+myself poor and see if I'm worth 'shucks' aside from my father's cash."
+
+He held out a fat pocketbook but, for a moment, the Judge did not
+appear to see it. He looked the lad critically over, his keen, but
+kindly eyes interested and yet doubtful. Then he said:
+
+"I don't like whimsies. A person who makes a resolution and doesn't keep
+it weakens rather than strengthens his character. Have you the slightest
+idea what it means to be 'poor,' or even like Melvin back yonder, who
+has but a very small wage to use for his own?"
+
+"I don't suppose I have. But I'd like to try it during all the time I'm
+over here in the Province. What I mean is that you should pay all my
+necessary expenses just as you pay for the others; and beyond that I
+don't want a cent."
+
+"Melvin will earn a little for his work in camp. He is to cook and do
+whatever is needed. There will be an Indian guide with us, and he, of
+course, will have his regular price per day, or week. Beyond these two
+helpers we 'Boys' will do everything else ourselves. It is our custom. I
+can't hire you and pay you, as an extra. If that were done it would have
+to be by some other of the party and it's not likely."
+
+The gentleman's tone was more grave than the lad felt was necessary, but
+it made him reflect a little deeper himself. At last he again offered
+the purse, saying:
+
+"I mean it. It's my chance. The first one I ever had to see if I can
+deny myself anything. Please try me."
+
+"Very well, lad, and I congratulate you on the pluck that makes the
+effort. However--your last chance! Once made, once this pocketbook
+passes into my care it becomes mine for the rest of our stay together."
+
+"All right, sir. That's exactly what I want."
+
+"Do you know how much is in it?"
+
+"To a cent. And it's a great deal too much for a good-for-nothing like
+me."
+
+"Don't say that, Montmorency. I wouldn't take a 'good-for-nothing'
+under my care for so long a time. You forget I already have a 'muff'
+on hand. I congratulate myself, this time, on having secured a
+'good-for-something.' Ah! here we are!"
+
+The Judge took the purse and coolly slipped it into his own pocket,
+merely adding:
+
+"I will also count the contents and make a note of them as soon as I
+can. As your expenses have been paid by yourself until now we'll begin
+our account from this moment. When we part company, soon or late, you
+shall have an itemized account of all that is used from your store."
+
+Then the conductor came through the car calling:
+
+"Wolfville! All out for Wolfville!"
+
+"Out" they were all, in a minute, and again the "Flying Bluenose" was
+speeding on toward the end of its route.
+
+"This is the nearest, or best, point from which to make our excursion to
+Grand Pré and old Acadia, which our beloved Longfellow made famous by
+his poem. You'll find yourselves 'Evangelined' on every hand while
+you're here. Glad it's so pleasant. We won't have to waste time on
+account of the weather."
+
+They found comfortable quarters for the night and longer if desired and
+were early to bed. The girls to dream of the hapless maid whose story
+thrilled their romantic souls; and Molly went to sleep with an abridged
+copy of the poem under her pillow.
+
+Early in the morning she and Dorothy took a brisk walk through the
+pretty village and peered into the shop windows where, indeed, the name
+"Evangeline" seemed tacked to most articles of commerce. So frequently
+was it displayed that when they met a meditative cow pacing along the
+dewy street Molly exclaimed:
+
+"I wonder if that's Evangeline's 'dun white cow,' whatever 'dun white'
+may be like. She looks ancient enough and--Oh! she's coming right toward
+us!"
+
+Molly was afraid of cows and instinctively hid herself behind Dolly, who
+laughed and remarked:
+
+"Poor old creature! She looks as if she might have lived in the days of
+the Acadians, she's so thin and gaunt. Yet the whole street is
+grass-bordered if she chose to help herself. But isn't this glorious?
+Can you hardly wait till we get to Grand Pré? It's only a few miles away
+and I'd almost rather walk than not."
+
+"You'll not be let to walk, mind that. My father has had enough of
+things happening to us youngsters. I heard him tell Auntie Lu that none
+of us must be allowed out of sight of some of them, the grown-ups, till
+we were landed safe on that farm, and Auntie laughed. She said she
+agreed with him but she wasn't so sure about even a farm being utterly
+safe from adventures. So we'll all have to walk just niminy-piminy till
+then. We shouldn't be here if Miss Greatorex hadn't said she too wanted
+to 'exercise.' Now, she's beckoning to us and we must turn back. Come
+away from staring over into that garden! That hedge of sweet-peas is not
+for you, honey, badly as you covet it!"
+
+"All right, I'll come. But I wish, I wish Father John could see them. I
+never saw any so big and free-blooming as they are in this beautiful
+Province."
+
+"It's the moisture and coolness of the air, Auntie Lu says. Now, Miss
+Greatorex, do make Dolly Doodles walk between us, else she'll never tear
+herself away from the lovely gardens we pass."
+
+But they were not late to breakfast, nevertheless. They had learned at
+last that nothing so annoyed the genial Judge as want of punctuality. He
+planned the hours of his day to a nicety and by keeping to his plans
+managed to get a great deal of enjoyment for everybody.
+
+Already carriages to take them on the drive to Grand Pré and the old
+Acadian region had been ordered and were at the door when they had
+breakfasted and appeared on the piazza. The two girls were helped into
+the smaller open wagon where Melvin sat holding the reins and visibly
+proud of the confidence reposed in him, and on the front seat of this
+the Judge also took his place. The ladies with Monty and a driver
+occupied the comfortable surrey; and already other vehicles were
+entering the hotel grounds, engaged by other tourists for the same trip.
+
+Monty looked back with regret at the other young folks and longed to ask
+the Judge to exchange places; then laughed to himself as he remembered
+that it was no longer his place to ask favors--a penniless boy as he had
+become!
+
+That was a never-to-be-forgotten day for all the party. No untoward
+incident marked it, but so well-known is the story of that region that
+it needs no repetition here. Of course they visited the famous well
+whence "Evangeline" drew water for her herd, and almost the original
+herd might have fed in the meadow surrounding it, so peaceful were the
+cattle cropping the grass there. They saw the "old willows" and the
+ancient Covenanter church, wherein they all inscribed their names upon
+the pages of a great book kept for that special purpose.
+
+The church especially interested Dorothy, with its quaint old pulpit and
+sounding board, its high-backed pews and small-paned windows; and when
+she wandered into the old burying ground behind, with its
+periwinkle-covered graves, a strange sadness settled over her.
+
+The whole story had that tendency and the talk of "unknown graves"
+roused afresh in her mind the old wonder:
+
+"Where are my own parents' graves, if they are dead? Where are _they_ if
+they are still alive?"
+
+With this in mind and in memory of these other unknown sleepers whose
+ancient head-stones had moved her so profoundly, she gathered from the
+confines of the field a bunch of that periwinkle, or myrtle which grew
+there so abundantly. Thrusting this into the front of her jacket she
+resolved to pack it nicely in wet moss and send it home to Alfaretta,
+with the request that she would plant it in the cottage garden. Then she
+rejoined the others at the gate and the ride was continued to another
+point of interest called "Evangeline Beach." Why or wherefore, nobody
+explained; yet it was a pretty enough spot on the shore where a few
+guests of a near-by hotel were bathing and where they all stopped to
+rest their horses before the long ride home.
+
+Dorothy was full of thoughts of home by then, and something in the color
+of the horse which had drawn her hither awoke tender memories of pretty
+Portia, now doubtless happily grazing on a dear mountain far away. With
+this sentiment in mind she stooped and plucked a handful of grass and
+held it under the nose of the pensive livery-nag.
+
+But alas, for sentiment! Not the few blades of sea-grass appealed to the
+creature who, while Dorothy's head was turned, stretched forth its own
+and pulled the myrtle from the jacket and was contentedly munching it
+when its owner discovered its loss.
+
+"Dolly Doodles, whatever are you doing?" cried Molly, running up.
+
+"She's got--he's got my 'Evangeline' vines! I'm getting--what I can!"
+
+Molly shouted in her glee and the rest of the party drew near to also
+enjoy. They had all alighted to walk about a bit and stretch their
+limbs, and now watched in answering amusement the brief tussle between
+maid and mare. It ended with the latter's securing the lion's share of
+the goodly bunch; but myrtle vines are tough and Dorothy came off a
+partial victor with one spray in her hand. It had lost most of its
+leaves and otherwise suffered mischance, yet she was not wholly hopeless
+of saving that much alive; and in any case the incident had banished all
+morbid thoughts from her mind, and she was quite the merriest of all
+during that long drive homeward to the hotel.
+
+As they alighted Monty stepped gallantly forward and offered:
+
+"When we get to Halifax I'll buy you a slender vase and you can keep it
+in water till you go home yourself. Or I'll send back to that graveyard
+and pay somebody to send you on a lot, after you get back to your own
+home."
+
+"Oh! thank you. That's ever so kind, and I'll be glad of the vase. But
+you needn't send for any more vines. They wouldn't be the same as this I
+gathered myself for darling Father John."
+
+"But you shall have them all the same. They'd be just as valuable to him
+if not to you and some of those boys that hung around the church would
+pack it for a little money. I'll do it, sure."
+
+"_Will_ you, Montmorency? _How?_" asked a voice beside him and the lad
+looked up into the face of the Judge.
+
+"No, sir, I won't! I'll have to take that offer back, Dorothy, take them
+both back," and he flushed furiously at her surprised and questioning
+glance. It was the first test he had made of his "poverty" and he found
+it as uncomfortable as novel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+SIGHT SEEING UNDER DIFFICULTIES
+
+
+"Halifax! End of the line!"
+
+The conductor's announcement was followed by the usual haste and bustle
+among the passengers, the taking down of parcels from the racks
+overhead, and a general settling and straightening of travel-crushed
+garments.
+
+This little preparatory freshening over, the travelers stepped into the
+car aisles and followed the rush forward; passing out into by far the
+most pretentious station they had seen in the Province. Lines of hackmen
+were drawn up alongside the rail which bordered the paved descent to the
+railway level, and a policeman in uniform held back the too-solicitous
+drivers from the arriving strangers, who looked about them, mostly, in
+doubt which vehicle to select:
+
+"Here you are for the Halifax!" "Right this way for the Queen! Queen,
+sir? Queen, madam? Finest hotel in--" "Prince Edward! Right on the
+bluff--overlooking--" "King's Arms! Carriage for the King's Arms?"
+
+To the rail and no further were these runners for their various
+employers permitted to go, yet even at that few feet of safe distance
+their cries were so deafening and insistent that Dorothy clapped her
+hands to her ears and shut her eyes, lest she should grow too much
+confused.
+
+But there was no hesitation about the Judge. His hotel was a familiar
+one, their rooms engaged long before; and by a nod he summoned the 'bus
+of that house, marshalled his party into it, handed the runner his
+baggage checks, and they rolled away through the streets of the oldest
+city in the Province.
+
+Just then it was gay with illimitable decorations of bunting and flags,
+in honor of the visit of the Viceroy of Canada and his consort, due upon
+the morrow.
+
+"Oh, Papa, did they know we were coming?" mischievously inquired Molly,
+as vista after vista of red and blue and white unrolled before her eager
+eyes. "I never saw anything like it! Even at our home Carnival there
+wasn't anything to compare."
+
+"That's Canada. We Yankees boast we go ahead of everything in the world
+no matter what line we chance to follow. Canada doesn't boast, she
+simply goes ahead."
+
+"Oh! how disloyal, Schuyler!" protested Aunt Lucretia, herself gazing
+with admiration at the buildings whose fronts were almost solidly
+covered with artistically arranged decorations. Of course the English
+and Canadian flags held first place, but at last their 'bus stopped
+before a quaint old hotel whose balconies were draped with as many
+American as English banners.
+
+"Why, is this an American, I mean a United States hotel?" asked Auntie
+Lu; while Miss Greatorex's face assumed a more agreeable expression than
+it had worn since they left the station. She had felt hitherto as if an
+alien nation had flaunted its colors in her own patriotic face; but her
+common sense now assured her that these people had a right to honor
+their rulers after their own fashion even if it could by no possibility
+be so good a fashion as reigned in her beloved States.
+
+The youngsters of the party felt nothing but delight; and as a squad of
+scarlet-coated soldiers came marching toward them on the other side of
+the street Monty tossed up his cap and cheered. Melvin did more, as was
+natural. They marched to the tune of "God Save the King," and were on
+their way to Parliament House to give an evening concert; and as the
+'bus came abreast of the squad with its fine band and its national
+colors floating in front, the young Yarmouthian rose and bared his head,
+saluting the flag! Then he dropped back to his seat with a slight flush
+on his fair cheek, as he felt the eyes of the three strangers rest upon
+him curiously. Then cried Molly:
+
+"That was funny! I forgot you weren't a 'Yankee' like ourselves, but you
+did right, you did just right. I wouldn't have let Old Glory pass by
+without doing it my honor. But, do you know, Auntie Lu, I feel as if
+this were a foreign country and not part of our own America?"
+
+She was to feel it more and more, but to find a keen delight in all
+that was so new to her and so matter of fact to Melvin. Even the dishes
+served at table, were decidedly "English" in name and flavor, though
+there were plenty of other and more familiar ones upon the _menu_.
+
+After this supper which was more hearty than most dinners at home, they
+walked to the postoffice and found a heap of mail that had been
+forwarded along their route. As usual there were letters from the "Boys"
+and the Judge hailed with delight the news that they, as well as the
+Governor-General, would be among the morrow's arrivals.
+
+"We'll stay till Sunday in Halifax, then start for camp on Monday, rain
+or shine, wind, fog, or sunshine;" wrote the correspondent who arranged
+matters from the other end of the line.
+
+"Good enough, good enough! Then my vacation will actually begin!" cried
+the pleased man.
+
+"And pray, what do you call the days that have just passed, my brother?"
+demanded Auntie Lu, with a smile.
+
+"My dear, I call that a 'personally conducted tour,' a tour of great
+responsibility and many perils. After Monday, when I deposit you ladies
+and the youngsters at Farmer Grimm's, I wash my hands of the whole of
+you for one long, delightful month!"
+
+The laugh with which he said this disarmed the words of any unkindness
+and was echoed by another laugh quite free from offense.
+
+"Very well, then, Schuyler, until Monday we hold you to your
+'personally' conducting. You must take us everywhere, show us everything
+that is worth while. I want to go to the 'Martello' tower; to the
+Citadel, the old churches, the parks, all over the harbor on all sorts
+and conditions of boats, to--"
+
+But the Judge held up his hand, protesting. Then asked:
+
+"Suppose it proves a foggy season? Fog is one of the things to be
+counted upon in all parts of this country, more especially here. One
+summer I was here three weeks and the sun didn't shine once!"
+
+However, Mrs. Hungerford was bent upon enjoying and making others enjoy
+this visit; and she laughingly assured him that they were all "fog
+proof."
+
+"Every one of us has overshoes, umbrella, and raincoat. We feminines I
+mean and 'boys' aren't supposed to mind any sort of weather. Am I not
+right, Melvin?"
+
+"Yes, Mrs. Hungerford, I fancy you are. We have so much wet weather
+we're 'most unprepared for sunshine, don't you know."
+
+This was so long a remark for Melvin, and so thoroughly "English" with
+its "fancy" and "don't you know," that all laughed.
+
+But they waked in the morning to find the Judge's fear of a fog
+justified. The whole city was a-drip. The decorations which had been so
+crisp and brilliant on the day before hung limp and already discolored;
+and the scarlet and white bunting which had been so artistically
+wreathed about columns and cornices now clung tightly to them as if
+shivering in the wet.
+
+It was a disheartened populace, too, which one met upon the street; for
+the expense had been great in preparations for the Governor's visit and
+the week of Carnival that had been planned seemed doomed to a series of
+disappointments.
+
+None the less Auntie Lu held her brother to his promise to escort them
+everywhere; and everywhere they went, though mostly in covered carriages
+or under dripping umbrellas. One morning when the sunshine came for a
+brief visit they hastened to the street before the Provincial building
+to hear the most famous band in all the Canadas give its open air
+concert. Other people besides themselves had flocked thither at the
+first ray from the sun and now crowded the pavements surrounding the
+iron-fenced grounds. Everybody waxed enthusiastic and hopeful
+till--suddenly a drop fell on the tip of the band leader's nose. He cast
+one glance skyward but continued to wield his baton with great flourish
+and skill. Another drop; many; and the summer crowd swiftly dispersed.
+Not so our sightseers from the States. But let Dorothy tell the tale in
+her own words and in the journal-letter she faithfully tried to keep for
+Father John:
+
+"Dear Father:--
+
+"Since we've been here in Halifax I haven't had a chance to write
+as regular as I ought. You see we come home so tired and wet every
+time that--Well, I just can't really write.
+
+"We went to an open air concert in the heart of the city. The band
+was, were--which is right? Anyhow the men all had on their Sunday
+uniforms, the most beautiful red and brass and buttons, and their
+instruments shone like anything. It rained, still they didn't even
+wink, except the head of them. He was brillianter dressed than any
+of them and he didn't like the rain. You could see that plain as
+plain. They all had little stands before them with their music on
+and the music got wet and splattery, but they didn't stop. They
+just tossed one piece of music down and began another, after they'd
+waited a little bit of while, to get their breath, I reckon. By and
+by all the people, nearly, had gone away from the sidewalk yet the
+band played right along.
+
+"Then I heard somebody laugh. It was the Judge. He was laughing at
+Auntie Lu; he always is and she at him. When she asked him 'why,'
+he said: 'I was thinking this was a match game between British and
+Yankee pluck. It's the Britisher's 'duty' to play to the end of his
+program and he'll do it if he's melted into a little heap when he's
+finished. It seems to be Yankee pluck, or duty, to stand out here
+in this melancholy drizzle and hold on as long as he does.'
+
+"'Of course,' said Mrs. Hungerford, 'it would be mean of us to
+desert the poor chaps and leave them without a listener at all.'
+
+"Then he said: 'Let's go indoors and sit in the 'seats of the
+mighty.''
+
+"She didn't know what he meant but he soon showed her. The Province
+Building where their sort of Congress meets was all open wide and
+they weren't having any session, it not being session time. So we
+went in and sat around in leather covered chairs, only Molly and I
+and the boys climbed up on the window seats and sat there. We could
+hear beautiful and we got quite dry. Only it isn't any use getting
+dry, daytimes, 'cause you're always going right out and getting wet
+again.
+
+"Sunday was the wettest yet. It didn't look so and Auntie Lu let us
+girls put on white dresses, but she made us take our raincoats and
+umbrellas and rubbers just the same. We went to the soldiers'
+church out of doors, 'cause they'd thought it was clearing off.
+There were benches fixed in rows like seats in church, and there
+was a kind of pulpit all covered by a great English flag. Other
+benches were up at one side. They were for the band. By and by a
+bugle blew and they came marching, marching over the grass from the
+big barracks beyond. The field sloped right down the side of a
+great hill and at the foot, seemed so close one could almost touch
+it but you couldn't for there were streets between, was the harbor
+of water.
+
+"It was an English church service and the minister prayed for all
+the royal family one by one. The soldier-band played the chants and
+hymns and they and anybody wanted sang them. After a little while
+it rained again and we put on our coats and didn't dare to raise
+our umbrellas, 'cause we were in church you know.
+
+"It seemed pretty long but I loved it. I loved the red soldiers and
+the beautiful place and all. Auntie Lu said it was a good sermon
+and that the preacher considerately cut it pretty short. But it
+wasn't so short but that we got our hats dreadfully wet and Auntie
+Lu had to buy herself a new one before we came away last Monday
+morning. In the evening we went to St. Paul's, which is the oldest
+church in this oldest city of Markland, as some call Nova Scotia.
+
+"Now we have ridden a good many miles in wagons to this great old
+farmhouse right on the edge of the woods. Miles and miles of woods,
+seems if. There are lakes in them and rivers and game of every
+sort, seems if, to hear them tell. Judge Breckenridge's friends are
+here, too, and the Indian guide. He calls them 'the Boys,' and they
+do act like boys just after school's let out. They laugh and joke
+and carry on till Molly and I just stare.
+
+"Judge has hired a river to fish in. Isn't that funny? To pay for a
+place to fish, and the Farmer Grimm we're to live with is going to
+haul all their camp things out there to-morrow morning before
+sun-up. Monty and Melvin are to go, too, and I expect we women
+folks'll feel pretty lonesome.
+
+"One lovely thing the Judge did for me. He hired a violin for me to
+practice on here. He said he thought it would pass the time for
+all of us. There's a piano, too, already in the house, and Molly
+can play real nice on that. Her Auntie Lu plays mag-nifi-cently. I
+wrote that out in syllables so as to get it right and to make it
+more--more impressiver. I'm dreadful tired and have been finishing
+this letter sitting on the floor beside a great big fire on the
+hearth. It isn't a bit too warm, either, even though the sun has
+shone again to-day.
+
+"Good night. Your sleepy Dorothy, but always loving you the best of
+all the world.
+
+"P. S.--The funniest thing happened after supper. Two the funniest
+ones. The bashful-bugler, that's Melvin, slipped something into my
+hand and said: 'That's to remember me by, a keepsake, if anything
+should happen to me out in the woods. I bought it for you that day
+in Digby.' When I opened the little box there was one those
+weeny-wiggley sort of silver fishes, they call the 'Digby
+chickens,' that I'd wanted to take home to Alfy. But I shan't take
+her this; I shall keep it. 'Cause Molly wants one, too, and when we
+get our next month's allowance, _if_ we get it, we can write and
+buy some by mail.
+
+"The other funny thing was one of those grown up 'boys.' He asked
+me to play for him and had me stand right near him. When I got
+through he looked over at the Judge and nodded his head. Two, three
+times he nodded it and then he said, just like this he said it: 'It
+is the most remarkable likeness I ever saw. You're on the right
+track Schuy, I'm sure of it!' And the Judge cried real pleased,
+'Hurray!'
+
+"They two were little boys together, down in the south where they
+lived and they know Mrs. Cecil Calvert real well. And the other
+'boy' said: 'Aunt Betty'd ought to be spanked--same as she's
+spanked me a heap of times.'
+
+"I wonder if it was I 'resembled' anybody and who! I wonder why any
+gentleman should say such a dreadful impolite thing about that dear
+old lady! I wonder,--Oh, Father John! Your little girl so often
+wonders many, many things! Good night at last. Molly calls real
+cross and I must go.
+
+                         "DOLLY."
+
+Dorothy's letters to Mother Martha were equally descriptive though not
+so long. One ran thus:
+
+"Dearest Mother Martha:--
+
+"You ought to see this farm where we're living now. It's so big and
+has so many cattle and men working, and orchards and potato-fields.
+They call the potatoes 'Bluenoses' just as they call the Nova
+Scotia folks. The house is part stone and part wood. The stone part
+was built ever and ever so long ago; strong so the man who built it
+could protect himself against the Indians. The man was English, and
+he was a Grimm; an ancestor of this Mr. Grimm we board with. The
+Indians were Micmacs and friends of the French. Seems if they were
+all fighting all together all the time, which should own the land.
+Mrs. Grimm says there have been a good many generations live here
+though all are gone now except her husband and herself. They are
+more than seventy years, both of them, but they don't act one bit
+old. She cooks and tends to things though she has two, three maids
+to help her. He rides horseback all over his farm and jumps off his
+horse and works with the men. Sometimes he drives the ox-carts with
+the hay and lets us ride.
+
+"I did want you that last Saturday in Halifax. The day your letter
+came to me with the one dollar in it. I expect you wanted I should
+buy something to bring you with it but I didn't. Listen. It was
+what they called a 'green market' morning. Rained of course, or was
+terrible foggy between showers. The market is just a lot of Indians
+and negroes, and a few white people sitting round on the edge of
+the sidewalk all around a big building. The Judge told me many of
+them had come from across the harbor, miles beyond it, so far that
+they'd had to walk half the night to bring their stuff to market.
+Think of that! And such funny stuff it was. Green peas shelled in
+little measures, ready to cook. (I wish they'd have them that way
+in our own Lexington market at home!) Wild strawberries--I didn't
+see any other kind, no big ones like we have in Baltimore or at
+home. The berries were hulled and put into little home-made
+birch-bark baskets that the Indian women make themselves, just
+pinned together at the end with a thorn or stick. Auntie Lu bought
+some for us but Miss Greatorex wouldn't let me eat the berries,
+though I was just suffering to! She said after they'd been handled
+by those dirty Indian fingers she knew they were full of microbes
+or things and she didn't dare. Oh! dear! I wish she didn't feel so
+terrible responsible for my health, 'cause it spoils a lot of my
+good times. The boys weren't afraid of microbes and they ate the
+berries but I have the basket. It will be all I have to bring you
+from Halifax; because one of those Indian women had her baby with
+her and she looked so poor--I just couldn't help giving that dollar
+right to her. I couldn't really help it. She wanted me to take
+baskets in pay for it, but I knew that wouldn't be _giving_. You
+won't mind, will you, dearest Mother Martha? if the only thing I
+bring you from that city is a poor Indian woman's blessing? You
+always give to the poor yourself, so I wasn't afraid you'd scold.
+There are just two things that I'd like different here, on this
+lovely vacation. One is if only you and father were here, too!
+Every new and nice thing I see, or good time I have, I do so want
+them for you both also. The other is--I wish, I wish I knew who my
+father and mother were! The real ones. They couldn't have been any
+nicer than you have been to me, but folks that don't know me are
+sure to ask me about my family. Molly and Monty and Melvin are
+always able to tell about theirs, but I can't. Her mother, the
+'other Molly,' died when she was a little thing, but she knows all
+about her. The Judge has a beautiful miniature of this 'other
+Molly' his wife, and takes it with him wherever he goes, even into
+that camp, where we're to be let to go, maybe, for a salmon dinner
+that the 'Boys' catch themselves.
+
+"There are lots of books in this old house and a piano. Each
+generation has added to the library and Mrs. Grimm says that in the
+winter she and her husband read 'most all the time. Christmases, no
+matter how deep the snow, all their children come home and then the
+rooms are opened and warmed and they have such fun. Oh! it must be
+grand to belong to a big family and know it's all your own! They
+burn great logs of wood and even now we have a fire on the
+living-room hearth all the time. One of the young Indian boys who
+works here has nothing else for his chores except to keep the
+wood-boxes filled and the fires fresh. He's rather a nice Indian
+boy but he's full of capers. Molly is so lonesome without Monty and
+Melvin to play with she makes plays with Anton. I don't think Mrs.
+Grimm likes it and I'm sure Aunt Lucretia doesn't, for I heard her
+tell Molly so. But nobody can keep Molly Breckenridge still. She
+doesn't care to read much and she hates practicing, and she cries
+every time she has to sew a seam, though Mrs. Hungerford makes her
+do that 'for discipline.' I don't know what would become of the
+darling if it wasn't for Anton. She likes me, course, but I can't
+climb trees after cherries, or wade in ponds after water-lilies,
+and though I like to ride horseback with her I'm afraid to go
+beyond bounds where we're told to stay. Molly isn't afraid.
+
+"Please give my love to Aunt Chloe and write soon to your loving
+
+                         "DOROTHY."
+
+Having finished this letter, longer than common, Dorothy wandered out of
+doors seeking her mate. She was nowhere in sight, but the man who rode
+into town so many miles away, to fetch and carry the mail and to bring
+supplies of such things as the farm did not produce, was just driving up
+the road and playfully shook his mail-pouch at her. She sped to meet
+him, was helped into his wagon and received the pouch in her arms. She
+and Molly were always eager to "go meet the mail," which was brought to
+them only every other day, and whichever was first and obtained it was
+given the key to the pouch and the privilege of distributing its
+contents. This privilege would be Dorothy's to-day; and she skipped into
+the living-room and to the ladies at their sewing, dragging the pouch
+behind her.
+
+Little she knew of its contents; or that among them would come the
+solution of that "wonder" that now so constantly tormented her:--"Who
+were my parents?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A MESSAGE FOR THE CAMP
+
+
+When the gray-haired "Boys" had set out for camp, they had left word at
+the farm that they wished no newspapers or mail matter of that sort
+forwarded them. Also, most of them had, before leaving their own homes,
+asked that no letters should be written except such as were important,
+and these should be duly marked that. They wished to forget care and the
+outside world as far as possible, and to live in the faith that "no news
+is good news."
+
+Therefore, since a fortnight had elapsed, there was a table in the
+living-room already heaped with the mail which had accumulated during
+that time. Each man's portion of it was carefully sorted and placed by
+itself; but this morning Auntie Lu, upon whom that duty devolved, did
+not augment her brother's heap by the three envelopes she had taken from
+the pouch. She sat long with them in her lap, pondering the course she
+should follow, for two bore a Richmond postmark and one that of
+Annapolis, and each was marked according to direction: "Important."
+
+Miss Greatorex and Dorothy had both received a letter and were eagerly
+perusing them upon a low window seat, and Mrs. Hungerford left her own
+mail unopened to glance toward them, still considering what she should
+do. Her gaze rested longest upon the girl, whose face was radiant over a
+long, many-paged epistle from Father John. The young lips were parted in
+a smile, the brown eyes were smiling too, and Dolly looked such a
+picture of innocent delight that a pang shot through the observer's
+tender heart. For she knew that those "Important" letters concerned the
+child. They were addressed in Ephraim Cook's familiar, crabbed hand, and
+the man would never have ventured to disturb the peace of his absent
+employer except by that employer's command. Also, she knew that the only
+business of "Importance" the Judge had entrusted to Mr. Cook was that
+concerning Dorothy C. All law matters were attended to by other, more
+experienced persons. She longed to break the seals and read the contents
+for herself and wished now that she had asked permission so to do, but
+she could not open another person's letter without that one's desire.
+
+Presently, she glanced through her own letters and sought Mrs. Grimm in
+her kitchen, busy among her maids at preparing the mid-day meal, always
+an early one since the farm-hands so preferred it; and it had been among
+their arrangements that, although her "boarders" should have a separate
+table in an inner room, the food for all the household should be the
+same. Nobody could complain of this for the housemistress was a notable
+cook and her supplies generous.
+
+"Beg pardon, Mrs. Grimm, for interrupting you, but I want to ask if
+there's a 'hand' not busy who could ride out to camp and carry some
+letters to my brother. I am anxious he should have them for they may
+require immediate replies." She did not add, as she might, that an
+intense but kindly curiosity of her own was another reason for the
+request.
+
+"Why, I can hardly tell, Mrs. Hungerford. They're all busy in the
+fields, and my husband with them. There are some who need a constant
+supervision and my man believes that there's nothing so good for any job
+as the 'eye of the master.' Else, he'd ride into the woods himself and
+think naught of it. Let me consider who--"
+
+At that moment Anton came into the kitchen and threw an armful of hewn
+wood beside the great fireplace, where kettles hung upon cranes and
+"Dutch ovens" were ranged before the coals, each filled with savory food
+for hungry people. It was a spot Mrs. Hungerford found vastly
+interesting, but where she rarely lingered; for her presence seemed to
+disconcert the shy French maids who served their mistress there and
+whose own homes were isolated cottages here and there. So she was even
+now leaving the kitchen when she chanced to notice Anton and asked:
+
+"Couldn't this lad go? I know that he heaped the boxes in the
+living-room and our bedrooms with more wood than we can use to-night,
+and surely one kitchen-fire can scarcely require more than that pile
+yonder. I will pay him, or you, well, if he can be spared to do my
+errand."
+
+This guest was rarely so insistent and her hostess saw that to deny her
+the favor would be a great disappointment; so she answered that:
+
+"Anton can be spared if--Anton can be trusted. And please, understand,
+dear madam, that no payment for such trivial service would be accepted."
+
+"But it is a long ride there and back, longer than into Halifax isn't
+it? Yet the man who goes there makes but the one trip a day."
+
+"That is for other reasons. He goes out in the morning upon our errands.
+It is part of our contract with him that he shall stop the night in town
+with his family and return the next day early. He is really our caterer
+and postman. But Anton--Anton is 'bound.' And Anton needs watching. Lad,
+do you promise that if I let you take a horse and ride to camp you'll do
+the lady's errand right and ride straight home again?"
+
+He had lingered just within the kitchen doorway, fooling with the
+youngest of the maids who resented his teasing by a sharp clap on his
+cheek, but he had not been so absorbed in this pastime that he had not
+heard every word spoken between his mistress and her guest. Knowing that
+he was in truth an untrustworthy messenger, he resented its being told;
+and the statement that no payment would be accepted angered him. He was
+a bound-out servant, of course. So were many other lads of the Province
+and no disgrace in it; but if a free gift were offered, was it not his
+to take? A scowl settled on his dark face and he listened to the outcome
+of the matter with a vindictive interest. Also, he answered, sullenly:
+
+"'Tis a far call to that camp in the woods and one must ride crooked,
+not 'straight,' to reach it. 'Twould be in the night ere Anton could be
+back, and there is no moon."
+
+"Tut, lad! When was Anton ever afraid of the night or the dark? Indeed,
+some tell me that he loves it better than the light. The Scripture tells
+why. Will you go or not? And will you do the lady's errand right?"
+
+"The master read in the Big Book, last Sunday-day that ever was, how the
+'laborer is worthy of his hire.' That's good Scripture, too, Missus, the
+hay-makers say, and one nudged me to take notice at that time."
+
+Mrs. Grimm hastily turned that he might not see the smile which flitted
+across her face, and Auntie Lu as suddenly found something interesting
+to observe which brought her back also toward the quick-witted,
+mischievous lad. She longed to renew her offer of payment but would not
+interfere between mistress and man, so waited anxiously for the result.
+It came after a moment, Mrs. Grimm saying:
+
+"Go, saddle the gray mare and ride upon that errand. You shall have
+your dinner first, and a supper in a napkin to cheer you on the ride
+home. By 'lights out' you will be in your loft with the men. Now tidy
+yourself and come to table."
+
+Anton wasted no time before he obeyed. His sullenness had been but a
+pretence and mostly assumed in order to secure that "payment" which the
+"foreign" lady offered. The gray mare was a fleet traveler, easy under
+the saddle--though for that matter he rarely used one--and he loved the
+forest. A half-day away from the mistress's eye was clear delight. She
+had said nothing against a gun or a fishing line and not even the best
+guide in that region knew better the secret of wood and stream than this
+other descendant of the Micmacs.
+
+The maid he had teased was glad to be quit of him and hurried to dish up
+his portion of the dinner, while Mrs. Hungerford returned to desk to
+write a letter to her brother and to safely make all into a little
+packet, marked: "Private and Important."
+
+She had told her companions of Anton's trip and Dorothy sped out of
+doors to beg the lad:
+
+"If you see any new flowers, some of those wild orchids Miss Greatorex
+read grew around here, will you bring me some? Just a few for specimens,
+to press for Father John and Mr. Seth? They would be so pleased and I
+will be so grateful. Will you?"
+
+Anton nodded. Promises were easy to make, and to break if he wished.
+Then came a maid from the kitchen with a message for her home, a tiny
+clearing on the edge of the "further wood." To her, also, a promise was
+readily spoken; and master Anton thrusting the securely tied packet of
+letters into his pocket, bowed to Mrs. Hungerford with a third and more
+important promise.
+
+"'Tis of a truth I will deliver this into the hand of the man they call
+a Judge. It is a tedious task, yes, but I will so deliver it. Mayhap he
+too remembers what the Scripture says."
+
+He uttered the last sentence in a low tone, with a furtive glance
+houseward, and bearing himself with an air of great complacency. He had
+become a very important person just then, had Anton, the "bound out."
+Moreover, he was wholly honest in his determination so to deliver the
+letters. That Judge in the woods hadn't heard the mistress's opinion
+about payment and it wasn't necessary that he should. Other farm hands
+had witnessed to the liberality of those odd men who lived in a tent,
+wore old clothes when they could wear new, and cooked their own food
+when they might have had others cook for them. Anton was not afraid to
+trust his "payment" to the man who owned the letters in that packet.
+
+Now it so happened that Molly was riding about the grounds and up and
+down a leafy lane upon a gentle horse that her father had engaged for
+her own and Dorothy's enjoyment while on that lonely farm. She used the
+creature far more than Dorothy, as was natural and right enough; and had
+mounted it that day to escape what she called her chum's "everlasting
+fiddling."
+
+Dorothy was as fond of her violin as Molly averse to her piano; and the
+nearest to dispute which ever rose between them was on account of
+Dolly's devotion to her music. She had even complained to Aunt Lucretia
+that "a violin made her head ache." Whereupon the ambitious violinist
+had begged permission of its owner to use an empty corncrib at the foot
+of the "long orchard," as a music-room, and there "squeaked" as long and
+as loud as she pleased. She was going there now, violin case under her
+arm, to pass the half-hour before dinner and to watch the men come in
+from the fields, at the ringing of the great bell which hung from a pole
+beside the kitchen door. To her the country was full of every possible
+delight, but poor Molly found it "too quiet and lonely for words." So
+she spent more and more of her time on every pleasant day, riding up and
+down the lanes or following Farmer Grimm to the fields.
+
+Between those two a great affection had sprung up. He liked her
+fearlessness in riding and laughed at her timidity when horned cattle
+appeared anywhere near. He was proud of the way in which she could take
+a fence and kept her with him all he could.
+
+On this day, however, he could not so take her. His errands were too far
+afield and too unsuited for her, and that was why she now rode alone,
+rather disconsolately up and down, until she saw Anton come out of the
+stable yard, mounted upon the gray mare and holding his head like a
+prince.
+
+"Anton! Anton! Oh! are you going riding? Take me with you! Please,
+please, Anton!"
+
+For answer he touched Bess with his heel and she flew out of the
+enclosure like a bird.
+
+That was enough for Molly Breckenridge. Queenie, the broken-tailed
+sorrel which she rode, was as swift as she was gentle and needed no goad
+of heel or whip to spur her forward. A pat of the smooth neck, a word in
+the sensitive ear--"Fetch him out, Queen!"--and the race was on.
+
+Anton glanced behind and the spirit of mischief flamed in him. They rode
+toward the forest where a few wood-roads entered, each of which he knew
+to its finish, not one of which knew Molly. Only this much she did know
+that Anton lived at the farm, where she lived. Anton rode the farmer's
+horse as she did. Anton was never absent from meals and it was
+dinner-time. Therefore, if she thought at all about it or considered
+further than the delight of a real race, she knew that back to the farm
+would Anton go and she could follow.
+
+He dashed aside from the wheel-rutted track. She stumbled over the
+ridges, kept him in sight, and followed him. He doubled and twisted, so
+did she. He dashed forward in a long straight line, curved, circled, and
+came back to the wood-road some distance ahead. She did not curve but
+cut his circle by a short line and brought up at his side.
+
+"Huh! 'Tis a good rider you are, Miss Molly, but you'd best go back now.
+I'm for the camp."
+
+"Never! You can't be! They wouldn't trust you, you're so tricksy. Who'd
+want you there?"
+
+He was instantly offended and showed it, drawing himself erect on the
+gray mare and tossing his head high while his narrow black eyes looked
+angrily at her. Then he drew from his blouse the packet Mrs. Hungerford
+had given him and haughtily explained:
+
+"For that Judge. Now, am I trusted? No?"
+
+It was very strange. Ever since she had been at the farm she had heard
+of Anton's pranks and trickiness. Tasks he had been set to perform were
+always neglected except that one of keeping fuel supplied, and this work
+brought him, also, constantly under his mistress's eye. Yet he allowed
+Molly to come so close she could recognize her aunt's handwriting
+outside the packet, and especially that word "Important."
+
+Suddenly she resolved.
+
+"Anton, if you ride to camp I ride with you."
+
+"You will not. I say it." He wasn't going to be disappointed of his fun
+along the way by the presence of this girl, and no time had been told
+him when that parcel must be delivered. It must come to the Judge
+_sometime_, that was all. The later the better for him, Anton, the more
+leisure to enjoy the wild and escape that eternal carrying of wood. "You
+will not," he repeated, more firmly.
+
+"I will so. That is for my father. His name is on it and it is
+'Important.' I will see that he gets it. I don't trust you, Anton."
+
+He was rather impressed by the fact that she could read what was
+written--he could not. He was also angered further by that unwise remark
+about not trusting him. He stared at her, she stared back. Good! It was
+a battle of wills, then!
+
+He seemed to waver, smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. All roads lead
+to one's goal, if one knows them. He was an Indian. He could not be lost
+in any forest, he who was wise in woodcraft and could tell all
+directions by signs this "foreigner" could not know. He snapped his
+fingers, airily, pricked Bess forward again and into a trackless
+wilderness.
+
+For a moment Molly hesitated. Should she go back and give up this chase?
+Turning around she gazed about her and could not tell which way she had
+come.
+
+"Why! I couldn't go back, even if I tried. I don't see any track and--I
+must follow him. I can hear him on ahead, by the breaking
+branches--Forward, Queenie, quick, quick!"
+
+But Queenie wasn't pleased to "forward." She shrank from the rude
+pressure of the undergrowth against her delicate shanks and, for an
+instant, set her forefeet stubbornly among the ferns and brambles. But
+Molly was now past tenderness with any mount which would not do her will
+and Queenie was forced into the path she hated to tread. Already the
+brief delay had cost her the sound of the gray mare's progress. There
+was neither breaking twig nor footfall to tell her whither that
+tormenting Anton had vanished. There was only the bruised herbage to
+show which way he had ridden and she must follow; and for a long time
+she kept her eyes on that faint lead and steadily pursued it.
+
+Then she came to a partly open glade and there she lost the trail
+entirely. Across this glade Anton had certainly passed but in which
+direction she couldn't even guess. She reined Queenie to a stand and
+called:
+
+"Anton! Anton! ANTON!!" and after another interval, again: "ANTON!"
+
+There was an agony of fear in that last cry. Had Anton heard it, even
+his mischievous heart would have been touched and he would have ridden
+back to reassure her. But he did not hear her. He had now struck out
+from that narrow clearing into a road he knew well, by the blazed trees
+and the wheel-marks the camp-teamster had left upon it. The undergrowth
+had sprung up again, almost as completely as before it had been first
+disturbed, and even had Molly found that trail she would not have known
+enough to trace it.
+
+But he was now on his own right road. She was where--she pleased. He had
+not asked her to come, he had tried to make her go back. He had not
+wanted her at all, but she had taunted him, distrusted him, and yet he
+knew that this once he was proving trustworthy. He felt that little
+packet safe in his blouse and patted the cloth above it commendingly.
+
+"Good boy, Anton. If 'tis worth payment, this payment the so rich Judge
+will give. That girl rides well. Let her take care of herself. Go,
+Bess!"
+
+He fished a little, fired a shot or two at some flying bird, then
+remembered that a shot might be heard and those from the camp come to
+inquire why it had been fired. Save themselves there were supposed to be
+no other sportsmen for miles around, and they would surely come, if from
+no other motive than curiosity.
+
+It was supper-time when he came into camp and upon a picture that warmed
+his heart and banished from it, for a time, that rather uncomfortable
+sensation which had lately affected him. He had grown fanciful and
+thought a night-bird's call was the cry of somebody lost in the woods.
+
+He was glad to see that cheerful fire, to smell the savory food cooking
+above it, to observe all the rude comforts with which modern sportsmen
+surround themselves. Those boys--Why, they had positively grown fat! And
+how they were laughing and fooling with one another! unrebuked by the
+older campers, who sat about on logs or stools, and smoked or talked or
+sang as the spirit moved them.
+
+The Judge's keen eyes were the first to see the nose of the gray mare
+appearing through the thicket and he sprang to his feet with a little
+exclamation of alarm:
+
+"Why, Anton, lad! What brings you here? Nothing had happened, I hope!
+Eh, what? A packet for me? All right. Thank you. You're just in time to
+join us. We've had fine sport to-day and will have a grand meal in
+consequence. How's everybody? How's my little Molly?"
+
+Anton's answer was an indirect one.
+
+"You'll tell 'em I brought it safe, no?"
+
+"Why, surely. Did anybody doubt you would? And if it's good news, a good
+fee for fetching it. If bad--fee according!"
+
+He drew a little apart, opened the parcel and read the letters. Then he
+took a pad from his tent and wrote a brief reply; after which he retied
+the bundle and gave it back to Anton, saying:
+
+"Deliver this to Mrs. Hungerford as safely as you have to me and I dare
+say she'll give you another like this!"
+
+He held out a shining silver dollar but somehow, although the lad did
+take it, it seemed to lie very heavy within that inner pocket where he
+dropped it.
+
+Supper over, all grouped about the fire and beset the Indian guide for a
+fresh batch of ghost stories, his specialty in literature or tradition;
+and though Judge Breckenridge asked his messenger if it were not time
+that he started back--for Aunt Lu had written urging him to keep the boy
+no longer than was absolutely necessary--Anton still lingered. Hitherto
+he had known no fear of any forest. He inherited his love for it and his
+knowledge. He had even loved best to prowl in its depths during the
+moonlit or starlit hours, and riding hither had anticipated a leisurely
+return. So long as he was back at the farm by morning he saw no reason
+to hurry himself before.
+
+Then he found himself listening to Monty's question:
+
+"You say, Guide, that these very woods, right around us, are 'haunted?'"
+
+"Sure. Hark!"
+
+There was a strange unearthly cry from somewhere in the distance and the
+man continued:
+
+"Some call that a screech-owl! But I know it's the cry of a girl who was
+lost in this forest. Why, Anton, boy, what's happened you?"
+
+Anton had suddenly swayed in his seat and his face under its copper skin
+had turned ghastly pale.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+HOW MOLLY CAME TO CAMP
+
+
+"Yes, she was the daughter of one of the French squatters on that very
+lake we've fished this day. Susette they called her, and she was days in
+the woods. Out of this _Laque de la Mort_, they drew her body; but
+still, on dark nights, her spirit wanders as it wandered then, before
+she sought or found rest in the pool. 'Tis easy, sure. Take one of you
+men, even, and set you away from all the guide-marks we've made, you
+could not find your way save by some inherited instinct. We Indians,
+descendants of the forest men, get that instinct with our birth; even we
+who have lived among the white men all our days. That Anton yonder,
+though he has been housed under a roof ever since he was born, I warrant
+me he could be set in some unknown wilderness but would find a way out.
+Is it not so, Anton?" asked the half-breed story-teller, shading his
+eyes from the firelight to look at the boy.
+
+An instant later he had risen and bent above Anton, who now cowered in
+his corner his head bent upon his knees and his whole attitude one of
+keen distress.
+
+"Lad, what's amiss with you?"
+
+Anton tossed off the kindly hand just laid upon his shoulder and raised
+a face that had grown haggard, with wild terrified eyes staring into the
+questioner's face.
+
+"'Tis a lie, no? There is no girl wanders the forest nights! You are
+fool, Merimée, with your words!"
+
+"That's as a man judges. Ghost tales were asked and told, and one is
+true. I know it. But fear not, lad. No spirit will molest to his harm
+one who rides through the wood aright, in the fear of God and with
+honesty in his heart. As for the ghost of poor Susette, hapless maid!
+Would not one with a spark of manhood in him seek to help her if he
+could? But alas! When one is dead, even living men with hearts of
+courage can avail nought. But, up. You've rested and supped. 'Tis time
+you were a-saddle and riding home to your duty. Up and away. Though the
+wood looks dark from here, 'tis because of our fire so bright. The stars
+are out and once away from this the road will seem light enough. As
+light as many another when you're played truant to your master to wander
+in it. Up, and away!"
+
+This Merimée, guide, was mostly a man of few words. Yet when, as now,
+his toil for the day was over and the campers gathered for an evening
+chat it flattered his vanity to be asked for the legends and traditions
+of the countryside. His tongue had been loosened and he used it thus
+liberally for the benefit of Anton, the mischievous, who "shamed his
+duty" as old Merimée always honored it. As he finished speaking he
+walked to the tree where the gray mare was fastened, slipped on its
+saddle, tightened its girth, and called:
+
+"Ready, Anton!"
+
+And, as if in echo, again floated through the air overhead a
+night-bird's mournful cry and Anton shrieked, then sprang to his feet
+shivering with terror.
+
+The men stared at him, astonished, and Monty ran to him, shook him, and
+demanded:
+
+"Don't you know better than that? Scare a fellow's wits out of his head?
+That's nothing but the same old bird that's kept me awake--"
+
+Melvin shouted in laughter, and the others echoed him.
+
+"Kept you awake! Well, I'd like to know when? You that always go to
+sleep over your supper--if you're allowed!"
+
+Monty laughed, also, and the mirth around him seemed to restore Anton's
+composure in a measure. But happening to glance toward Judge
+Breckenridge he saw that gentleman looking at him keenly and his guilty
+conscience awoke. In fact, the Judge was merely interested in watching
+the changes which fear wrought upon Anton's healthy face and was growing
+impatient to have the lad start home. He knew how eagerly his sister
+would wait to read the letters he was returning her and to comply with
+his own brief instructions concerning them. He was a man who wished
+always to do at once anything he had to do; and nothing annoyed him more
+than others' shilly-shallying. To his amazement, Anton begged him:
+
+"Don't! Don't, sir, look at me like that! I didn't go for to do it!
+She--she done it herself!"
+
+"Who did what? Have you lost your common sense?"
+
+Then it all came out, the whole miserable story; in broken sentences,
+with keenest regret now, unhappy Anton told of Molly's following, of the
+trick he had played upon her, and of the fact that she was now wandering
+somewhere in that wild forest alone, save for old Queenie.
+
+But the story was not ended before every member of that startled group
+was on his feet, ready for search and rescue. Though he could almost
+have killed the lad where he cowered, so furious was his wrath and
+terrible his fear, the Judge controlled himself and sternly ordered:
+
+"With me you come, Anton. Close to me you keep and lead me to the last
+spot where you left my child. If we find her not--"
+
+He did not need to finish his sentence with a threat, nor did he wait
+for the horse which Merimée made haste to catch and saddle. On foot he
+started, Anton held by an iron grasp, and they two were out of sight
+before the others had quite realized that they were even moving.
+
+Old Merimée took charge without question; organizing his little company
+into bands of two and directing each pair to take a separate route
+through the woods, but all verging toward the east and the distant
+farmhouse. He arranged that all, carrying guns, should agree upon
+certain signals; one shot meant distress, two reports called for
+reinforcement by the nearest searchers; and three--or a succession of
+more--good news, that the work had happily ended and the word was: "Back
+to the camp!"
+
+The old college president took Montmorency as his aide, with the
+clannish instinct of two New Englanders for one another's company.
+Indeed, this odd pair had been almost constant companions since they
+entered the woods, and the lad had found the alert old man the "jolliest
+'boy' he had ever chummed with."
+
+The surgeon called Melvin to share his own search and the merchant
+strode sturdily forward in the wake of Merimée, the guide; who delayed
+but long enough to cover the fire and to sling over his shoulder a
+hunting-horn. He had often used this for four-footed game, and might now
+as a call to the Judge's lost daughter. Seeing Merimée do this sent
+Melvin also back to his tent, yet only for a moment. Then he ran after
+his partner and disappeared in the gloom of the forest.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Back at Farmer Grimm's, when Molly rode out of the grounds, there had
+been none to see her go except one of the maids, drooping with
+sick-headache against the back porch. Even she had scarcely realized
+the fact, so absorbed was she by her own physical misery. There her
+mistress found her and promptly despatched her to her room and bed,
+until she should recover, and it was not till some hours later that she
+descended to find the house in a turmoil of search and anxiety. At
+dinner-time, Mrs. Hungerford had bidden Dorothy to call Molly; adding a
+warning word:
+
+"Tell her, Dolly dear, that she must come at once. Too often she lingers
+and keeps Mrs. Grimm waiting. That isn't right because this household is
+managed as systematically as your own Academy in school time. Be sure
+and tell her."
+
+"Yes, Auntie Lu, when I find her," answered Dorothy, speeding out of
+doors, while the lady looked after her with more than ordinary interest;
+thinking: "What a dear, bonny creature that child is! And I am so glad,
+I hope so much for her now. I'm sure Schuyler will bid me go ahead and
+write, or will send a note to be forwarded. I can hardly wait for the
+outcome of the matter, but Dorothy must know nothing--nothing--until
+just the right moment. Then for the climax, and God grant it be a happy
+one!"
+
+She sat down on the broad sill by the open window to wait for the girls,
+lost in her own happy thoughts, until Miss Greatorex came and asked:
+
+"Did you know that dinner had been served some moments and is fast
+getting cold? It's mutton to-day, and Mrs. Grimm is fretting that
+'mutton must be eaten hot to be good.'"
+
+"So late? I was musing over something--didn't notice. Have the girls
+come in without my seeing them?"
+
+"Neither of them."
+
+"That's odd. By the way, when did you see Molly?"
+
+"A few moments after breakfast, I think. I've been writing all morning
+at that further window and have scarcely looked out. Why?"
+
+"She hasn't been in and dearly as she loves riding I never knew her to
+keep on with it so long, unless she was off with the farmer. I sent
+Dolly to call her and now she delays, too."
+
+"Very well, _I_ will find Dorothy!" said Miss Isobel, with an air of
+authority. She considered Mrs. Hungerford quite too indulgent to her
+niece and was all the more strict with her own especial charge for that
+reason. She now left the room with a firm step and was still wearing an
+air of discipline when she came upon Dorothy emerging from the stables.
+The child looked perplexed and a trifle frightened. She didn't wait for
+her governess to upbraid her but began at once:
+
+"Oh, dear Miss Isobel! I can't find her anywhere! Nobody has seen her
+and Queenie isn't in her stall. I've been to my corncrib, the garden,
+the long orchard all through, and yet she isn't. Ah! There's Mr. Grimm!
+He's finished his dinner already and is going back to the hay-fields.
+Please excuse me, I'll run ask him if he's seen her."
+
+"Best not delay longer yourself, Dorothy--" called Miss Greatorex, but
+for once her charge did not pause at this tone of reproof; and a first,
+faint feeling of alarm rose in her own breast.
+
+"Molly, lassie? No, indeed! I haven't seen her to-day. I was off to work
+before she came down stairs, but I've been wishing for her and you, too,
+the livelong day. The wild-roses that you love are blooming wonderful.
+All my far-away meadows are hedged with them as perfect as if they'd
+been set out a-purpose. Miles of them, I fancy, are on this old farm;
+but little golden-haired Molly's the sweetest wild-rose I've seen this
+summer. For you're no wild rose, lassie. You're one of those
+'cinnamons,' home-keepers, close by the old house and that the Missus
+claims are the prettiest in all the world. So there's a compliment for
+the pair of you! Wait till I whistle! Mistress Molly knows that it
+means: 'Come! I'm waiting for your company!' 'Twill fetch her, sure, if
+she's within the sound of it."
+
+So he put his hands to his lips and whistled as only he could do, a
+long, musical note of call that reached far and wide and that the
+missing girl had often likened to the sound of Melvin's bugle.
+
+[Illustration: "QUEENIE TOO, HAD HEARD."
+_Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+But there came no answer of Queenie's footfalls over the gravel nor
+their soft thud-thud upon the grass, and the farmer felt he could delay
+no longer. Yet, could he go? While his little "comrade" was missing?
+Silly, to feel a moment's alarm at such a trivial thing. A thoughtless
+lassie, sure she was, this little maid of the far-away southland; but
+oh! so "winsie." No. Let the hay wait. He'd tarry a bit longer and be
+on hand to scold Fair-Hair when she came galloping back with a string of
+merry excuses tumbling off her nimble tongue, her ready "I forgots" or
+"I didn't thinks"--the teasing, adorable witch that she was!
+
+"Fetch me my pipe and my paper, Dorothy, girl. I'll wait under this
+apple tree till she comes. But do you all get your dinners and not so
+many go hungry because one wild child loiters. A whisper! The missus is
+getting a trifle crisp, in the kitchen yon. She's missing the nap that
+is due her as soon as her people are fed. Best make haste. It's
+pleasanter for all on the Farm when Missus is left to go her gait
+regular, without hindrance from any. Go, little maid, and a blessing on
+you."
+
+So she ran and brought him his pipe and his paper, received a kiss for
+her pains, and left him on the bench under the apple-tree, idle because
+little Molly was idle--no better reason than that--though this was his
+busiest time and he a most busy man.
+
+But Mrs. Hungerford could not eat, even though courtesy compelled her to
+table and to taste the good fare provided. Her want of appetite banished
+Miss Isobel's, and though Dorothy was healthily hungry, as why shouldn't
+she be? even she sent away her plate untouched, and was the first of the
+trio to put into words the dreadful fear that was in all their hearts:
+
+"I can't, I can't eat! Something has happened to Molly! Something
+terrible has come to our Molly!"
+
+That ended waiting. After that the farmer promptly summoned his men, the
+mistress her maids, and a thorough search of all the premises began.
+Over the old-fashioned well with its long sweep poor Aunt Lu hovered
+like a creature distraught.
+
+That well had held a fascination for the novelty-loving Molly, in this
+case its age being the to her new thing. She had tried her own strength
+in lifting the great beam and lowering the bucket from its pole; and,
+perhaps, she had done so now and had fallen over the curb into the
+depths below!
+
+In vain did the others tell her how almost impossible this would have
+been; she could not be dissuaded, and most earnestly begged the farmer
+to have someone search the well.
+
+"No, no, dear madam. Not till we've tried other more likely spots first.
+The last time Molly was seen was on Queenie's back. Well, then we have
+only to find the sorrel and we'll find the child. Take comfort. That
+up-and-a-coming little lass isn't down anybody's well. Not she."
+
+There were many barns and outbuildings on that big farm; some new and
+modern, some old and disused. Not one was left unsearched. All work
+stopped. Haymakers and ploughmen left their fields to add their willing
+feet and keen eyes to the business, and up-garret, down cellar, through
+dairies, pantries, unused chambers, everywhere within doors the
+troubled housemistress led her own corps of searchers, and always
+without result. This had been a foregone conclusion yet she left nothing
+undone that might lead to the discovery of the missing girl; while the
+longer they sought the deeper the conviction grew in all those anxious
+hearts: "Molly is lost."
+
+It was the maid with the headache who furnished the first clue. Coming
+below after her hours of rest, she found the kitchen deserted, and all
+labor at a standstill. Hearing voices without she questioned the first
+she met and was told in faltering tones:
+
+"The bonny little maid is--lost!"
+
+"_Lost?_ Where, then, is Anton?"
+
+"Gone with a parcel to the far-away camp. The mistress sent him for Mrs.
+Hungerford."
+
+"Well, but, the maid was with him. That is she sought to be. I heard her
+call after him as he rode away and I thought her cries would split my
+aching head. He was galloping out of the far gate and she a-chase. They
+need not seek her hereabouts."
+
+Said the mistress, in vast relief:
+
+"I might have known. I might have guessed. He a mischievous tease, she a
+wild, impulsive child." Then she hurried to poor Auntie Lu, sitting
+disconsolate beside the well with Dorothy clasping her hand in her own
+small ones, trying to comfort as best she could, and exclaimed: "Fear no
+more! We should have thought at once the prank that madcap would be at!
+She saw Anton ride away to the camp and she has followed him. The maid
+who was ill remembers. She is safe with her father long before this.
+Come in by, now, come in and have a cup of tea. A cup of tea will set
+you up again like anything."
+
+Aunt Lu was greatly cheered but it took more than the other's panacea of
+a "cup of tea" to banish all anxiety; yet in the hope that had been
+raised she passed the remainder of that dreadful day as calmly as she
+could and without burdening others with the fear which still lingered in
+her heart.
+
+Upon his wife's report the farmer left off prying into all the home
+places and saddled his fleetest horse. He sent all the men back to the
+fields to house the abandoned hay machines and rusting ploughs, and to
+attend the many duties of so great a farm. But he took one man with him
+and a "snack" of supper in their pockets. It would be a long ride there
+and back and a detour might be necessary. Wherever he found sign of the
+child's wandering, should she by chance have lost the trail of Anton,
+whom she followed, he would keep to the signs and not the shortest
+route. Many a place there was, of course, where even the surest-footed
+horse could not travel, and only a foot passage be made with difficulty.
+
+But he rode round to Auntie Lu, now coaxed within doors to an open
+window, and cheerily bade her:
+
+"Keep stout heart, my woman dear. When you see my grizzled face again
+you shall see your Molly's bonny one beside it. I'm a Grimm. I mean it."
+
+Then he bared his gray head, settled himself firmly in his saddle,
+called to his man: "Come on!" and rode as gallantly to the rescue as if
+his seventy winters had been no more than seventeen.
+
+All this time where was Molly?
+
+When she found that Anton had disappeared from that open spot in the
+forest she was at first terrified then comforted.
+
+"Why, I reckon this must be mighty near that camp, after all. It's 'most
+clear of the little trees and bushes, like some of the farm-groves that
+anybody can play in and not be scared or--or get their dresses torn.
+Queenie, you and I can rest a few minutes. Somehow I'm dreadful tired. I
+rode such a lot all morning and now away out here after that Anton. He's
+mean. He surely is dreadful ornery. When I see him again I'll just hold
+my head mighty high and take no notice. Indians aren't much better than
+negroes, I reckon. Anyhow he isn't half so nice. Catch one of our black
+'boys' treating 'little missy' so! You hungry, too, Queenie? Well,
+you're luckier than I for you can get your dinner off the ground. Go
+ahead and nibble it. I'll wait for you;" she said, talking to the sorrel
+as if she were human and could understand, and slipping from her saddle
+to the ground.
+
+After a moment's contemplation of the lovely place, where a little
+stream ran trickling and babbling over stones, and where the ferns were
+high as her head, looking to her like miniature trees themselves, she
+began to feel almost contented. Open places between the pines let the
+sunlight through and, where it fell, the wild roses which creep
+everywhere over that fair land had forced themselves into a home and
+bloomed away most bravely. Then she espied a scarlet patch of color
+underneath and found that they were the wild strawberries she loved so
+well. She cried, scrambling after these:
+
+"Ah! Queenie! You're not the only one can get something to eat away out
+here in the woods. I suppose that's the kind of stream Papa fishes for
+trout. If I had a line and a hook and--and whatever I needed I could
+fish, too. But I wouldn't. I never would like to kill anything, though a
+trout that somebody else had killed would make a mighty nice dinner
+right now."
+
+The berries were plenty, and "enough" of anything is "as good as a
+feast." At least they satisfied her immediate hunger as the water from
+the brook, caught in a little cup made of a big leaf, satisfied her
+thirst. Queenie slaked her own thirst at the same pool and was so quiet
+and content that she greatly helped to cheer her small companion.
+
+Finally Molly remembered a maxim she had once taught Dorothy:
+
+"When you're lost, stay right still in that spot till somebody comes and
+finds you." Not always the safest judgment, it may be, but consoling
+then to this small girl.
+
+Then she continued to converse with the sorrel mare; assuring that calm
+creature:
+
+"That boy went away out of here, some place, and to go home again he'll
+have to come away back. That's plain enough. Now, you and I are real
+safe, Queenie, really perfectly safe; if some them mooses or caribous,
+or deers, or--or things--Let's not think about them, Queenie. Let's just
+wait. Let's--let's take a nap if we can, to make the time pass
+till--till Anton comes."
+
+She wished she hadn't happened to think of any "wild beasts" just then
+and she was astonished to see Queenie take her advice so literally; for
+down upon that mossy ground dropped the sorrel, did its utmost to work
+the saddle off its back, and, failing in this, stretched itself on its
+side and did go to sleep.
+
+Then for a time Molly busied herself in gathering flowers, wherever she
+caught sight of one, and, thrusting them into her blouse, told Queenie
+that "these are for that terrible flowery girl, Dorothy C. Oh! I wonder
+what she is doing now! If she isn't scraping away on that old fiddle
+I'll bet she's missing me. 'Tisn't polite for girls to 'bet,' Auntie Lu
+says. Oh! I wish I could see her now. Funny I should be so lonesome,
+right in the daylight with Queenie here. If I don't look out I'll be
+crying; for I'm getting that awful scared way I was when Anton first
+went. I'll lie down too on that pile of ferns and go to sleep--if I
+can. I hope there aren't any wigglers of any sort to get into my ears.
+I'll put my handkerchief over them and my face on that. Let's play
+pretend it's bedtime, Queenie. Good night."
+
+There was no response from the weary old horse who had jogged about
+nearly all that day and Molly waited for none. A merciful drowsiness
+stole upon her and when she woke again the night was really there.
+Through the scattered tree-tops she could see the stars shining; close
+at her feet was the same gentle purring of the little stream, and
+overhead the soft rustle of pine needles moving lightly in the breeze.
+But what had wakened her? Something had, she knew. Some sound other than
+that of the brook or the pines. Queenie too, had heard. She had got to
+her feet and was listening, was whinnying, as in no fear of whatever
+thing it was. Molly could dimly see the old horse against the background
+of gloom but her presence was vast comfort.
+
+Hark! HARK!!
+
+Molly was on her feet now, wider awake than in all her life
+before, hands clasped to her breast, head bent forward,
+listening--listening--listening.
+
+"Toot! Toot! Tooty-ti-tooty-ti-toot!"
+
+"A bugle! A bugle! The 'Assembly!' First call to meals! Melvin's coming!
+Melvin--MELVIN!"
+
+Nearer and nearer it came. It was at hand. On the other side the
+murmuring stream. On this side. In her very ears; and screaming
+"Melvin!" with all the agony of fear that she had pent within her brave
+heart, Molly fell sobbing in the "Bashful Bugler's" arms.
+
+A few minutes later she was in her father's; and not long thereafter sat
+upon his knee before the camp-fire with her head upon his breast and he
+clasping her close, close in an embrace that held within it almost an
+agony of joy, so fierce it was.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MRS. CALVERT PLANS AN INFAIR
+
+
+Instead of being scolded for her escapade Molly found herself a sort of
+heroine. Nothing could exceed the tenderness of her thankful father, nor
+the interest of all the campers. The signal shots had brought them all
+back to the camp, and there the two lads went immediately to work to
+cook for the girl the most wonderful of suppers. Monty had caught some
+of Melvin's deftness at the task and was most ambitious to show Molly
+his newly acquired skill. Also, at the first opportunity, when the Judge
+had for a moment released his darling's hand to rise and greet Farmer
+Grimm coming through the woods, the boy proudly pulled from his pocket a
+few small coins and displayed them upon his palm.
+
+"See them, Miss Molly? Hmm. Those are mine. My own.
+I--earned--them--myself!"
+
+He paused so long to let this amazing statement sink into her mind that
+Melvin called:
+
+"Come on, Mont! No loafing! Fetch another bit of wood and get on your
+hurry-up step! Merimée covered this fire so snug he nigh put it out,
+but wise enough, too. A fire in the forest isn't a laughing matter.
+Look out! Don't poke it, you clumsy, else you'll tip over that
+coffee-pot. First time we've had a lady to visit us don't want to act
+the blunder-head, do you?"
+
+"Oh! hush, Bugle! No call to bulldoze a fellow just because you happened
+to be first on the spot! What made you think of carrying that thing,
+anyway?"
+
+Molly herself drew near to hear the answer. She was wondering at the
+fact of their jolly comradeship, which was now so evident; and at
+Monty's pride over a little money--he who had cared so little for it
+once. She was wondering at many things, and when Melvin did not at once
+reply she repeated Monty's question.
+
+"Melvin, how did you happen to take the bugle?"
+
+"Why--why--I don't know, but I fancy my mother would say that Providence
+put it into my mind. My mother believes that Providence has a Hand in
+everything, don't you know? Anyhow, I'm glad I did take it. Without it
+and you hearing it we might have wandered right past that very
+place--one spot looks so much like another in the woods at night."
+
+"Melvin, would you sell me that bugle? It was that saved my life, maybe,
+if the animals I thought about had come or if--Would you?" asked Molly,
+softly, and with a pathetic clasping of her hands, which trembled again
+now, as she recalled past perils.
+
+"No, Molly, I won't sell it to you. I'll give it to you, if you'll take
+it that way, and only wish it were a better one. It's the cheapest made.
+It had to be, don't you know?"
+
+For a moment the girl hesitated. She did not like to rob the lad of his
+only musical enjoyment and she felt that he could not afford the gift.
+Then she remembered that there were other bugles in the world and that
+she had but to suggest to her father a sort of exchange for the better,
+and so satisfy both herself and Melvin. So she said simply:
+
+"I shall prize it as the greatest treasure in the world, and I thank
+you, I--I can't say much--I can't talk when I feel most--but don't you
+know how I feel? About my teasing you whenever I had the chance and--and
+lots of things? I'll take the bugle if--if 'you'll call the slate washed
+clean,' as Dolly says, and we can begin all over again?" She held out
+her hand, entreatingly, and the shy lad took it for a moment, then
+dropped it as if its touch had burned. A sudden wave of his old
+bashfulness had swept over him, for though he had gained much
+self-confidence during those weeks in camp it would be a long time
+before he conquered the timidity of his nature, if he ever did.
+
+Then she asked Monty how he had earned money in such a place as that and
+he answered proudly:
+
+"Made myself generally useful. The Prex hired me to wait on him and keep
+his traps in order sometimes--when the other old 'Boys' would let him
+be 'coddled.' Every man for himself, you know, out here. But the Prex is
+odd. He wants his boots blacked, or shoes, that he puts on after he
+takes off his hunting ones and I've 'shined' 'em for him like any street
+bootblack that ever did my own. Fact! Fancy what my mother would say!
+Master Montmorency Vavasour-Stark blacking shoes in order to get a bit
+of pocket-money! But I tell you what, Molly Breckenridge, I like it. I'm
+going to have one of these dimes made into a watch-charm and wear it
+always, just to remind me how fine I felt over the first, the very
+first, cent I ever honestly earned. And it's taught me one thing. I'll
+quit idling. I shall never be a scholar like long-legged Jim, but I'll
+_do_ things, I mean it. I'll find out what I can do best, and I think I
+can guess that, and then I'm going ahead to do it. I'm going to ask Papa
+to stop giving me money. I'm going to shock my mother by going to work.
+But--that Prex is a wise old chap. He's taught hundreds, likely
+thousands, of boys to make decent men and he's trying to teach me. He
+says--"
+
+"O, Monty! Quit! I've broiled that salmon steak to the Queen's taste and
+the coffee's settled as clear as that spring water and--Supper's ready,
+Miss Molly Breckenridge. Will your ladyship partake?" demanded Melvin,
+interrupting.
+
+Such a supper that was! Odd, that all the campers who had fared so
+heartily just a little while before should suddenly be "taken hungry"
+again and beg an invitation too. Even Farmer Grimm and his man waited
+to feast with the others before riding home to carry the good news; then
+departed, with the forgiven but shame-faced Anton riding between them
+and with the precious packet of letters transferred from his pocket to
+his master's for safe-keeping.
+
+Molly stayed the night to rest; lying snug in her father's tent while he
+sat long awake thinking of many things; but mostly thankful for the
+safety of the little maid whose love and life meant all the world to
+him. The dear, repentant child; who had not gone to sleep till, all
+alone with him in the seclusion of his tent, she had clasped her arms
+about his neck and begged his pardon for all her thoughtlessness.
+
+"It was terrible there in the dark woods when I woke and found I was
+lost, alone; but that wasn't half so terrible, it didn't make me feel
+half so bad in here," laying her hand upon her heart, "as it does
+knowing how unhappy I've made everybody and how much trouble given.
+Seems if I never would be heedless and forget again, Papa dearest, seems
+if! But I'm just only Molly--and I haven't much faith in your Molly,
+Judge Breckenridge!"
+
+What could he do but kiss her quivering lips and smile at the whimsical
+way in which she expressed her contriteness? And, after all, would he
+have had her greatly different from what she was by nature, just his
+great-hearted, impulsive, precious Molly?
+
+Next morning she rode home in great state. With Guide Merimée heading
+the little cavalcade and with masters Melvin and Monty on either side
+when that was practical for the crowding of the trees, and as van or
+rear guard it was not. Because the road was straight enough to one who
+knew it, as did the half-breed hunter, and that happy company followed
+him with no thought of care. Monty was laden with wild-flowers of every
+sort for Dorothy; Melvin had store of forsaken birds' nests, lichens,
+and curious bits of stone or bark for Miss Greatorex to add to her
+"collection," which Mrs. Hungerford assured her would cost more than it
+was worth to pass the revenue officers. "No matter if it does!" cried
+the happy teacher, "since it will be such an addition to Miss
+Rhinelander's museum."
+
+The guide brought fish, freshly caught that morning before daybreak, and
+enough of game to feast even that farm crowd of "hands;" and having
+tarried long enough to deliver the packet to Mrs. Hungerford, to assure
+her that her brother was well and more than happy now; that he and the
+other "Boys" intended to lengthen their vacation by a few weeks, in fact
+to "stay just as long as they could;" to add that by no means must Molly
+ride "off grounds" again, alone, and that Anton was not to be punished
+for his "prank;" and to partake of Mrs. Grimm's most excellent food and
+drink. Then he called the lads, now almost reluctant to leave the
+pleasant place of peace and plenty, and rode away again, they following
+and looking back again and again, to wave farewell.
+
+"I never saw so great an improvement in two boys as in those!" said
+Auntie Lu, standing to watch them disappear toward the forest, with
+Molly fast in her arms and Dorothy beside her; then laughed at the
+rather awkward manner in which she had expressed herself, as she saw
+Miss Greatorex regarding her. But for once that estimable person was not
+critical of others' speech or grammar; and murmured with an air of great
+content:
+
+"So many more weeks of rest and time to write up my travels."
+
+Mrs. Hungerford sighed, but conquered the slight loneliness that now
+oppressed her and set to work herself upon a vigorous correspondence and
+the carrying forward of a matter her brother had outlined for her.
+Sometimes in writing these letters she asked Dorothy to sit beside her
+and would frequently look at the girl as if she were studying her
+features or her manner. At such time Dolly felt a little awkward and
+perplexed, yet always, in some indefinable manner, as if this scrutiny
+were for her own good. Then Auntie Lu would laugh and call the girl her
+"Inspiration," and write the faster.
+
+Those last weeks on the old Farm were very quiet, uneventful, yet most
+happy ones; and the two girls passed much of the time in the cool,
+shadowy library, among the fine literature therein collected. For Molly
+had no further desire at present for "larks" and began, instead, to find
+out how much happiness one may find between the covers of a book.
+Dorothy introduced her to Dickens, and thereafter the merry maid needed
+no urging to: "Do sit down and read and let me do so!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One morning in that late summer time, Mrs. Betty Calvert was sitting on
+a hotel veranda at the Springs. She was looking very handsome and
+queenly, in her white gown, her piled-up, snow-white hair, and her "air
+of one who belonged" to an old "aristocracy." A little table was beside
+her, heaped with her morning's mail; for here, even as in her old home
+at Bellvieu, she surrounded herself with more such reading matter than
+she could use. But the letters were duly read and re-read, some of them;
+and at last she dropped one to her lap, and remarked to a gentleman near
+her:
+
+"Cousin Seth, Lucretia Breckenridge always was a fool!"
+
+"Hard judgment, Cousin Betty. I should have given quite the contrary. I
+always thought her a very sweet, sensible, lovable woman."
+
+"Hmm. You see a deal of 'sweetness' in this silly old world. But look
+here. What sensible woman would write a letter of twenty pages when one
+would do? All to convince me of something I already knew."
+
+"Don't expect me to answer that. Go on and tell me what's 'meat' in so
+much 'cocoanut.'"
+
+"She believes--and she takes pages to justify her belief--that she has
+traced the parentage of one Dorothy, a foundling! Indeed! Why, Seth,
+those people up in that unhappy Nova Scotia--unhappy to be afflicted
+with two such foolish visitors--they think themselves detectives fit to
+rank with the world's greatest. I thought Schuyler had some sense if
+Lucretia hadn't. If they weren't already there I'd bid them both 'go to
+Halifax' as I used to be bidden when I was a naughty little girl and
+plagued my nurse. She makes a great ado about Dorothy's 'unhappiness.' I
+can't believe that. I never, never saw a happier child in all my life.
+The idea! Lucretia is just as simple as she was always. She's set out to
+find who Dorothy's parents are or were and she thinks she's found. The
+idea! The impertinent minx!"
+
+The "Learned Blacksmith" did not reply, but calmly perused his own
+paper. He was a blacksmith transformed, and he seemed to fit into this
+environment as readily and completely as he had fitted the simple life
+of the old smithy under the Great Balm tree. He had recovered his health
+but was sojourning for a little time in this old resort of his youth,
+meeting those who were lads and maidens then but now as venerable as
+himself. Few among them were as alert, as vigorous and as young of heart
+as Cousin Betty and himself; and they two had, as a younger guest
+remarked: "Been having the time of their lives. Why, that black-eyed old
+lady has more attention this day than any of us girls; and as for wit
+and repartée, there isn't her equal this year at our Springs."
+
+After a few moments of this silence, during which Mrs. Calvert tapped
+her white slipper impatiently, she interrupted her companion's reading
+by an exclamation:
+
+"Seth Winters, do put up that tiresome paper and listen. I don't believe
+you've comprehended a single sentence you've looked at. I know. Your
+eyes had that hungry-for-Dorothy look in them. Leastwise, if they
+hadn't, the feel of it is in my own old heart. A pretty how'd-ye-do,
+when that little Lu Breckenridge-Hungerford sets out to hint to me of my
+duty! a slip of a girl like her--the saucy chit!"
+
+Old Seth laughed, so merrily that others drew near to learn the sport;
+seeing which, Mistress Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert, rather
+haughtily arose and remarked:
+
+"Come, Cousin Seth, I'd like to take a walk."
+
+Pacing the green grove, up and down its smooth paths, they were
+undisturbed; but now all desire for conversation had left Mrs. Betty.
+She was, indeed, in deep reflection; wondering if a certain course she
+had followed were all for the best as she had hitherto esteemed it; and
+the only hint she gave to the blacksmith was the sentence:
+
+"I wanted to wait till she came of her own accord. I've never quite
+forgiven her for preferring that woman Martha to me."
+
+Then she went on in a silence which he knew her too well to disturb and
+finally she announced:
+
+"I think I'll give a house party at Deerhurst. A regular old-fashioned
+'infair,' though it'll be no bride for whom the festivity is given.
+After the assembly--what seems best! Those Breckenridges and their
+camping friends; including the old 'boys' and young ones. The foster
+parents, of course; and Johnnie must be written to about bringing that
+sealed letter of mine, that I entrusted to his care. I marked it not to
+be opened till after my death; but I think I'll postpone dying--if God
+wills!--for I'm not nearly so dumpish as I was the day I sealed that
+packet and set my directions upon it. I may open it and I may not. I may
+oblige Lu Breckenridge by letting her think she's a wonderful clever
+woman, and I may take the wind out of her sails by telling her--the
+truth. What do you say? Will you go along?"
+
+"Will I not? I should go anyway, whether your house-warming-infair
+materializes or not. I hope, though, you won't change your mind, because
+I long for the mountain and my peaceful life upon it. I hope you'll
+stick to this notion longer than some others."
+
+"Then come in and help me write the invitations and set things in trim
+for such a big entertaining. After they're written I can't change my
+mind, you know, though I rarely do. I scorn the imputation. Only, ought
+I to do it? Will it be for the best?"
+
+"Oh! make haste, Betty Calvert! If I don't get those invitations off in
+the first mail I'll never be allowed to send them at all!"
+
+He spoke jestingly, yet not without deep sympathy. The "change of mind"
+she intimated meant much, very much to little Dorothy; whose best
+interests nobody had so much in mind as these two old people with the
+young hearts. But his own desire was now for the clearing of all that
+"mystery" which had enveloped the child from her infancy and which only
+they two could solve.
+
+The notes were written and most promptly posted. Then other matters were
+put in line to make the reopening of Deerhurst the most memorable event
+in its history. Servants were ordered thither, disused rooms were aired
+and fitted for occupancy, every scrap of fallen leaf or intrusive weed
+removed from its driveways and paths, and in all the glory of its
+early-autumn beauty the fine old place awaited the coming of its
+mistress and her guests.
+
+First of all to arrive was one James Barlow, with two kindly happy dogs,
+leaping and barking and doing their canine best to express their
+happiness at seeing "home" once more. "Home" it was to the lad, also, as
+he felt it now; tugging stoutly upon the chains of the Great Danes, lest
+in their exuberant joy they should break away from him to gambol in the
+geranium beds that glorified the lawn.
+
+Around from the vine-draped back porch came old Ephraim and Dinah; Hans
+and Griselda Roemer, who greeted Jim in their hearty German fashion, as
+if he were their own son come home. And bless me! If out of that great
+kitchen didn't issue Ma Babcock herself, and all her daughters a-trail
+behind!
+
+"Why, Mrs. Babcock, you here? Surely, this is indeed a surprise!" cried
+Jim, releasing the Danes to Ephraim's care and clasping the hands she
+extended toward him.
+
+"Well, then, it needn't be. Me and Mis' Calvert has been neighbors this
+long while, years indeed. So what more natural than, when all the
+company was comin' and help so hard to get--capable help, you
+know--up-mounting, but that old Seth, the farrier, should write me the
+invite to come and take a hold of things and see that they was the
+rightest kind of right for such grand doings? So I come; and I had to
+fetch the girls along, 'cause I never do leave them out of any the good
+times I have myself. Baretta stop holdin' onto my skirt! You'll pull it
+clean out the gathers and it's just fresh-washed and ironed. Claretta,
+will you never, never quit suckin' your thumb? Make your manners pretty,
+darlin', to this fine gentleman! Who, after all said, is nobody but Jim
+Barlow, makin' the most of his chance. Why, Alfy! You bashful? Come and
+shake hands with your old friend and don't act simple!"
+
+So Alfaretta came forward, a new modesty upon her and a change for the
+better in her whole appearance, even after so short a time as this one
+summer. And both happening to recall how she had greeted him when first
+this "hero" was presented to her, they laughed and the "ice" which had
+formed over their friendship during separation speedily melted.
+
+"Pa Babcock, you're askin' for? Oh, he's well, that kind don't never
+have nothing the matter with their health, though they're always
+thinking they have. He stopped with his sister till she got tired and
+shook him. Then he went to Chicago, where there's such a lot of silly
+Nanarchists like himself, and there he's stayed. I hope will stay, too,
+till the children get growed. He seems to be makin' his salt, some kind
+of livin', and he's happy as a clam in high water. He hasn't a thing to
+do but talk and talkin' suits him to a T. Best come in and get washed
+up. A letter come from Dorothy's parents and the pair of 'em will be to
+the Landing by the evening boat. Or one by train and one by boat. Anyhow
+they'll both be there and I 'low they'd admire, just admire that it
+should be you drove down to meet 'em. Me and Alfy and Dinah'll be right
+on hand here to see they get their supper and to show 'em where they're
+to sleep. You best hurry down to your own room to the gate-house and
+clean yourself. You're powerful dusty and your face needs washin'. Alfy!
+What you gigglin' at? Ain't I tellin' the truth? Ain't he a sight?"
+
+"Yes, Ma, he is; one 'good for sore eyes,' as you sometimes say;" and
+with this inelegant remark Miss Alfaretta walked away while laughing,
+happy Jim sped downwards to the vine-wreathed lodge at the great
+entrance gate. He had been happy all that summer, never more so; yet
+happier than ever now as he stepped into the freshly furbished upper
+chamber which was his own, his very home. All the dear familiar books
+on the shelves, the snowy bed, the dainty neatness of the place that
+showed the motherly touch of old Griselda everywhere, even to the bunch
+of flowers upon the little table.
+
+Dolly would have said that the bouquet looked "Dutchy," like the kind
+hands which had arranged it; with its conflicting colors and its tightly
+crowded bunches of bloom. But Dorothy wasn't there to comment, there was
+nobody who could see him, and the orphan lad who had not yet outgrown
+his boyish tenderness suddenly stooped and kissed it. Was this in memory
+of a mother he had never known, or because of his gratitude for his
+"home?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+WHEN JOURNEYS END IN WELCOME
+
+
+"Welcome! Welcome! WELCOME!!"
+
+The blacksmith, "himself once more" and not the summer idler on a hotel
+veranda, stood at Mrs. Betty's right hand on the broad steps of
+Deerhurst, to greet the carriages of happy folk who were whirled over
+the curving driveways and up to the hospitable door which stood wide
+open, as if eager to embrace them all in its own genial "welcome."
+
+Somehow, there was a slight trembling in the hostess's slender frame and
+she put out her white hand against the porch-pillar to steady herself.
+Somehow, too, there seemed a little mist in her bright eyes, as she
+peered anxiously outward toward her arriving guests. Had they all come?
+Everyone whom she had bidden to her "infair?"
+
+In the first carriage, the state barouche, sat the four grayheaded
+"Boys" whom she had known all their lives and for whom her best was
+prepared. In the next was "that slip of a girl," one Mrs. Lucretia
+Hungerford, a "girl" whose locks were already touched with the rime of
+years; a rather stern and dignified person who could be no other than
+Miss Isobel Greatorex of whom Dorothy had written; and a cadet in gray.
+A West Pointer! Off for the briefest of "furloughs" and a too-short
+reunion with his radiant mother. Cadet Tom Hungerford, and no other.
+Also, within that open trap a third gentlewoman, brought by Mrs.
+Hungerford's invitation for a short "tour of the States" to see what
+sort of home it was unto which she would consign her son, the lad Melvin
+come to try his fortunes so far from home. The little widow, Mrs. Cook,
+indeed; past mistress in the art of making gardens and good dinners, and
+happy in her unexpected outing as a child. To her bonny face under its
+white hair, with her lovely English color and her sorrow-chastened
+smile, the heart of Mrs. Betty immediately went out in interest and
+admiration. Stranger though she was her welcome, too, was ready.
+
+But it was on that last open pony-cart, with its load of young folks,
+that the eye of the hostess rested first and last. Such a gay and
+laughing quartette that was! Molly and Dolly, the blonde and the
+brunette, Monty and Melvin, the rotund and the slender; but Dolly the
+gayest, the sweetest, the darlingest of all!
+
+At least, that was what some of those welcoming people, grouped upon the
+steps, believed with all their hearts. Father John and Mother Martha,
+Mr. Seth and "Fairy Godmother," aye and honest Jim, first and
+faithfullest of comrades--to these there was visible, for one moment,
+no face save the face of smiling Dorothy.
+
+When they were all housed and supper ended, they gathered in the great
+parlors, which Alfaretta's capable hands had adorned with masses of
+golden-rod, of scarlet woodbine and snowy wreaths of seeding
+clematis--feathery and quite "too graceful for words," as Dorothy
+declared, lovingly hugging Alfaretta who lingered by the door, a new
+shyness upon her, yet longing to be beside these other girls and lads no
+older than she, but who had seen so much more of the world in which they
+all lived.
+
+Then when Mrs. Betty begged:
+
+"Now if all are rested, let's compare our notes of the summer and tell
+what each found loveliest to remember. Come in, Alfaretta, and cuddle
+down with the rest upon the rugs before the fire. Old Deerhurst is at
+its best, to-night, filled with happiness. Now, Dr. Ryall, as
+once-master of these other 'Boys,' can you give your happiest thought of
+the summer?"
+
+The venerable collegian leaned back and twirled his thumbs. He had left
+his boyishness but not his happiness back in the Markland woods, and it
+was quite gravely yet simply he answered:
+
+"Why yes, Elizabeth, and easily. It was the awakening of Monty yonder
+to a sense of his own responsibility as a human being, made in his
+Creator's image. He's got down to bottom facts. He knows it isn't
+dollars but doings that make God's true man. Needn't blush, my lad; but
+be reverently thankful." Then he turned a merry glance upon the company
+and demanded: "Next?"
+
+And as if he were still in the class-room questioned upon a text-book,
+his merchant-pupil answered:
+
+"The happiest sight to me was the first salmon I landed!"
+
+"A good and honest answer!" laughed Mrs. Betty, and like the president
+called: "Next!"
+
+One after another the answers came; that of the surgeon being the memory
+of a wounded fawn whom he had cured and set at liberty again. The
+Judge's happiest moment had been when he caught sight of Molly's face on
+that dark night in the forest, when he dreaded lest he should see it no
+more alive and alight with love.
+
+All had some answer to give, even Miss Greatorex, who wondered why they
+smiled when she recorded her blest experience in discovering a rare
+specimen of quartz. Surely, that was the very best gift she was bringing
+home to "the Rhinelander," and wasn't it a specimen worth the whole trip
+to a "foreign" land?
+
+Even the youngsters were pressed to tell what they had found choicest
+and when Molly answered the question put to her, she spoke with a sweet
+solemnity: "The sound of Melvin's bugle in the wilderness."
+
+There was a momentary silence. All were more moved than they could say,
+remembering how different a group this would have been had that bugle
+never blown "Assembly" in that far-away forest. Dorothy said nothing.
+Even when it came to her and the last "turn," she could only turn her
+happy eyes to one and another of the loved faces before her and shake
+her head. There had been times out there on the Nova Scotia farm when
+she had not been happy; when the moods of "wondering" had disturbed her
+peace and made her discontent. That was all past now that she was
+reunited to Father John and Mother Martha and somehow, best of all, to
+that beautiful, white-haired "Fairy Godmother," who had caught her to
+her breast in such a tender fashion and had even left tears of joy from
+the old, dark eyes upon her own upturned cheek. Why had she loved the
+lady so? Why did the clasp of her slender arms seem so much more than
+that of sturdy Mrs. Martha? Dorothy inwardly upbraided herself for the
+disloyal feeling, but she was too honest to deny even to herself that
+her dearest welcome home had come from one on whom she had no claim.
+
+"Well, Dolly Doodles, it isn't fair for all the rest to tell their part
+and you just sit mum and stare and stare and stare! Honey Doll, I'm
+ashamed of you!" cried Molly.
+
+Thus goaded into speech, Dorothy answered: "The happiest thing I've
+known isn't past, in the summer-time, but just right now and here. It's
+coming home to Deerhurst and--YOU!"
+
+She could not have helped it and she could not have explained why not;
+but there was a look in Mrs. Betty's eyes, an appealing tenderness that
+went straight to the heart of the girl, who sped like an arrow shot from
+the hearth to a place in her hostess's arms.
+
+And again there was silence; while some of that goodly company exchanged
+most speaking glances. Then with a gesture prouder than the proudest she
+had ever given, Mrs. Calvert lifted her head and beckoned the Judge.
+
+"Schuyler, you're a lawyer and that rare one, an honest man. I depute
+you to open this sealed document and read the contents to the company.
+Practically, it is my 'last will and testament'--I mean the last one
+I've made, though I'm likely to alter it a score of times yet! I
+inscribed it 'to be opened after my death,' but as I feel I've just
+secured a new lease of life you needn't wait for that but shall open it
+now."
+
+She spoke with all her old whimsicality but with a tremor in her voice,
+and somehow Seth Winters managed to place himself a little nearer to her
+and Dorothy clung the tighter about her neck.
+
+Not yet did the child dream that this sealed packet related to herself
+or that the irrepressible feeling which had sent her flying to the old
+gentlewoman's arms had been the call of the blood. She merely felt that
+her "Godmother" needed soothing and that it was her delightful duty to
+so soothe.
+
+There is no need to here repeat the technical wording of what the Judge
+so distinctly read in his clear, strong voice, amid a silence which
+except for that voice would have echoed the falling of the proverbial
+"pin." He summed it up after one reading in a brief epitome:
+
+"Dorothy, otherwise Dorothy Elizabeth Somerset Calvert, is the last and
+nearest living relative of Mrs. Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert. She is
+the only child of one Cecil Calvert, deceased, and of Miriam his wife.
+Cecil Calvert, herein named, was the only son of the only son of Mrs.
+Calvert's only brother. The descent is clear and unmistakable. Cecil
+Calvert, the father of Dorothy, was early left an orphan and was
+'raised' by Mrs. Betty, presumably to be her heir. When he came of age
+to want a wife she provided one for him. He objected and made his own
+choice. She cut him off with a limited income, but sufficient for one
+differently reared, and taking his bride he went to the far West. There
+he died and his wife soon followed him; but her illness was a lingering
+one and during it she sought to provide for their baby Dorothy.
+
+"This envelope contains her letters and those of her husband, written
+after his fatal seizure to Mrs. Calvert, describing everything connected
+with their young and, as it proved, improvident lives. Neither of them,
+the sad wife protests, had ever been trained to the wise handling of
+money or of anything useful. It had not been their fault so much as
+their misfortunes that they were dying in what was to them real poverty;
+and the pathetic letters ended with the declaration that, after its
+mother's death, the child Dorothy would be safely convoyed to its
+great-great-aunt's door and left to her to be 'fairly dealt with.' It
+was all quite simple and direct; the commonplace story of many other
+lives."
+
+But here Mrs. Betty, stifling the emotion which the re-reading of the
+papers had roused in her, took up the tale herself.
+
+"When the baby came I was indignant. That at first. I felt I was too old
+to have a squalling infant forced into my house. Then better thoughts
+prevailed. I saw in the little thing traces of my own family likeness
+and I would have kept her. It was old Dinah and Ephraim who advised me
+then and wisely I believe, though there have been times when I've wished
+I hadn't listened to them. They told me with the privilege of life-long
+service, that I'd made a brilliant failure of my raising of Cecil. They
+advised me to hunt up some worthy couple unburdened with children of
+their own and force the child upon them, to rear in simple, sensible
+ways, I to pay such a sum as would provide for the child's actual
+necessities. No more. I listened and the notion falling in somewhat with
+my own conviction--you behold the result.
+
+"Dorothy is what she is; to me the loveliest little maid in God's good
+world. Save what nature implanted in her, all that makes her adorable to
+me and others is due to her foster-parents, the most unselfish and
+self-devoted pair of mortals it has ever been my lot to know in my long
+life. She belongs to them more than to me; but it shall be as she and
+they elect. Even yet I will try to say it justly.
+
+"My homes are many and ample. There is room in every one of them for a
+little household of four. Johnnie, Martha, my own Dorothy, shall we not
+make at last, one unbroken, happy family?"
+
+It was a long speech and it had sorely tried the speaker. One by one her
+guests withdrew, leaving only the "four" of whom she spoke with that
+faithful friend of all, the radiant Seth, remaining in that firelit
+room.
+
+Then cried Dorothy, running to draw her foster-parents to her
+great-aunt's side:
+
+"Yes, father, yes mother! Come and be--_us!_ I have a name at last and
+it still must be yours with 'Calvert' at the end, a hyphen between! Say
+yes, dear ones, who've loved me all my life. We want you, 'Godmother'
+and I, and don't you dare--don't either of you dare to be proud and
+independent now, when your little girl's so happy--_so happy!_"
+
+Who could withstand her? Or the sincere affection which beamed upon them
+from Mrs. Cecil's fine old eyes? Not "whistling Johnnie" of the big
+heart, himself; nor faithful Martha, radiant now in the doing away of
+"mysteries" and the happiness of the girl who had been found a
+"squalling baby" on her doorstep.
+
+So the night fell on Dorothy Calvert's homecoming and home-finding. Once
+more she stood on the threshold of a new life. What befell her in it and
+what use she made of some of the great gifts which had come to her
+cannot be told here. That telling must be left for other pages and
+other hours; perhaps the reader will like to go with us to "Dorothy's
+House party," until then let us bid happy Dorothy a glad
+
+Good night!
+
+                         THE END
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
+
+Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors and ensure
+consistent usage of punctuation in this e-text; otherwise, every effort
+has been made to be faithful to the author's words and intent.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, by Evelyn Raymond
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, by Evelyn Raymond
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Dorothy's Travels
+
+Author: Evelyn Raymond
+
+Illustrator: S. Schneider
+
+Release Date: May 28, 2008 [EBook #25630]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY'S TRAVELS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 315px;">
+<img src="images/icover.jpg" width="315" height="500" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+
+<p class="smallgap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>Dorothy&#8217;s Travels</h1>
+
+<p class="gap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>EVELYN RAYMOND</h2>
+
+<p class="gap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>Illustrations by S. Schneider</h3>
+
+<p class="smallgap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 120px;">
+<img src="images/i001.jpg" width="120" height="44" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="smallgap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>A. L. CHATTERTON COMPANY</h3>
+
+<h4>NEW YORK, N. Y.</h4>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+
+<p class="smallgap">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Copyright</span> 1908</h3>
+
+<h4>BY</h4>
+
+<h3>CHATTERTON-PECK CO.</h3>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 322px;">
+<img src="images/i003.jpg" class="jpg ispace" width="322" height="500" alt="&#8220;ALLOW ME! AND HELPED MOLLY UP.&#8221;
+Dorothy&#8217;s Travels." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&#8220;ALLOW ME! AND HELPED MOLLY UP.&#8221;<br />
+<i>Dorothy&#8217;s Travels.</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="70%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" summary="CONTENTS">
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">CHAPTER</td>
+<td align="left">&nbsp;</td>
+<td align="right">PAGE</td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">I.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Sailing Down the Hudson</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#DOROTHYS_TRAVELS">9</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">II.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Race and Its Ending</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">24</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">III.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Adrift in the Great City</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">40</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">IV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">On Board the &#8220;Prince&#8221;</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">57</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">V.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Moonlight and Mist on the Sea</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">73</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">VI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Safe on Shore</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">89</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">VII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Finnan Haddie in a Garden</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">106</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">VIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Dorothy and the Bashful Bugler</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">124</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">IX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">An Ox-omobile and a Sailboat</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">142</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">X.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">What Befell a &#8220;Digby Chicken&#8221;</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">158</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">In Evangeline Land</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">171</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Sight Seeing Under Difficulties</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">187</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Message for the Camp</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">202</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XIV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">How Molly Came To Camp</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">217</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Calvert Plans an Infair</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">234</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XVI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">When Journeys End in Welcome</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">249</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2><a name="DOROTHYS_TRAVELS" id="DOROTHYS_TRAVELS"></a>DOROTHY&#8217;S TRAVELS</h2>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>SAILING DOWN THE HUDSON</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;All aboard&mdash;what&#8217;s goin&#8217;! All ashore&mdash;what ain&#8217;t!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The stentorian shout of the colored steward, so close to Dorothy&#8217;s ear,
+made her jump aside with a little scream. Then as she saw that the boat
+hands were about to draw the gang plank back to the steamer&#8217;s deck, she
+gave another little cry and fairly pushed Alfaretta toward it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never mind hugging me now, girlie, you must go or you&#8217;ll be left!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But the lassie from the mountain only smiled and answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mind if I am. Look a-here!&#8221; and with that she pulled a shabby
+purse from the front of her blouse and triumphantly displayed its
+contents.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! Alfy! How&#8217;ll you ever get back?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Easy as preachin&#8217;. I&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Dorothy had no further time to waste in argument. Here were Jim
+Barlow and Monty Stark shaking either hand and bidding a hasty good-by,
+while Molly Breckenridge was fairly dancing up and down in her anxiety
+lest the lads <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>should also be left on board, as Alfaretta was likely to
+be.</p>
+
+<p>But they were not. Another second they had bounded down the stairs from
+the saloon to the lower deck, a workman had obligingly caught Monty by
+his coat collar and laughingly flung him over the plank to the dock
+beyond, while Jim&#8217;s long legs strode after and made their last leap
+across a little chasm of water.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good-by, good-by, good-by!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Handkerchiefs waved, kisses were tossed across the widening water, the
+bell rang, the whistle tooted, and Dorothy&#8217;s travels had begun. Then as
+the group of schoolmates watching this departure from the shore grew
+more indistinct she turned upon her old mountain friend with the
+astonished question:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But Alfaretta! Whatever made you do this? What will become of you,
+alone in that great city of New York?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t say anything about Ne&#8217; York, did I? Should think you&#8217;d be glad
+to have me go along with you a little bit o&#8217; way. Course, I shall get
+off the boat when it stops to Cornwall landing. And I thought&mdash;I
+thought&mdash;Seems if I <i>couldn&#8217;t</i> have you go so far away, Dolly. It&#8217;s
+terrible lonesome up-mounting now-a-days. And I&mdash;I don&#8217;t see why some
+folks has everything and some hasn&#8217;t nothin&#8217;!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was more grief than grammar in this speech and a few tears sprang
+to the girl&#8217;s eyes. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>But Alfy boasted that she was not a &#8220;crier&#8221; and as
+she heard the stewardess announcing: &#8220;Tickets, ladies and gentlemen,&#8221;
+she dashed the moisture away and stared at the woman.</p>
+
+<p>After her usual custom, &#8220;Fanny&#8221; was collecting money from the various
+passengers and would obligingly procure their tickets for those not
+already provided. As she made her way through the throng, which on that
+summer morning crowded the upper deck of the pretty &#8220;Mary Powell,&#8221; the
+three young friends watched her with surprised interest.</p>
+
+<p>Apparently she took no note of the amount anybody gave her, carrying
+bills of all dimensions between her fingers and piles of specie on her
+broad palm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How can she tell how much she&#8217;s taken from anybody? How can she give
+them their right change?&#8221; wondered Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I give it up! She must be a deal better at arithmetic than I am. I
+should make the mixedest mess of that business;&#8221; answered Molly, equally
+curious.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yet you will see that she makes no mistakes. I&#8217;ve been traveling up and
+down the river on this same boat for many years and I&#8217;ve given her all
+sorts of sums, at times, on purpose to try her. But her memory never
+fails,&#8221; said Miss Greatorex who was in charge of the party. She sat
+quite calmly with the amount of three fares in her hand but with a most
+forbidding gaze at Alfaretta.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>Who that young person was or why she had thrust herself into their
+company she did not understand. She had herself but known of this trip
+on the day before, when Miss Penelope Rhinelander had been obliged to
+give it up, on account of the extreme illness of a near relative.</p>
+
+<p>However, here she was with her two pupils, whom she taught at the
+Rhinelander Academy, bound for a summer&#8217;s outing in&mdash;to her and
+them&mdash;unknown lands. Also, as there may be some who have not hitherto
+followed the fortunes of Dorothy, it may be well to explain that she was
+a foundling, left upon the doorstep of a man and wife, in a quiet street
+in Baltimore. That he had lost his health and his position as a
+letter-carrier in that city and had removed to his wife&#8217;s small farm in
+the Hudson Highlands. That among their friends there was somebody who
+had taken an interest in the orphan girl and had burdened himself&mdash;or
+herself&mdash;with the charge of her education. That she had passed the last
+school year at the Academy and had been in some most exciting episodes
+detailed in &#8220;Dorothy&#8217;s Schooling;&#8221; and that now, at the beginning of the
+long vacation, she was traveling with her closest school friend and a
+teacher, whose life she had been the means of saving at the time of the
+Academy fire, toward New York; and from thence to Nova Scotia&mdash;there to
+grow strong for another year of study.</p>
+
+<p>Alfaretta Babcock&#8217;s home was near to her home <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>upon the mountain; and
+though unlike, there was a sincere affection between this untaught
+country girl and the dainty Dorothy, and Alfy had begged a ride in a
+neighbor&#8217;s wagon going to Newburgh, that she might bid her friend good
+by and watch her set sail on what seemed must be the most wonderful of
+journeys.</p>
+
+<p>She was to have returned home as she had come; but when the steamer was
+on the point of leaving an impulse had seized her to travel thus
+herself, if only for the brief distance between this landing and the one
+nearer her own home. She had a few cents in her purse and hoped they
+would be enough to pay her fare; and now when they were already moving
+down the stream and her familiar mountain-top came into view, she made a
+wild dart toward the stewardess, shouting:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ma&#8217;am, please, ma&#8217;am, take mine! I&#8217;ve got to get off the next place
+and&mdash;and&mdash;I mustn&#8217;t be left!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Fanny picked up the camp-chair Alfy had stumbled over, remarked in a
+soothing voice, &#8220;Plenty of time, little gal, oceans of time, oceans of
+time,&#8221; and glanced at the money so suddenly thrust into her already
+crowded palm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Four cents, little gal? Hardly enough. Fifteen is the regular fare. All
+you got, sissy? Look and see.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The tone was kind but the statement sounded like a knell in poor
+Alfaretta&#8217;s ears. Thousands of times she had watched the many boats pass
+up and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>down the river, but only once had she been upon any and that was
+a row-boat. It had been the dream of her life to voyage, as she was
+doing now, far and away beyond those Highlands, that seemed to meet and
+clasp hands across the mighty stream, and see the wonderful world that
+lay beyond. For the boats always disappeared around that projecting
+point of rock and forest, and so she knew that the mountains did not
+meet but merely seemed so to do. Well, of course, she wasn&#8217;t to find out
+about them to-day. She knew that quite well, because her own landing was
+on this side the &#8220;Point&#8221; and she could go no further. Indeed, could she
+now go even so far?</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fifteen cents! My heart!&mdash;I&mdash;I&mdash;What can I do? Will the captain drop
+me&mdash;in the&mdash;river? Will&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The stewardess was very busy. People were watching her a little
+anxiously because of her indifferent handling of her money and the
+tickets she had not hurried to bring; and the sudden terrified clutch at
+her skirts which Alfy gave set her tripping among the crowded chairs and
+made her answer, crossly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;For goodness sake, girl, keep out from under foot! If you haven&#8217;t the
+money go to your friends and get it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Friends! I haven&#8217;t got any!&#8221; cried Alfaretta, and flung her skirt over
+her face and herself down upon the nearest seat.</p>
+
+<p>From their own place Molly and Dolly watched <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>this little by-play for a
+moment, then darted forward themselves to see what was the matter.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Alfy dear, what&#8217;s happened? Won&#8217;t the woman get your ticket for
+you? Never mind. I&#8217;ll ask her. Maybe she will for me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You needn&#8217;t, Dolly girl! There ain&#8217;t enough and I&#8217;m afraid they&#8217;ll drop
+me off into the water! She&mdash;she&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Alfy! How silly! Nobody would do such a thing. It would be murder. But
+you shouldn&#8217;t have come unless you had the money and I&#8217;ll go ask Miss
+Greatorex for some. She has our purses in her satchel, taking care of
+them for us. Wait a minute. You stay with her, Molly, while I go get it.
+How much, Alfy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The girl began to count upon her fingers:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Four&mdash;that&#8217;s what I have and it was meant for candy for the
+children&mdash;five, six&mdash;How many more&#8217;n four does it take to make
+fifteen I wonder? I&#8217;m so scared I can&#8217;t think. And I wish,
+I&mdash;wish&mdash;to&mdash;goodness&mdash;knows I&#8217;d ha&#8217; said good-by back there to the dock
+and not let myself get carried off down river to nobody knows where. If
+they dassent to drop me off the boat they might keep me here till I
+paid&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Alfaretta Babcock! I certainly am ashamed of you. That&#8217;s a hard thing
+to say, just at parting, but it&#8217;s the truth. The idea! First you fancy a
+decent human being will drown you because you haven&#8217;t a little money,
+and then you can&#8217;t reckon fifteen! What would dear Mr. Seth say, after
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>teaching you so faithfully? Never mind. Don&#8217;t act so foolish any more
+and I&#8217;ll go get the money.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This was not so easy as she fancied. The boat was already nearing the
+next landing where Alfaretta must go ashore, or be carried on to a much
+greater distance from her home, but it seemed difficult to make Miss
+Greatorex understand what was wanted and why. The poor lady&#8217;s deafness
+had increased since her fright and exposure at the time of the fire and,
+now that she had been put into a position of greater trust than ever
+before, her sense of responsibility weighed heavily upon her. At
+parting, her principal, Miss Rhinelander, had enjoined:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take particular care of the girls&#8217; finances, Cousin Isobel. It is
+important that they should learn to be wise in their small expenditures
+so that they may be equally prudent when they come to have the handling
+of larger sums&mdash;if that should ever be. Make them give a strict account
+of everything and check any foolishness at the beginning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The subordinate promised. She was a &#8220;poor relation&#8221; and knew that she
+was an unpopular teacher with many of the pupils of the fine school,
+though she had modified her sternness altogether in the case of Dorothy
+who had saved her from the fire. But the mandate of her superior was
+fresh in her mind. She had been touched by the rarely familiar &#8220;Cousin
+Isobel,&#8221; and determined to do her duty to the utmost. Yet here was
+Dorothy already screaming into her deafest ear:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My purse, please, Miss Greatorex! I want <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>some money right away! Quick,
+quick, please, or it&#8217;ll be too late!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The girl&#8217;s voice was so highly pitched that people around began to stare
+and some of them to smile. Like most afflicted persons the lady was
+sensitive to the observation of others and now held up her hand in
+protest against the attention they were attracting.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Softly, Dorothy. Better write what you wish if you cannot speak more
+distinctly;&#8221; and a small pad with pencil was extended.</p>
+
+<p>But Dorothy did not take them. The satchel upon Miss Greatorex&#8217;s lap was
+open, her own and Molly&#8217;s purses lay within. To snatch them both up and
+rush away was her impulsive act and to scamper back across the deck,
+wherever she could find a passage, took but a moment longer. But she was
+none too soon.</p>
+
+<p>Down below the steward was again crying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All aboard what&#8217;s goin&#8217;! All ashore what ain&#8217;t! All who hasn&#8217;t got deir
+tickets, please step right down to de Cap&#8217;n&#8217;s office and settle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>While another loud voice ordered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aft gangway for Cornwall! All ashore&mdash;all ashore! Aft gangway&mdash;all
+ashore!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Some were hurrying down the stairs to that &#8220;aft gangway,&#8221; others
+speeding up them in equal haste with that excitement which always marks
+the infrequent traveler, and poor Alfaretta caught the same fever of
+haste. Without a word of real farewell, now that she had come thus far
+at so much risk <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>to speak it, she dashed ahead, slipped on the
+brass-tipped stair and plunged headlong into the space below.</p>
+
+<p>For an instant there was silence even in that busy scene, people halting
+in their ascent and porters turning their skids aside with angry
+exclamations, lest the trunks they wheeled should fall upon her as she
+seemed bent to fall upon them.</p>
+
+<p>Yet only one thought now possessed the terrified girl&mdash;escape! She had
+bumped her head till she was dizzy, but she mustn&#8217;t stop for that.
+Yonder yawned that open space in the deck-rail which they called the
+&#8220;aft gangway&#8221; and toward that point she propelled herself regardless of
+all that impeded her way.</p>
+
+<p>Down the plank, out upon the boards of the board dock, into the medley
+of stages and yelling drivers she hurried, very much as James Barlow and
+Montmorency Stark had done at that other, upper landing. But when she
+felt the solid quay beneath her feet she paused, clapped her hands to
+her dizzy head and&mdash;felt herself grasped in a wild and fierce embrace.</p>
+
+<p>Then both upon that dock and the deck of the outgoing steamer rang a
+shout of merriment, which made anger take the place of fear as she
+whirled about in the arms of whoever held her and shook her fist at the
+boat and its passengers.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well! That was a short trip but it was full of incident!&#8221; remarked one
+passenger, near to Molly and Dorothy. They had run to the rail to see
+what <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>followed Alfy&#8217;s disappearance, and if she were carried away
+injured. &#8220;I saw her come aboard and depart and she managed to get a deal
+of action into those few minutes. Friend of yours, young ladies?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They faced about, wondering why this man should speak to them. He looked
+like a gentleman though a rather shabby one. Montmorency would have
+termed him &#8220;seedy.&#8221; His coat had seen better days and his hat, lying on
+the bench beside him, was worn and discolored, and his thin white hair
+told that he, also, was old. This made the girls regard him kindly, for
+both of them had a reverence for age.</p>
+
+<p>More than that, a crutch rested against his knee and this made an
+instant appeal to Dorothy&#8217;s sympathy. She had seen nobody with a crutch
+since she had said farewell to Father John; and now in pity for this
+other cripple she lingered near answering his many questions most
+politely.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, she is a friend. She&mdash;I guess she ran away to sail a short
+distance with us. We shan&#8217;t see each other again this summer. She forgot
+her money. I mean she didn&#8217;t have any to forget; and&mdash;Sir? What did you
+ask me to find?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To buy a morning paper for me, my dear. You see, being lame&mdash;Did you
+ever know anybody who was lame?&#8221; asked the old man, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah! yes. The dearest man in all the world; my father.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon Dorothy huddled down beside the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>stranger and gave a history
+of her father&#8217;s illness, his wonderful patience, and the last effort he
+was making to regain his health.</p>
+
+<p>She did not know that it is often unsafe to talk with unknown people
+upon a journey; and in any case she would not have feared such a
+benignant old gentleman as this. She ended her talk with the inquiry:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where will I find the paper, Mr.&mdash;Mr.&mdash;I mean, sir?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Smith my name is. John Smith of Smithville. You&#8217;ll find all the papers
+and books at a news-stand on the lower deck. There&#8217;s a candy-stand
+there, too, such as will interest you two more than the papers, likely;&#8221;
+he answered with another smile.</p>
+
+<p>They started down the stairs leading from the main saloon to the lower
+part of the boat, and not until they had reached the news-stand did
+either of them remember that she hadn&#8217;t brought her purse nor asked
+which paper their new acquaintance desired.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! dear! Wasn&#8217;t that silly of us! And we&#8217;re almost to West Point,
+where my cousin Tom&#8217;s a cadet! He promised to be on the lookout for us,
+if he could get leave to go to the steamboat landing. I wrote and told
+him about our trip and he answered right away. He&#8217;s Aunt Lucretia&#8217;s only
+child and she adores him. Hasn&#8217;t spoiled him though. Papa took care
+about that! If I go back after our pocket-books I may lose the chance to
+see him! So provoking! I wish now we hadn&#8217;t bothered <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>ourselves about
+that old man. If he was able to come aboard the boat and go up those
+stairs to the deck he was able to buy his own old papers. So there!&#8221;
+cried Molly, stamping her little foot in her vexation.</p>
+
+<p>West Point cadets are given few permissions to leave their Academy for
+social visits, so that Tom had never been to the Rhinelander school
+where rules were also so strict that Molly had been but once to see her
+cousin in his own quarters. Until he went to the Point and she to school
+in the hill-city a few miles further up the river, they had lived
+together in her father&#8217;s house and were like brother and sister. The
+disappointment now was great to the loving girl and Dorothy hastened to
+comfort, by saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never mind, Molly, you stay right here. See! they&#8217;re fixing that
+gang-plank again, at this very part of the deck. You stand right
+outside, close against the rail but where you won&#8217;t be in the men&#8217;s way
+and, if he&#8217;s there, you&#8217;ll surely see him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll go back and get the purses. Where did you lay them?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hum. I don&#8217;t know. I can&#8217;t exactly think. You handed me yours, I
+remember, when you stooped to pick up his crutch he&#8217;d knocked down. Ah!
+Now I know. My hands got so warm and your pocketbook was red and I
+thought it would stain my new gloves. So I just laid them down on the
+bench beside him. You&#8217;ll find them right there beside him. You can ask
+him which paper, then, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>I say, Dolly Doodles, what right had that
+hindering old thing to expect us&mdash;us&mdash;to buy his papers for him? Why
+didn&#8217;t he give us the money, himself? Seems if we&#8217;d been sort of&mdash;sort
+of goosies, doesn&#8217;t it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! Molly! That&#8217;s not nice of you to think about that dear, lame old
+man! And why he didn&#8217;t was, I suppose, because he didn&#8217;t think. We don&#8217;t
+always think ourselves, dearie. Never mind. I&#8217;ll hurry and be right
+back.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, do&mdash;do hurry! I&#8217;ve said so much about you in my letters I&#8217;m just
+suffering to have you two meet. Just suffering! Hark! They&#8217;re whistling
+and ringing the bell and we&#8217;ll be there in a minute! Do, do hurry&mdash;for I
+believe I see him now&mdash;that tall one at the end of the wharf&mdash;Hurry&mdash;or,
+better still&mdash;Wait! Wait!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But long before the excited Molly had finished speaking Dorothy had run
+up the stairs, along the long passage to the aft deck where she had left
+her lame acquaintance waiting for her to do his simple errand.</p>
+
+<p>He was not in the spot where she had left him. He was not in the big
+saloon, or parlor. He was not upon the forward deck; not yet amid the
+crowd pressed to the deck&#8217;s rail, to watch for whatever might be seen at
+this historic landing place. Flying to the rail she scanned the few
+departing passengers and he was not among them. She saw, but scarcely
+realized that she did, a group of three cadets who had come as near the
+steamer as the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>wharf permitted and were gaily chattering with her chum,
+during the short stop that was made.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Could he have fallen overboard? And if he did why did he take our
+purses with him?&#8221; she wondered. Then reflected that it would be a
+difficult thing to explain this affair to Miss Greatorex; and also that
+the missing pocket-books contained a full month&#8217;s &#8220;allowance&#8221; for both
+Molly and herself.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>A RACE AND ITS ENDING</h3>
+
+<p>Dorothy&#8217;s search for the missing old man and, to her, the more important
+missing purses brought her to the lower deck and Molly. The latter was
+still leaning upon the rail, gazing a little sadly into the water, for
+the brief glimpse she had had of her cousin Tom had recalled their happy
+days in their old southern home. There were even a few tears in her
+bright blue eyes as she raised them toward her friend; but she checked
+them at once, frightened by the expression of Dorothy&#8217;s own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, honey, what&#8217;s the matter?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our pocket-books are lost!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lost? Lost! They can&#8217;t be. You mustn&#8217;t say so. We can&#8217;t, we daren&#8217;t
+lose them. Weren&#8217;t they on that bench beside the old man?&#8221; demanded
+Molly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, they were not. They were not anywhere&mdash;any single where. He wasn&#8217;t
+either.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh! He must be. He probably wanted to change his seat and was afraid
+to leave them lying on the bench, lest somebody might be tempted to pick
+them up. Somebody to whom they didn&#8217;t belong, I mean.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>&#8220;Molly, what shall we do? What will Miss Greatorex say?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Humph. She&#8217;ll probably scream out her disgust as if we were deaf too
+like herself. That&#8217;s the way she always does: when there&#8217;s something to
+be said you don&#8217;t want anybody else to hear she just talks her loudest;
+and when there&#8217;s something you&#8217;re longing to know she merely whispers.
+That&#8217;s the way all deaf people do, Miss Penelope says. And&mdash;you&#8217;re the
+one that lost them, so you&#8217;ll be the one to tell her, Dorothy girl.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, child, I don&#8217;t see how I lost them any more than you did! I&#8217;m
+sorry as I can be. Sorrier about yours than mine even, though I&#8217;d
+planned so many nice things to do with the money. Five dollars! Think of
+it! I never before had five whole dollars at a time, never in my life!&#8221;
+said Dolly, mournfully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, what&#8217;s the use staying down here and just worrying about the
+thing? Let&#8217;s go and look again for the man. When we find the man we
+shall find the purses; but&mdash;whether he&#8217;ll give them back to us is
+another matter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Molly, what a dreadful thing to say! As if you thought he&mdash;he stole
+them, a nice old gentleman like that!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh! Once my Aunt Lucretia had her little handbag snatched out of her
+hand, right on Broadway street in New York city. She did so; and all she
+could remember about the snatcher was that he was a handsome young man
+with an eyeglass in one <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>eye. A regular dandy he was, if the thief was
+the fellow who brushed against her so rudely. Anyhow, after he&#8217;d
+brushed, her bag was gone and all her shopping money in it. Papa told
+her it served her right. That to carry a purse, or a bag, that way was a
+temptation to any rogue who happened to pass by. He said the snatcher
+was smarter than Auntie and he hoped it would teach her a lesson. Aunt
+Lu thought Papa was almost as horrid as the thief; and what will either
+of them say to us for being so careless?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I suppose we&#8217;ll have to tell them!&#8221; reflected Dorothy, in sad
+perplexity.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Course we will. Aren&#8217;t they both to meet us at the steamer? Aren&#8217;t they
+going with us all the way to Halifax? Why, I should want to tell the
+very first thing. How else would I get any more money?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know, I&#8217;m sure. Lucky you! As for me there&#8217;s nobody to replace
+my five dollars, so far as I know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! come on. Don&#8217;t let&#8217;s stand moping. I&#8217;ll tell you. Let&#8217;s begin right
+here at this spot. You go one side this lower place, all along that
+passage beside the engine-rooms and things and I&#8217;ll go the other. Then
+if we don&#8217;t see him anywhere here we&#8217;ll meet at the foot of the stairs
+and search the upper floor just the same way. Out on both ends of the
+boat, poke into closets and barber-shop and captain&#8217;s office&mdash;everywhere
+there is a chance a man, a passenger man, might be.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>It seemed a fine scheme and they promptly separated to put it into
+execution. But when they met at the foot of the stairway, leading to the
+upper saloon, neither had any success to report. Nor did they meet with
+any better fortune when they had made a prolonged examination of the
+whole steamer, even climbing to the hurricane deck and questioning the
+officer upon the bridge.</p>
+
+<p>As they slowly descended to the place where Miss Greatorex awaited them,
+alarmed by their absence and equally afraid to move from the spot lest
+somebody else should confiscate their three comfortable camp-chairs and,
+possibly, their hand luggage, Dorothy suggested:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s write it. That&#8217;ll save other people, strangers, from hearing.
+Miss G. always carries a pad and pencil with her and I&#8217;ll do it myself,
+since you think I&#8217;m most to blame. But I&#8217;m afraid even my writing won&#8217;t
+stop her talking when she finds out! Oh! dear! I wish Alfy Babcock had
+never come on this boat! Then I shouldn&#8217;t have gone to watch her and
+seen him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Huh! I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s quite fair to blame poor Alfy for our own
+fault. We&#8217;d no business to be so careless, either one of us. I had a
+bright notion that maybe that stewardess or some official had picked up
+the pocket-books, so I asked every single one of them, big and little,
+black and white, and not a soul knew a thing about it. No, Dolly
+Doodles, the blame&#8217;s our own and&mdash;the man&#8217;s,&#8221; said Molly, with
+conviction.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>Miss Greatorex was vastly relieved to see her charges returning to her
+side. She had become anxious over their prolonged absence and in her
+nervousness had imagined all sorts of accidents which might have
+befallen them. Yet the same nervousness had prevented her questioning
+any employee of the steamer, who had come near, she shrinking from the
+observation this would attract to her deafness.</p>
+
+<p>Therefore, it was with a much brighter smile than ordinary that she
+welcomed the truants, and was disappointed to have her greeting so
+dejectedly returned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I began to worry over you, my dears, I cannot call either of you really
+mischievous, yet I hope you won&#8217;t leave me in suspense so long again.
+Anywhere, so that you are in my sight all of the time, you are free to
+move about. But&mdash;Why, my dears! What has happened to make you so sober?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It certainly was vexing, when the lady was making such extra effort to
+be agreeable and to adapt herself to young people&#8217;s ideas, to have these
+efforts so disregarded; and it was a strange thing that Dorothy should
+without permission take the notebook and pencil from her teacher&#8217;s lap
+and begin to write.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Isobel had set forth upon her travels with the firm intention of
+making notes about everything along the way and it disturbed her
+methodical soul to have anybody else &#8220;messing&#8221; with this neat little
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>record. It was only a trifle better that the girl should have turned to
+the very back of the book and chosen a fly leaf there to scribble on.
+Scribbling it seemed, so rapidly was it done, and after a brief time the
+book was returned to its owner and she silently requested to examine
+what had been written in it. This is what she read:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve lost our pocket-books. Or, maybe, I lost them both. We&#8217;ve lost
+the man, too. He was a little, shiny old man, with a fringe of white
+hair around his head. When he put his hat on he had two foreheads under
+its rim, one before and one behind. His coat was shiny. His hat was
+shiny and had a hole in it. He&mdash;he seemed to shine all over, especially
+in his smile. That was perfectly lovely. Have you seen him? Because if
+you know where he is I&#8217;d like to ask him for our purses. That is if he
+has them as Molly and, maybe, I think. Else how could we buy his paper
+for him without any money and how can we give him the paper if
+he&mdash;<i>isn&#8217;t</i>?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Poor Dorothy fancied that she had made everything most explicit yet, at
+the same time, very gently broken the news of the lost purses. She was
+unprepared for the expression of confusion that settled upon Miss
+Greatorex&#8217;s austere features as she read this communication once, then
+more carefully a second time.</p>
+
+<p>Leaning forward, eagerly observant of &#8220;how she&#8217;ll take it&#8221; Molly
+perceived that Dorothy&#8217;s explanation hadn&#8217;t been sufficient; or else
+that it had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>not dawned upon Miss Isobel&#8217;s comprehension that her girls
+had really been so careless, that the loss was genuine. As the lady
+looked up, after this second reading, with a question but no anger in
+her expression, the observer exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dolly, I don&#8217;t believe you&#8217;ve told her all. Give me the book, please,
+Miss G. and I&#8217;ll see what it says.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then after a rapid perusal of the message Molly turned upon her chum
+with an amused indignation:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve said more about your &#8216;shiny old man&#8217; with his adorable smile
+than our own trouble. Here, I&#8217;ll write and I guess there won&#8217;t be any
+mistake this time.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So she also possessed herself of the cherished notebook and made her own
+brief entry:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We laid our purses down on a bench and a man stole them. The same man
+D. described. Now somebody must have stolen <i>him</i> &#8217;cause he isn&#8217;t on the
+boat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Laid your purses down on a bench and left them there?&#8221; demanded Miss
+Greatorex in her most excited tones. Tones so loud that all the
+passengers sitting near turned their heads to look and listen; thereby
+calling attention to the two blushing girls, in a manner most
+unpleasant.</p>
+
+<p>All they could do to avert this audible upbraiding was to point to the
+notebook and mutely beg that she would do her scolding by that silent
+channel. Not she, however. Never in all the years of her drudgery of
+teaching had she felt her responsibility <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>so great as now. To be
+entrusted with the charge of Miss Rhinelander&#8217;s most indulged
+pupils&mdash;all the school knew that&mdash;had, at first seemed a burden, and
+next a most delightful honor. But, after all, they were just like other
+girls. Just as careless, just as disrespectful and annoying; for the
+sensitive old gentlewoman had considered the use of her notebook a
+presumption and their long absence from her side a proof that they were
+inconsiderate. However, these were mere matters of sentiment, but the
+loss of ten good dollars was a calamity.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, young ladies, all I have to say, and you may note that it is my
+final word, is: <i>Those pocket-books must be found.</i> You cannot leave
+this steamer until they are. I have promised especial care over your
+expenditures and I shall do my duty. I am now going to read my history
+of Hendrik Hudson. While I am reading you can seek your purses. We have
+still a long time before reaching New York and the better you employ it
+the better for&mdash;all of us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Every syllable was as distinctly uttered as if she were dictating to a
+secretary, but she ignored all the curious glances turned her way and
+resumed her reading with an air of great dignity.</p>
+
+<p>Molly and Dolly exchanged dismayed glances; then giggled, perceiving
+amused expressions upon the faces of many travelers near them. The whole
+affair began to seem more absurd than serious, and, finally, unable to
+longer restrain their rather hysterical <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>mirth, they rose and walked
+away arm in arm.</p>
+
+<p>But they did no more searching. Had they not already looked everywhere?
+Besides, as Molly declared:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re more apt to see that man somewhere if we sit right still in one
+place. Papa told me that was the way to do, if I were ever lost
+anywhere. I was once, in a big store in New York, but I remembered, I
+sat right down by the door and just waited and prayed all the time that
+Auntie Lu would come and find me there. I was a little tacker then, not
+bigger&#8217;n anything. And she came. I don&#8217;t know how much the praying did
+&#8217;cause all I knew then was &#8216;Now I lay me;&#8217; or how much the waiting.
+Anyhow she found me. So, maybe, if we keep still as still, the &#8216;shiny
+man&#8217; will get around past us sometime. <i>He&#8217;s</i> the lost one in the case,
+isn&#8217;t he? And did you ever see how restless the people all do seem? I
+guess they&#8217;re tired of the long sail and anxious to be off the boat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess so, too. Let&#8217;s do something to pass the time. Count how many
+girls and women we can see in white shirt-waists&mdash;seems if it had rained
+them, seems if! Or how many people go trapesing up and down the deck.
+Make up stories about them, too, if you like, and fit names to them. I
+always do give a name to anybody I see and don&#8217;t know. Let&#8217;s call that
+nice looking man yonder &#8216;Graysie.&#8217; He&#8217;s all in gray clothes, hat,
+gloves, tie, and everything. There&#8217;s another might be what Monty&#8217;d say
+was a &#8216;hayseed.&#8217; I think that&#8217;s not a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>nice name, though, but just call
+him &#8216;Green Fields.&#8217; He&#8217;s surely come from some farm up the river and
+looks as if he were enjoying every minute of this sail. I&#8217;m beginning to
+enjoy it too, now; only I&#8217;m getting dreadfully hungry. If I had my purse
+I think I&#8217;d go down to that stand in the corner and buy us some
+sandwiches;&#8221; said Dorothy, in response.</p>
+
+<p>Cried Molly, indignantly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t talk about sandwiches to a poor, starving girl! Sailing does make
+a body ravenous, just ravenous, even though we did have a
+&#8216;vacation-breakfast&#8217; with something besides cereals and milk. When Miss
+Rhinelander does &#8216;treat&#8217; us she does it thoroughly. But, what shall you
+order when we get to New York and meet Papa and Auntie Lu? You know
+we&#8217;re all to dine at a big hotel, for the Nova Scotia boat doesn&#8217;t sail
+till two o&#8217;clock. Two o&#8217;clock sharp! Not a minute before nor a minute
+after, Papa says; and he goes out to that country every year. Sometimes
+in the hunting season and now just to camp out and fish and get&mdash;get
+fat, I tell him. It&#8217;s dreadful wearing to be a Judge. Judge of the
+Supreme Court. That&#8217;s what my father is. He&#8217;s a bank president, too, and
+has lots to do with other people&#8217;s money. But he&#8217;s something to do with
+a railway besides, and all these things and his taking care of Aunt
+Lucretia&#8217;s &#8216;property&#8217; wears him out. She hasn&#8217;t any property, really,
+except the little tumble-down house where she and Papa were born. Papa
+says it isn&#8217;t worth the cost of powder <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>to blow it up; but Auntie loves
+it and makes more fuss over it than Papa does over all his own things.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A Judge is a man that can send a person to jail or not, isn&#8217;t he?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Worse than that! He can send one to the gallows or the electric
+chair&mdash;if he has to. That&#8217;s the wearing part; having to be &#8216;just&#8217; when
+he just longs to be &#8216;generous.&#8217; If it wasn&#8217;t that he has the same power
+to set a person free, too, I guess he&#8217;d give up Judging. If he could. I
+don&#8217;t know about such things. What I do know is that he and some other
+Judges and some more bankers and such men have the greatest fun ever,
+summer times. They hunt up old clothes and wear them right in the woods.
+Auntie says she doesn&#8217;t know where they find such duds &#8217;cause they
+certainly never owned them at any other time. Then they sleep on the
+ground, and cook over a fire they make themselves, and fish and tell
+stories. &#8216;Just loaf&#8217; Papa says, and to hear him tell makes me sorrier
+than ever I&#8217;m not a boy. If I were I could go too. But a girl&mdash;Pshaw!
+Girls can&#8217;t do a single thing that&#8217;s worth while, seems to me!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid I shall be afraid of a real Judge, Molly. I&#8217;m afraid I&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The idea! You&#8217;ll forget all those &#8216;afraids&#8217; the minute you see my
+darling father! But you didn&#8217;t say what you&#8217;d order for your dinner.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How can I order anything if I haven&#8217;t the money to pay for it? Or does
+that all go in with the expenses of the whole trip, that Miss Greatorex
+has to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span>take care of?&#8221; asked Dorothy, who was in real ignorance of some
+most practical matters, having merely been told that she was to take
+this journey under Miss Greatorex&#8217;s charge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what goes in or out; but I do know that my father wouldn&#8217;t
+let ladies pay for their dinners when he was along. A pretty kind of a
+gentleman that would be! And Judge Schuyler Breckenridge is a Perfect
+Gentleman, I want you to understand,&#8221; answered Molly, proudly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So is my Father John,&#8221; said Dorothy with equal decision; and for a few
+minutes there was silence while each loyal daughter reflected upon the
+astonishing merits of their respective fathers.</p>
+
+<p>Afterward they interested themselves in watching the people near them;
+so that it was with some surprise they heard &#8220;Diamond,&#8221; the steward,
+announcing:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;New Yawk! Twenty-third street landin&#8217;! Fo&#8217;wa&#8217;d gangway fo&#8217;
+Twen-ty&mdash;thir-d-st-r-e-et!!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then followed a little scurry as they sought Miss Greatorex to inquire
+if this were where they would leave the boat. However she said not; that
+they were to remain on board until the steamer landed at Desbrosses
+street, lower down the city. There she had been informed that Judge
+Breckenridge and Mrs. Hungerford would meet them. After dining together
+they would cross the city to the other East River and take the steamer
+for Yarmouth. It was all very simple and yet very exciting.</p>
+
+<p>Both Miss Isobel and her pupils had &#8220;read up&#8221; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>on Nova Scotia and felt
+as if the short ocean trip would land them in a foreign country. Whether
+the entire vacation should be passed in that Province or they to travel
+further afield had not yet been decided.</p>
+
+<p>However, New York was sufficiently exciting, even to Molly who had been
+there many times, and far more so to Dorothy, who had passed through it
+but once. They could scarcely keep their feet from dancing as they
+gathered with the rest of the downtown passengers to await the landing
+of the &#8220;Powell&#8221; and their going ashore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;See! See! Papa! Darling Auntie Lu! There they are, there they are!&#8221;
+almost shrieked Molly, frantically waving her handkerchief to somebody
+on the wharf.</p>
+
+<p>There were many answering wavings of handkerchiefs from expectant
+friends to those still on board, and Dorothy peered eagerly among them
+trying to decide which was the pair to whom her chum belonged. Turning
+her head to beg information on this point she suddenly perceived her
+&#8220;shiny old man.&#8221; He was on the edge of the crowding passengers, holding
+back and yet apparently in haste to get forward, by watching for little
+breaks in the ranks and dodging swiftly through them. His crutch was
+under his arm, he was not using it. His hat-brim had been lowered over
+his face, his coat collar pulled high about his ears and securely
+buttoned. There was none of that benign appearance about him now which
+had so won Dorothy&#8217;s sympathetic <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>heart and if he were lame he admirably
+disguised the fact.</p>
+
+<p>It was her chance! In another moment he would have left the boat and she
+would miss him. She would run up to him and ask him if he remembered
+about the purses&mdash;Quick, quick! He must have forgotten&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>He was going. Everybody was going. She kept her eyes fixed upon him,
+unmindful of the fact that somebody else was crowding her apart from
+Molly and Miss Greatorex, or that, as the throng pressed outward, they
+were getting further and further away.</p>
+
+<p>The &#8220;shiny man&#8221; wasn&#8217;t three feet ahead of her when they at last gained
+the gang-plank and surged forward to the wharf. She could almost touch
+his shoulder&mdash;she would in a minute&mdash;she was gaining&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>No she wasn&#8217;t! He had slipped aside and was hurrying away with the
+agility of youth! It couldn&#8217;t be the cripple and yet&mdash;there was the
+point of his crutch sticking out behind! Well, she reckoned she could
+run as fast as he did and she promptly set out to try!</p>
+
+<p>It was a strange race in a strange place. West street in New York is a
+very crowded, dirty thoroughfare. An endless, unbroken line of drays,
+beer-wagons, vehicles of every sort, moves up one side and down the
+other of the hurrying street cars which claim the centre roadway. The
+pavement is always slippery with slime, the air always full of hoarse
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>shouts, cries and distracting whistles. Car bells jangle, policemen
+yell their warnings to unwary foot passengers, hackmen screech their
+demands for patronage, and hurrying crowds move to and fro between the
+ferries and the city. A place that speedily set Dorothy&#8217;s nerves
+a-tingle with fear, yet never once diverted her from her purpose.</p>
+
+<p>As she had once followed poor Peter Piper in a mad race over the fields,
+&#8220;just for fun,&#8221; so now she followed her &#8220;shiny man,&#8221; to regain her lost
+property. She had become convinced that he had it. He looked, at last,
+exactly like a person who would rob little girls of their last five
+dollars! Their own whole monthly allowance and a most liberal one.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But he shall not keep it! He&mdash;shall&mdash;not!&#8221; cried Dorothy aloud, and
+redoubling her speed, if that were possible.</p>
+
+<p>He darted between wagons where the horses&#8217; noses of the hinder one
+touched the tail-boards of the forward; so did she. He bobbed under
+drays; so did she. He seemed bent upon nothing but escape; she upon
+nothing but pursuit and capture. She believed that he must have seen her
+though she had not caught him turning once around to look her way.</p>
+
+<p>They had cleared the street; they were upon the further sidewalk; a
+policeman was screaming a &#8220;halt&#8221; to her but she paid no attention. In
+that medley of sounds one harsh cry more or less was of small account.
+What was of account, the only thing that now remained clear in her eager
+brain was the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>fact that the fugitive had&mdash;turned a corner! A corner
+leading into a street at right angles with this broad one, a street
+somewhat narrower, a fraction quieter, and even dirtier. She followed;
+she also flashed around that dingy, saloon-infested corner, bounded
+forward, breathless and exultant, because surely she could come up to
+him here. Then she paused for just one breath, dashed her hand across
+her straining eyes, and peered ahead.</p>
+
+<p>The &#8220;shiny man&#8221; had disappeared as completely as if the earth had opened
+and swallowed him up; and there Dorothy stood alone in the most unsavory
+of alleys, with a sudden, dreadful realization of the fact that&mdash;she was
+lost.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>ADRIFT IN THE GREAT CITY</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;My darling! My darling!&#8221; cried Judge Breckenridge, clasping his
+daughter close to his breast, then holding her off at arm&#8217;s length, the
+better to scan her beloved face and to observe the changes a few months
+of absence had wrought. &#8220;My darling Molly! More like the other Molly
+than ever! Now my vacation has indeed begun!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa, Papa! You sweetest, dearest, beautifullest Papa ever lived! How
+good it is to see you! And, yes Auntie Lu, you&#8217;re dear too; but a body&#8217;s
+father&mdash;Why, he&#8217;s her father and nobody like him, nobody!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In her enthusiastic greeting of and by her relatives Molly forgot
+everything and everybody else. She had crossed the gang-plank as swiftly
+as the people crowding behind and before her would permit, her feet
+restlessly dancing up and down in the limited space; and now that she
+was upon the solid wharf to which the steamer was moored she bore them
+along with her by an arm linked to each, eager to be free of that throng
+and in some quiet spot <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>where she could perch upon her father&#8217;s knee and
+talk, talk, talk!</p>
+
+<p>Had any of the trio thought about it for a moment they would have
+observed Miss Greatorex lingering close to the plank and staring at
+everyone who crossed it, searching for Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Strange! She certainly was right here a minute ago! I thought she had
+gone off the boat ahead of me, but she couldn&#8217;t have done so, for she&#8217;s
+nowhere in sight;&#8221; she murmured to herself.</p>
+
+<p>When all had crossed and still Dorothy did not appear, the anxious
+teacher returned to the boat and renewed her search there: asking of all
+the employees she met if they had seen her missing charge. But one of
+them had noticed the girl at all; that was a workman who had helped to
+drag the gang-plank into place upon the wharf and against whom Dorothy
+had rudely dashed in her pursuit of the &#8220;shiny man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He remembered her excited manner, her swift apology to himself for the
+accident, and her frantic rush across the wharf. He had looked after her
+with curiosity and had remarked to a bystander:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That little passenger is afraid she&#8217;ll get left! Maybe she doesn&#8217;t know
+we lie alongside this dock till mid-afternoon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he had gone about his own affairs and dismissed her from his mind
+till, thus recalled by Miss Greatorex&#8217;s question, he wished he had
+watched her more closely. He was afraid she might have been hurt among
+the heavy wagons moving about, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>and that was the poor comfort which he
+expressed to the now thoroughly frightened lady.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the Breckenridge party had crossed the street, under
+conveyance of a waiting policeman, and had paused upon the further curb
+while Molly explained:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Miss Greatorex is dreadful slow, Papa dear. But she&#8217;ll be here in a
+minute. She&#8217;s sure to be and Dolly with her. Oh! she is the very
+sweetest, dearest, bravest girl I ever knew! If I had a sister I should
+want her to be exactly like Dorothy. I wonder what does keep them! And
+I&#8217;m so hungry, so terribly hungry and we lost our purses&mdash;couldn&#8217;t be
+she&#8217;d linger to search for them again when we&#8217;ve already ransacked the
+whole boat! Why, Papa, look! Miss Greatorex is on the boat again,
+herself. Running, fairly running around the deck and acting as if she,
+too, had lost something. How queer that is!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both the gentleman and lady now fixed their attention upon the teacher,
+until that moment unknown to them. She certainly was conducting herself
+in a strange, half-bewildered manner and the Judge realized that there
+was something wrong. Bidding his sister and child:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Stay right here on this corner. Don&#8217;t leave it. I&#8217;ll step back to the
+steamer and see what&#8217;s amiss;&#8221; and to the hackman he had summoned, he
+added: &#8220;Keep your rig right on the spot and an eye upon these fares!
+I&#8217;ll be back in a minute.&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 322px;">
+<img src="images/i039.jpg" class="jpg ispace" width="322" height="500" alt="&#8220;ARE YOU A POLICEMAN?&#8221; Dorothy&#8217;s Travels." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&#8220;ARE YOU A POLICEMAN?&#8221;<br /> <i>Dorothy&#8217;s Travels.</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But he wasn&#8217;t. When he did come, after Mrs. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>Hungerford and Molly had had ample time to grow anxious themselves, it
+was with a woe-begone Miss Greatorex upon his arm and a very disturbed
+expression on his own face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Papa, where&#8217;s Dolly? Why didn&#8217;t she come, too?&#8221; cried Molly,
+darting to meet him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That, my dear, is exactly what this lady and I would like to know. I
+was in hopes she might have seen you standing here and crossed to join
+you. Well, she&#8217;s been in too great haste, likely, and started by herself
+to go&mdash;I wonder where! Anyway, the best thing to be done is for you
+three to get into this carriage and drive to the Astor House and order
+dinner for all of us. It&#8217;s an old-time hotel where my father and I used
+to go when I was a boy myself, and I patronized it for old association&#8217;s
+sake. You, small daughter, had fixed your mind on nothing less than the
+Waldorf-Astoria, I expect! Never mind; you&#8217;ll get as good food in one
+place as the other.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But, Papa, aren&#8217;t you coming with us?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not just yet. I&#8217;ll stop behind a bit and set a few policemen or small
+boys in search for Miss Dorothy. Tell me something by which we can
+recognize her when found. New York is pretty full of little girls, you
+know, and I might miss her among so many.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge tried to make his tone a careless one but there was real
+anxiety in it as his sister promptly understood; but she also felt it
+best to treat the matter lightly, for already poor Miss Isobel was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>on
+the point of collapse. So she answered readily enough:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very well, brother, so we&#8217;ll do. I reckon I know your tastes so that I
+can cater for you and&mdash;is there any limit to what we may order? I&#8217;m a
+bit hungry myself and always do crave the most expensive dishes on the
+menu. Good-by, for a little while.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge bade the driver: &#8220;To the Astor House;&#8221; lifted his hat to those
+within the carriage, and it moved away.</p>
+
+<p>Then he summoned a policeman and asked that scouts be sent out all
+through that neighborhood, to search for a &#8220;thirteen-year-old girl, in a
+brown linen dress, dark curly hair, brown eyes, and&mdash;&#8216;Oh! just too
+stylish for words!&#8217;&#8221; which was the description his daughter had given
+him. Indeed, he felt that this very &#8220;stylishness&#8221; might be a clue to the
+right person; since denizens of that locality, girls or women, are not
+apt to have that characteristic about them.</p>
+
+<p>He was a weary man. He had been up late the night before, and previous
+to his journey hither had been extremely busy leaving matters right in
+his southern home for a prolonged absence. He had counted upon the hour
+or two before sailing in which to procure some additions to his
+sportsman&#8217;s outfit, and sorely begrudged this unexpected demand upon his
+time. Yet he could do no less than try to find the runaway, and to make
+the search as thorough as if it had been his own child&#8217;s case.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>It was more than an hour later that he appeared in the dining-room of
+the hotel where his family awaited him. They had still delayed their own
+dinner, though Molly&#8217;s hunger had almost compelled her to enjoy hers.
+Only the thought of &#8220;eating with Papa,&#8221; had restrained her, because she
+had little fear that Dorothy would not be promptly found, or that she
+had done more than go a few blocks out of the way. She had often been in
+that city before, though only in its better parts, and it all seemed
+simple enough to her. It had been explained that the upper part was laid
+out in squares, with the avenues running north and south, the
+cross-streets easily told by their numbers. How then could anybody who
+could count be lost?</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No news, Schuyler?&#8221; asked Aunt Lucretia.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not yet. Not quite yet. But there will be, of course there will be.
+I&#8217;ve set a lot of people hunting that extremely &#8216;stylish&#8217; young maiden,
+so I thought I&#8217;d best come down and get my dinner and let you know that
+all&#8217;s being done that can be. Don&#8217;t worry, Miss Greatorex. A capable
+girl like Dorothy isn&#8217;t easy to lose in a city full of policemen, if
+she&#8217;ll only use her tongue and ask for guidance. Probably she has gone
+back to the &#8216;Powell&#8217; already, hoping to find us all there. Before I eat
+I&#8217;ll telephone again and inquire, although I did so just a little while
+ago, as I came in.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The more he talked the less he convinced his listeners that it would be
+that &#8220;all right&#8221; he had so valiantly asserted. Even Molly&#8217;s hunger
+suddenly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>deserted her and she pushed away a plate of especially
+enticing dessert with a shake of her head and an exclamation:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa&#8217;s talking&mdash;just talking! Like he always does when he takes me to
+the dentist&#8217;s! His voice doesn&#8217;t ring true, Auntie Lu, and you know it.
+You needn&#8217;t smile and try to look happy, for you can&#8217;t. Dorothy is lost!
+My precious Dolly Doodles is lost&mdash;is LOST!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>For a moment nobody answered. Miss Greatorex echoed the exclamation in
+her own sinking heart, realizing at last how fully she had depended upon
+the Judge&#8217;s ability to find the girl, until he had once more appeared
+without her. He had promptly sent a messenger to telephone again and
+awaiting the reply made a feint of taking his soup. Mrs. Hungerford kept
+her eyes fixed upon her plate, not daring just then to lift them to Miss
+Greatorex&#8217;s white face; and altogether it was a very anxious party which
+sat at table then instead of the merry one which all had anticipated.</p>
+
+<p>When their pretence of a meal was over and they rose, the Judge looked
+at his watch. Then he said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We have only time left to reach the &#8216;Prince&#8217; in comfort. It is a long
+way up and across town to the dock on East river. You three must start
+for it at once. I&#8217;ll step into a store near by for a few things I need
+and follow you. Of course, Dorothy knew all about her trip, the steamer
+she would sail by, and its landing place. Even if she didn&#8217;t know that
+most of the officers would know and direct her.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>&#8220;I now think that having missed us at the &#8216;Powell&#8217; she has gone straight
+to the other boat and you will find her there. I&#8217;ll follow you in time
+for sailing and till then, good-by. A hack is ready for you at the
+door.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he went hastily out, and Mrs. Hungerford said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Brother is wise. We certainly shan&#8217;t find Dolly here, and we may at the
+&#8216;Prince.&#8217; Have you all your parcels, both of you? Then come.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They followed her meekly enough but at the street entrance Miss
+Greatorex rebelled. Her anxiety gave a more than ordinary irritation to
+her temper and harshness to her voice, and her habitually ungracious
+manner became more repellent than ever as she announced:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all very well, Mrs. Hungerford, and Molly. But I shan&#8217;t go one
+step toward Nova Scotia till I&#8217;ve found my little girl. You three are
+all right, <i>you&#8217;ve got yourselves</i> and of course other people don&#8217;t
+matter. But Dorothy saved my life and I&#8217;ll not desert her to nobody
+knows what dreadful fate! No, I will not, and you needn&#8217;t say another
+single word!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As nobody had interrupted her excited speech this last admonition seemed
+rather uncalled for, but Molly waxed indignant thereat, though her Aunt
+Lucretia merely smiled compassionately. Then as they still stood upon
+the sidewalk, hesitating to enter their carriage, Miss Isobel waved her
+umbrella wildly toward another hack, and when it had obeyed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>her summons
+sprang into it and was whirled away.</p>
+
+<p>Where was Dorothy all this time? Little she knew of the commotion she
+had caused. Indeed, for a long time, her only thought was for herself
+and her unfortunate predicament. She had never been so frightened in her
+life. Nothing had ever looked so big, so dismal, and so altogether
+hopeless as this wretched side street where her fugitive had
+disappeared. There was not a policeman in sight. She didn&#8217;t know which
+way to go, but promptly realized that she should not stay just there in
+that degraded neighborhood. Even the wider street from which she had
+diverged, with its endless lines of wagons and people, was better.
+But&mdash;she must go somewhere!</p>
+
+<p>She set out forward, resolutely, and as it proved eastward toward that
+famous Broadway which threads the city from its north to south, but that
+was yet many blocks removed. Indeed, it seemed an endless way that
+stretched beyond her; and it was not until she had run for some distance
+that her common sense awoke with the thought:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, how silly I am! I must go back to the boat. That&#8217;s where I&#8217;ll be
+missed and looked for. Of course, Miss Greatorex wouldn&#8217;t go on and
+leave me, and oh! dear! I reckon I&#8217;ve made her wait till she&#8217;ll be
+angry. I&#8217;ll ask the first nice looking gentleman I see, if no policeman
+comes, the way to the &#8216;Mary Powell.&#8217; Here comes one now&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A busy man came speeding toward her, whose coat skirt she tried to
+clutch; but he didn&#8217;t even <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>hear the question she put. He merely waved
+her aside, as he would any other street beggar with the passing remark:
+&#8220;Nothing. Get away!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The second person to whom she applied was German and shook his head with
+a forcible negative. So he, too, moved on and she stopped to think and
+recover some portion of that courage which had almost deserted her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course. I couldn&#8217;t be really lost, not really truly so, right in the
+broad daylight and a city full of people. But I am ashamed to have
+stayed so long. Oh! good! There comes a man in uniform&mdash;a policeman, a
+policeman!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Quite at rest now she darted forward and caught at the hand of the
+uniformed person who stared at her in surprise but not unkindly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, little maid, what&#8217;s wanted?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O, sir! Are you a policeman? Will you take me to where I belong?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sorry to say &#8216;no&#8217; to both your questions, but I&#8217;m only a railway
+conductor, in a hurry to catch my outgoing train. Wait a minute, child,
+and a real police officer will come and will look out for you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The blue-coated, much brass-buttoned man snatched his hand from her
+clinging grasp and strode westward in desperate haste. He had calculated
+his time to the last second and even this trifling delay annoyed him.</p>
+
+<p>But he had prophesied aright. A policeman was coming into view,
+leisurely sauntering over his beat, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>and on the lookout for anything
+amiss. Dorothy hurried forward, planted herself firmly in this man&#8217;s
+path and demanded again:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Are you a policeman?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure an&#8217; &#8217;tis that same that I be! Thanks for all mercies! Me first day
+alone at the job, an&#8217; what can I do for ye, me pretty colleen?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell me, or take me, back to the &#8216;Mary Powell,&#8217; please. I&mdash;I&#8217;ve lost my
+way.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Arrah musha! An&#8217; if I was after doin&#8217; that same I&#8217;d be losin&#8217; mine! The
+&#8216;Mary Powell&#8217; is it? Tell me where does she be livin&#8217; at. I&#8217;m not long
+in this counthry and but new app&#8217;inted to the foruss. Faith it&#8217;s a
+biggish sort of town to be huntin&#8217; one lone woman in.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To anybody older or wiser than Dorothy Chester the very fact of his
+loquacity would have betrayed his newness to the &#8220;foruss.&#8221; There wasn&#8217;t
+a prouder nor happier man in the whole great city, that day, than Larry
+McCarthy, as he proceeded to explain:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;First cousin on me mother&#8217;s side to Alderman Bryan McCarthy, as has
+helped me over from Connemara, this late whiles, and has made me a
+free-born Amerikin citizen, glory be.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That must be very nice. I suppose an alderman is some sort of a very
+high-up man, isn&#8217;t he? But&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;High is it, says she. Higher &#8217;an I was when I was carryin&#8217; me hod up
+wan thim &#8216;sky-scrapers&#8217; they do build in this forsaken&mdash;I mane
+blessed&mdash;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>counthry, says he. Sure it&#8217;s a higher-up Bryan is, the foine
+lad.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please, please, will you take me to the &#8216;Mary Powell&#8217;?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How can I since ye&#8217;ve not told me yet wherever she lives?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why she isn&#8217;t a&mdash;she! She&#8217;s a boat!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hear til the lass! She isn&#8217;t a she isn&#8217;t she? Then she must be a he,
+and that&#8217;d beat a priest to explain;&#8221; and at his own joke the
+newly-fledged officer indulged in a most unofficial burst of laughter.
+So long and so loud was this that Dorothy stamped her foot impatiently
+and another uniformed member of &#8220;the force,&#8221; passing by on the other
+side of the street, crossed over to investigate.</p>
+
+<p>At whose arrival officer Larry straightened himself like a ramrod,
+squared his shoulders, and affected to be intensely angry with the small
+person who had delayed him upon his beat. But he could not deceive the
+keen eyes of the more experienced policeman and his superior in rank.</p>
+
+<p>With a swift recognition of the newcomer&#8217;s greater intelligence, Dorothy
+put her inquiry to him, breathlessly stating her whole case, including
+the loss of her purse and her regret over it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Cause now, you see, sir, I haven&#8217;t any money to pay for being taken
+back. Else I would have called a carriage, like people do sometimes, and
+got the carriage man to take me. That is, <i>if</i> there was any carriage,
+and any man, and I&mdash;I had any money. Oh! dear! That isn&#8217;t what I wanted
+to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>say, but I&#8217;m so tired running and&mdash;and&mdash;it&#8217;s dreadful to be lost in
+a New York city!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Her explanation ended in a miserable breakdown of sobs and tears. Now
+that help had come&mdash;she was sure of it after one glance into this second
+officer&#8217;s honest face&mdash;her courage collapsed entirely. The sergeant
+allowed her a moment to compose herself and then said, as he took out a
+notebook and prepared to write in it:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, once more. Tell me exactly, or listen if I have the facts right.
+You are a pupil at the Rhinelander Academy in Newburgh. You are starting
+upon a trip for your summer vacation. You are under the care of Miss
+Greatorex, a teacher. You ran away from the steamer &#8216;Mary Powell&#8217; in
+pursuit of a man whom you think carried off your own and a friend&#8217;s
+purse. Very well. I will send you to the boat and if your story is true
+you will be restored to your friends and nothing more will come of it.
+If it isn&#8217;t true, you will be sent to a station-house to await
+developments. McCarthy, proceed upon your beat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Larry shrugged his shoulders more snugly into his new uniform, assumed
+the bearing of a drum major and duly proceeded. The superior officer put
+a whistle to his lips, and like the genii in Arabian Nights, his servant
+instantly appeared.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Call a cab. Take this young person to the &#8216;Mary Powell,&#8217; foot of
+Desbrosses street. If her guardian is not there, drive to the other
+landing at Twenty-third street and inquire if the girl has been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>sought
+for there. If this is a false story, report to me at the station and, of
+course, bring the girl with you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The words &#8220;station house&#8221; sounded ominous in Dorothy&#8217;s ears. During her
+Baltimore life she had learned all that was necessary about such places
+to infect her with fear, having with other children sometimes watched
+the &#8220;police patrol wagons&#8221; make their dreary rounds. She had peered at
+the unhappy prisoners sitting within the van and had pitied them
+unspeakably, despite the fact that they must have been wicked. A picture
+of herself thus seated and despairing flashed before her mind, but she
+put it resolutely aside and with great humility stepped into the cab
+which her new protector had summoned.</p>
+
+<p>This was one of those then new electric cabs and instantly riveted her
+attention. To move through the streets so swiftly without visible means
+of locomotion was as delightful as novel; and the skill with which the
+driver perched up behind twisted around corners and among crowding
+vehicles seemed fairly wonderful.</p>
+
+<p>It was a most charming ride, despite the fact that she was a lost person
+seeking her friends, and it came all too soon to an end at the dock she
+had named. She recognized the place at once and was out of the cab,
+hurrying along the wharf, calling back to her guide:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here she is! This is the &#8216;Mary Powell!&#8217; See?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>He was promptly at her side again, his duty being not to lose sight of
+her until that &#8220;report&#8221; had been duly made when and where ordered. Also,
+the recognition of her by &#8220;Fanny&#8221; and the other boat hands proved that
+thus much of her tale was true. She had come down the river on that
+steamer&#8217;s last trip and people had been back upon it, frantically
+seeking news of her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You oughtn&#8217;t to have run away like that, little girl, and scare them
+people into forty fits. That nice Judge&mdash;somebody, he said his name
+was&mdash;he hired no end of people to go searching for you and now you&#8217;ve
+come and he hasn&#8217;t. Like enough they&#8217;ve gone to the other landing,
+up-town, to seek you. Better drive there, policeman, and see.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right. But, stewardess, if anybody comes again to inquire, say that
+she&#8217;ll be taken to the &#8216;Prince&#8217; steamship, East river, and be held there
+till the boat sails. Afterward at station number &mdash;.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There is no need to follow all of Dorothy&#8217;s seeking of her friends.
+Already, as has been told, they had made a fruitless search for her; and
+when at length fully convinced that she was telling a &#8220;straight case&#8221;
+the official who had her in charge, failing to find Miss Greatorex at
+that &#8220;up-town landing&#8221;&mdash;though a dock-hand said that she had been there
+and again hurried away &#8220;as if she was a crazy piece&#8221;&mdash;the cab was turned
+toward that east-side dock whence the voyage to Nova Scotia was to be
+made.</p>
+
+<p>Here everything was verified. Dorothy&#8217;s luggage <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>marked with her name
+was in the baggage-room, having been sent down the day before in order
+to prevent mischance. With it was the luggage of Molly Breckenridge and
+Miss Greatorex. Also upon the steamer&#8217;s sailing list was her name and
+the stateroom to which she had been assigned. To this point then must
+all the rest of the party come if they were to sail by that vessel.
+Obviously, it was the safest place for her to await her friends, and she
+was promptly permitted to go aboard and watch for them.</p>
+
+<p>She had expected to see a much larger craft than the &#8220;Prince.&#8221; Why, it
+wasn&#8217;t half as large, it seemed to her, as some of the boats which
+passed up and down the Hudson. It had but one deck, high up, so that to
+reach it she had to climb a ladder, or gang-plank almost as steep as a
+roof. But she climbed it with a feeling of infinite relief and security.
+Sitting close to the rail upon one of the many steamer chairs she found
+there, herself almost the only passenger who had yet come aboard, she
+leaned her weary head against the rail, and, despite the hunger which
+tormented her, fell fast asleep. She knew nothing more; heard none of
+the busy sounds of loading the luggage, now constantly arriving, and was
+peacefully dreaming, when a girlish voice from the dock pierced through
+the babel and the dream:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Papa Breckenridge! There she sits&mdash;asleep! <i>That runaway!</i>
+Dorothy&mdash;Dorothy! how came you here? How dared you scare us so?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>She sprang to her feet and looked down, answering with a rapturous cry.
+There they were, Molly, Auntie Lu and the Judge! But&mdash;and now she rubbed
+her eyes the better to see if they deceived her&mdash;where was Isobel
+Greatorex.</p>
+
+<p>Alas! That was the question the others were all asking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where is Miss Greatorex? Only two minutes to sailing&mdash;but where is Miss
+Greatorex?&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>ON BOARD THE &#8220;PRINCE&#8221;</h3>
+
+<p>There wasn&#8217;t an instant to waste in questions. The captain of this
+steamship prided himself upon his exceeding punctuality, and had often
+declared that if he delayed for one passenger one day he would have to
+do so the next; that somebody was always late; that it might be that
+delinquent&#8217;s misfortune if he were left but was not Captain Murray&#8217;s
+fault.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing this fact Judge Breckenridge handed his sister her ticket and
+Molly&#8217;s, hastily bade her:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go aboard, Lucretia, while I claim our luggage. Miss Greatorex may
+already be there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Step lively, please!&#8221; requested a sailor in a blue uniform as the lady
+began to slowly mount the almost upright ladder. Other sailors were
+speeding up and down it, between the ascending passengers and an air of
+great bustle and haste pervaded the whole scene.</p>
+
+<p>Then the blue-coat gallantly put his hand under Mrs. Hungerford&#8217;s arm
+and fairly shoved her up the plank. Molly sprang lightly after, caught
+her <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>foot in one of the little cross-pieces nailed across the plank to
+prevent people slipping and sprawled her length, hindering everybody a
+deal more than if she had climbed more slowly.</p>
+
+<p>However, they gained the deck and Dorothy&#8217;s side in safety, and took
+their stand against the rail to watch the Judge and many another
+passenger hurriedly identifying their baggage ranged under the wharf
+shed; and, as each piece was claimed, to see it swiftly tossed upon a
+skid and rolled into the lower part of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Murray stood at the foot of the ladder, chronometer in hand, a
+picture of calm decision; while another uniformed official faced him
+from the other side the plank, to scan the tickets presented. Judge
+Breckenridge finished his task and also climbed to the deck, while a
+sigh of relief escaped Aunt Lucretia&#8217;s lips.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all right! I got so worried lest we should miss the steamer and
+there isn&#8217;t another sailing for three days. I&#8217;m so glad to get our
+things! I never do feel comfortable until I see my trunks aboard my
+train or steamer.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed! A woman bereft of her &#8216;things&#8217; is a forlorn creature!&#8221;
+laughed the Judge, in gentle sarcasm, but his sister disdained reply.
+She merely reflected how much greater annoyance her brother would have
+felt had his sporting outfit been delayed and this was the very first
+piece of luggage he had identified&mdash;her trunk the last. However, there
+was the utmost good nature in their jesting intercourse, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>and both now
+turned their attention to the wharf where the &#8220;very last&#8221; passenger was
+hurrying to the ladder.</p>
+
+<p>After him ascended the two officers, and the boat and dock hands seized
+the ropes to haul the plank aboard. The whistle was blowing, wheels were
+turning, passengers crowded the rails to wave farewells to friends
+ashore who had come to see them off, and at this very last second a cab
+came dashing furiously down the street and up to the steamer&#8217;s side.</p>
+
+<p>A woman leaped out, and rushed to the spot where the ship had been
+moored. She was almost past speaking from haste and excitement as she
+scanned the groups upon the deck, then with a look of satisfaction at
+sight of the Judge&#8217;s party, clasped her hands imploringly toward the
+captain and the mate.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t leave her, Captain Murray! I know her&mdash;she belongs to us&mdash;it
+isn&#8217;t her fault&mdash;throw the ladder out again, even if&mdash;&#8221; shouted the
+Judge.</p>
+
+<p>There was no withstanding the sight of so many clasped, entreating
+hands, even by such a rigid disciplinarian as this fine skipper. For not
+only Miss Greatorex upon the wharf, but the two girls and Mrs.
+Hungerford had clasped theirs, also, begging a brief delay.</p>
+
+<p>Then the officer waved his hand, down went the plank again, and a couple
+of sailors sprang forward to the teacher&#8217;s assistance. They had fairly
+to drag her up the now slippery incline, and almost to toss <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>her upon
+the deck, where the Judge&#8217;s arm shot out for her support and the captain
+himself helped her to a chair.</p>
+
+<p>Another instant they had put a stretch of water between them and the
+land, and a fresh uproar of whistles and bells announced that the
+steamer &#8220;Prince&#8221; had sailed.</p>
+
+<p>But those near her had thought now only for Miss Greatorex. Her face was
+at first intensely red and she leaned back in her chair, with closed
+eyes and gasping breath. Indeed, so difficult her breathing that it
+seemed as if after each respiration she would never breathe again. Mrs.
+Hungerford made haste to hold a smelling bottle to the sufferer&#8217;s
+nostrils, but it was feebly waved aside as if it hindered rather than
+helped.</p>
+
+<p>Then the color faded from the crimson face and all that terrible gasping
+ceased, so that those watching thought for a moment that life itself had
+ended.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fainted!&#8221; said the captain, tersely. &#8220;Get her to bed. Number Eight,
+take her ticket to the purser, get her stateroom key, and send the
+stewardess. Prompt, now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately, the room engaged for Miss Greatorex and Dorothy was on that
+deck and very near; and thither the dignified lady was quickly conveyed,
+very much as a sack of corn might have been. But as for Dorothy&#8217;s
+thoughts during this brief transit there is nothing comforting to say.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;ve killed her, I&#8217;ve killed her! If I hadn&#8217;t been so careless and
+left the purses, and if I hadn&#8217;t <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>chased that &#8216;shiny man&#8217; and made all
+this trouble, she wouldn&#8217;t have&mdash;I can&#8217;t bear it. What shall I do!&#8221; she
+wailed to Molly, as they followed hand in hand, where Miss Greatorex was
+carried.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You can stop saying &#8216;if&#8217; and worrying so. You didn&#8217;t do anything on
+purpose and she&#8217;s to blame herself. If she hadn&#8217;t gone off mad from the
+hotel and left Auntie and me, maybe she wouldn&#8217;t have run too hard and
+hurt herself. If&mdash;if&mdash;if! It isn&#8217;t a very happy beginning of a vacation
+is it? Even though we have got Papa and Auntie Lu and everything. And I
+don&#8217;t know yet what you did after you ran away from the boat. We can&#8217;t
+do a thing here to help. Let&#8217;s go to Papa, there and you tell us the
+whole story. He took a lot of trouble to find you and paid a lot of
+money to men to seek you, and he looks awful tired and&mdash;and disgusted. I
+guess he wishes he&#8217;d just brought Auntie and me and not bothered himself
+with you and Miss Greatorex. And that&#8217;s my fault, too. If I hadn&#8217;t asked
+him to do it he would never have thought of it. Seems if things never do
+go just as you plan them, do they?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Under other circumstances Dorothy might have replied to her friend&#8217;s
+unflattering frankness by some reproaches of her own, but not now. She
+realized the truth but was too humble to resent it. So she merely
+glanced once more through the door of the little stateroom at Miss
+Greatorex stretched upon the bed and Mrs. Hungerford with the stewardess
+attending her, and followed Molly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>The Judge met them with an encouraging smile and the command:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Shorten up your countenances, little maids! This is a holiday, did you
+know? Folks don&#8217;t go holiday-ing with faces as long as your arm. Here,
+cuddle down beside me and watch the sights. Tell me too, Miss Dorothy,
+all that befell you after you disappeared. I&#8217;m as curious as Molly is,
+and she&#8217;s &#8216;just suffering&#8217; to know. Don&#8217;t worry about Miss Greatorex,
+either. She&#8217;s simply over-exerted herself and allowed herself to get too
+anxious about this one small girl. The idea! What&#8217;s one small girl more
+or less, when the world&#8217;s chock full of them?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But the affectionate squeeze he gave to the &#8220;girl&#8217;s&#8221; shoulders as she
+sat down beside him, while Molly sat herself upon his knee, told her
+that he had already forgiven any annoyance she had caused him. He was
+too warm hearted to hold a grudge against anybody; least of all against
+as penitent a child as Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>She related her adventures and the Judge laughed heartily over her
+mimicry of Larry McCarthy, the &#8220;new policeman.&#8221; Nor did he make any
+criticisms when the story was ended. She had been sufficiently punished,
+he considered, for any lapses from prudence and the lessons her
+experience had taught would be far more valuable than any word of his.
+So he merely called their attention to the scenery before them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This beautiful, green spot that we are passing <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>is Blackwell&#8217;s Island,
+where the city&#8217;s criminals and other unfortunates are sent. Doesn&#8217;t seem
+as if wicked people could be hidden behind those walls, does it? Well
+keep out of mischief and don&#8217;t go there!</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Soon we&#8217;ll be going up Long Island Sound, and you&#8217;ll get a glimpse of
+some handsome homes. Hello! What&#8217;s this? My little bugler, as I live!
+Good day to you, Melvin; and what is this present &#8216;toot&#8217; for, if you
+please?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A fair-faced boy came rather shyly forward and accepted the hearty hand
+grasp which the Judge extended, but he seemed to shrink from the keen
+observation of the two girls; though a flush of pleasure dyed his smooth
+cheeks, which were as pink-and-white as blond Molly&#8217;s own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My respects, Judge Breckenridge, and glad to see you aboard again, sir.
+To get your table seats, sir, if you&#8217;ll remember.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, lad, and good enough! Come on, lassies, let&#8217;s go down and
+scramble for best places and first table, when eating time comes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All over the deck people were beginning to rise and make their way
+toward a further door, from which a flight of stairs descended to the
+dining-room, and these three followed the crowd. The very mention of
+&#8220;eating&#8221; had brought back to Dorothy a sensation of terrible hunger. She
+had eaten nothing since her breakfast at the Academy, and her sail had
+sharpened her appetite beyond ordinary. During her late experiences in
+the city <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>and her terror concerning Miss Greatorex she had forgotten
+this matter, but now it came back with a positive pang. Suddenly Molly,
+too, remembered the fact and exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, you poor girlie! Talk about eating&mdash;you can&#8217;t have had a bit of
+dinner! Papa, Dorothy hasn&#8217;t had her dinner this livelong day!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Her tone was so tragic that people behind her smiled, as her abrupt
+pause upon the stairs arrested their own progress, and she was promptly
+urged forward again by her father&#8217;s hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Heigho! That&#8217;s a calamity&mdash;nothing less! But one that can be conquered,
+let us hope. Now, fall into line close behind me and watch this
+interesting proceeding.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>From the earnestness depicted upon the countenances of the passengers,
+this securing of good seats at the first table, in a room which would
+not allow the serving of all at one time, was a vital matter. The purser
+stood at the entrance of the saloon and assigned a seat to each person
+upon the examination of a ticket presented. His office was not a
+pleasant one. There were the usual grumblers and malcontents, but he
+preserved his good nature amid all the fault-finding and selfishness;
+and the Judge had the good fortune to secure five places at the
+Captain&#8217;s table, which was significant of &#8220;first call to meals.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This accomplished he led his charges out of line, carefully deposited
+his &#8220;meal tickets&#8221; in an innermost pocket, and crossed an ante-room to
+where <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>there were plates of ship&#8217;s biscuits and slices of cheese.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take all you want, all you can eat, both of you youngsters. Sorry to
+say no regular meal will be served, not even for Dorothy&#8217;s benefit, till
+the six o&#8217;clock dinner. Unless she choses to get seasick; when she would
+have tea and toast sent to her and wouldn&#8217;t be able to touch it! Enough?
+Take plenty. There&#8217;s no stinting on Captain Murray&#8217;s good ship though a
+lot of cast-iron rules that one must never break. Hark! There&#8217;s Melvin&#8217;s
+toot again! There must be a great crowd on board, if all haven&#8217;t come to
+get their seats here yet. Now we&#8217;ll interview our women folk and see how
+they&#8217;re faring.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Munching their crackers and cheese the girls hurried to &#8220;Number
+Thirteen,&#8221; the only stateroom on the promenade deck which Miss
+Rhinelander had been able to secure for her cousin Isobel and Dorothy;
+and though she had held her peace concerning it Miss Greatorex had
+inwardly revolted against this &#8220;unlucky&#8221; number.</p>
+
+<p>But it was in fact among the very best on that small steamship. It&#8217;s
+door opening directly upon the deck so that after retiring one could lie
+and watch the stars and breathe the pure air of the sea. Also, her short
+sojourn in it was to do her much good physically. Even now, when Molly
+and Dorothy peeped in they saw her sitting upright, drinking a cup of
+tea and chatting with the stewardess as calmly as usual.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>At sight of Dorothy, however, she promptly dismissed the attendant and
+bade the girl enter and explain everything that had happened after her
+disappearance from the &#8220;Mary Powell.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Molly made a grimace, and Dolly sighed. Repetition of unpleasant things
+made them doubly disagreeable, and she now longed to enter into the
+Judge&#8217;s spirit and feel that this was happy holiday. She cut the tale as
+short as she could; listened meekly to Miss Isobel&#8217;s reproofs; waited
+upon that fidgetty person with admirable patience; and with equal
+patience received all the many instructions as to &#8220;suitable conduct&#8221;
+during their whole journey. When the final word had been said, and she
+had been told that no other &#8220;allowance&#8221; could be hers until &#8220;advices&#8221;
+had been received from Miss Rhinelander, and that she must report every
+cent expended, she ventured to cut the &#8220;lecture&#8221; also short, by kneeling
+in the little aisle between their berths and kissing her guardian&#8217;s hand
+with the petition:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please forgive me, dear Miss Greatorex, for all the worry I gave you. I
+will be good. I will be &#8216;prudent,&#8217; I will remember&mdash;everything&mdash;if only
+you&#8217;ll say you&#8217;ll love me just the same again!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Miss Isobel was touched. In her heart she was very fond of Dorothy and
+grateful to her, on account of her bravery that night of the fire. But
+she felt it beneath her dignity to show this fondness openly, and
+answered more coldly than she felt:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>&#8220;Certainly, it would be unworthy in me to harbor ill will against
+anybody. But I trust you will give me no further annoyance. Rise,
+please; and there is Molly. Thank you, Miss Breckenridge, I am much
+better. It was but a momentary weakness to which I yielded. Please make
+my regards to your father for his courteous messages of regret. Yes,
+Dorothy, you may go with your friend for a walk on the deck. I will join
+you very soon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hope she won&#8217;t, mean old thing!&#8221; grumbled Molly, under her breath.
+&#8220;She&#8217;s one of the plans that didn&#8217;t go right. Instead of darling Miss
+Penelope with her sweet mother-ways to have the &#8216;Grater&#8217; forced on us
+this way is too bad. I know Papa and Auntie Lu aren&#8217;t pleased with her
+either, though they&#8217;re too polite to say so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O, Molly, don&#8217;t! I was bad, I can&#8217;t deny it and I deserve to have her
+stiff and cross with me. I don&#8217;t believe she&#8217;s half so vexed as she
+seems but she doesn&#8217;t think it&#8217;s &#8216;proper&#8217; to let me know how thankful
+she is I wasn&#8217;t really lost. Folks can&#8217;t help being themselves, anyway;
+else I&#8217;d be a perfectly angelic sort of a girl, and be it quick! Hark!
+Those bells!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, honey, let me tell you! Papa just told me. That&#8217;s four o&#8217;clock,
+&#8216;eight bells.&#8217; In half an hour it&#8217;ll strike once. At five will strike
+twice. Every half hour one more stroke till at the end of four hours
+it&#8217;ll be eight bells again. That&#8217;s the beginning and the end of a
+&#8216;watch.&#8217; A &#8216;watch&#8217; is four hours long and the sailors change off then,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>one lot comes from &#8216;duty&#8217; and another lot &#8216;stand&#8217; theirs. Isn&#8217;t it odd
+and interesting? Oh! I think being on shipboard is just too lovely for
+words! And aren&#8217;t we going to have a glorious time after all?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! Molly, I hope so. Course I think it&#8217;s splendidly interesting, too,
+if I could get over feeling so ashamed of myself and my foolishness. I
+don&#8217;t like to go near your father for he must think I have been horrid.
+I don&#8217;t know how I can ever pay him back the money he spent hiring folks
+to hunt for me, and the trouble I gave him&mdash;oh! dear! Why didn&#8217;t I let
+that old &#8216;shiny man&#8217; go and not try to follow him!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Give it up Dolly Doodles. Reckon you happened to value that five
+dollars more than you did us, just about then. And you might as well
+have &#8216;let him go&#8217; since he went anyhow and our precious purses with him.
+Now, honey, you quit. Don&#8217;t you say another single word of what <i>has</i>
+happened but let&#8217;s just think of all the nice things that <i>are going</i> to
+happen. Ah! Hold up your head, put on all your &#8216;style,&#8217; make yourself as
+pretty as you can, for here comes that adorable young bugler and he&#8217;s
+perfectly enchanting! Oh! I do so love boys! Don&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Molly Breckenridge, stop making me giggle. He&#8217;ll think we&#8217;re laughing
+at him and I don&#8217;t like to hurt anybody&#8217;s feelings.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear innocent! You couldn&#8217;t hurt his. Why, Papa says that all the
+passengers try to make <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>a pet of that sweet youth, so he knows he&#8217;s all
+right no matter who laughs. The trouble is he&#8217;ll never speak to anybody
+if he can help it and unless it happens to be his duty. Sailors are
+great for &#8216;duty,&#8217; you know. But did you ever see such funny clothes?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The girls continued their walk around the deck, the bugler passed them
+by, unseeing&mdash;apparently; and quoth mischievous Molly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to get acquainted with that Melvin before we leave this ship,
+see if I don&#8217;t! I believe he has a lot of fun in him, if he wasn&#8217;t
+afraid of his &#8216;duty.&#8217; Papa said he was the only son of his mother and
+their home is at Yarmouth. Papa met her last summer when he stopped
+there for a few weeks&#8217; fishing. I&#8217;ll make him understand I&#8217;m my father&#8217;s
+daughter; you see!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Molly Breckenridge, you&#8217;ll do nothing to disgrace that father,
+understand me too. Here comes &#8216;Number Eight.&#8217; Isn&#8217;t he funny?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To their unaccustomed eyes the sailor&#8217;s clothing did look odd. The Judge
+had explained to Molly that these &#8220;numbered&#8221; officials were recognized
+by their numbers only. That they acted in various capacities; as
+table-waiters, and especially as &#8220;chamber maids.&#8221; Each &#8220;number&#8221; had his
+own section of staterooms to attend, each one his especial table to
+serve in the dining saloon.</p>
+
+<p>In a natural reaction from their anxiety of the earlier day the spirits
+of both girls had risen proportionately. They were ready to see humor in
+everything <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>and poor Number Eight came in for his share of absurd
+comment, when he had passed out of hearing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s such a big, red-faced, red-haired man, and his jacket is so
+little. Looks as if his arms and shoulders had just been squeezed into
+it by some machine. Did you notice his monstrous trousers? Enough in
+them to piece out the jacket, I should think, and never be missed. All
+these Numbers are dressed alike; little bit o&#8217; coaties, divided skirts
+for panties, and such dudish little caps! Who wouldn&#8217;t be a sailor on
+the bright blue sea, if he could wear clothes cut that fashion? &#8216;A life
+on the ocean wave,&#8217;&#8221; she quoted. &#8220;&#8216;A home on the rolling deep&mdash;&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8216;Where the scattered waters rave. And the winds their revels keep. The
+wi-i-inds their r-r-r-ev-el-s-s k-e-e-e-ep!&#8217;&#8221; A rich voice had caught
+the burden of Molly&#8217;s song and finished it with an absurd flourish.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Papa!&#8221; cried the girl, facing suddenly about. So suddenly, indeed,
+that she collided with an unseen somebody, slipped on the freshly washed
+boards, and fell at her victim&#8217;s feet. A bugle shot out from under his
+arm and banged against the deck-rail; but before he recovered that
+Melvin had stooped, said &#8220;Allow me!&#8221; and helped Molly up again. Then he
+lifted his cap, picked up his bugle, and proceeded on his way without so
+much as another word.</p>
+
+<p>Molly stared after him, blushing and mortified, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>shaking her tiny fist
+toward his blue-uniformed back, and remarking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Huh! Master Melvin! I&#8217;d just declared I&#8217;d get acquainted with you but I
+didn&#8217;t mean to do it in quite that way!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Maybe, too, her chagrin would have been deeper could she have seen the
+amused expression of the young bugler&#8217;s face; and again she observed&mdash;to
+Dorothy as she supposed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow, if you&#8217;d been a gentleman, a real gentleman-boy, you&#8217;d have
+stopped to ask if I was hurt. Huh! you&#8217;re terribly &#8216;sot up&#8217; and
+top-lofty, just because you wear a uniform and toot-ti-ti-toot on little
+tin-horn kind of a thing that I could play myself, if I wanted to. Don&#8217;t
+you think so, Papa and Dolly? Wasn&#8217;t it horrid of him to trip me up that
+way and make me look so silly? Why don&#8217;t you answer, one of you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She turned the better to see &#8220;why,&#8221; and found herself gazing into the
+stern countenance of Captain Murray. That strict gentleman had recently
+been annoyed by the &#8220;skylarking&#8221; of girlish passengers who had tried
+&#8220;flirting&#8221; with his &#8220;boys&#8221; and was bent upon preventing any further
+annoyance of that sort.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your father has gone forward to meet your ailing friend and the little
+girl is with him. I would advise you to join them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was all the reproof he administered, but it was sufficient to make
+Molly Breckenridge flush scarlet again, and this time with anger against
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>the skipper. She hurried to &#8220;join&#8221; the others who had met Miss
+Greatorex and exclaimed with great heat:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I just detest that horrid stiff Captain! He looked&mdash;he believed I
+tumbled against that precious bugler of his just on purpose! I wish I
+need never see either one of them again or hear that wretched thing
+toot!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She could not then foresee how important a part in her own life that
+&#8220;toot&#8221; was yet to play; nor was the laughter with which her outburst was
+received very comforting.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>MOONLIGHT AND MIST ON THE SEA</h3>
+
+<p>However and despite her declaration to the contrary it was a most
+welcome &#8220;toot&#8221; which sounded along the deck and announced to the hungry
+voyagers that dinner was served; and Molly was among the first to spring
+up and hurry her father tableward.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Seems as if I&#8217;d never had anything to eat in all my life!&#8221; she
+exclaimed. &#8220;Come on, Dolly Doodles, <i>you</i> must be actually famished.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am pretty hungry,&#8221; admitted Dorothy; but mindful now of her recent
+resolve to do everything as Miss Greatorex would have her, she waited
+until that lady rose from her steamer chair, gathered her wraps about
+her, and anxiously inquired of Mrs. Hungerford:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Will it be safe to leave my rug behind? or should I carry it with me to
+table?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! leave it, by all means. There&#8217;s none too much room below and I
+never worry about my things. Lay it on your chair and that will prove to
+anybody who comes along that your especial seat <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>is &#8216;reserved.&#8217; I&#8217;m
+leaving mine, you see;&#8221; answered the more experienced traveler,
+wondering if Miss Isobel&#8217;s nervousness would not prove a most unpleasant
+factor in their vacation fun. Also thinking that she had too readily
+given consent to Molly&#8217;s written plea: that Dorothy and a teacher should
+be invited to join them on this trip.</p>
+
+<p>Because there had been some question as to where the girl should pass
+the long vacation. Deerhurst would not be open, even if Mrs. Calvert had
+expressed any desire for a visit from Dorothy, which she had not. The
+old gentlewoman was to spend that season at the White Sulphur Springs,
+whither she had been in the habit of going during many years; and where
+among other old aristocrats she queened it at their own exclusive hotel.</p>
+
+<p>The mountain cottage would, of course, be in the hands of the Martin
+family, and Mother Martha had not approved Dorothy&#8217;s coming to Baltimore
+and passing the heated term there with herself. Indeed, deep in the
+little woman&#8217;s heart was a resentment against the unknown benefactor who
+was now supporting her adopted child and sending her to such an
+expensive school. As she complained to the aged relative with whom she
+now lived:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I feel, Aunt Chloe, that I&#8217;ve been meanly treated. I&#8217;ve had all the
+care of Dorothy through her growing up and having the measles, scarlet
+fever, whooping cough, and all the other children&#8217;s diseases. I&#8217;ve sewed
+for her, and washed and ironed for her, and taught her all the useful
+things she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>knows; yet now, just as she is big enough to be some company
+and comfort&mdash;off she&#8217;s snatched and I not even told by whom. I doubt if
+John knows, either, though he won&#8217;t say one way or other, except that
+&#8216;it&#8217;s all right and he knows it.&#8217; So I say I shan&#8217;t worry; and I
+wouldn&#8217;t think it right, anyway, for her to come down south if only this
+far after being north for so long.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Seth Winters had not come back to his beloved mountain, so that she
+could not go to him; and the only thing that was left was to go to her
+father at his Sanitorium or remain with Miss Rhinelander.</p>
+
+<p>Neither of these plans was satisfactory. Father John did not want her to
+pass her holidays in an atmosphere of illness; and Miss Rhinelander
+craved freedom and rest for herself. There were still extensive repairs
+to be made to the Academy and she wished to superintend them.</p>
+
+<p>Finally, Molly Breckenridge had taken the matter in hand with the result
+related; and with the one unlooked for feature, the presence of Miss
+Greatorex where Miss Penelope had been desired.</p>
+
+<p>However, here they all were at last; a few hours outward bound on their
+short ocean trip and looking forward to the most enjoyable of summers in
+lovely Nova Scotia. They were to make a complete tour of the Province,
+then settle down in some quiet place near the fishing and hunting
+grounds where the Judge would go into camp.</p>
+
+<p>Molly was thankful that her table-seat was well removed from that of
+Captain Murray at its head. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>But she soon found that she need not have
+worried, and that the closer she could be to him&mdash;when he was off
+duty&mdash;the better she would like it. This wasn&#8217;t the austere officer in
+command! who told such amusing tales of life at sea, who kept his guests
+so interested and absorbed, and who so solicitously watched his waiters
+lest anybody&#8217;s wants should be unsupplied! No, indeed. He was simply a
+most courteous host and delightful talker, and before that first meal
+was over she had forgotten her dislike of him, and, after her impulsive
+manner had &#8220;fallen in love&#8221; with him.</p>
+
+<p>Then back to the deck, to watch the moon rise and to settle themselves
+comfortably for a long and happy evening; and after awhile, begged
+Molly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Papa darling, if your dinner&#8217;s &#8216;settled,&#8217; please to sing. Remember
+I haven&#8217;t heard you do so in almost a year.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, my love, you don&#8217;t expect me to make an orchestra of myself, I
+hope? I notice they haven&#8217;t one aboard this little steamship. Nobody but
+Melvin to make music for us. I must tell you girls about that lad. He&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never mind <i>him</i> now, Papa. He will keep. He can wait. But I do want
+you to sing! Dorothy, go take that chair on Papa&#8217;s other side; and here
+comes Number Eight with more rugs. Wouldn&#8217;t think it could be so cool,
+almost cold, would you, after that dreadful heat back there in New York?
+Now, sir, begin!&#8221; and the Judge&#8217;s <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>adoring &#8220;domestic tyrant&#8221; patted his
+hand with great impatience.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very well, Miss Tease. Only it must be softly, so as not to disturb
+other people who may not have as great fancy for my warbling as you
+have.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Hungerford leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes in great
+content. Like his daughter she thought there was no sweeter singer
+anywhere than her beloved brother; but the too-correct Miss Isobel drew
+herself stiffly erect with an unspoken protest against this odd
+proceeding. She was quite sure that it wasn&#8217;t good form for anybody to
+sing in such a public place and under such circumstances. Least of all a
+Judge. A Judge of the Supreme Court! More than ever was she amazed when
+he began with a college song: &#8220;My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean,&#8221; in which
+Molly presently joined and, after a moment, Dorothy also.</p>
+
+<p>But even her primness could not withstand the witchery of the
+gentleman&#8217;s superb tenor voice, with its high culture and feeling;
+because even into that humdrum refrain he put a pathos and longing which
+quite transformed it.</p>
+
+<p>People sitting within hearing hitched their chairs nearer, but
+softly&mdash;not to disturb the singers; who sang on quietly, unconsciously,
+as if in their own private home. Drifting from one song to another, with
+little pauses between and always beginning by a suggestive note from
+Molly, the time passed unperceived.</p>
+
+<p>Evidently, father and child had thus sung together <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>during all their
+lives; and long before her that &#8220;other Molly,&#8221; her dead mother, of whom
+his child was the very counterpart, had also joined her exquisite tones
+to his. Into many melodies they passed, college songs left behind, and
+deeper feelings stirred by the words they uttered; till finally
+perceiving that his own mood was growing most un-holiday like, the Judge
+suddenly burst forth with &#8220;John Brown&#8217;s Body.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then, indeed, did mirth and jollification begin. Far and near, all sorts
+and conditions of voices caught up the old melody and added their quota
+to the music; and when their leader began mischievously to alter the
+refrain by dropping the last word, and shortening it each time by one
+word less, delight was general and the fun waxed fast and furious.</p>
+
+<p>The abrupt termination left many a singer in the lurch; and when the
+last verse was sung and ended only with &#8220;John&mdash;,&#8221; &#8220;John&mdash;,&#8221; &#8220;John,&#8221;
+there were still some who wandered on into &#8220;the grave&#8221; and had to join
+in the laugh their want of observation had brought upon them.</p>
+
+<p>By this time also Miss Isobel Greatorex had become quite resigned to a
+proceeding which no other passenger had disapproved and which, she could
+but confess, had added a charm to that never-to-be-forgotten evening.
+Moonlight flooded the sea and the deck. The simplicity and
+good-fellowship of Judge Breckenridge and his sister had brought all
+these strangers into a harmony which bridged all distinctions <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>of class
+or interest and rendered that first night afloat a most happy one for
+all.</p>
+
+<p>Until&mdash;was the moonlight growing clouded? Did those six strokes of the
+bell actually mean eleven o&#8217;clock? So late&mdash;and suddenly so&mdash;so&mdash;<i>so
+queer</i>!</p>
+
+<p>Even if the little concert had not already ended nobody could have sung
+just then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess we&#8217;ve left the Sound and struck the ocean;&#8221; remarked one
+gentleman, in a peculiar tone. &#8220;Good night all,&#8221; and he disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>A lady next Miss Greatorex made an effort to extricate herself from her
+rugs and chair and observed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve such a curious feeling. So&mdash;so dizzy. My head swims. Is&mdash;is there
+a different&mdash;motion to the boat? Have you noticed?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Yes, Miss Greatorex had noticed, but she couldn&#8217;t reply just then. Nor
+was this because of her &#8220;stiffness&#8221; toward a person who had not been
+properly &#8220;introduced.&#8221; It was simply that&mdash;that&mdash;dear, dear! She felt so
+very queer herself. She would try and get to her stateroom. In any case
+it was very late and everybody was moving.</p>
+
+<p>A petulant cry from Molly expressed her own desires exactly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa, dear Papa! What makes the folks go wobbling around the way they
+do? I wish they wouldn&#8217;t! I wish they would&mdash;would keep
+real&mdash;perfectly&mdash;still! I wish! Oh! dear!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>The Judge rose at once and, despite her size, caught up his daughter and
+marched off with her toward Mrs. Hungerford&#8217;s stateroom, whither that
+experienced voyager had as suddenly preceded him. When he came back, a
+few minutes later, he found that Miss Greatorex had vanished, and that
+Dorothy sat alone on the deserted deck wondering what in the world was
+the matter to make everybody rush off at once, or almost everybody.
+Wondering whether she should follow, and if her guardian would return
+and need her rugs again; yet placidly thinking over the delightful
+evening she had spent and how strange it was for her, &#8220;just plain
+Dorothy,&#8221; to be having such a splendid trip in such charming company.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, lassie, are you all right? Don&#8217;t <i>you</i> feel a &#8216;little queer,&#8217;
+too?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, thank you, Judge Breckenridge. I&#8217;m right enough but I don&#8217;t know
+whether Miss Greatorex wants me to come to our room now or whether
+she&#8217;ll need her things again. She went away in a great hurry, seems if;
+and so&mdash;so did &#8217;most everybody else. Funny for them all to get sleepy
+just in a minute so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The old traveler laughed and patted Dorothy&#8217;s shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A &#8216;fog swell&#8217; is what we&#8217;ve struck. That explains the darkness and the
+hasty departure of our neighbors. Seasick, poor creatures! and no
+suffering worse, while it lasts. Sure you aren&#8217;t yourself, Dorothy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>&#8220;No. I don&#8217;t feel any different from ever, yet, Judge Breckenridge.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good enough. I&#8217;m mighty glad for you. Poor little Moll will be apt to
+have a sorry time of it until we reach Yarmouth and land. By the way,
+lassie, I observe that you&#8217;ve been well trained to give a person their
+name and title when you speak to them. But we&#8217;re on our holiday now, you
+know, and mustn&#8217;t work more than we can help. So, my dear, suppose you
+call me Uncle Schuy, or simply Uncle, while we are together. &#8216;Judge
+Breckenridge&#8217; is considerable of a mouthful for a small maid who, I
+hope, will have to address me a great many times. I shall find it
+pleasant to be &#8216;Uncled&#8217; for I greatly miss our boy, Tom.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He did not add, as he might, that some pity mingled in this desire.
+Coming unobserved upon the little figure sitting alone in the
+steamer-chair, amid a pile of rugs which almost hid her from sight,
+deserted, and possibly also in the throes of illness, he had resolved to
+make her time with him and his as happy as he could. He would have done
+this under any circumstances; but Molly&#8217;s fervid description of
+Dorothy&#8217;s orphanage and ignorance of her real parentage had touched him
+profoundly.</p>
+
+<p>Loving his own little daughter beyond all others in the world he loved
+this deserted child for Molly&#8217;s sake; and felt that he should promptly
+love her for her own.</p>
+
+<p>Sitting down again beside her he covered himself <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>with rugs and begged
+permission to smoke; remarking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a shame to keep you up longer but I fancy that your stateroom
+wouldn&#8217;t be very pleasant just now. It&#8217;s next to my sister&#8217;s, you know,
+and I saw Number Eight coming out of it with considerable haste. Miss
+Greatorex is probably ill, but should be better once she gets settled in
+bed. Then you must go and also get to rest. Quite likely you&#8217;ll be the
+only little girl-companion I&#8217;ll have for the rest of the trip. I was
+afraid Molly would make a poor sailor, and she&#8217;s proving me correct. My
+sister, though, never suffers from seasickness and is a charming
+traveling companion as you&#8217;ll find.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He relapsed into silence and a great drowsiness began to overpower
+Dorothy. Her day had been long and most eventful and the sea air was
+strong. Presently, her head drooped against the back of her chair, the
+Judge grew indistinct in her sight, and she fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p>He considered then what was best to do; and presently decided that, if
+she wasn&#8217;t sent for, she might well and safely pass the night on deck as
+he intended to do.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, so often had he voyaged on that ship that its employees had
+learned his wishes without telling; and now there came to him one Number
+Seven, his own room attendant, bringing a pillow and more rugs. He was
+dispatched for another pillow and between them they gently lowered the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span>back of Dorothy&#8217;s chair, placed a pillow under her unconscious head and
+tucked her warmly in. Then he settled himself to rest and neither of
+them knew distinctly anything more until the daylight came and the
+sunshine struggled with the enwrapping fog.</p>
+
+<p>She, indeed, had had vague dreams of what went on about her. Had heard
+muffled bells and passing footsteps, but these had mingled only
+pleasantly with her sense of rest and happiness; and it was a very
+surprised young person who at last opened her eyes upon a gray expanse
+of mist-covered ocean and a gray-haired man asleep on a chair beside
+her.</p>
+
+<p>Sitting up, she stared about her for a moment till she realized what had
+happened; then smiled to think she had actually slept out of doors.
+Afterward, she wondered with some anxiety if Miss Greatorex had sent for
+her during the night, or if she were still too ill to care about anybody
+save herself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow, I must go and see. My! how damp these rugs are and yet I am as
+warm as can be. That&#8217;s what dear Miss Penelope said she meant to
+do&mdash;sleep on deck. But she didn&#8217;t come and I&#8217;ve done it in her stead.
+What a queer world it is and how things do get twisted round! Now I must
+be still as still and not wake that dear Judge&mdash;&#8216;Uncle&#8217;, who&#8217;s so lovely
+to me!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With these thoughts she slipped softly out of her rugs and tiptoed away,
+having some slight trouble to locate &#8220;Number Thirteen&#8221; stateroom; and,
+having <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>done so, discovered its door ajar, fastened against intrusion by
+a chain.</p>
+
+<p>She peeped through the opening. Miss Isobel lay with her eyes closed,
+but whether asleep or not Dorothy couldn&#8217;t decide. She was very pale and
+perfectly motionless, and a too-suggestive tin basin was fastened to the
+railing of her berth.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ugh! I can&#8217;t go in there and wake her, if she&#8217;s asleep; or to go any
+way. I&#8217;ll slip around to this other side the boat where there are such
+heaps of chairs and nobody in them. My! It&#8217;s cold and I haven&#8217;t anything
+to put over me here. Never mind, I&#8217;ll stay. If I go back to where I was
+I might wake Judge Breckenridge, and I shouldn&#8217;t like to do that. I
+don&#8217;t wonder Molly called him a handsome man. He looked better than
+handsome to me, sleeping there, he looked <i>noble</i>.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Thus reflecting she settled herself on a chair against the inner wall
+and watched the men at work mopping the wet decks and putting the steamer
+generally &#8220;ship-shape&#8221; against the day&#8217;s voyage. It was a forlorn
+outlook into the world of fog, through which the sound of the bells rang
+strangely. Also, there was an almost continuous blowing of whistles and
+a look of some anxiety on the faces of such of the crew as passed by.</p>
+
+<p>Finally, out of some far-off stairway, young bugler Melvin came tripping
+and hurried along the deck in her direction. She fancied a look of
+surprise in his eyes as he perceived her and that he would pass on
+without further notice. Yet, just as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>he reached a point opposite her
+chair, he flashed one glance toward her; and almost as quickly turned
+about to retrace his steps. Shivering and rather miserable she watched
+him idly, and now the surprise was her own.</p>
+
+<p>He returned and still without speaking, yet with an almost painful flush
+on his face, tossed two heavy rugs into her lap and instantly passed on.
+She had no chance to thank him, but readily answered a laugh from a
+deck-hand near by who had witnessed the little incident and enjoyed it.
+The &#8220;Bashful Bugler&#8221; was Melvin&#8217;s shipboard nickname and no lad ever
+better deserved such. Yet he had been well &#8220;raised&#8221; and there was
+something very appealing to the chivalry of any lad in the look of
+Dorothy&#8217;s just now sad eyes; though commonly their brown depths held
+only sunshine.</p>
+
+<p>The sweeper on the deck moved the chairs near her and even her own,
+though without her leaving it, the better to clear off the moisture
+which the fog had deposited. She had echoed his laugh and he remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nice boy, &#8216;Bashful&#8217; is; but no more fitted to go round &#8217;mongst
+strangers&#8217;n a picked chicken.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both the sailor and Dorothy were glad to speak with anybody, and she
+asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Will this fog last long? Is it often so cold right in the summer time?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cold enough to freeze the legs off an iron pot, slathers of times. This
+is one of &#8217;em! As for fogs lastin&#8217;, I reckon, little Miss, there won&#8217;t
+be no more <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>sunshine &#8217;twixt here and Yarmouth harbor. If you&#8217;re cold out
+here though, and don&#8217;t want to go to your room, you&#8217;ll find things snug
+down yonder in that music-room, or what you call it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! is there a place? Under shelter? Will you show me?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure. If &#8217;tis open yet. Sometimes it&#8217;s shut overnight but likely not
+now. I&#8217;ll take them rugs for you, Sissy, if you like.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you. Thank you so much. How nice everybody is on a steamship! Is
+it living all the time on the water makes you kind, I wonder?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Give it up!&#8221; answered this able seaman, not a little flattered by
+Dorothy&#8217;s appreciation of his service, and in Molly&#8217;s own frequent
+manner. With another smile at this memory, Dorothy followed as he walked
+ahead, dragging his mop behind him and leaving a shining streak in his
+wake.</p>
+
+<p>They found the little saloon, music-room, writing-room, or &#8220;what you
+call it,&#8221; closed, but the door opened readily enough, and Dorothy was
+delighted to creep within the warmth and comfort of the place. It was
+dark inside but the man turned on the electric light, and, doffing his
+cap, went out, shut the door behind him, and left her to her solitary
+enjoyment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What a pretty room! How cozy and warm! I&#8217;m going to cuddle down in this
+easy chair and take another nap. There&#8217;s nobody stirring much and I
+heard one man say to another that there were more folks sick this trip
+than had been all summer. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>I wonder if poor Molly is yet! I&#8217;d go and see
+only I don&#8217;t want to disturb Mrs. Hungerford.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Dorothy girl, shut your eyes and don&#8217;t open them again till
+breakfast time. I am awfully disappointed. I&#8217;d counted upon watching the
+sun rise over the ocean and was going to get up so early to do it: Huh!
+I&#8217;m early enough, but the poor sun is taking a bath and can&#8217;t be seen.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Artificial heat had been turned into the room which accounted for the
+warmth she found so grateful. This, succeeding her shivering fit, made
+her drowsy and she shut her eyes &#8220;just for forty winks.&#8221; But a good many
+times &#8220;forty&#8221; had passed before she opened them once more and found
+herself still alone. She got up and looked about her, thinking that she
+must go to &#8220;Number Thirteen&#8221; and bathe her face and hands, though not
+much more than that could be accomplished in such limited quarters.
+She&#8217;d go in just a minute. Meanwhile there was a piano. She&#8217;d like to
+try it, though her lessons on that instrument had been but few.
+However&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! joy! There&#8217;s a violin case on the shelf yonder! I&#8217;m going to look
+at it. If there&#8217;s a violin inside&mdash;There is! I&#8217;d love, just love to try
+that, far more than a jingling piano. I wonder would anybody hear me? I
+don&#8217;t believe so. It&#8217;s so far away. I&#8217;m going to&mdash;I am!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With a fiddle once more under her chin Dorothy forgot all but that happy
+fact. Delicately and timidly at first, she drew her bow across the
+strings, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>fearing an interruption; but when none came she gathered
+boldness and played as she would have done in Herr von Peter&#8217;s own
+helpful presence.</p>
+
+<p>How long she stood there, swaying to her own music, enwrapped in it and
+no longer lonely, she didn&#8217;t know; but after a time the minor chords of
+her last and &#8220;loveliest lesson&#8221; were rudely broken in upon by other
+strains which cut short her practicing and set her face toward the door.</p>
+
+<p>There stood the &#8220;Bashful Bugler&#8221; tooting his &#8220;first call to breakfast&#8221;
+directly toward her, and her response was a crash of discord from the
+violin. The effect upon Melvin was to make him lower his bugle and flash
+out of sight as if propelled by a hurricane.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>SAFE ON SHORE</h3>
+
+<p>The bad weather continued. So did the illness of Miss Greatorex and
+Molly Breckenridge. Neither of them left their stateroom again till that
+day and another night had passed and the &#8220;Prince&#8221; came to her mooring in
+Yarmouth harbor.</p>
+
+<p>Both Mrs. Hungerford and Dorothy spent much of their time with one or
+other patient, yet were often alone together on deck or in the
+music-room and became very well acquainted, indeed, during their hours
+of loneliness. From the girl Auntie Lu drew many details of her short
+life, and was especially interested when she found that Mrs. Betty
+Calvert was a friend of them both; exclaiming:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, my dear, I&#8217;ve known Mrs. Betty Calvert all my life! She was my
+mother&#8217;s dearest correspondent. They had been girls together, though
+Mrs. Calvert was older than mother. Their homes were near each other in
+Maryland; and&mdash;why, the Calverts, or Somersets, were as intimate as it
+is possible for families to be with our folks&mdash;the Breckenridges! This
+is most interesting. Most certainly interesting. I must tell my brother.
+Schuyler is so loyal to all our old Marylanders; he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>thinks there are no
+people like them anywhere, though for my part I find human nature&#8217;s
+pretty much the same all the world over.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, Mrs. Hungerford, I&#8217;ve heard Mrs. Calvert say that there was no
+gentleman so fine as a southern one. Mr. Seth laughs at her and says
+that&#8217;s a &#8216;hobby,&#8217; and she&#8217;s &#8216;mistaken.&#8217; He says &#8216;gentlemen don&#8217;t grow
+any better on one soil than another,&#8217; but are &#8216;indigenous to the whole
+United States,&#8217; though Mr. Winters is a Marylander himself.&#8221; Then she
+na&iuml;vely added in explanation, and in a little vanity about her botanical
+lore: &#8220;&#8216;Indigenous&#8217; means, maybe you don&#8217;t know, a plant that belongs
+to, is a native of, some particular region. Mr. Seth taught me and
+Father John. They both know lots about botany, though father hasn&#8217;t
+lived in the country as long as our &#8216;Learned Blacksmith,&#8217; who does know,
+seems if, all there is worth knowing in this world. For a man, I mean.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Lucretia smiled and nodded, but in an absent sort of manner as if
+she had scarcely heard what Dorothy had said. Then as the girl rose,
+remarking: &#8220;I&#8217;ll go now and sit a while with Molly if she&#8217;s awake.
+Funny! She says she feels all right as long as she lies down and so
+horrid when she tries to get up and dress;&#8221; the lady&#8217;s gaze followed her
+little figure with a keenly critical interest. Also, she eagerly greeted
+the Judge, who now came to her, with the ambiguous exclamation:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schuyler Breckenridge, the most marvellous thing! I&#8217;ve discovered&mdash;or I
+believe I have&mdash;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>what that remarkable likeness is which has so perplexed
+me. Blood always tells, always crops out!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Exactly. Especially in cases like this. Having nothing else to do I&#8217;ve
+tried whittling&mdash;with this result. Tie it up, Lu, and explain
+yourself&mdash;if you can,&#8221; he answered, whimsically holding out a finger he
+had cut and that was slightly bleeding.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! you poor dear!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes. Am I not! Wait. Here&#8217;s a bit of court-plaster. Forgot I had it or
+wouldn&#8217;t have troubled you. Now, talk ahead.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schuyler, a man like you shouldn&#8217;t trifle with edged tools. You have no
+gift for anything but&mdash;lawing. It wouldn&#8217;t be any laughing matter if you
+should develop blood-poison&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It certainly would not, and as I like to laugh I shan&#8217;t do it. Now,
+what is this marvellous thing you&#8217;ve discovered, please? I&#8217;m getting
+tired of fog, no newspapers, and chess with a stranger; so welcome even
+a woman&#8217;s gossip with delight!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She paid no heed to his chaffing but began:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I believe I know who that Dorothy&#8217;s parents were. I&#8217;m as positive as if
+I&#8217;d been told; and I&#8217;m perfectly amazed at Mrs. Betty Calvert. Isn&#8217;t it
+wonderful?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Apparently&mdash;to you. Not yet to me. I&#8217;ve understood that two and two
+makes four; but how your &#8216;belief&#8217; and poor old Betty Calvert make
+sensible connection I fail to comprehend. I await instruction.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Stop jesting and you shall have it. Then tell <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>me if I haven&#8217;t given
+you better food for thought than you&#8217;d find in to-day&#8217;s paper&mdash;if you
+could get it here at sea.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon, hitching her chair a little nearer to her brother&#8217;s and
+glancing about to see no stranger overheard, the lady began a low toned
+conversation with him. This proved, as she had foretold, far more
+entertaining than the day&#8217;s news; and when it was over, when there was
+nothing more to be said, he rose, pulled his traveling cap over his
+eyes, thrust his hands into his capacious pockets and walked away &#8220;to
+think it over.&#8221; Adding, as he left:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, if you&#8217;re right everything is wrong. And if you&#8217;re wrong
+everything&#8217;s right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Over which eminent legal opinion Mrs. Hungerford smiled, reflecting:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s convinced. There&#8217;s nobody I know so well versed in Maryland
+genealogy as Schuyler Breckenridge. It&#8217;s been his pastime so long he&#8217;ll
+be keen on this scent till he proves it false or true. And if it is
+true&mdash;what a shame, what a shame! That horrid, lonely old woman to take
+such an outrageous course. Poor, dear, sweet little Dorothy!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The result to Dorothy of this conversation was a greater kindness than
+ever on the part of Molly&#8217;s people; who now seemed to take her into
+their hearts as if she were of kin to them. She often found them looking
+at her searchingly, trying to trace that &#8220;likeness&#8221; which one of them
+had discovered. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>But no word of what was in their minds was said to her.
+She was merely invited to call Mrs. Hungerford &#8220;Aunt&#8221; as she was to call
+the Judge &#8220;Uncle.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So despite the dullness of the fog, which prevented her seeing much of
+the ocean, the day passed very well. When she was asked if she could
+play and to give her new friends a little music, she took the violin
+from its shelf and gave them her simple best. To please them who were so
+kind to her was a delight to herself and her readiness to oblige was
+instantly construed by Aunt Lucretia as a fresh proof of her
+&#8220;discovery.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Only a well-born child has that easy grace of manner, Schuyler, as you
+must often have observed,&#8221; she remarked with pleased conviction.</p>
+
+<p>To which he replied by warning:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take care you don&#8217;t build up a romance that will fall to pieces like a
+house of cards at the first breath of reality. But as to birth, be it
+high or low, Dorothy is a most winning little maid and I&#8217;m thankful to
+have her along with us on our holiday. Thankful, also, that impulsive
+Molly chose just such an unselfish, ingenuous girl for her &#8216;chum.&#8217; My
+poor little lass! Her first ocean voyage will be a dreary memory for
+her!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! not so bad. She&#8217;s perfectly comfortable when she lies still. She
+has plenty of attention and sleeps a deal. She&#8217;s not losing much fun out
+here in this weather and will be no more glad to step onto solid land
+again than I shall. Except that, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>but for this enforced close
+companionship with little Dorothy I might not have thought out her story
+as I have.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There you go again! Well, the suggestion haunts me, too. I&#8217;ll
+investigate promptly; and&mdash;what I shall do after that I haven&#8217;t yet
+decided. I hate a meddler and am not anxious to become one. Heigho! No
+matter how hard a tired man tries to mind his own business he can&#8217;t do
+it! Here comes that young Melvin Cook, and he&#8217;s a lad with a pedigree,
+let me tell you, as long as any oldest Marylander of all. He and I have
+a bit of business to discuss, so I&#8217;ll walk the deck with him awhile.
+Dorothy, I suppose, will sleep in her own stateroom to-night, since Miss
+Greatorex is comfortable. Good night, and sleep well.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The deserted deck and the quiet gloom were a forcible contrast to the
+radiance and hilarity of the evening before, so that Mrs. Hungerford did
+not linger long after the Judge had left her, to pace up and down in
+earnest conversation with the &#8220;Bashful Bugler.&#8221; Yet her thought was now
+upon the lad and his name which her brother had mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cook! Cook, from Yarmouth. Why, that&#8217;s the same as that quaint old
+fellow brother took into his private office. He came from Nova Scotia,
+too, and called himself a typical Bluenose. Feared he was liable to
+consumption and left home for our milder climate. Wonder if he is a
+relative of the blond bugler! After all, as Molly so often exclaims,
+&#8216;what a little bit o&#8217; world it is! Everybody <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>you know turning up
+everywhere you go!&#8217; Quite a keen observer is my flighty little niece, in
+spite of all her nonsense; and bless her heart! I must go and see how
+she is and send small nurse Dorothy to her own slumbers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So she too walked forward, and was seen no more till the grating sounds
+and the shouted orders told that the good ship &#8220;Prince&#8221; was docked and
+her goodly company had reached that safe &#8220;haven where they would be.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then as if by magic the decks filled with a merry company, even those
+who had suffered most from seasickness the gayest of all.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So good to go ashore! Too early for breakfast? Of course; but I&#8217;ll take
+a walk on dry&mdash;or fog-wet ground before I take mine!&#8221; said the gentleman
+who had been first to succumb to the &#8220;fog swell,&#8221; and stepped down the
+ladder, whistling like a happy lad.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Greatorex and Molly emerged from their staterooms a little pallid,
+rather shaky on their feet, but quite as happy as their neighbors. Not
+the less pleased, either, because the Judge promptly announced:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll not bother for breakfast here. Some of us don&#8217;t remember the
+&#8216;Prince&#8217;s&#8217; dining-room with great affection, eh?&#8221; and he playfully
+pinched Molly&#8217;s wan cheek. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to stop in Yarmouth for a few
+days, and the hotel carriage will take the rest of you up to it at once.
+You&#8217;ll find your rooms all ready for you. I&#8217;ll see to our luggage <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>and
+have that sent up, then follow in time to join you at table. All right,
+everybody? All your small belongings in hand? Then driver, pass on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Already the fog was lifting, and the urbane old man upon the box leaned
+down and informed his fares:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Going to be a fine day, ladies. You&#8217;ll see Ya&#8217;mouth at her purtiest.
+Ever been here before, any of you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Miss Greatorex&#8217;s propriety began to return. A sure sign, Mrs. Hungerford
+thought, that she was feeling better; and she watched in secret
+amusement the sudden stiffening of the angular figure and the
+compression of the thin lips as the &#8220;instructress&#8221; looked fixedly out of
+the carriage window and vouchsafed no other reply.</p>
+
+<p>But Aunt Lu always adapted herself to the habits of any country of the
+many she had visited and replied, with an eagerness that was
+half-mischievous and for Miss Isobel&#8217;s benefit:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, indeed! and we&#8217;re anxious to see and learn everything new. So
+please point out anything of note, and thank you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hmm. I should suppose there could be nothing &#8216;of note&#8217; in a place like
+this,&#8221; murmured Miss Isobel, severely, as she scornfully observed the
+dingy streets and dwellings of that neighborhood.</p>
+
+<p>But the hackman was gratified by Mrs. Hungerford&#8217;s interest and a chance
+for his own garrulity, and promptly informed them:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tain&#8217;t never fair to judge no town by its water-front. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>Course not.
+Stands to reason that shipyards and docks and sailorses&#8217; saloons ain&#8217;t
+laid out for beauty. But just you wait till we get up the hill a speck
+and then you&#8217;ll see somethin&#8217; worth seein&#8217;. True. There ain&#8217;t a nicer
+town in the whole Province o&#8217; Novy Scoshy &#8217;an Ya&#8217;mouth is. Now we&#8217;re a
+gettin&#8217;. <i>Now!</i> See there?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah! how lovely!&#8221; &#8220;Oh! Auntie Lu!&#8221; &#8220;Oh! my heart, my heart! If only
+darling Father John could see that hedge? What is it, Auntie Lu, can you
+tell?&#8221; cried Dorothy in rapture; for, indeed, the hedges of this old
+town by the sea are famous everywhere the name of Yarmouth is heard.</p>
+
+<p>The driver didn&#8217;t wait for Mrs. Hungerford to reply, even if she could
+have done so. He received every question and exclamation as personal and
+proudly answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha&#8217;tho&#8217;n, them are, this side. Then yonder is spruce. And our gardens!
+If you women-folks love posies as most females does, you&#8217;d ought to be
+here a spell later. Roses ain&#8217;t out yet but cherries is in flower.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Roses not in bloom? Why, they&#8217;re past it with us!&#8221; responded Auntie Lu,
+surprised.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hmm, ma&#8217;am. And where might that be, if I c&#8217;n make so bold?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The vicinity of New York, I was recalling.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hmm. Exactly. A poor kind of country, New York is, even though they do
+call it the &#8216;Empire State&#8217; and try to bolster up its failin&#8217;s with a lot
+of fine talk. Now our Province o&#8217; Novy Scoshy, and this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>Ya&#8217;mouth, don&#8217;t
+need to do no talkin&#8217;. All&#8217;s necessary for us and them is just to&mdash;BE!
+Once a feller comes and gets a good square look at us&mdash;no water-front
+way&mdash;&#8221; he interpolated, with a shrewd glance toward Miss Isobel&#8217;s
+averted face and an absurd wink to Mrs. Hungerford&mdash;&#8220;he just sets right
+down and quits talkin&#8217; of his own places. Fact. I&#8217;ve lived here all my
+life and that&#8217;s the reason I know it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The man&#8217;s good nature and self-satisfaction were vastly amusing to Aunt
+Lucretia, who ignored what seemed impertinence to the more formal Miss
+Greatorex, while the former inwardly delighted in this to her &#8220;new type&#8221;
+of liveryman, and was already anticipating the Judge&#8217;s entertainment
+when the story of this ride was told him.</p>
+
+<p>But Molly waxed indignant over his disparagement of her native land and
+exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wish you&#8217;d not talk that way! We&#8217;re Americans. I don&#8217;t like it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;American, be you? So&#8217;m I.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! well. Course it&#8217;s all America, but I mean we&#8217;re from&mdash;from the
+States,&#8221; as she chanced to recall an expression she had heard.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;From the States, hey? So be I.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yet you say you&#8217;ve lived here all your life. If you hadn&#8217;t you&#8217;d have
+been more&mdash;more liberal&mdash;like travel makes people. If you&#8217;d once seen
+New York you wouldn&#8217;t think that little Yarmouth was so mighty pretty. A
+right smart you know about it, anyway!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>&#8220;Huh! Gid-dap!&#8221; was the scornful rejoinder, as Jehu whirled about on his
+seat and touched his team to a gallop.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Hungerford gave Molly a warning tap, though she was inwardly
+pleased to find the child so far recovered as to take an interest in
+defending her own home.</p>
+
+<p>It was rather startling to have an ensuing silence broken by the old
+driver&#8217;s facing about once more and declaring with great glee:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You ain&#8217;t no New Yorker, so you needn&#8217;t be touchy about that little
+village. You&#8217;re from down south.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you know?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yorkers don&#8217;t say &#8216;mighty pretty&#8217; and &#8216;right smart,&#8217; as the Johnny Rebs
+do. I know. I&#8217;ve druv a power of both lots. As for me, I&#8217;m a Yankee,
+straight descent. My forbear, Sealed Waters, was one the first settlers
+here. A Yankee I claim to be, and the &#8216;wa&#8217;&#8217; ain&#8217;t over yet, &#8217;pears like.
+Ha, ha, ha!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His mirth was contagious and they all joined in it; even Miss Greatorex
+emitting a faint little cackle, which was all her dignity permitted.
+Also, by that time the carriage had been halted before a fine hotel,
+into which other passengers from their steamer were already passing; and
+they were duly helped to alight and enter, their loquacious jehu calmly
+extending his card with his name and number and, after a most
+business-like fashion, requesting their patronage during the rest of
+their stay.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>&#8220;Show you the purtiest little town in the world, and&#8217;ll live to hear you
+admit it, Ma&#8217;am. Thank you, ma&#8217;am, and good-day to you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge had secured their rooms long in advance of their arrival, and
+it was well that he had. The Province had come greatly to the fore as a
+summer pleasure ground and less thoughtful travelers did not always
+obtain such quarters as they preferred.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! this is fine!&#8221; exclaimed Mrs. Hungerford, as she entered her
+chamber with its neat appointments and refreshing bath. But Miss
+Greatorex was not enthusiastic. She was disappointed in the inn as she
+had been in the steamer, having anticipated something much larger and
+finer. The exaggerated term of &#8220;palatial,&#8221; which the proprietors had
+attached to both, had deceived her and it was no great comfort to have
+her companion explain:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course, one can&#8217;t find Broadway hostelries nor European &#8216;liners&#8217; in
+this part of the world; but brother has often stayed in this house and
+knows it well. There is a larger, newer hotel, but he likes this little
+inn. The fare is excellent, the place is safe and quiet, and the
+landlord becomes your actual host. That&#8217;s the charm of the Canadians;
+they are all so simple and so courteous. Try and ignore the
+disadvantages, dear Miss Isobel, and get all the fun out of our trip you
+can. If you&#8217;d seen some of the places I&#8217;ve slept in you&#8217;d think this is
+really &#8216;palatial.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The girls were out of hearing and Mrs. Hungerford <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>felt herself
+justified in thus much of admonition to her traveling mate, whose ideas
+had been too highly raised by the circulars and descriptions she had
+read. Fortunately, Miss Greatorex was so thankful to be once more on
+land that she really tried to forget minor annoyances and to look upon
+whatever happened as so much further &#8220;education.&#8221; Her little notebook
+was promptly put to use and she filled several pages with memoranda of
+the old seaport which she had so despised at first and found so
+historically instructive afterward. Indeed, as Molly declared:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll have to buy a good many books to hold all you want to write,
+even in that fine hand, dear Miss Greatorex; and what a lot of things
+you&#8217;ll have to tell the girls at our &#8216;twilight talks!&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Nor could any inexperienced traveler have found better companions than
+Judge Breckenridge and his sister. They were so simple, so friendly, and
+such keen observers. Everywhere they went they met and mingled with the
+people exactly as if they were old and familiar friends; and in the
+gentleman&#8217;s case this was quite true. He had been in the Province many
+times, as has been said, and he had the happy gift of a good and
+<i>willing</i> memory. He never forgot an acquaintance nor recalled one
+unkindly, and it surprised even Mrs. Hungerford to see how many faces
+brightened at his approach and how often the greeting came: &#8220;Welcome,
+welcome, friend!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Judge, you back again? Well, I&#8217;m certain <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>glad to see you?
+&#8216;Tourists&#8217; like you are the sort we welcome heartiest to Ya&#8217;mouth. Fact,
+ain&#8217;t it? The more folks know, the more they&#8217;ve traveled, the more they
+find to admire and enjoy even in such a place as this!&#8221; cried one old
+seaman, whom they met on their morning walk.</p>
+
+<p>For having enjoyed a most excellent breakfast and the sun now shining
+brilliantly, they set out for a stroll through the pretty streets and
+past the charming gardens of the town; and finally brought up at the
+postoffice where there were letters for everybody, even for Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>Hers was from Jim Barlow, and full of news of the mountain and old
+friends there; saying, also, that he had been invited to join his tutor,
+the Rev. Mr. Sterling, who was sometimes called the &#8220;tramping parson,&#8221;
+on a walking tour through the northern part of the Empire State. It was
+overflowing with enthusiasm over the places he would visit and the
+wonderful &#8220;good luck&#8221; which had so changed the life of the truck-farm
+lad; &#8220;and I mean to make the whole &#8216;tramp&#8217; a part of my education. I
+tell you, Dolly girl, if there&#8217;s much gets past me without my seeing and
+knowing it, it&#8217;ll be when I&#8217;m asleep. Mr. Sterling&#8217;s a geologist, and
+likes to take his vacation this way, so&#8217;s he can find new stones, or
+hammer old ones to his heart&#8217;s content.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Whilst he&#8217;s a hammering I&#8217;ll be hunting things in the woods. I mean to
+make a regular list of every bird I see, and every animal, and study all
+their little habits and tricks. I&#8217;ll carry some old <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span>newspapers and a
+book, too, so that if I come across any new kind of flower or plant I&#8217;ll
+press it for you. That way my vacation&#8217;ll be considerable of a help to
+you too.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Try and learn all you can, Dorothy child, whilst you have the chance.
+There&#8217;s nothing so perfectly grand in all this world as learning things.
+I&#8217;ve noticed you were getting a little flighty, along back, and setting
+more store by your clothes than you used to, or that a girl who&#8217;ll have
+to teach for her living had ought to. Needn&#8217;t get mad with me for
+reminding you. I can write it easier than I could say it to your face,
+some way; and amongst all the good times you&#8217;re having don&#8217;t forget to
+write to me once in a while, for we&#8217;ve been so like brother and sister
+this long time that I want to hear. So no more at present from your
+affectionate</p>
+
+<p class="right">&#8220;<span class="smcap">James Barlow</span>.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;P. S.&mdash;I had a letter from Mrs. Cecil Somerset-Calvert. She wrote I was
+to call to Deerhurst and get Peter and Ponce, her two Great Danes, and
+take them with me on my tour. She&#8217;d already written to Mr. Sterling,
+because she knew he was a dog-lover, and he was pleased to have them on
+the trip. Good-by.</p>
+
+<p class="right">&#8220;<span class="smcap">Jim</span>.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, this changes our plans somewhat,&#8221; remarked the Judge, looking up
+from one of his letters, with an expression of some disappointment. They
+had all paused outside the postoffice building to hastily scan their
+news, and now grouped about <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>him in interest, as Mrs. Hungerford rather
+anxiously asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Schuyler, what&#8217;s happened?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! nothing unpleasant. Not at all. Only this is from Ihrie, and the
+boys will be on hand earlier than expected. So, to get around to all the
+places we want to see and yet be at our rendezvous in time we&#8217;ll have to
+cut our stay here short. I wouldn&#8217;t like to fail the boys.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not on any account!&#8221; exclaimed Aunt Lu, merrily; and then explaining to
+Miss Greatorex: &#8220;Let me tell you, Miss Isobel, that these &#8216;boys&#8217; range
+anywhere from fifty to seventy-five years in age! and that one of them
+is a college president, another a world-famous surgeon, and the third an
+equally notable merchant. Old class-mates under their president, whom it
+is their glory to have with them on these annual trips.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, I&mdash;I think that is beautiful!&#8221; returned the teacher, with so much
+enthusiasm that the others reflected how she was &#8220;waking up.&#8221;
+&#8220;Beautiful,&#8221; she added again, after a pause in which she had looked with
+new interest upon her own young pupils.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, we must get on. So let&#8217;s plan our day the best we can, and take
+the evening express for Digby. How does this suit? To call a carriage
+and have you ladies driven all around, to &#8216;do&#8217; Yarmouth as thoroughly as
+possible in so short a time. Don&#8217;t wait dinner for me&mdash;for us. I have a
+visit to make which must not be postponed, since it concerns <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>the
+interests of other people. I&#8217;ll take the girls with me and give them a
+chance to see the inside of a Yarmouth cottage. Also, if we&#8217;re invited,
+to taste a bit of native Yarmouth cookery. We&#8217;ll get around back to the
+inn in time for collecting our traps and making the train. Eh?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Suits me well enough;&#8221; answered Mrs. Hungerford, and Miss Isobel nodded
+acquiescence, saying to the surprise of the others: &#8220;That descendant of
+&#8216;Sealed Waters&#8217; might impart the most information of any driver,
+possibly.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But&mdash;Molly! Why, Molly, what are you acting that way for?&#8221; demanded
+Dorothy, smiling at the antics of her mate. For the girl had hastily
+scanned two of her letters and having saved &#8220;the best to the last&#8221; was
+now prancing all over the sidewalk, waving the missive overhead and
+crying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Splendid! Splendid! SPLENDID!&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>FINNAN HADDIE IN A GARDEN</h3>
+
+<p>As Molly&#8217;s excitement seemed pleasurable they did not tarry for its
+explanation but promptly separated; the ladies returning to their hotel
+to order their carriage and repack the few articles they had taken from
+their valises.</p>
+
+<p>The Judge set off down the street, still examining his mail and bidding
+the girls to follow; and, as they did so, Molly exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just too lovely for words! Monty&#8217;s coming, Monty&#8217;s coming!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy almost lost sight of the Judge as he turned a corner into a side
+street, so long she paused and so disgusted she felt.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That boy! What&#8217;s he coming for? I hope not to be with us!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Exactly what he is, then! We laid a little plan that last morning when
+we started. His mother was in Newburgh, you know, and hadn&#8217;t decided
+where she would pass her vacation. So I suppose he went right to her and
+asked and she always does just what he wants. He writes that she&#8217;d never
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>visited Nova Scotia nor Canada and was simply delighted to come. She
+wouldn&#8217;t force their society upon our party, oh! no, not for anything!
+But she&#8217;ll manage to take the first steamer out from Boston and will go
+straight to Digby. We&#8217;ll meet there; and if Aunt Lucretia doesn&#8217;t think
+a Stark is good company for a Breckenridge, I&#8217;ll know the reason why.
+Oh! fine, fine.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! nuisance, nuisance! But come on! Your father is ever so far ahead
+and we&#8217;ll have to hurry to catch up.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They set off upon a run and for a few minutes neither spoke. Molly was
+disappointed that Dolly didn&#8217;t &#8220;enthuse,&#8221; and the latter felt that a
+boy&mdash;such a boy&mdash;would effectually spoil the good times she and her mate
+might have had together, alone. Finally, Molly asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who was your letter from?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>For answer and with considerable pride Dorothy drew James Barlow&#8217;s
+epistle from its envelope and held it toward her friend, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You can read and see.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Molly read and returned the letter, with a little sniff of contempt and
+the remark:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Huh! The only interesting part of that is the post-script. It will be
+just fine to have those dogs along. I suppose Mrs. Calvert sent them up
+from Baltimore to Deerhurst. But if I were you, Dolly Doodles, I
+wouldn&#8217;t let that ignoramus preach to me like he does to you in that
+letter. He&#8217;s a prig, that&#8217;s what he is, and I hate a prig. So there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>&#8220;No, he isn&#8217;t. Mr. Seth would say that he had only &#8216;lost his head&#8217; for a
+minute. You see poor Jim can&#8217;t get over the wonder of his getting his
+&#8216;chance.&#8217; He&#8217;s simply crazy-wild over learning&mdash;now. He believes it&#8217;s
+the only thing in the world worth while. He didn&#8217;t mean to scold me.
+I&mdash;I guess. If he did I don&#8217;t mind. He&#8217;s only Jim. He just knows I&#8217;ll
+have to take care of my father and mother, some day, if our mineral
+spring and mine don&#8217;t pay better than now. He&#8217;s afraid I&#8217;ll waste my
+&#8216;chance,&#8217; that&#8217;s all. Dear, faithful old Jim!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh! Horrid, pokey old Jim, I say. But Monty&#8217;ll have some fun in him;
+unless&mdash;he thinks two girls are poor company.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hope he will. I hope he&#8217;ll coax your father and those old &#8216;boys&#8217; to
+take him with them into the woods. That might do him some good and take
+the nonsense out of him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Dorothy, I think that&#8217;s not a nice thing for you to say. You must
+have forgotten the night of the fire and what he did to help you. There
+wasn&#8217;t any &#8216;nonsense&#8217; about Montmorency Vavasour-Stark then, if you
+please!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Instantly touched by this reminder and fully regretful for her
+sarcasm&mdash;though still sorry that he was coming&mdash;Dolly returned:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s true, Molly, honey. I did forget, just for a minute. He&#8217;s not
+half bad, Monty isn&#8217;t; and I guess he&#8217;ll be useful to climb trees and
+pick cherries for us, or get flowers that we can&#8217;t reach. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>Anyhow, we&#8217;re
+fairly dawdling and almost quarreling, and all the time your father is
+getting further away. See! He&#8217;s stopping before that house? I&#8217;ll race
+you to the gate!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right. One&mdash;two&mdash;three&mdash;go!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a charming little cottage before which they brought up at the
+Judge&#8217;s side. Its front yard was small, so that the bay-windows one upon
+each side the door, came almost to the white paling before the grounds;
+but one could catch a glimpse of a deep garden behind and Dorothy&#8217;s
+flower-loving soul was enchanted by it, even as by the contents of the
+windows.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! look! How lovely! Did you ever see such Gloxinias and Cyclamens?
+And that Weeping Fuschia in the other window! It is gorgeous, simply
+gorgeous! But how queer, too, to keep plants indoors as late as this!
+and their lace curtains up, right in the summer-time! Are we going in
+here, Judge Breckenridge?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed. I paused only to let your rhapsody have vent, though I
+really wish the little mistress of this home could have heard such a
+spontaneous tribute to her skill as a florist. You&#8217;ll notice that
+peculiarity all through the Province. Window plants remain in the
+windows all the year round and there is scarcely a home that hasn&#8217;t its
+share of them and its tiny conservatory, such as is here.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Curtains? I hadn&#8217;t thought why they&#8217;re up, but maybe it&#8217;s to keep out
+the prying gaze of too eager <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>&#8216;tourists.&#8217; A fine scorn the native always
+has for the average &#8216;tourist&#8217;&mdash;though he has no scorn for the tourist&#8217;s
+cash. Ah! Here she comes!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At that instant his summons upon the tiny knocker was answered by the
+soft footfall of a woman, and the opening of the door a narrow way. Then
+it was as instantly flung wide and a dainty little housemistress,
+white-capped and white-haired, extended two small, toil-worn hands in
+greeting.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! Judge Breckenridge! You did give me such a start! But I&#8217;m so glad
+to see you! So more than glad. Do step right in, please. All of you step
+in.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, Mrs. Cook, for your welcome and your invitation; but we&#8217;d
+rather step right out if you don&#8217;t mind?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why&mdash;sir!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No lack of appreciation, believe me. But I&#8217;ve a young lady here who is
+&#8216;plumb crazy&#8217; over posies and, coming along on the steamer, I promised
+her a glimpse of some of Yarmouth&#8217;s garden &#8216;cosy corners.&#8217; I know none
+lovelier than your own; and as for your window-plants&mdash;I&#8217;m afraid if we
+don&#8217;t take her away from temptation she&#8217;ll break the glass and &#8216;hook&#8217;
+one of your &#8216;Gloxamens&#8217; or &#8216;Cyclaglinias&#8217; or&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The lady laughed as merrily as a girl and patted Dorothy&#8217;s shoulder with
+appreciation of the Judge&#8217;s joke. Then started to lead the way around
+the cottage into that inviting greenery behind, when a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span>curious voice
+hindered her by a pathetic appeal:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mamma! Oh! Mamma! Don&#8217;t go and leave poor Mum! Quisanthemum must go
+with Mamma!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The visitors turned in surprise, toward this querulous &#8220;child&#8221; as the
+girls fancied it, though the Judge was already smiling his understanding
+of the matter. Then there appeared in the doorway a parrot, of wonderful
+plumage and exaggerated awkwardness; who waddled from side to side,
+climbed one side of its mistress&#8217;s gown to her shoulder and walked
+head-first down the other, rolling its eyes and emitting the most absurd
+moans till the two girls were convulsed with laughter.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mrs. Cook held out her wrist, the parrot settled on it, and they
+proceeded to the garden; the lady explaining:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This little Miss Chrysanthemum is a spoiled baby. She&#8217;s only a few
+months old, was brought to me by one of my sailor friends, and about
+rules the house now. Especially when my boy is away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As she mentioned her &#8220;boy&#8221; the tiny woman looked rather anxiously into
+the Judge&#8217;s face; and Dorothy noticed that her own was really quite
+young, despite the white hair and widow&#8217;s cap which crowned it. She
+thought the lady charming, she was so small, so delicate and quaint. Yet
+there was the real &#8220;English color&#8221; on her still fair cheek and her eyes
+were as bright a blue as Molly&#8217;s own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Son told me you would call. Also, Ephraim wrote me in his last letter;
+but I had not expected <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span>you to-day. I thought you were to be in Yarmouth
+for a week or more and didn&#8217;t anticipate so prompt a kindness.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then opening a little bag which hung fastened to her waist, the cottager
+drew from it a pair of blunt-pointed scissors and gave them to Dorothy,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s you I see, who has the keenest eyes for flowers. Cut all you want
+of anything you fancy;&#8221; and she swept her hand rather proudly toward the
+hedges of sweet-peas, just coming into bloom, and the magnificent roses
+which were earlier in her protected garden than elsewhere in the town.</p>
+
+<p>Had Dorothy known it, this was a rare privilege that had been accorded
+her. Mrs. Cook loved her flowers as she did her human friends and had a
+fancy that cutting them was almost as cruel as wounding a person she
+loved. Until they faded she never cut them for her own enjoyment; and
+only now and then nerved herself to clip them for the cheer of some
+ailing neighbor. She was therefore greatly pleased when the girl
+returned the scissors, after one questioning glance toward Molly, as to
+her possible disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, Mrs. Cook, but I don&#8217;t like to do that. They are so lovely
+and look so happy in this beautiful garden, I&#8217;d hate to. We shall be
+going, I&#8217;m told, and they&#8217;ll only be ruined for nothing. But, if you
+please, I&#8217;d like to sit down on these steps and enjoy them. Wouldn&#8217;t
+you, Molly? While your father talks with Mrs. Cook.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The steps belonged to a sort of lean-to, or outdoor <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>kitchen. The little
+addition was covered with vines in leaf and more sweet-peas clambered
+about its base. Behind it was the living-room with its open door and
+table already set for dinner. A savory odor issued thence and set the
+girls to thinking how remarkably hungry they were, despite their late
+and substantial breakfast. Also, to wondering if Nova Scotia air was to
+whet their appetites this way all the time.</p>
+
+<p>Thought Molly, in especial: &#8220;If it is I shall buy me a little bag to
+wear at my waist, as Auntie does, and fill it with crackers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then, thinking of food, she &#8220;pricked up her ears,&#8221; hearing her hostess
+inviting:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But, Judge Breckenridge, I would take it the highest honor if you would
+share our dinner with us. Of course, it isn&#8217;t what I&#8217;d have liked to
+have, had I known. But my husband used to say, &#8216;Welcome is the best
+sauce.&#8217; Besides, if you&#8217;re to leave so soon I&#8217;ll be glad to talk over
+that matter of which I just spoke. I am really so perplexed as to what
+is best. You&#8217;ve been so kind to my brother-in-law, Ephraim, that&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She interrupted herself to laugh and observe:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yet that&#8217;s presumptuous of me, too. The fact that you&#8217;ve been a kind
+adviser to one of the family doesn&#8217;t form a precedent for all the rest
+of us. But, business aside, cannot you and your daughters join us?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you. We will be most happy; though I must set you right on that
+point&mdash;of relationship. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span>One is my daughter, the blonde, not the
+flower-lover; and one is my temporarily &#8216;adopted.&#8217; Molly and Dolly their
+names; and two dearer little maids you&#8217;ll travel far to find.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aye, they&#8217;re fair bonny, and so unlike. Now, sit you down, please,
+while I dish up; and tell me, if you will, how does the man, Ephraim? He
+was ever in fear of his health but a better one never lived. After my
+sister died&mdash;the pair of us married brothers&mdash;he grew lost and finical.
+Nought we could do for him just suited the man. It was the grief, I
+knew. So, after he&#8217;d mumbled along more years than he&#8217;d ought, fending
+for himself, he crossed over to the States and drifted south to Richmond
+and you. &#8217;Twas a sad pity he&#8217;d neither son nor daughter to cheer him in
+his widower life, but so was his Providence. Mine has been better. Son
+is my hope and&mdash;and my anxiety. He&#8217;s not found his right niche yet, poor
+lad. There&#8217;s a love of the sea in him, like his sailor father; but he&#8217;s
+never got over that tragedy of his father&#8217;s death.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where did that happen, Mrs. Cook? Ephraim told me he was drowned,&#8221;
+asked the visitor, sympathetically.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Off Pollock Rip Shoals. A bad and fearsome place that, where many an
+honest fellow has sunk to his last sleep.&#8221; She dashed a tear from her
+eye, and laid her hand for an instant upon her widow&#8217;s cap. Then she
+went on more cheerfully, as if time had taught her resignation: &#8220;But
+that&#8217;s a gone-by. Son&#8217;s future isn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s laid upon me by the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>Lord to
+be both father and mother to the boy and I must study what&#8217;s for <i>his</i>
+best, not mine. Ephraim wrote I was to consult you who are a Judge and
+wise. He said in his letter that he hadn&#8217;t been a sort of
+general-utility-man in your office thus long without knowing it wasn&#8217;t
+your best paying clients that got your best advice. That, wrote Ephraim,
+came out of your heart for the widows and orphans. We&#8217;re that, son and
+I, and&mdash;What a garrulous creature I am!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All the time the little woman had been talking she had also been
+preparing for the meal; and it now being ready to serve she stepped to
+the rear door, opening on the place where the girls were sitting, and
+announced:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our finnan haddie and greens are ready, young ladies, if you will come
+and partake of it. Also, lest you be disappointed, I&#8217;ll say that there&#8217;s
+a &#8216;John&#8217;s Delight&#8217; in the &#8216;steamer,&#8217; and a dish of the best apples in
+the Province for the sweeties. Eh? What, my dear?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To Dorothy&#8217;s utter amazement Molly was doing a very rude thing. She had
+risen and made her very prettiest courtesy, but had supplemented this
+act of respect by the petition:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please, Mrs. Cook, may we have ours out here, on these steps?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Molly!&#8221; cried her chum, in reproof. &#8220;The idea of giving all that
+trouble!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No trouble whatever, but a pleasure,&#8221; replied the hostess, although
+she, also, was surprised.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>Molly wheeled upon Dorothy, demanding:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wouldn&#8217;t you like it here? Could you find a lovelier place to eat in?
+As for making trouble, I don&#8217;t want to do that. I&mdash;If Mrs. Cook will
+just put it on one plate I&#8217;ll fetch it here for us both. It would be
+like a picnic in a garden; and you could stay here and&mdash;and watch.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Watch? What am I to watch, except these beautiful flowers?&#8221; asked
+Dolly, even further surprised.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately for Molly her father had not overheard her odd request or
+she would have received reproof far more effectual than Dorothy&#8217;s. Also,
+Mrs. Cook was hospitality itself, and this meant wishing her guests to
+enjoy themselves after the manner they liked best.</p>
+
+<p>As swiftly as either of the girls could have moved, she was back in the
+pleasant living-room, arranging a tray with a portion of the palatable
+dinner she had provided; saying in response to the Judge&#8217;s inquiring
+expression:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We thought it would be a fine thing, and one the lassies will long
+remember, to have their Bluenose dinner in a Bluenose garden. For all
+their lives long they can think of this summer day and my greenery yon;
+and, maybe, too, of the first time they ever ate &#8216;finnan haddie&#8217; and
+&#8216;John&#8217;s Delight.&#8217; More than that, it will give us the freedom of speech
+with son, as it wouldn&#8217;t were they sitting by. He&#8217;s aye shy, is my
+laddie.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then she carried out a little table, set it beside <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>the steps and placed
+the tray thereon. After which she &#8220;Begged pardon!&#8221; and lifted up her
+gentle voice in an appeal that sounded almost pathetic in its entreaty.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Son! Dear son Melvin! Come now to dinner with your mother! Son! SON!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The last word was spoken in a tone he rarely disobeyed, and low-toned
+though it was, it was so distinctly uttered that people passing on the
+street beyond heard it. So also must he have heard who was summoned, if
+he was anywhere upon those premises&mdash;as he had been when these guests
+arrived.</p>
+
+<p>However, he did not appear; and Mrs. Cook and the Judge sat down alone,
+while &#8220;Son&#8221; for whom that &#8220;home dinner&#8221; had been specially prepared was
+&#8220;fair famished&#8221; for want of it.</p>
+
+<p>Out upon the steps of that lattice-covered, vine-enwrapped summer-house,
+the two girls enjoyed their dinner greatly. In particular did mistress
+Molly. Her eyes sparkled, her dimples came and went, her smiles almost
+interfered with her eating, and her whole behavior was so peculiar that
+Dorothy stared. She was puzzled and began to be slightly disgusted, and
+at last remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, honey, I never saw you get so much&mdash;so much fun out of your food.
+I&#8217;ve heard about gourmands. I think I can guess now what they are and
+act like. Hark! What&#8217;s that noise? Kind of a crackle, as if a cat or
+something was overhead among those vines. I hope it isn&#8217;t. Cats love
+fish. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>I always have to shut up Lady Rosalind when Mother Martha has it
+for dinner. Isn&#8217;t &#8216;finnan haddie&#8217; a queer name?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes. I&#8217;ve heard Papa tell of it before. It&#8217;s haddock smoked, some sort
+of queer way. But this is nice&mdash;My! How nice this is! Umm, umm, umm!&#8221;
+giggled Molly, as if she found something most amusing in the food she
+smacked her lips over in such a very strange manner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Molly Breckenridge, one thing I can say for you. That is: it&#8217;s a
+good thing Miss Rhinelander isn&#8217;t here to see you now. You&mdash;you act like
+a little pig. Excuse me, but you really do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cats do like fish. Maybe it&#8217;s a cat. Let&#8217;s call it a cat, anyway,&#8221;
+answered Molly, in no wise offended by her chum&#8217;s plain speech.
+Then lifting her voice she began to call: &#8220;Kitty! Kitty!
+Kitty&mdash;kitty&mdash;kitty&mdash;kitty&mdash;kitty&mdash;come!&#8221; as fast as she could speak.</p>
+
+<p>Just then Mrs. Cook came out to them to remove their plates and bring
+them generous portions of &#8220;John&#8217;s Delight,&#8221; a dessert which Molly
+declared was &#8220;first cousin to a Christmas plum pudding,&#8221; and over which
+she was tempted to smack her lips in earnest, not pretence. A momentary
+soberness touched her merry face, however, when the hostess observed
+with keen regret:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am so sorry Son isn&#8217;t here to do the honors of this little picnic. I
+don&#8217;t see where he can have gone. His dinner on shore is always such a
+pleasure to him and besides&mdash;I wanted him to meet you <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>all in a private
+fashion, not as a bugler aboard-ship.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe&mdash;maybe he is&mdash;<i>is</i> doing the honors!&#8221; said Molly, half choking
+over the strange remark. &#8220;Maybe he&#8217;s&mdash;he can see&mdash;he&#8217;s rather shy, isn&#8217;t
+he? The sailor said they called him the &#8216;Bashful Bugler.&#8217; But he&mdash;he
+bugles beautifully, especially first calls to meals which a seasick girl
+can&#8217;t eat. I&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then she stopped abruptly. Mrs. Cook was looking at her with much the
+same expression Dorothy&#8217;s mobile face had worn; and again from overhead
+came that ominous crackle of breaking twigs. Also, a few crushed leaves
+fluttered to the ground and caused Dorothy to exclaim:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Must be a pretty big cat to tear things like that. Did you see it? Do
+you suppose it&#8217;s a wildcat? Don&#8217;t they have all sorts of creatures in
+the Nova Scotia woods? Do you suppose it&#8217;s wild&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It certainly is. It&#8217;s about the wildest thing I ever met&mdash;of its size.
+Isn&#8217;t this pudding delicious? If I was a hungry, a sea-starved cat how
+angry I should be to be kept out of my share of it just by a couple of
+girls. Girls are cats&#8217; natural enemies. Sometimes girls eat cats&mdash;if
+they&#8217;re nice, purry, pussy-cats! Some cats have blue eyes, and
+some&mdash;Why, Papa! Are you ready? Going so soon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, dear. I can&#8217;t wait any longer. I am greatly disappointed in not
+seeing Melvin again; but possibly he may run up to the station before
+the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>train starts. I&#8217;ll try to be there early. As early as I can, though
+I have some little affairs here still to attend to. Good-by, Mrs. Cook.
+I think the plan we have discussed is the best all round. It will be a
+test, so to speak. There is nothing like life in the woods together to
+break down all barriers of shyness or reserve.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, cordially, for your hospitality. I haven&#8217;t enjoyed a dinner
+so much in many a day. I will see you again, if we return this way, and
+I will keep you informed of my address if our plan falls through and we
+have to try some other.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Deeply moved, the little mother began to utter her own profuse thanks;
+for what the listening girls did not know. But these were promptly
+suppressed by the Judge&#8217;s manner of saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t do that, yet, my dear lady. Wait and prove Ephraim&#8217;s words are
+true. And now good-by again. I had hoped to have you and my sister meet,
+but our unexpected departure has prevented that until some more
+fortunate future day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He raised his hat, bowed profoundly, and walked away; the girls making
+their adieus and expressing their own thanks for hospitality received in
+a manner which did credit to Miss Rhinelander&#8217;s training. Only Molly&#8217;s
+cheek burned with an unusual blush, and she did not lift her eyes to
+Mrs. Cook&#8217;s as readily and affectionately as Dorothy did.</p>
+
+<p>The latter, indeed, was to receive a rare tribute; for the lady followed
+her to the street and slipping inside the front door broke from her
+beautiful <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>Gloxinias a handful of blossoms and gave them to the girl,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear, I&#8217;m sure you will appreciate these; and I&#8217;m equally sure you
+and I have much in common. Good-by. May all good things attend you.&#8221;
+Then she kissed the red lips which had impulsively kissed her and
+watched them all out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>But she did not kiss Molly; and though that young person would not have
+expected such a caress, she was for an instant jealous of that bestowed
+upon Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>The Judge waited for them to join him and taking a hand of each, in his
+fatherly fashion, remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I find that sailor&#8217;s widow a very charming woman and a perfect hostess.
+No apologies for what she had to offer, though in her heart a slight
+regret that it was not of some sort more expensive. A pity Melvin didn&#8217;t
+appear. I would have liked to study him in his mother&#8217;s presence. One
+can always tell what a boy is by the way he treats his mother; and I
+wasn&#8217;t pleased that he so disregarded her call to dinner, because she
+said he had been there when I knocked and after we had entered the
+garden itself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A sudden comprehension of the state of things flashed through Dorothy&#8217;s
+mind, and she turned her eyes inquiringly toward Molly, who flushed,
+hesitated, and finally burst forth:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He couldn&#8217;t come, Papa dear, because&mdash;because I wouldn&#8217;t let him! He
+got caught in the trap of his own horrid bashfulness.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>Somehow Molly was no longer giggling, as she had been at intervals ever
+since they reached the cottage. Things didn&#8217;t look as &#8220;funny&#8221; as they
+had a few minutes before; nor was she pleased to have the Judge stop
+short on the path and demand:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Explain yourself, daughter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why it&#8217;s easy enough. When that Melvin boy, that bugler, saw us coming
+to that porch he was scared stiff. He just looked at us a second, then
+scrambled up that lattice-work to the top of that arbor or whatever it
+is, and&mdash;course he had to stay there. That&#8217;s why I sat down on those
+steps. Why I wanted my dinner out there. Oh! it was the funniest thing!
+A great big boy like him to stay up on such an uncomfortable place just
+because two girls whom he&#8217;ll never see again had sat down beneath him.
+Of course, he&#8217;d have to pass us to answer his mother&#8217;s call to dinner;
+and he&#8217;d rather go without that than do it. Oh! it was too funny for
+words! And when the leaves fell Dolly thought it was the &#8216;cat.&#8217; She
+wondered if it was a &#8216;wildcat,&#8217; and I said &#8216;yes, it was wild!&#8217; Oh! dear!
+I was so amused!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy laughed. To her the affair had also its &#8220;too funny&#8221; side, now
+that she understood it. But the Judge did not laugh. If he felt any
+secret amusement at the girlish prank he did not betray it in his
+expression, which was the sternest his daughter had ever seen when bent
+upon her idolized self.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Molly, you certainly have distinguished yourself. The joke which
+might have been harmless <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>under some circumstances was an abominable
+rudeness under these. I am ashamed of you. I shall expect you to write a
+note of apology to Mrs. Cook, before you leave Yarmouth. And as for
+never seeing Melvin again, let me set you right. I have invited the lad
+to join us for our entire summer vacation. Understand?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Alas! She understood but too well. Yet if a bomb had exploded at her
+feet she could hardly have been more astonished.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>DOROTHY AND THE BASHFUL BUGLER</h3>
+
+<p>The main street of pretty Digby runs close to the water. The bluff is
+crowned by a grassy sward and a row of well-grown trees, with a driveway
+between these and the buildings on the further side.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! how lovely and how different from our own seaside places, with
+their hot sands, board walks, and cityfied shops. I hope no board walk
+will ever spoil this charming boulevard!&#8221; exclaimed a lady, who stood at
+a hotel window overlooking Annapolis Basin, on whose shore nestles the
+little town.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, Mamma! Aren&#8217;t you glad you came?&#8221; asked Monty Stark, entering the
+room and joining her at the window.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hope I shall be, dear. I&#8217;m a little anxious about your friends. I
+should greatly object, myself, to having people force themselves upon a
+touring party I had organized. But you must understand, Montmorency,
+that if I discover the slightest sign of objection to us, I shall go on
+my own way and you will have to go with me. I&mdash;I am not accustomed to
+being patronized or&mdash;no matter. I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>came to please you, my precious boy,
+and I hope it will be all right. Let me see if you are quite correct. I
+suppose the guests wear evening dress for dinner as in other civilized
+places. Though&mdash;it looks more like a country village yonder, than a real
+watering place.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But, Mamma, it is a country village. Nothing else, the Judge says. And
+somehow I feel rather silly in this rig. I saw the Judge a moment ago
+and he wasn&#8217;t in evening clothes, but he&#8217;s a &#8216;brick&#8217; all right!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Montmorency! How can you use such dreadful expressions?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Easy as preaching, <i>chere Maman</i>!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid your associates at Brentnor are not all of them as refined
+and exclusive as I had supposed. I&#8217;ve observed other phrases that I do
+not like. One of them was, I think, &#8216;Shucks!&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I reckon you did. I didn&#8217;t catch that from a Brentnor, though, but
+from Jim Barlow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who is he, pray?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Blest if I can tell or he either. He hails from a poorhouse. He was
+&#8216;bound out&#8217; to a woman truck farmer. He&#8217;s been &#8216;taken up&#8217; by Mrs. Cecil
+Somerset-Calvert, of Baltimore, and lots of other places. A lady that&#8217;s
+so rich she has homes in ever so many different parts of the country.
+But better than that he&#8217;s a &#8216;trump,&#8217; a life-saver, a scholar, and&mdash;a
+gentleman! One of &#8216;Nature&#8217;s&#8217; you know. Would like to have you meet him
+because he&#8217;s my present chum; that is, he would be if&mdash;if we lived <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>in
+the same house and could be. But unfortunately, he has agreed to do
+&#8216;chores&#8217; for a parson in payment for his instruction in Greek and all
+the &#8216;ologies.&#8217; He&#8217;s off on a tramp now, &#8216;hoofing it,&#8217; as he elegantly
+expresses it, for a vacation. He&#8217;s taken the parson and a couple of dogs
+along for company. The parson&#8217;s a trotting tramper, too. Maybe you&#8217;ve
+read some of his delightful articles in the magazines. Eh? What? Too
+much for you, Mamma? Well, never mind. I&#8217;ll quit now, for there goes the
+last bell for dinner. Allow me?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Bowing and offering his arm Monty conducted his richly clad mother
+toward the dining-room, whither a crowd of tourists were hastening.
+These were garbed in any sort of comfortable traveling clothes, the
+women mostly in white shirt-waists such as Mrs. Stark would have
+disdained even for morning wear at home. The men looked as if they had
+just come from a dusty train, a too-fragrant fishing boat, or a rough
+camp in the woods; and at the foot of the stairs the fashionable Mrs.
+Stark paused in a sort of dismay.</p>
+
+<p>For an instant, too, she had an odd feeling as if it were she who had
+made a mistake, not those groups of merry, hungry holiday-makers, who
+elbowed one another good naturedly, in order to find a seat at the
+crowded tables. Mrs. Stark wasn&#8217;t used to elbowing or being elbowed, and
+she gathered her silken train in her hand to preserve it from contact
+with the oil-cloth covered floor of the lobby, while her face gathered
+an expression of real alarm.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>&#8220;Why, my dear son! We can&#8217;t stay here, you know! It is simply impossible
+to hobnob with such&mdash;such queer persons. We must seek another hotel at
+once. I&#8217;ll step into that room yonder which is the &#8216;parlor&#8217; probably,
+and you summon the proprietor. I&mdash;I am not accustomed to this want of
+courtesy and&mdash;indeed, dear, I am greatly displeased with you. You
+painted the trip in such glowing colors I&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But, Mamma, don&#8217;t the colors glow? Did you ever see anything in your
+life lovelier than this glimpse of the Annapolis Basin, with the
+moonlight on it, the great peaks and cliffs beyond? I&#8217;m sorry if you&#8217;re
+disappointed but you didn&#8217;t seem to be up in your room, looking out. As
+for changing hotels we&#8217;d simply &#8216;hop out of the frying pan into the
+fire,&#8217; since this is the best one in the town. Else Judge Breckenridge
+wouldn&#8217;t have come here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Monty, dear! Such phrases again! Is that another lesson learned from
+the poorhouse boy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, indeedy! I caught that from Alfaretta Babcock. She of the
+<i>retrouss&eacute;</i> nose and simple speech. A royal sort of girl, too, is Alfy;
+first of the alphabetical Babcock sisters. The second is&mdash;But come,
+Mamma. We&#8217;re in for it and I don&#8217;t want to go to bed hungry, even if you
+do. I&#8217;m afraid, Mother mine, that there&#8217;s been too much &#8216;de luxe&#8217; in
+your life and I shall have to reconstruct you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His mirthful face provoked her to laughter despite her real vexation and
+fortunately, at that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>moment, Mrs. Hungerford entered the room and
+advanced to Mrs. Stark with extended hand and the warmest of greetings.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is Monty&#8217;s mother, I&#8217;m sure. I am Molly&#8217;s Auntie Lu. We exist I
+fancy, for our respective youngsters and mine discovered you through the
+doorway of the dining-room and commissioned me to fetch you. We&#8217;ve had
+seats reserved for you at our table in the corner and I apologize for
+not hunting you up earlier. The truth is we were out driving until the
+last moment and were greatly hurried ourselves. So, of course, we were
+none of us here when the train came in and I did not know you had
+arrived. Shall we go now? You will find that people grow desperately
+hungry when they first come into this bracing air, and with the best
+intentions in the world, the proprietor isn&#8217;t always able to provide
+enough for such clamorous appetites. My brother says that explains the
+rather rude crowding to get &#8216;first table,&#8217; and that our remedy lies in
+doing a bit of crowding ourselves. I rather enjoy it, already, though we
+only came here yesterday. Did you have a pleasant trip?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, I did not. I was never on such a poor steamer before. Fortunately I
+wasn&#8217;t ill and it&#8217;s not a long sail from Boston across. Is it really
+true, as Montmorency tells me, that there is no better hotel than this?&#8221;
+returned the other, rising to follow Auntie Lu.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 334px;">
+<img src="images/i127.jpg" class="ispace jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="&#8220;HELLO SNACKENBERG! HERE AM I! GIVE ME A RIDE?&#8221;
+Dorothy&#8217;s Travels." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&#8220;HELLO SNACKENBERG! HERE AM I! GIVE ME A RIDE?&#8221;<br />
+<i>Dorothy&#8217;s Travels.</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Since Monty had said that he was hungry, of course, she would stay for
+that one meal and let him <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>get comfortable. Afterward&mdash;she would follow her own judgment.</p>
+
+<p>But she, also, was gently bred and born, and despite a lack of plain
+common sense was an agreeable person in the main. She had responded to
+Mrs. Hungerford&#8217;s greeting with a correct society manner; and now, as
+she followed toward the dining-room, she bestowed upon that lady&#8217;s back
+a keenly critical survey. She saw that Aunt Lucretia was well but simply
+gowned in white. She was immaculately fresh, and fragrant from her bath
+with a faint odor of violets about her that pleased rather than offended
+nostrils which habitually objected to &#8220;perfumery&#8221; as something common
+and vulgar.</p>
+
+<p>Her gown might have been expensive but did not look so and was eminently
+more fit for an evening dinner in a tourists&#8217; hotel than the elaborate
+costume of Mrs. Stark.</p>
+
+<p>Though she had been but twenty-four hours in the place, Auntie Lu had
+already adapted herself to it completely, and smiled away the services
+of a rather frightened head-waitress new to her business, as she
+threaded her way toward that distant corner of the crowded room where
+her own table overlooked the water.</p>
+
+<p>A little hush fell over the adjoining tables as Mrs. Stark&#8217;s elegance
+bore down upon them in her majestic way. She was portly and
+heavy-motioned, as poor Monty was apt to be when he should arrive at her
+age; and chairs had to be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>drawn in closer, feet tucked under them, and
+heads bent forward as she passed by.</p>
+
+<p>As for the youth in her train misery and mortification shone on his
+chubby countenance. For a boy he had been absurdly fond of dress, but he
+had also a keen sense of what was fit and he knew his present costume
+was not that. However, all this trivial unpleasantness passed, as the
+entering pair were greeted by the rest of the party. The Judge still
+wore a business suit but his manner, as he rose to be presented to Mrs.
+Stark was so polished and correct that her spirits revived, thinking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, the people are all right, if the place isn&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She acknowledged Miss Isobel&#8217;s greeting with a slight haughtiness, such
+as she felt was due a social inferior. Upon Molly she bestowed an
+admiring smile and glance; and upon Dorothy a rather perfunctory one.
+The girl might also be &#8220;poorhouse born&#8221; for aught anybody knew, and from
+contact with such her &#8220;precious lamb&#8221; was to be well protected. She
+intended to see to it that further intercourse between her son and that
+&#8220;tramp,&#8221; Jim Barlow, should be prevented also; and while she marvelled
+that &#8220;the Breckenridges&#8221; should make much of the girl, as apparently
+they did, it wasn&#8217;t necessary that she should do the same. Monty had
+told her all about each member of the party so that Dorothy&#8217;s story was
+familiar to her. The lad had concluded his recital with the words:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s the bravest, sincerest girl in the world.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> She&#8217;s braver than
+Molly Breckenridge, and I like her immensely. All the boys at Brentnor
+think she&#8217;s fine, and we all hope some grand romance will come out of
+the facts of her parentage. She doesn&#8217;t come of any illiterate, common
+stock, Mamma. You may be sure of that. So I hope you&#8217;ll be nice and
+not&mdash;not too <i>Stark-ish</i> toward her, please!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So this was the girl who had saved life. Of that grim teacher opposite
+and, later, of a farmer&#8217;s son out of a tree where he was hanging. Very
+creditable, of course, though it couldn&#8217;t affect herself, Mrs. Ebenezer
+Vavasour-Stark, and she fixed her attention elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>It was due to the Judge that she altered her opinion of her present
+quarters so far as to decide upon remaining in them; and to make the
+best of the whole trip, &#8220;which you know is but a prolonged picnic. As
+for air and health and strength, you could find nothing better the world
+over, my dear Madam,&#8221; he had said.</p>
+
+<p>After that first dinner also she had a talk with her son; which resulted
+in his displaying a common sense that did him credit.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look here, Mamma. Let&#8217;s just pack all these over-fine togs in the
+trunks and leave them here to be sent to us when wanted. All we shall
+need, I fancy, is a suit-case a-piece with the plainest things we own.
+Even that &#8216;fancy&#8217; hunter&#8217;s suit I bought is ridiculous. The Judge uses
+the oldest sort of things&mdash;&#8216;regular rags,&#8217; Molly says; and I&mdash;I may <i>be</i>
+a fool but I don&#8217;t like to <i>look</i> like one! <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>Do it, Mamma, to please me.
+And let&#8217;s put our &#8216;society&#8217; manners into the trunks with the clothes.
+Let&#8217;s live, for these few weeks, as if we were real poor&mdash;as poor as
+Dolly or Miss Greatorex. I don&#8217;t believe even that lady has any money to
+speak of and as for Dorothy, she hasn&#8217;t a cent. Not a cent.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you know that, Montmorency? Are you on such intimate terms with
+that foundling that she confides the state of her finances to you? If
+so, she is probably hinting for presents.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Umm. Might be. Didn&#8217;t look like it though when I proposed just now to
+buy her one of those Indian baskets on sale in the lobby. She wouldn&#8217;t
+take one, though Molly took all I wanted to give&mdash;and more. <i>That</i> girl
+hasn&#8217;t any scruples about having a good time and letting anybody pay
+that wants to.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That, son, is a proof of good birth and breeding, she has always been
+accustomed to having her wants supplied and takes it as a matter of
+course. But, Monty darling, you must be good to Mamma. She doesn&#8217;t feel
+as if she had come to a &#8216;Paradise of a place,&#8217; as you told me I would
+find it. Yet if it pleases you to see your mother dressed like a servant
+why, of course, for your sake I&#8217;ll consent. But I warn you, no
+skylarking with underbred people or I shall take you straight home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This little conversation shows that Mrs. Hungerford was right when she
+informed her brother on that same evening:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>&#8220;We made a blunder when we allowed the Starks to join our personal
+party. They fit into it about as well as a round peg in a square hole.
+The woman&mdash;Well, she may be high-born and rich but I don&#8217;t want our
+Molly to copy her notions. She&#8217;s not nice, either, to poor Miss Isobel
+nor Dorothy. The result is that Miss Greatorex has grown more difficult
+and &#8216;stiff&#8217; than she was in the beginning. Such a pity when she&#8217;s just
+begun to get softer and more human!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In his heart the Judge was not over-pleased by this untoward opening of
+the new association, but he wouldn&#8217;t admit it to her. He merely said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry if you&#8217;re going to let the prejudices of silly women spoil
+your own vacation. Don&#8217;t do it. Just remember what you often say, that
+human nature is the same everywhere. We have the pride of wealth to
+contend with on one hand and the pride of poverty on the other; but
+beneath each sort of pride lies an honest heart. I believe it, and that
+we shall yet see these two opposing elements merged in a warm
+friendship. Watch for it. It takes all sorts of people to make a world
+and another sort will be added, to-morrow, when Melvin joins us. Throw
+in the college Prex, the millionaire financier, and surgeon Mantler, and
+we shall have a miniature world of our own in our traveling mates.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schuyler, you haven&#8217;t told me yet what part that lad Melvin is to play
+in this &#8216;world.&#8217; Why did you ask him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To test him, Lu, nothing else. His mother is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>anxious he should make a
+man of himself and isn&#8217;t sure how best he can. She permitted him to take
+a bugler&#8217;s place on the &#8216;Prince&#8217; because he wanted to try a sea-faring
+life. Two seasons of it, even under the comfortable conditions of a
+passenger steamship, has sickened him of that. He fancied he could be a
+musician and has talent sufficient only to &#8216;bugle.&#8217; Now he wants to see
+the world, though he didn&#8217;t dream I was to offer him a chance. She
+thinks he would make a good lawyer, and so his uncle Ephraim thinks. Her
+pastor thinks he ought to be a minister; and the only point upon which
+all his friends and himself agree is that he should not spend all his
+days in &#8216;Ya&#8217;mouth.&#8217; I&#8217;m going to take him to camp with me, to act as
+handy-man for all of us. That will give me a chance to see what stuff
+he&#8217;s made of; and if he&#8217;s worth it&mdash;if he&#8217;s worth it&mdash;I&#8217;ll take him down
+to Richmond and set him at the law.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Molly, however, must let him alone. That girl can upset more plans than
+the wisest man can lay; and if she gets to teasing him on account of his
+strange bashfulness she&#8217;ll scare him away from us and disappoint his
+mother&#8217;s tender heart. <i>She</i> thinks that &#8216;son&#8217; is a paragon of all the
+virtues. So does this other mother who&#8217;s just joined us, think of her
+beloved Montmorency Vavasour-Stark. What a name! Between them and their
+&#8216;laddies&#8217; I reckon I shall have less peace than from the wildest of
+tricksy Molly&#8217;s capers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schuyler, you mustn&#8217;t be hard on her. She&#8217;s <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>exactly like what you were
+at her age! And she is the dearest child, you know it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I must have been what you call &#8216;a sweet thing,&#8217; then! But, of course,
+she&#8217;s my own &#8216;crow,&#8217; therefore she&#8217;s pure white,&#8221; laughed the adoring
+father, with more earnest than jest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Also, brother, in all your plans for others don&#8217;t forget little
+Dorothy&#8217;s. I know you&#8217;re busy but I must find out who her own people
+are. I <i>must</i>. It&#8217;s a sin and a heartless one to keep her young heart
+longer in suspense. I know she often ponders the thing, in spite of her
+cheerfulness, even gayety.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To which he returned:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t attribute more pondering to her than belongs. Of the two I fancy
+you do the most of that. Nor think I&#8217;ve forgotten her interests. Her
+history is already being unravelled, thread by thread, and stitch by
+stitch. When the thread&#8217;s wound clear up I trust it may make a goodly
+ball.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! my dear brother, what do you mean?&#8221; cried Aunt Lucretia, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I mean that I set old Ephraim Cook to the task. He&#8217;s already down at
+Annapolis, fairly burrowing in archives and genealogies, and the
+skeleton closets of all our old Maryland families. It&#8217;s the most
+congenial task he ever undertook in all his generally-useful life; for
+back here in &#8216;Markland&#8217; he&#8217;s long ago prepared a history of the
+peninsula that deserve publishing. He can trace every Bluenose household
+to its very beginning, and claims his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>own came to this side the sea in
+the Mayflower. That&#8217;s one reason he wants Melvin, the last of his race,
+to make a name for it. Trust me he&#8217;ll forage for our Dorothy better than
+I could myself; but he isn&#8217;t to disturb us with letters of theories or
+&#8216;maybes.&#8217; When he gets his facts&mdash;hurrah for the <i>d&eacute;no&ucirc;ment</i>! Now, dear,
+to your rest. The burdens of a peacemaker rest on your shoulders
+but&mdash;you&#8217;ll make and keep the peace. Good night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>After all, when the sun rose on the following morning and this oddly
+assorted traveling party met to discuss the day&#8217;s plans, each was so
+rested and refreshed that an abnormal amiability pervaded the whole
+group.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What would you like to do best?&#8221; &#8220;Oh, no! You say!&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;m sure whatever
+the rest propose will be agreeable to me in the way of sight-seeing.&#8221;
+&#8220;Or even staying quietly at the hotel and just enjoying the outlook on
+the sea.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Such were the remarks exchanged and with such suavity of manner that
+Molly clapped her hands and cried:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I declare, you&#8217;re all too sweet to be wholesome! And it happens that I
+know what <i>I</i> want to do, even if you don&#8217;t. Let&#8217;s go away down to the
+end, I mean the beginning, of the town where they are curing fish. I saw
+them from the car window, and even then they were so interesting. I mean
+the fish were. Or&mdash;or the things where they fixed them. And, beg pardon,
+Mrs. Stark, even if you looked <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>at that water all day long you couldn&#8217;t
+make it into a &#8216;sea.&#8217; It&#8217;s only a Basin, the fag end of Annapolis Basin.
+Yonder, where there are so many sails and steamers, is the Bay of Fundy,
+and to get to the really truly sea you must go beyond that. The reason
+I&#8217;m so wise, if you want to know, is that I&#8217;ve been here twenty-four
+hours longer than you and I improved my time by asking questions.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With that the little maid swept her new acquaintance a courtesy and
+smiled so sweetly that any presumption on her girlish part was readily
+forgiven. Besides she was a Breckenridge; and though Mrs. Stark had now
+resolved to be as &#8220;democratic&#8221; as her new friends were it was easier
+resolved than practiced. If it had been Dorothy who ventured to plan for
+her elders her suggestions would have been coolly ignored.</p>
+
+<p>The Judge drew near in time to hear the end of the talk and added:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is a sight we won&#8217;t meet elsewhere in the same proportion as here.
+Also, the walk will do us good, and we shall pass the postoffice on our
+way. I like going for my own mail to the &#8216;general delivery&#8217; better than
+having it sent to the hotel. I like the mingling with the eager crowd
+that waits before the little window to ask: &#8216;Anything for me?&#8217; I like to
+watch the faces of the people when they open their letters. One can
+guess the &#8216;home&#8217; ones by the expression of joy and the merely friendly
+by the indifference. I like&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dear Schuyler, spare us! If there&#8217;s anything <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>upon earth you <i>don&#8217;t</i>
+like that&#8217;s even half-way interesting I can&#8217;t guess it.&#8221; Then turning to
+Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Hungerford added: &#8220;Brother is like a boy when he gets
+leave of absence, this way. Suppose you walk along with him and find out
+if there is anything he <i>doesn&#8217;t</i> like along the way.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Her brother gave her an arch glance. Evidently she had begun her
+peaceful adjustment of &#8220;assorted&#8221; temperaments by assigning himself to
+Mrs. Stark&#8217;s escort, though she knew all the time that he wanted to be
+with the youngsters. She placed herself along side Miss Isobel, smiling
+at that lady&#8217;s inquiry if she were going into a public street without a
+hat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Surely. &#8216;When in Rome do as the Romans do,&#8217; you remember. And see.
+Though most of the people have on some sort of wrap very few women are
+bonneted and even the men carry their hats in hand. Brother has snatched
+his off already.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge was in front, attentively courteous and listening to Mrs.
+Stark&#8217;s remarks, yet seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; for
+presently he asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What are you youngsters lagging behind for? Dolly, take Melvin under
+your shelter and make him tell you everything you want to know about
+Digby. He&#8217;s been here before many times, I&#8217;ve learned. And Molly, you
+and Monty walk ahead if you please. I like to keep my eye on my own and
+I fancy Mrs. Stark does too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>Separated from these two, who had been in the rear of the whole party,
+Melvin did exert himself to overcome his abnormal shyness and to talk;
+and when after proceeding a little way and his finding Dorothy eagerly
+observant of even the most trivial things that were new to her, he had
+an abrupt burst of courage&mdash;or was it a harmless spite against his
+tormentor of the day before, Molly? Whatever it was that emboldened him,
+he suddenly laid his hand on her arm and said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wait just a minute! There comes a man I know. He&#8217;s a transplanted
+Yarmouthian who&#8217;s moved to Digby to &#8216;haul&#8217; for his livelihood. He&#8217;ll be
+glad to see me and hear the news from home; and won&#8217;t want to waste time
+in doing it. I&#8217;ll ask him to give us a ride. I don&#8217;t believe either of
+you girls from the States ever did ride in such an equipage.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She had paused as he wished and was listening in surprise. As much
+because he talked so well and so easily as at the really joyous tone in
+which he hailed his uncouth acquaintance from &#8220;Home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hello, Snackenberg! Here am I! Give me a ride?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, well, well! Son of all the Cooks! What you doin&#8217; here? Allowed
+you was sailin&#8217; the &#8216;blue and boundless&#8217; just about now!&#8221; cried the
+teamster and leaning forward shook the lad so heartily by his own hard
+hand that Melvin squealed and protested:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, we can&#8217;t stand here, you know. I&#8217;ll just <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span>help this young lady
+in&mdash;she&#8217;s from the States&mdash;and you can jog on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The team was of the sort that is always willing to stop, and the
+&#8220;equipage&#8221; was easily entered by merely stepping into its open rear. It
+swung low to the ground, after the fashion of Nova Scotian carts, and
+for seats it had a bundle of clean straw.</p>
+
+<p>In another moment the animals had been goaded to fresh effort, their
+owner had turned about on the chain where he balanced himself for a seat
+and also turned a corner into a side street that climbed the hill behind
+the town. Then he ordered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fire ahead! Tell everything you know; and I say, Sissy, did you ever
+see a purtier pair of creeturs than them be? I&#8217;m prouder of &#8217;em than I
+could be of the finest team o&#8217; thoroughbreds ever stepped. Gee, there!
+Haw, I tell ye!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Beyond, at the postoffice, the truants had been suddenly missed; and
+with varying degrees of anxiety their elders were asking one another:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What do you suppose has become of Dorothy and that queer boy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Molly was more vexed than anxious and she looked upon Monty with
+rising disfavor. She guessed that they were having some fun from which
+she was shut out and which Montmorency Vavasour-Stark would never have
+had the originality to suggest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! I wish I knew! Maybe they&#8217;re eating each other up! Yesterday she
+asked if he was a &#8216;wildcat&#8217; and I told her &#8216;yes.&#8217; Maybe, maybe&mdash;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>Oh! Why
+did you make us walk in front, namby-pamby so, Papa dear? If we&#8217;d been
+with them we&#8217;d know what they are doing and what has happened. Oh! dear!
+If I hadn&#8217;t been in front I&#8217;d have been behind!&#8221; she complained. Nor was
+she greatly pleased by the laugh which her Irish-cism raised.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>AN OX-OMOBILE AND A SAILBOAT</h3>
+
+<p>Even Melvin had not expected that Dorothy and he would long be away from
+the rest of the party, though he did not realize that he was in any wise
+responsible to them, since his duties as camp-helper had not yet begun.
+But he enjoyed his freedom from the society of so many strangers and
+found Dorothy a pleasant companion. She might have been just another
+boy, for any &#8220;nonsense&#8221; there was about her; and she was so delighted
+with everything he pointed out that he, also, began to find new beauties
+in the familiar scenery, and to grow eager to show her all he could.</p>
+
+<p>For the teamster prolonged his journey to the very crest of the hill
+behind the town, and made it slowly. He had so many questions to ask
+concerning his old neighbors that he delayed all he reasonably could and
+rather resented Melvin&#8217;s attempts to entertain Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s Point Prim lighthouse, yonder. See? Yes, Joel, Reuben Smith did
+paint his house bright blue, just as he vowed he would to spite his
+neighbor. That&#8217;s Digby Gap, where the two hills come so near together in
+the water. The boats that sail <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>from here have to pass through it and
+travelers say&mdash;No. I didn&#8217;t hear what price that Company did get for its
+last &#8216;catch.&#8217; Lobsters haven&#8217;t been running so free this year, I hear;
+and there&#8217;s another company started canning them. If Judge Breckenridge
+stays long enough I hope he&#8217;ll take you sailing up Bear River. It&#8217;s a
+nice drive there, too, but the sail is better. Up yonder is the
+Joggin&mdash;Why, Joel, I&#8217;m sure I don&#8217;t know. I hadn&#8217;t heard.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Such was a sample of the talk which went on and which provoked from the
+lad, at last, the comment:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Learning under difficulties!&#8221; which he said with such an amused glance
+toward Dorothy that she laughed and felt that Molly had been right in
+her belief that &#8220;that boy has some fun in him.&#8221; Thought of Molly made
+her also exclaim:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! I do wish she were here! She would have liked this so much! I don&#8217;t
+believe she ever rode in an ox-cart either, any more than I did before.
+How funny it is! And how much longer shall we be? I&#8217;m afraid I ought to
+have asked Mrs. Hungerford or Miss Greatorex before I came. But I didn&#8217;t
+think. I never do think till&mdash;afterward.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Glad of it. Glad you didn&#8217;t, else likely you&#8217;d have lost the ride. Joel
+doesn&#8217;t call this an ox-cart, though. Not by any means. This, if you
+please, is an &#8216;ox-omobile,&#8217; and very proud of it he is. Guess you
+needn&#8217;t worry. Nobody can get lost in little Digby; and&mdash;Where now,
+Joel? How much longer will you be?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>&#8220;Oh! I reckon not long. Just a little minute or few. Depends on folks
+havin&#8217; their trunks ready to haul. Some towerists have been stopping up
+here to one these houses and engaged me to take their luggage down to
+the pier. They&#8217;re goin&#8217; over to St. John, I reckon, only one of &#8217;em.
+She&#8217;s goin&#8217; to the dee-po. When we go down hill you two may set on the
+trunks&mdash;if you can!&#8221; and Mr. Snackenberg laughed at his own thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>The trunks did happen to be ready. Indeed the &#8220;towerists&#8221; were even
+impatient to be gone and were just starting to walk to the pier when the
+carter arrived. They looked rather enviously at Dorothy and Melvin, so
+comfortably seated in the cart, but its owner did not extend an
+invitation to them to ride. Indeed, as he explained to his companions:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If I was a mind I could have all Digby village a ridin&#8217; in my
+&#8216;ox-omobile.&#8217; They seem to think it&#8217;s powerful cunnin&#8217;, as if they&#8217;d
+never seen a team of oxen before. Where&#8217;ve they lived at, I&#8217;d like to
+know, that they don&#8217;t know an ox when they see it. There. Them trunks is
+in. Now, Sissy, you just set right down and&mdash;You&#8217;ll find out the rest.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The trunks did fill the cart pretty well but there was plenty of room to
+put one&#8217;s feet in the spaces between; and Dorothy fixed herself
+comfortably, wondering why Melvin disdained to ride but strode along
+beside the teamster who also walked. Throned in solitary state all went
+well for awhile, until a corner was turned and the steep descent into
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>the town began. Then the trunks slid upon the slippery hay, resting
+their weight against the chain at the rear, which alone prevented their
+falling out; and after a few efforts to maintain her seat Dorothy also
+sprang to the ground and joined the others.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha, ha, ha! Ridin&#8217; up-hill and ridin&#8217; down is two quite different
+things, ain&#8217;t it, Sissy? Ever been to the pier to see the boat start
+across the Bay to St. John&#8217;s, New Brunswick? No? First time you been to
+the Province? All right. You stick close to me and I&#8217;ll p&#8217;int out all
+the &#8216;lions&#8217; there is to see. Melvin, here, can talk as glib as the next
+one when he gets waked up, but I know more about Digby &#8217;an he does. One
+the sights towerists rave the most over is the fish-grounds. They&#8217;re
+right adj&#8217;ining the pier and you can kill them two &#8216;lions&#8217; at once. Ha,
+ha!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But, sir, I&#8217;m afraid I ought to go back. I mean&mdash;to where my friends
+are. Is the pier on the road home?&#8221; asked Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All roads lead home&mdash;for somebody. The pier and the fish-curin&#8217; grounds
+amongst &#8217;em. Don&#8217;t you vex yourself, Sissy. If you was to go from one
+end to the other of this little town you couldn&#8217;t never get fur from
+where you live.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The truth was that the old teamster wanted to keep the young folks with
+him as long as he could. There were still numberless questions he hadn&#8217;t
+put to Melvin and he had taken a fancy to Dorothy. If she was simply a
+&#8220;towerist&#8221; she was, of course, an idler and it was of no consequence her
+wasting <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>her time. He hadn&#8217;t learned yet why Melvin was here and if he
+didn&#8217;t find that out he felt he &#8220;couldn&#8217;t bear it.&#8221; So now he asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, son of all the Cooks, what&#8217;s fetched you here this time o&#8217; day?
+Lost your job?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not exactly. I&#8217;ve given it up. I&#8217;m tired of sailing back and forth over
+the same old route and a friend of mine wanted to take my place. I&#8217;m
+going to help a gentleman I know in his camping out. Cook, maybe, or
+whatever he wants. Now&mdash;that&#8217;s all. You needn&#8217;t ask me how much I earn,
+or what&#8217;s next, or anything. You just go ahead and tell this Miss
+Dorothy anything you fancy; since you know so much more of things than I
+do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;H&#8217;ity-t&#8217;ity! Miffed, be ye? Never mind. You&#8217;d ought to rest your
+tongue, &#8217;cause I &#8217;low it&#8217;s never wagged so fast afore in your whole
+life. But I&#8217;m ekal to it. I&#8217;m ekal. I&#8217;ve growed to be a regular &#8216;Digby
+chicken,&#8217; I&#8217;ve tarried here so long already. Ever eat &#8216;Digby chicken,&#8217;
+Sissy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Joel was affronted in his own turn now and determined to ignore that
+&#8220;Miss&#8221; which Melvin had pronounced so markedly. Joel wasn&#8217;t used to
+&#8220;Miss&#8221;-ing any girl of Dorothy&#8217;s size and he wasn&#8217;t going to begin at
+his time of life. Not he!</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Melvin had relapsed into utter silence. He declined to answer
+any of the teamster&#8217;s further questions, and if his knowledge of the
+locality had been quite as accurate as he had boasted he would have
+suggested to the girl that they take a short-cut back to the hotel. Yet,
+he had heard that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>teasing Molly say they were bound for the
+fish-grounds. Beyond these lay, also, that notable Battery Point, with
+its rusty old guns; its ancient, storm-bent trees; and the Indian
+encampment still further along. He had seen tourists so many times that
+he fancied they were all alike, full of curiosity, and with ample
+leisure to gratify it. So, in all probability, the Judge and his friends
+were still at that end of town and he had better stick to Joel till he
+conducted the girl and him to their presence. Then he would himself
+vanish until such time as the Judge might require his service.</p>
+
+<p>They came to the pier and drove along its great length, the teamster
+pointing out all sorts of interesting things, so that Dolly forgot all
+else in her eager listening.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Forty feet high the tide rises sometimes, right on this very p&#8217;int.
+That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s built so lofty. Look over the edge. See that sloping
+wharf clean down into the water? Well, sir, that&#8217;s where folks land
+sometimes; and other times away up top here. My heart! The pretty
+creetur!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Joel abruptly checked his team and stooped above something lying on the
+wide planking of the pier. Then he lifted the object and handed it to
+Dorothy, explaining:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a poor little coddy-moddy! A little baby gull. Pity! Something&#8217;s
+hurt it, but it&#8217;s alive yet. Makes me feel bad to see any young creetur
+suffer; most of all to see a bird. Put it in the crook of your elbow,
+Sissy, and fetch it along. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>I&#8217;ll take it home with me and see if I can&#8217;t
+save its life.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>After a moment he added, seeing her look wistful, as he thought:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d give it to you, Sissy, but towering folks haven&#8217;t no time nor
+chance to tend sick birds. It&#8217;ll be better off in my house than jogglin&#8217;
+over railroads and steamboats.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was sense in this as Dorothy rather reluctantly admitted, for she
+would have liked to keep the &#8220;coddy-moddy&#8221; and made a pet of it. With
+Joel, however, it would simply be cured and set free, or it would die in
+peace. Also she was touched by the real tenderness with which the
+rough-handed teamster made a nest in the straw of his cart and placed
+the bird upon it.</p>
+
+<p>He had first deposited the trunks in the baggage-room and there was
+nothing to keep him longer; so with another whimsical glance at Melvin,
+who had sauntered behind them, he remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Right this way to the fishin&#8217;-grounds! &#8216;Stinks a little but nothin&#8217; to
+hurt!&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then in the fatherly fashion which almost every man she met adopted
+toward her, he held out his hand to Dorothy C. and led her back over the
+pier and around to the broad field where numbers of men were salting and
+piling the haddock and cod they had caught. The fish were piled in
+circles or wheel-like heaps, after they were sufficiently dried; and the
+fresher ones were spread upon long frames to &#8220;cure.&#8221; It was a great
+industry in that locality <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span>and one so interesting to Dorothy that she
+wanted to linger and watch the toilers despite the decidedly &#8220;fishy&#8221;
+odor which filled the air.</p>
+
+<p>But Joel said that he must leave them then and, after pointing with his
+whip to a grassy plain beyond the fishing-grounds, advised:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Best step right over to the Battery, Sissy, now you&#8217;re so nigh it. I&#8217;ve
+learned in my life that things don&#8217;t happen twice alike. Maybe you won&#8217;t
+be just here again in such terr&#8217;ble agreeable company&mdash;&#8221; and he
+playfully touched Melvin on the shoulder&mdash;&#8220;and best improve it. And,
+Sissy, strikes me you&#8217;re real likely. Sort of a common sense sort of
+little creetur without so many airs as some the girl-towerists put on.
+If so be &#8217;t you stop a spell in Digby just tip me the wink and I&#8217;ll haul
+you with any load I happen to have on my &#8216;Mobile.&#8217; Or, if so be we never
+meet again on earth, be sure, little Sissy, &#8217;t you meet me in Heaven.
+Good-by, till then.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Off he went and left Dorothy standing looking after him with something
+very like tears in her brown eyes. Such a quaint figure he looked in his
+long blue smock, his worn hat pushed to the back of his head, his sandy
+beard sweeping his breast; jogging beside his beloved team, doing his
+duty simply as he found it &#8220;in that state of life to which it had
+pleased God to call him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a very religious man, Joel Snackenberg, and never loses a chance
+to &#8216;pass the word.&#8217; My mother sets great store by him and I must write
+her <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span>about our meeting him. Shall we go to the Battery or back to the
+hotel? Your friends don&#8217;t&mdash;aren&#8217;t anywhere in sight, so I suppose
+they&#8217;ve gone there,&#8221; remarked Melvin.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then we ought. Indeed, I feel afraid we&#8217;ve stayed too long; and yet I
+can&#8217;t be sorry, since we&#8217;ve met that dear old man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Melvin had promptly recovered his &#8220;glibness&#8221; upon the departure of the
+teamster; and though he looked at her in some surprise he answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe many girls would call him &#8216;dear.&#8217; I shouldn&#8217;t have
+thought of doing so myself. That Molly wouldn&#8217;t, I know; but you have a
+way of making folks&mdash;folks forget themselves and show their best sides
+to you, so I guess. Anyhow, I never talked so much to any girl before,
+and you&#8217;re the only one in all that crowd I don&#8217;t feel shy of. Even that
+boy&mdash;Hmm.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you. That&#8217;s the nicest thing I ever had said to me. And don&#8217;t you
+think that life&mdash;just the mere living&mdash;is perfectly grand? All the time
+meeting new people and finding out new, beautiful things about them?
+Like Mr. Snackenberg asking me to meet him in Heaven. It was certainly
+an odd thing to say, it startled me, but it was beautiful&mdash;beautiful.
+Now&mdash;do you know the road home?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure. We&#8217;ll be there in five minutes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right. Lead the way. And say, Melvin Cook, do one more nice thing,
+please. Forgive my darling Molly for the prank she played on you and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>be
+the same friendly way to her you&#8217;ve been to me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;ll try. But I don&#8217;t promise I&#8217;ll succeed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They hurried back over the main street of the town to their inn, past
+the postoffice where a throng of tourists were still waiting for
+possible mail, past the little shops with their tempting display of
+&#8220;notions&#8221; representative of the locality, until they reached one window
+in which some silverware was exposed for sale.</p>
+
+<p>Something within caught Melvin&#8217;s eye, and he laughed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look there, miss.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dorothy, please!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look there, Dorothy! There&#8217;s your &#8216;Digby chicken&#8217; with a vengeance!&#8221;
+and he pointed toward some trinkets the dealer was exhibiting to
+customers within. Among the articles a lot of tiny silver fish, labeled
+as he had said, and made in some way with a spring so that they wriggled
+from the tip of a pin, or guard, in typical fish-fashion.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! aren&#8217;t they cute! How I would like to buy one! Do you suppose they
+cost very much?&#8221; cried Dorothy, delighted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll ask,&#8221; he said and did; and returning from the interior announced:
+&#8220;Fifty cents for the smallest one, seventy-five for the others.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She sighed and her face fell. &#8220;Might as well be seventy-five dollars, so
+far as I&#8217;m concerned. I have exactly five cents, and I shouldn&#8217;t have
+had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span>that only I found it left over in my jacket pocket. You see, once I
+had five dollars. How much is that in Nova Scotia money?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just the same. Five dollars.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, come on. I mustn&#8217;t stand and &#8216;covet,&#8217; but I would so love to have
+that for Alfaretta. I promised to bring her something home and that
+would please her to death!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good thing she isn&#8217;t to have it then!&#8221; he returned.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy laughed. &#8220;Course. I don&#8217;t mean that. I&#8217;m always getting reproved
+for &#8216;extravagant language.&#8217; Miss Rhinelander says it&#8217;s almost as bad as
+extravagant&mdash;umm, doing. You know what I mean. Listen. I&#8217;ll tell you how
+I lost it, but we must hurry. I smell dinners in the houses we pass and
+I reckon it&#8217;s mighty late.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She narrated the story of her loss and her New York experiences in a few
+graphic sentences; and had only concluded when they reached the hotel
+piazza, bordering the street, and saw their whole party sitting there
+waiting the dinner summons. The faces of the elders all looked a little
+stern, even that of the genial Judge himself; and Molly promptly voiced
+the thoughts of the company when she demanded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I should like to know where you have been! We were afraid
+something had happened, and I think it&#8217;s mean, real mean I say, to scare
+people who are on a holiday. Dorothy, child, where have you been?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>&#8220;Ox-omobiling,&#8221; answered poor Dorothy, meekly, and feeling as if she
+were confessing a positive crime.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;W-h-a-t?&#8221; gasped Molly amazed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ox-omobiling. I didn&#8217;t mean&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What in the world is that? Did you do it with that boy? Is
+he&mdash;where&mdash;what&mdash;do tell and not plague me so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No. I did it with the man who&mdash;&#8221; Here culprit Dolly looked up and
+caught the stern, questioning gaze of Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, and her wits
+fled. &#8220;With Joel, and I&#8217;m to meet him in&mdash;in Heaven&mdash;right away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Utter silence greeted this strange answer, part of which had been made
+to Miss Greatorex&#8217;s austere gesture. This signified on the lady&#8217;s part
+that her ward was late and hindering the meal and was so understood by
+the frightened girl. She looked around for Melvin to corroborate her
+statement but he had vanished. Having escorted her into sight of her
+friends he considered his duty done and disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dorothy! You&#8217;ve been having adventures, I see, and have got things a
+trifle &#8216;mixed.&#8217; Best say no more now, till we all get over our
+dinner-crossness and then tell us the whole story. Since you are safely
+back no real harm is done; and, friends, shall we go in to table? The
+second bell has rung,&#8221; asked Mrs. Hungerford, smiling yet secretly
+annoyed by the delay Dorothy&#8217;s absence had caused.</p>
+
+<p>The Judge had received more letters from his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span>&#8220;Boys&#8221; and even more
+urgent ones. That meant cutting short their stay in every town they
+visited; even omitting some desirable places from their list. It had
+been decided that they must leave Digby on Monday, the next day but one,
+and they wished to utilize every moment of the time between in visiting
+its most attractive points.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, we&#8217;ll take that ride. I was going to get Melvin to drive one small
+rig with the young folks and I would drive another surrey with us
+elders. He&#8217;s taken himself off, though, so I&#8217;ll just order a buckboard
+that will hold us all,&#8221; said the Judge, when they had rather hastily
+finished their meal.</p>
+
+<p>So they did, and presently the four-seated wagon with its four horses
+and capable driver tooled up to the entrance and the party entered it.
+All but Monty Stark. Much to his mother&#8217;s annoyance and regret, that
+young gentleman firmly objected to the trip.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to go. I hate driving. I don&#8217;t care a rap for all the
+lighthouses or Bear Rivers in the world. I&#8217;d rather stay right here and
+watch the fishermen. I never had such a chance to see them so close at
+hand and&mdash;I&mdash;do&mdash;not want&mdash;to go.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Montmorency, darling! Don&#8217;t turn nasty and spoil all poor Mamma&#8217;s
+pleasure, don&#8217;t. I can&#8217;t see what&#8217;s the matter with you, dear? You have
+been positively disagreeable ever since we took that walk. Did you get
+too tired, lovey? Is Mamma&#8217;s baby boy ill?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span>&#8220;Oh! Mamma, please! I <i>shall</i> be ill if you don&#8217;t quit molly-coddling
+me, as if I were an infant in arms.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were speaking apart and in low tones, so that she caught but the
+word &#8220;Molly&#8221; and instantly inquired:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is it that girl, dearest? Has she been behaving badly to you? You
+mustn&#8217;t mind her sharp tongue, she&#8217;s only a&mdash;a Breckenridge!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, she has been behaving outrageously. She&#8217;s made me feel as cheap as
+two cents. Just because I couldn&#8217;t think of any remarkably funny thing
+to do in this horrid old town&mdash;Oh! go on, and let me be. I&#8217;m not mad
+with you, Mamma, but I shan&#8217;t go on that ride and be perched on a seat
+with either of those wretched girls, nor any old woman either, for the
+whole afternoon. Do go&mdash;they&#8217;re waiting, and they&#8217;ll wish no Starks had
+ever been born. I guess they wish it already.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Perforce, she had to go; but it wasn&#8217;t a happy drive for her. If her
+adored Monty was disgruntled over anything she felt the world a gloomy
+place. She did exert herself to be agreeable to the Judge, who sat
+beside her, yielding his place on the driver&#8217;s seat to Molly, whose
+manner was almost as &#8220;crisp&#8221; as Montmorency&#8217;s own. But she would rather
+have stayed behind to look after her son; and had she known what was to
+happen on that sunshiny afternoon she would have been even more sorry
+that she had not followed her inclination.</p>
+
+<p>However, at that moment there was no cloud <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>upon the day; and no sooner
+had the buckboard disappeared from sight than Montmorency Vavasour-Stark
+performed a sort of jig on the hotel verandah, threw up his cap, gave a
+loud Brentnor &#8220;yell&#8221; and dashed up the stairs to his room as fast as his
+short fat legs could move. Thence he soon reappeared, clad in his
+&#8220;athletics&#8221;&mdash;of which a broad-striped blue-and-white sweater attracted
+much attention.</p>
+
+<p>He had now become &#8220;plain boy.&#8221; He had shed the &#8220;young gentleman&#8221; with
+vigor and completeness and was bent upon any sort of &#8220;lark&#8221; that would
+restore his usual good nature and complacency. He had observed whither
+disappeared the various bell-boys when off duty and meant &#8220;to stir up&#8221;
+one of them if nothing better offered.</p>
+
+<p>Something better did offer, in the shape of Melvin Cook; calmly munching
+a slice of bread and butter in the stable-yard and as rejoiced as Monty
+himself to be quit for a time of women and girls and &#8220;manners&#8221; in
+general.</p>
+
+<p>Montmorency hadn&#8217;t been attracted before to this &#8220;son of all the Cooks,&#8221;
+who was so fair of face and slender of build, but now he reflected that
+if he obtained permission to go into camp with the &#8220;Boys,&#8221; and the
+Judge, Melvin would, perforce, be his daily companion. As well begin now
+as ever then; so he accosted the bugler with the question:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Say, can&#8217;t you get up something dandy for the rest of the day? We&#8217;ve
+shed those folks till dark, I guess, and I&#8217;m dying for anything doing.
+Eh?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>&#8220;I&#8217;ve hired a sail boat and am going out alone, except for Tommy here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Tommy was the most juvenile of all the bell-boys, a lad of not more than
+ten, who tried to appear quite as old as these others and who now
+strutted forward announcing:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, me and him is going out in the &#8216;Digby Chicken.&#8217; A tidy craft but
+we&#8217;ll manage her all right, all right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cock-a-doodle-doo!&#8221; cried Monty, patting the child&#8217;s shoulder and
+incidentally slipping a quarter into the little fellow&#8217;s open palm; for
+it was a habit of the richer lad to bestow frequent tips whenever he
+journeyed anywhere, enjoying the popularity this gave him with his
+&#8220;inferiors.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A sail-boat? Can you manage a sail-boat, Melvin Cook, by yourself
+without a man to help you?&#8221; he demanded in sincere astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Feel that!&#8221; answered Melvin, placing Monty&#8217;s hand upon his &#8220;muscle.&#8221;
+&#8220;There&#8217;s a bit of strength in that arm, eh, what? And you may not know
+that I come of a race of sailors and have almost lived upon the water
+all my life. Manage a sail-boat? Huh! If you choose to come along I&#8217;ll
+show you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ten minutes later they were moving out in a their frail craft from the
+little pier across the street from the hotel; Melvin for skipper, Tommy
+for mate, and Montmorency for a passenger. That was the beginning. It
+did not dawn upon any of the trio what the ending of that sail would be.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>WHAT BEFELL A &#8220;DIGBY CHICKEN&#8221;</h3>
+
+<p>The second bell for the last meal of the day had again rung, and again
+the Breckenridge party waited on the verandah for delinquents. Mrs.
+Stark positively declined to enter the dining-room until she had found
+out what had become of Montmorency. Mrs. Hungerford as positively
+declined to leave Mrs. Stark, and the Judge&#8217;s temper was again being
+sorely tried. Their twenty-mile drive and sight-seeing had sharpened
+appetites that already were quite sharp enough and the eminent jurist
+wanted his supper. To walk off his impatience, if he could, he paced up
+and down the long verandah at a brisk rate, which did not tend to allay
+that uncomfortable feeling in his &#8220;inner man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The hotel proprietor left the dining-room, where he personally
+superintended the serving of his guests, and joined the Judge, advising
+and complaining:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve the usual Saturday, week-end crowd in the house and I&#8217;d like to
+have your party get through in yonder soon&#8217;s you can, if you please.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>I&#8217;m driven half-crazy, nights like this, by the demands and exactions
+of these transient people. I need every man-jack of the help and
+somebody says that Tommy has gone off with your lads. Tommy is small but
+he&#8217;s the best bell-boy in the house and&mdash;I&#8217;ll trounce him well when he
+gets back for serving me such a trick. Best get your dinner now, Judge,
+or I&#8217;ll not promise you&#8217;ll be able to later. Excuse me for urging, it&#8217;s
+in your own interest, and&mdash;There comes another load from somewhere! and
+I haven&#8217;t a room to give them. Cots in the parlor, if they choose,
+nothing better?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With that he hurried to meet the newcomers and the Judge said to Aunt
+Lu:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We certainly should go in to table now. It does no good to sit here and
+wait. That doesn&#8217;t bring the runaways any sooner and they&#8217;d ought to go
+without their suppers if they&#8217;re so thoughtless of our comfort. Mrs.
+Stark, won&#8217;t you come?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he observed that the lady was weeping copiously. It was now fixed
+in her mind that Monty was drowned. She had been told that he had gone
+sailing with that other dreadful bugler-boy the Judge had picked up,
+and, of course, this was the only explanation of his absence. She
+refused to be comforted and would have gone out in a boat herself to
+search for her son had she felt this would be of the slightest use.
+Indeed, she was fast becoming hysterical, and Mrs. Hungerford shook her
+head negatively when her brother begged her to leave her post and come
+with him.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>&#8220;Very well, then, sister, Miss Greatorex and the girls and I will go
+without you. Afterward, when the boys come, I&#8217;ll try to have a special
+meal served for you somewhere. If I can! Come, Molly, Dolly; and I&#8217;m
+glad that you, Miss Greatorex, have some sense.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So they departed and finding that Mrs. Stark was attracting the
+attention of the other guests upon the piazza, Aunt Lucretia persuaded
+her to cross the street to the pavilion that stood upon the bluff above
+the water and that was now deserted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;From there we can see the boat as soon as it approaches, dear Mrs.
+Stark, and I feel sure you&#8217;ve no cause for such anxiety. Doubtless the
+boys have been fishing and have not realized how long. It is still
+bright daylight yonder and these are glorious moonlight nights. Even if
+they stayed out till bedtime they could see all right enough.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Stark followed the advice to seek the pavilion; yet simply because
+it brought her that much nearer her lost darling. But when a tray of
+supper was sent out to the two ladies there she refused to touch it and
+her grief spoiled her companion&#8217;s appetite as well.</p>
+
+<p>After a little time Miss Greatorex and the girls retired to their rooms,
+at the Judge&#8217;s advice. He too had at last become infected with the
+anxious mother&#8217;s forebodings and felt that there was no need for Molly
+and Dolly to be also frightened. Then he joined the watchers in the
+pavilion, where the other guests refrained from disturbing them,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span>although it was a favorite resort on pleasant evenings.</p>
+
+<p>Many a boat came back to the various small piers extending from the
+shore into the water, here and there, but none was the little &#8220;Digby
+Chicken.&#8221; Her owner took his place at the end of the pier and sat down
+to wait. Of all his boats she was the newest and prettiest. She had
+sailed out into the sunlight glistening with white paint, her new sail
+white and unstained, and on her shining hull a decoration of herring
+surrounding her red-lettered name. It had been the builder&#8217;s conceit to
+omit the name, the string of painted fish answering for it to all but
+&#8220;foreigners;&#8221; but as it had been built for the use of these &#8220;foreigners&#8221;
+or &#8220;tourists&#8221; the printed words had finally been added.</p>
+
+<p>Minutes passed. Quarter-hours; an hour; two of them; even three. There
+was no longer any moonlight. The distant cliffs and headlands became
+invisible. One could only guess where the Gap strove to close the
+entrance to an outer world. The hotel verandah became more and more
+deserted, and one by one the lights in the upper windows shone out for a
+time, then disappeared. Gradually all lights vanished save those in the
+lobby and a faint glimmer from a corridor above.</p>
+
+<p>Though wraps has been early sent out to the anxious watchers in the
+pavilion, now heavy steamer rugs were brought, to keep out that
+penetrating chill. The Judge had on his heaviest overcoat and yet
+shivered, himself covering his long legs with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>a thick blanket. He had
+made several efforts to induce Mrs. Stark to go indoors but all had
+failed.</p>
+
+<p>The fog that was slowly rising when the boat-owner took his station on
+the little quay below had crept nearer and nearer into shore, and finally
+enveloped everything and hidden it. So dense it was that from his bench
+on one side the circular pavilion the Judge could barely make out the
+white pillars on its opposite side. A lamp had been lighted in the roof
+but against this Mrs. Stark had vehemently protested, because it made
+that wall of white mist seem closer and more impenetrable, and without
+it she fancied that her eye could still pierce the distance, still
+discover any incoming craft.</p>
+
+<p>About midnight the wind rose and the fog began to thin and scatter. The
+boatman on the pier had long ago left it, forced off by the rising tide,
+and now sat floating in one of the row-boats fastened there. He had put
+on his oilskins and set his oars in readiness for the first sign of
+distress on the face of the waters; but he had about given up hope of
+his pretty &#8220;Digby Chicken.&#8221; That a couple of touring lads, even though
+one had protested that he was a good sailor, that these should come
+safely through a night like this seemed unlikely; but now that the wind
+was rising and the fog lifting, he drew his boat close under the pole at
+the pier&#8217;s end and lighted the lantern which swung there. There was now
+a chance that its gleam might be seen from beyond and there had been
+none before.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>Then another time of waiting, which ended with the boatman pulling out
+from shore. The watchers above had heard nothing, had not even seen him
+leave, although the lantern had faintly shown him riding upon the wave,
+moored to the pier by a rope.</p>
+
+<p>But now, rubbing her strained eyes to clear their vision Mrs. Stark
+broke the long silence with a cry:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The man! He isn&#8217;t there? He&#8217;s gone&mdash;to meet them!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She was as sure of this now as she had been before that her son was
+drowned, and Mrs. Hungerford slipped an arm about her waist in pity. She
+dared not think what the result would be of a fresh disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>However, their long vigil was really ended. The trained ear of the
+boatman had caught a faint halloo from somewhere on the water and had
+rowed toward the sound with all his strength and speed. At intervals he
+had paused to answer and to listen&mdash;and the now swiftly dispersing fog
+enabled him also to see&mdash;and finally to utter a little malediction under
+his breath. It scarcely needed the glass he raised to show him the
+&#8220;Digby Chicken&#8221; riding quietly on the water not more than half a league
+off shore. Her sail was furled, she looked taut and trim, and he could
+discern a figure at her prow which raised its arms and again hallooed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All&#8217;s well that ends well.&#8221; But it might not have been so well. The
+full story of that night&#8217;s work did not transpire at once. All that Mrs.
+Stark <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>knew was that she had her son once more within her close embrace;
+that he had been helped, even carried, up the narrow pier and placed
+dripping within her arms. She ascribed his soaked condition to the fact
+of the fog and not to the truth; and it was not until daylight came that
+he told her that. Then lying warm in his bed, with her hovering over him
+in a flutter of delight and reproof, he announced:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I tell you, Mamma, the only folks that amount to anything in this world
+are the poor ones!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very likely, love, very likely. Only don&#8217;t distress yourself any more.
+I can&#8217;t forgive that wretched little bugling boy for taking you out in
+that horrible boat and nearly killing you. You&#8217;re very apt to have
+pneumonia or something&mdash;Don&#8217;t you feel pretty ill now?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mamma, <i>you can&#8217;t forgive him?</i> What do you mean? Didn&#8217;t anybody tell?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell what, lovey. I certainly didn&#8217;t stop to ask questions. All I cared
+for was to get you into bed and a warm breakfast or supper or whatever
+it is sent up.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then you don&#8217;t know that but for Melvin Cook I should be lying at the
+bottom of the Basin now, instead of in this bed?&#8221; demanded Monty,
+raising himself on his elbow.</p>
+
+<p>The pallor that overspread his mother&#8217;s face was answer enough, and he
+blamed himself for the question. Even without knowing the worst truth
+she had evidently worried herself ill. But the mischief <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span>was done and
+when she asked: &#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; he thought it best to tell. Moreover
+he was anxious that she should know of Melvin&#8217;s bravery at once. So he
+answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I made a fool of myself. He had tackle and we fished along, just
+for nothing hardly, and I got cocky and jiggled the boat. Then when he
+said I&#8217;d better not but ought to lend a hand in working her and &#8216;learn
+sense,&#8217; I&mdash;Well, I don&#8217;t remember exactly what happened after that; only
+I got up on the gunwale, or edge of the &#8216;Chicken&#8217; and the next I knew I
+was in the water. It all came over me in a flash that I couldn&#8217;t swim
+and would drown and I shut my eyes and tried to say a prayer. But I
+couldn&#8217;t think, and then I felt something grab me. It was that Melvin.
+He&#8217;d tossed off his jacket and dove for me and was dragging me to the
+surface and the boat. I tried to get hold of him tighter but he kicked
+me off and said if I did that we&#8217;d both go down. I thought we would,
+anyhow, so I did let go and then he got me to the boat, yanking me by
+the collar and&mdash;that was all for a good while. I&mdash;I was pretty sick I
+guess. I&#8217;d swallowed so much salt water and all. He and Tommy rubbed me
+and jounced me around and paid no attention to the boat, that kept
+drifting further out all the time.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t remember much else. I lay on the bottom of the thing and the
+boys put their coats over me to stop my shivering. Melvin said afterward
+that I shivered from fear and shock more than from <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>dripping, too, but
+he couldn&#8217;t stop for that. He had to try to get back to shore and the
+fog was rising.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tommy told me a good deal, later on when I felt better. He said the fog
+got so thick Melvin was afraid to try and sail lest we should bump into
+some other craft. So we lay still till&mdash;I guess you know the rest. Now I
+want to hear, has anybody coddled either of those boys&mdash;heroes, both of
+&#8217;em&mdash;as you&#8217;ve coddled me? If they haven&#8217;t been treated right I&#8217;ll make
+it lively for somebody. Anyhow, I want to get up and dress. I&#8217;m ashamed
+of myself. When I see how other boys act I think I&#8217;ve been&mdash;Well, I
+won&#8217;t call your lovey-dovey hard names! But you hear me say: I&#8217;ll be a
+man after this or&mdash;or know the reason why!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It certainly was a long speech for a sick boy as Mrs. Stark persisted in
+considering him; and it left her shaken and most undecided on various
+points. Upon one, however, she was fully set; she would cut this Nova
+Scotia trip short at once. She would telegraph her husband in Boston and
+follow her telegram, bag and baggage, by that afternoon&#8217;s train. With
+this resolve in mind she left the room; merely bidding her son &#8220;lie
+still till I come back.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then she descended to the hotel office and called for a telegraph blank.</p>
+
+<p>This was courteously provided; also pen and ink with which to inscribe
+it, which she promptly did, then the following dialogue:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please send this message at once, clerk.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span>&#8220;Sorry, Madam, but I can&#8217;t do it. Not to-day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why not?&#8221; haughtily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Office is closed. No despatches sent on Sunday. Can do it about seven
+<span class="smcap">a. m.</span> Monday.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You mean to tell me that ridiculous stuff? Where is the office? If this
+second-rate hotel can&#8217;t accommodate its patrons I&#8217;ll take it myself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The office is at the railway station, Madam. You will find it closed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Indeed? Well, when does the first train start for Yarmouth and a
+steamer for the States, either Boston or New York?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;At ten o&#8217;clock Monday morning. Upon arrival at Yarmouth meets steamers
+for both ports, Madam.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;None, to-day?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;None, Madam. It is a law of the Province. From Saturday night to Monday
+morning all traffic is suspended.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Stark did not continue the dialogue. She couldn&#8217;t. She was too
+astonished and too indignant. That she, Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, wife of the
+great banker of that name, should not be able to control a matter of
+this sort was simply incredible. With her head very high she left the
+desk and sought the Judge in his quiet corner of the piazza, where he
+sat, newspaper over face, trying to catch &#8220;forty winks&#8221; after his night
+of scant sleep.</p>
+
+<p>He suppressed a yawn as he rose at the lady&#8217;s call.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Judge Breckenridge, a moment, if you please. Sorry to disturb you but
+it&#8217;s most important. I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>want to send a telegram and that ridiculous
+clerk says I can&#8217;t do it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Quite right. I&#8217;d like to myself and can&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He placed a chair for her and she thoroughly aired her grievance. He
+sympathized but declared himself powerless to help her. She remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is simply outrageous. A trap to keep visitors here whether or no. My
+husband will make it his business to alter the whole thing. I must go
+and take Monty away from here. I am in fear for his life. I shan&#8217;t rest
+till I see him safe back in his father&#8217;s arms.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge listened courteously, but said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We tourists have no business to find fault with the laws the
+Provincials make for themselves. We&#8217;d resent their interference in the
+States. As for taking your son away, just because of a little accident
+which ended all right, aren&#8217;t you making a mistake? In any case, since
+you cannot get away till to-morrow, anyway, wouldn&#8217;t it be wise for you
+to rest now and recuperate from your night of anxiety? Unless you will
+join us in church-going. Lucretia never lets me off that duty, even if I
+were inclined, but I&#8217;m not. Like herself I always enjoy service in
+strange churches. We would be most happy to have you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, but I couldn&#8217;t. Not to-day. I&#8217;m too upset and weary. I
+couldn&#8217;t leave my darling boy, either, after he&#8217;s just been rescued from
+a&mdash;a watery grave. He&#8217;s just told me that he fell, or was pushed
+overboard, and that the bugling boy was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>scared and helped him out. Oh!
+it makes me cold all over just to think of it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge was no longer sleepy. His tone was sharp and judicial as he
+asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is that the version Montmorency gave of the affair?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then when she hesitated to answer, he added:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Because I have heard quite a different one. I wormed it out of little
+Tommy, whom Melvin had threatened with punishment if he betrayed the
+really heroic part the &#8216;bugling boy&#8217; played in the case. Doubly brave
+because, though he has tried his best to overcome it, Melvin has a
+horror of the sea. His father was drowned and if he followed his
+inclination the orphaned lad would never leave dry ground. But his race
+is a sea-faring one, and he knows that it may only be by following the
+profession of his forebears that he can ever earn a living for himself
+and his mother&mdash;though I should have put her first, as she certainly is
+in her son&#8217;s thoughts. When Montmorency fooled and fell overboard&mdash;by no
+means was pushed&mdash;Melvin conquered his own horror and plunged after him.
+If he hadn&#8217;t&mdash;Well, we shouldn&#8217;t be talking so calmly together now, you
+and I.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Poor Mrs. Stark! She was torn and tossed by more emotions than had ever
+been hers during her easy life, and each emotion was at variance with
+another. She dropped into a chair to collect herself; and at the end of
+a few moments remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If that is the case I will do something for the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>boy. Whatever amount
+of money you think suitable, I will give you a check for.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He wanted to retort sharply, but he didn&#8217;t. He forced himself to say
+quite gently:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No payment, Mrs. Stark, would prove acceptable. In his victory over
+himself and his own cowardice Melvin has grown richer than any dollars
+could make him. If you will pardon my advice, don&#8217;t offer him anything
+save kindness and don&#8217;t make that too conspicuous. A shy boy needs
+careful handling.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He bowed as she now rose and went her way, a very thoughtful woman. But
+her heart rejoiced beyond expression that no matter what the details of
+the night&#8217;s episode had been, her best-loved object in this world was
+safe and sound. She would go to him and basking in the sunshine of his
+beloved presence content herself as best she could, until tomorrow&#8217;s
+trains should bear them both away.</p>
+
+<p>Alas! When she came to the room where she had left him she found no
+chance to &#8220;bask.&#8221; Her &#8220;sunshine&#8221; had again disappeared.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>IN EVANGELINE LAND</h3>
+
+<p>The obliging operator at the telegraph office was almost at her wits&#8217;
+end. She had never been besieged so early in the morning and required to
+send so many lengthy messages, nor have them come crowding one another
+so confusingly. The strange part of it all was that although they were
+intended for one person, a Mr. Ebenezer Stark of Boston, there were
+three persons telegraphing him.</p>
+
+<p>One was a stout lady of exceedingly fashionable appearance and most
+peremptory manner. As seemed fitting the first reply of Mr. Ebenezer
+Stark was for her, and assured her that he would meet her at the wharf,
+with a carriage, upon the arrival of the first steamer out from
+Yarmouth. It also informed her that he had already sent her word by
+post&mdash;that letter could follow her home&mdash;of the dangerous illness of her
+mother and that she should make all possible haste. Thus far her message
+suited him exactly. He made no mention of their son nor did she. It went
+without saying that Monty would accompany his mother upon her return
+trip.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>Judge Breckenridge was also an early riser. He had met Monty hurrying
+down the back street toward the little railway station and the office in
+its corner, and had greeted him with gay surprise:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Heigho, lad! Whither so fast and so early?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Trying to get ahead of Mamma.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Montmorency!&#8221; cried the gentleman, with an assumed sternness yet a
+twinkle in his eye.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fact. She&#8217;s on the road somewhere, but she had to wait for them to
+hitch up a rig first. Thinks she can&#8217;t walk these few blocks alone, I
+suppose, and didn&#8217;t suspect I could have escorted her. But &#8216;Lovey&#8217;
+didn&#8217;t tell her his plans till he knows if he can carry them out. But
+I&#8217;m glad to see you. I didn&#8217;t want to do anything sort of underhand with
+you, you know. Say, Judge, does your invitation to go camping still hold
+good? After my looking such a muff and acting it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Certainly. If your parents permit, I shall be glad to have you. I think
+that a few weeks&#8217; association with men like my friends would give you a
+new idea of true manliness; and I can promise you to hear more good
+stories from the &#8216;Boys&#8217; than you ever heard in your life.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, sir. I&#8217;m going to wire Papa to let me stay. What he says
+goes, even with Mamma. He lets her have her way about my school, and
+clothes and all that stuff, but he hasn&#8217;t ever quite let go of me
+himself. If it hadn&#8217;t been for Papa I&#8217;d be a bigger muff than I am now.
+Only he&#8217;s so awfully absorbed in business that he never takes a
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>vacation himself or does anything except pile up the cash and shove it
+out for Mamma to spend. Beg pardon, I&#8217;ve no business to tell you, or
+bother you, with our affairs. I only wanted to know in case he says
+&#8216;Yes.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were almost at the end of their short walk and the Judge&#8217;s face
+lightened with a whimsical expression, as he answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Monty lad, muffs are mighty handy sometimes. I heard Lucretia say
+they wore them large last winter! If I take a muff into camp I shall
+expect it to add to the general comfort of the party. Ready to warm the
+heart of anybody who happens to get lonely or out of sorts.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This muff will do its duty, sir. You&#8217;ll see; if&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He left his sentence unfinished and although his response was delayed
+till after Mrs. Stark&#8217;s had been received he did not complain of it, but
+smilingly handed it to the Judge to peruse.</p>
+
+<p>His outward telegram had been:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa, let me stay;&#8221; and the incoming one was: &#8220;All right. Stay.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He did not inform his mother why he was there at the office so early and
+she did not inquire. She attributed it to his filial affection and was
+accordingly touched by it. She petted him as usual, and carried him back
+to the hotel in her phaeton, while she thrilled with satisfaction at the
+knowledge she could at last get away from a benighted region where no
+Sunday trains were run.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span>The Judge&#8217;s messages were last, and the longest. His outgoing one gave
+Mr. Ebenezer Stark a sketchy outline of his vacation plans, announced
+the gentlemen who would share it with him, and added a formal invitation
+for Montmorency to be of the party, if agreeable to the lad&#8217;s friends.
+Mr. Stark&#8217;s reply was heartily grateful, expressed his appreciation of
+the Judge&#8217;s courtesy and good nature in &#8220;loading himself with a boy of
+the calf age. A calf of good enough pedigree, but needed turning out to
+pasture away from the mother,&#8221; and a little more to that nature.</p>
+
+<p>The rub came when trunks were being packed and Montmorency announced
+that his &#8220;things&#8221; needn&#8217;t be put in; except the &#8220;dudish&#8221; ones which he
+wouldn&#8217;t want in a vacation camp.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Stark was so astonished that she was silent and during that
+interval her son talked and explained with a rapidity that left her no
+chance for reply. &#8220;Father says so,&#8221; was the final argument that clinched
+the matter; and she wisely refrained from further controversy,
+reflecting that &#8220;Father&#8221; might alter his opinion when she had met him
+and reported the true state of things. Then he would, of course,
+promptly recall his son and heir from a region so fraught with dangers
+and temptations as this Province.</p>
+
+<p>Therefore, the parting was effected with less friction than Monty had
+anticipated, and he watched the train that bore his too-solicitous
+mother out of sight with a delight that, for the present, knew no
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>regret. He was fully in earnest to &#8220;make a man&#8221; of himself, and felt
+that he would be better able to succeed if freed from the indulgence
+which had surrounded him from his cradle.</p>
+
+<p>After allowing himself the relief of one &#8220;pigeon-wing&#8221; on the
+station-platform, he sprang up to the steps at the rear of the hotel
+stage which had brought departing guests to the train and hugged Tommy,
+perched there, till the little fellow squealed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good enough, Tommy boy! I&#8217;m to rough it now to my heart&#8217;s content. Ever
+been hunting or fishing in the woods, younker?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yep. Go most every year&mdash;that is, I&#8217;ve been once&mdash;with the Boss. He&#8217;s
+the best hunter anywhere&#8217;s around. It was him got all those moose and
+caribou heads that are in the lobby. Oh! you bet it&#8217;s cracky! I&#8217;m going
+this fall if&mdash;if I&#8217;m let, and my mother don&#8217;t make me go to school.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mothers&mdash;Well, mothers have a bad way of spoiling a fellow&#8217;s fun, eh,
+lad? But after all, they&#8217;re a pretty good arrangement. I hope my
+mother&#8217;ll have a good trip over to Boston; and see? Look there?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With that he pulled from his pocket a handful of silver, explaining that
+when she traveled Mrs. Stark always provided herself with a large
+quantity of &#8220;change&#8221; expressly for &#8220;tips,&#8221; and that she had generously
+handed the amount on to her son, since she was simply &#8220;going home&#8221; and
+wouldn&#8217;t need it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;More in my suit-case, too, Tommy. But&mdash;I&#8217;m <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span>going to give it all away
+the minute I get back to the hotel.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Tommy&#8217;s eyes almost bulged from his head, as he ejaculated in intense
+amazement:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You <i>never!</i>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fact. I&#8217;m going to begin right now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Tommy nearly fell off the step. There in his own small hand lay the
+greater part of what had been in Montmorency&#8217;s, but he couldn&#8217;t believe
+in his own good fortune. Despite the tips he received at the hotel&mdash;they
+were neither many nor generous&mdash;master Thomas Ransom was a very poor
+little fellow. He held his position at the inn by the fact that he was
+willing to work &#8220;for his board&#8221; and whatever the guests might chance to
+bestow upon him. The landlord had the name of a &#8220;skin-flint,&#8221; whether
+justly or not the boarders didn&#8217;t know.</p>
+
+<p>It was to his interest, however, to serve <i>them</i> well and he did it; but
+it was rumored that the &#8220;help&#8221; fared upon the leavings of the guests&#8217;
+plates, and in that atmosphere of healthy appetites such leavings were
+scant. Anyway, Tommy was always hungry, and the fact showed in his
+pinched, eager little face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re foolin&#8217;. Here &#8217;tis back;&#8221; he finally gasped, extending his hand
+toward Monty with a pitiful attempt at a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fooling? Not one bit. You put that where it&#8217;s safe, and the first
+chance you get run into the village to some restaurant and get yourself
+a good <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>square meal. Then go to the circus, if you want. I see by the
+placards that one is coming.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! Pshaw! I don&#8217;t know what to say. But, if you do mean it, I ain&#8217;t
+going to no restaurant. I&#8217;m going home to my mother the first leave off
+I get and give it to her. She can&#8217;t make her rent hardly, sewing, and
+she&#8217;ll cook a dinner for me to the queen&#8217;s taste! Wish you&#8217;d come and
+eat it with us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wish I could,&#8221; answered Monty, with a warm glow in his heart. He hadn&#8217;t
+often had such a look of rapturous gratitude turned upon him and it gave
+him a most delightful sensation. &#8220;But you see we&#8217;re off by the afternoon
+train. Going to hurry along now till we get into camp. See you later,
+maybe.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then they were at the hotel entrance and master Tommy made haste to
+bestow his treasure in the safest place he knew until his brief hour of
+recreation should arrive and he could take it home. But how he worked
+that day! Even the keen-eyed proprietor could find no manner of fault
+with the nimble little fellow, who answered bells like a flash, so
+smilingly trotted about with pitchers of ice-water, and so regretfully
+watched the departure of the Breckenridge party from the house. And in
+justice to him be it said this regret was after all and most sincerely
+for the courteous treatment all of them had given him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Some folks&mdash;<i>some</i> folks think a bell-boy hain&#8217;t no feelings, but I
+might ha&#8217; been&mdash;Why, I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>might ha&#8217; been <i>them</i>, their own folks, so nice
+they all were to me;&#8221; thought the lad, watching the afternoon train
+bearing them all away, and secretly wiping the tears from his eyes.
+However, even for him, deserted as his childish heart felt then, there
+was comfort. The circus was coming to-morrow! It would be his day off
+and he had the money to pay for his ticket and one for Ma!</p>
+
+<p>The train was nearing Wolfville where the travelers were to leave it for
+a brief visit to &#8220;Evangeline land&#8221; before proceeding to Halifax whence
+the campers would set out. Aunt Lucretia had checked off the various
+stations from her time-table and now announced:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Better get your things together, everybody. Next stop will be ours.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then Montmorency Vavasour-Stark got his courage to the sticking point
+and went forward to where the Judge stood looking through the car door
+at the landscape whirling by.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Judge Breckenridge will you do me a favor? Another one, I mean, for
+you&#8217;ve done a lot already.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Certainly, if it&#8217;s within my power.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is, easy enough. I want you to take this and keep it for me. I want
+to actually give it away, or put it beyond my reach. I&#8217;ve been thinking
+it&#8217;s the boys without money that amount to something. I want to make
+myself poor and see if I&#8217;m worth &#8216;shucks&#8217; aside from my father&#8217;s cash.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He held out a fat pocketbook but, for a moment, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>the Judge did not
+appear to see it. He looked the lad critically over, his keen, but
+kindly eyes interested and yet doubtful. Then he said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t like whimsies. A person who makes a resolution and doesn&#8217;t keep
+it weakens rather than strengthens his character. Have you the slightest
+idea what it means to be &#8216;poor,&#8217; or even like Melvin back yonder, who
+has but a very small wage to use for his own?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t suppose I have. But I&#8217;d like to try it during all the time I&#8217;m
+over here in the Province. What I mean is that you should pay all my
+necessary expenses just as you pay for the others; and beyond that I
+don&#8217;t want a cent.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Melvin will earn a little for his work in camp. He is to cook and do
+whatever is needed. There will be an Indian guide with us, and he, of
+course, will have his regular price per day, or week. Beyond these two
+helpers we &#8216;Boys&#8217; will do everything else ourselves. It is our custom. I
+can&#8217;t hire you and pay you, as an extra. If that were done it would have
+to be by some other of the party and it&#8217;s not likely.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman&#8217;s tone was more grave than the lad felt was necessary, but
+it made him reflect a little deeper himself. At last he again offered
+the purse, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I mean it. It&#8217;s my chance. The first one I ever had to see if I can
+deny myself anything. Please try me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very well, lad, and I congratulate you on the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>pluck that makes the
+effort. However&mdash;your last chance! Once made, once this pocketbook
+passes into my care it becomes mine for the rest of our stay together.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, sir. That&#8217;s exactly what I want.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do you know how much is in it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To a cent. And it&#8217;s a great deal too much for a good-for-nothing like
+me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t say that, Montmorency. I wouldn&#8217;t take a &#8216;good-for-nothing&#8217;
+under my care for so long a time. You forget I already have a &#8216;muff&#8217;
+on hand. I congratulate myself, this time, on having secured a
+&#8216;good-for-something.&#8217; Ah! here we are!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Judge took the purse and coolly slipped it into his own pocket,
+merely adding:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will also count the contents and make a note of them as soon as I
+can. As your expenses have been paid by yourself until now we&#8217;ll begin
+our account from this moment. When we part company, soon or late, you
+shall have an itemized account of all that is used from your store.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then the conductor came through the car calling:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wolfville! All out for Wolfville!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Out&#8221; they were all, in a minute, and again the &#8220;Flying Bluenose&#8221; was
+speeding on toward the end of its route.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is the nearest, or best, point from which to make our excursion to
+Grand Pr&eacute; and old Acadia, which our beloved Longfellow made famous by
+his poem. You&#8217;ll find yourselves &#8216;Evangelined&#8217; on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>every hand while
+you&#8217;re here. Glad it&#8217;s so pleasant. We won&#8217;t have to waste time on
+account of the weather.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They found comfortable quarters for the night and longer if desired and
+were early to bed. The girls to dream of the hapless maid whose story
+thrilled their romantic souls; and Molly went to sleep with an abridged
+copy of the poem under her pillow.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the morning she and Dorothy took a brisk walk through the
+pretty village and peered into the shop windows where, indeed, the name
+&#8220;Evangeline&#8221; seemed tacked to most articles of commerce. So frequently
+was it displayed that when they met a meditative cow pacing along the
+dewy street Molly exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder if that&#8217;s Evangeline&#8217;s &#8216;dun white cow,&#8217; whatever &#8216;dun white&#8217;
+may be like. She looks ancient enough and&mdash;Oh! she&#8217;s coming right toward
+us!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Molly was afraid of cows and instinctively hid herself behind Dolly, who
+laughed and remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Poor old creature! She looks as if she might have lived in the days of
+the Acadians, she&#8217;s so thin and gaunt. Yet the whole street is
+grass-bordered if she chose to help herself. But isn&#8217;t this glorious?
+Can you hardly wait till we get to Grand Pr&eacute;? It&#8217;s only a few miles away
+and I&#8217;d almost rather walk than not.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll not be let to walk, mind that. My father has had enough of
+things happening to us youngsters. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span>I heard him tell Auntie Lu that none
+of us must be allowed out of sight of some of them, the grown-ups, till
+we were landed safe on that farm, and Auntie laughed. She said she
+agreed with him but she wasn&#8217;t so sure about even a farm being utterly
+safe from adventures. So we&#8217;ll all have to walk just niminy-piminy till
+then. We shouldn&#8217;t be here if Miss Greatorex hadn&#8217;t said she too wanted
+to &#8216;exercise.&#8217; Now, she&#8217;s beckoning to us and we must turn back. Come
+away from staring over into that garden! That hedge of sweet-peas is not
+for you, honey, badly as you covet it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, I&#8217;ll come. But I wish, I wish Father John could see them. I
+never saw any so big and free-blooming as they are in this beautiful
+Province.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the moisture and coolness of the air, Auntie Lu says. Now, Miss
+Greatorex, do make Dolly Doodles walk between us, else she&#8217;ll never tear
+herself away from the lovely gardens we pass.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But they were not late to breakfast, nevertheless. They had learned at
+last that nothing so annoyed the genial Judge as want of punctuality. He
+planned the hours of his day to a nicety and by keeping to his plans
+managed to get a great deal of enjoyment for everybody.</p>
+
+<p>Already carriages to take them on the drive to Grand Pr&eacute; and the old
+Acadian region had been ordered and were at the door when they had
+breakfasted and appeared on the piazza. The two girls were helped into
+the smaller open wagon where <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span>Melvin sat holding the reins and visibly
+proud of the confidence reposed in him, and on the front seat of this
+the Judge also took his place. The ladies with Monty and a driver
+occupied the comfortable surrey; and already other vehicles were
+entering the hotel grounds, engaged by other tourists for the same trip.</p>
+
+<p>Monty looked back with regret at the other young folks and longed to ask
+the Judge to exchange places; then laughed to himself as he remembered
+that it was no longer his place to ask favors&mdash;a penniless boy as he had
+become!</p>
+
+<p>That was a never-to-be-forgotten day for all the party. No untoward
+incident marked it, but so well-known is the story of that region that
+it needs no repetition here. Of course they visited the famous well
+whence &#8220;Evangeline&#8221; drew water for her herd, and almost the original
+herd might have fed in the meadow surrounding it, so peaceful were the
+cattle cropping the grass there. They saw the &#8220;old willows&#8221; and the
+ancient Covenanter church, wherein they all inscribed their names upon
+the pages of a great book kept for that special purpose.</p>
+
+<p>The church especially interested Dorothy, with its quaint old pulpit and
+sounding board, its high-backed pews and small-paned windows; and when
+she wandered into the old burying ground behind, with its
+periwinkle-covered graves, a strange sadness settled over her.</p>
+
+<p>The whole story had that tendency and the talk <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>of &#8220;unknown graves&#8221;
+roused afresh in her mind the old wonder:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where are my own parents&#8217; graves, if they are dead? Where are <i>they</i> if
+they are still alive?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With this in mind and in memory of these other unknown sleepers whose
+ancient head-stones had moved her so profoundly, she gathered from the
+confines of the field a bunch of that periwinkle, or myrtle which grew
+there so abundantly. Thrusting this into the front of her jacket she
+resolved to pack it nicely in wet moss and send it home to Alfaretta,
+with the request that she would plant it in the cottage garden. Then she
+rejoined the others at the gate and the ride was continued to another
+point of interest called &#8220;Evangeline Beach.&#8221; Why or wherefore, nobody
+explained; yet it was a pretty enough spot on the shore where a few
+guests of a near-by hotel were bathing and where they all stopped to
+rest their horses before the long ride home.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy was full of thoughts of home by then, and something in the color
+of the horse which had drawn her hither awoke tender memories of pretty
+Portia, now doubtless happily grazing on a dear mountain far away. With
+this sentiment in mind she stooped and plucked a handful of grass and
+held it under the nose of the pensive livery-nag.</p>
+
+<p>But alas, for sentiment! Not the few blades of sea-grass appealed to the
+creature who, while Dorothy&#8217;s head was turned, stretched forth its own
+and pulled the myrtle from the jacket and was contentedly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>munching it
+when its owner discovered its loss.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dolly Doodles, whatever are you doing?&#8221; cried Molly, running up.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s got&mdash;he&#8217;s got my &#8216;Evangeline&#8217; vines! I&#8217;m getting&mdash;what I can!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Molly shouted in her glee and the rest of the party drew near to also
+enjoy. They had all alighted to walk about a bit and stretch their
+limbs, and now watched in answering amusement the brief tussle between
+maid and mare. It ended with the latter&#8217;s securing the lion&#8217;s share of
+the goodly bunch; but myrtle vines are tough and Dorothy came off a
+partial victor with one spray in her hand. It had lost most of its
+leaves and otherwise suffered mischance, yet she was not wholly hopeless
+of saving that much alive; and in any case the incident had banished all
+morbid thoughts from her mind, and she was quite the merriest of all
+during that long drive homeward to the hotel.</p>
+
+<p>As they alighted Monty stepped gallantly forward and offered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When we get to Halifax I&#8217;ll buy you a slender vase and you can keep it
+in water till you go home yourself. Or I&#8217;ll send back to that graveyard
+and pay somebody to send you on a lot, after you get back to your own
+home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! thank you. That&#8217;s ever so kind, and I&#8217;ll be glad of the vase. But
+you needn&#8217;t send for any more vines. They wouldn&#8217;t be the same as this I
+gathered myself for darling Father John.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>&#8220;But you shall have them all the same. They&#8217;d be just as valuable to him
+if not to you and some of those boys that hung around the church would
+pack it for a little money. I&#8217;ll do it, sure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Will</i> you, Montmorency? <i>How?</i>&#8221; asked a voice beside him and the lad
+looked up into the face of the Judge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, sir, I won&#8217;t! I&#8217;ll have to take that offer back, Dorothy, take them
+both back,&#8221; and he flushed furiously at her surprised and questioning
+glance. It was the first test he had made of his &#8220;poverty&#8221; and he found
+it as uncomfortable as novel.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>SIGHT SEEING UNDER DIFFICULTIES</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;Halifax! End of the line!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The conductor&#8217;s announcement was followed by the usual haste and bustle
+among the passengers, the taking down of parcels from the racks
+overhead, and a general settling and straightening of travel-crushed
+garments.</p>
+
+<p>This little preparatory freshening over, the travelers stepped into the
+car aisles and followed the rush forward; passing out into by far the
+most pretentious station they had seen in the Province. Lines of hackmen
+were drawn up alongside the rail which bordered the paved descent to the
+railway level, and a policeman in uniform held back the too-solicitous
+drivers from the arriving strangers, who looked about them, mostly, in
+doubt which vehicle to select:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here you are for the Halifax!&#8221; &#8220;Right this way for the Queen! Queen,
+sir? Queen, madam? Finest hotel in&mdash;&#8221; &#8220;Prince Edward! Right on the
+bluff&mdash;overlooking&mdash;&#8221; &#8220;King&#8217;s Arms! Carriage for the King&#8217;s Arms?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To the rail and no further were these runners for their various
+employers permitted to go, yet even at <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>that few feet of safe distance
+their cries were so deafening and insistent that Dorothy clapped her
+hands to her ears and shut her eyes, lest she should grow too much
+confused.</p>
+
+<p>But there was no hesitation about the Judge. His hotel was a familiar
+one, their rooms engaged long before; and by a nod he summoned the &#8217;bus
+of that house, marshalled his party into it, handed the runner his
+baggage checks, and they rolled away through the streets of the oldest
+city in the Province.</p>
+
+<p>Just then it was gay with illimitable decorations of bunting and flags,
+in honor of the visit of the Viceroy of Canada and his consort, due upon
+the morrow.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Papa, did they know we were coming?&#8221; mischievously inquired Molly,
+as vista after vista of red and blue and white unrolled before her eager
+eyes. &#8220;I never saw anything like it! Even at our home Carnival there
+wasn&#8217;t anything to compare.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s Canada. We Yankees boast we go ahead of everything in the world
+no matter what line we chance to follow. Canada doesn&#8217;t boast, she
+simply goes ahead.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! how disloyal, Schuyler!&#8221; protested Aunt Lucretia, herself gazing
+with admiration at the buildings whose fronts were almost solidly
+covered with artistically arranged decorations. Of course the English
+and Canadian flags held first place, but at last their &#8217;bus stopped
+before a quaint old hotel whose balconies were draped with as many
+American as English banners.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>&#8220;Why, is this an American, I mean a United States hotel?&#8221; asked Auntie
+Lu; while Miss Greatorex&#8217;s face assumed a more agreeable expression than
+it had worn since they left the station. She had felt hitherto as if an
+alien nation had flaunted its colors in her own patriotic face; but her
+common sense now assured her that these people had a right to honor
+their rulers after their own fashion even if it could by no possibility
+be so good a fashion as reigned in her beloved States.</p>
+
+<p>The youngsters of the party felt nothing but delight; and as a squad of
+scarlet-coated soldiers came marching toward them on the other side of
+the street Monty tossed up his cap and cheered. Melvin did more, as was
+natural. They marched to the tune of &#8220;God Save the King,&#8221; and were on
+their way to Parliament House to give an evening concert; and as the
+&#8217;bus came abreast of the squad with its fine band and its national
+colors floating in front, the young Yarmouthian rose and bared his head,
+saluting the flag! Then he dropped back to his seat with a slight flush
+on his fair cheek, as he felt the eyes of the three strangers rest upon
+him curiously. Then cried Molly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That was funny! I forgot you weren&#8217;t a &#8216;Yankee&#8217; like ourselves, but you
+did right, you did just right. I wouldn&#8217;t have let Old Glory pass by
+without doing it my honor. But, do you know, Auntie Lu, I feel as if
+this were a foreign country and not part of our own America?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She was to feel it more and more, but to find a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>keen delight in all
+that was so new to her and so matter of fact to Melvin. Even the dishes
+served at table, were decidedly &#8220;English&#8221; in name and flavor, though
+there were plenty of other and more familiar ones upon the <i>menu</i>.</p>
+
+<p>After this supper which was more hearty than most dinners at home, they
+walked to the postoffice and found a heap of mail that had been
+forwarded along their route. As usual there were letters from the &#8220;Boys&#8221;
+and the Judge hailed with delight the news that they, as well as the
+Governor-General, would be among the morrow&#8217;s arrivals.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll stay till Sunday in Halifax, then start for camp on Monday, rain
+or shine, wind, fog, or sunshine;&#8221; wrote the correspondent who arranged
+matters from the other end of the line.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good enough, good enough! Then my vacation will actually begin!&#8221; cried
+the pleased man.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And pray, what do you call the days that have just passed, my brother?&#8221;
+demanded Auntie Lu, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear, I call that a &#8216;personally conducted tour,&#8217; a tour of great
+responsibility and many perils. After Monday, when I deposit you ladies
+and the youngsters at Farmer Grimm&#8217;s, I wash my hands of the whole of
+you for one long, delightful month!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The laugh with which he said this disarmed the words of any unkindness
+and was echoed by another laugh quite free from offense.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very well, then, Schuyler, until Monday we <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span>hold you to your
+&#8216;personally&#8217; conducting. You must take us everywhere, show us everything
+that is worth while. I want to go to the &#8216;Martello&#8217; tower; to the
+Citadel, the old churches, the parks, all over the harbor on all sorts
+and conditions of boats, to&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But the Judge held up his hand, protesting. Then asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Suppose it proves a foggy season? Fog is one of the things to be
+counted upon in all parts of this country, more especially here. One
+summer I was here three weeks and the sun didn&#8217;t shine once!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>However, Mrs. Hungerford was bent upon enjoying and making others enjoy
+this visit; and she laughingly assured him that they were all &#8220;fog
+proof.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Every one of us has overshoes, umbrella, and raincoat. We feminines I
+mean and &#8216;boys&#8217; aren&#8217;t supposed to mind any sort of weather. Am I not
+right, Melvin?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, Mrs. Hungerford, I fancy you are. We have so much wet weather
+we&#8217;re &#8217;most unprepared for sunshine, don&#8217;t you know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This was so long a remark for Melvin, and so thoroughly &#8220;English&#8221; with
+its &#8220;fancy&#8221; and &#8220;don&#8217;t you know,&#8221; that all laughed.</p>
+
+<p>But they waked in the morning to find the Judge&#8217;s fear of a fog
+justified. The whole city was a-drip. The decorations which had been so
+crisp and brilliant on the day before hung limp and already discolored;
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>and the scarlet and white bunting which had been so artistically
+wreathed about columns and cornices now clung tightly to them as if
+shivering in the wet.</p>
+
+<p>It was a disheartened populace, too, which one met upon the street; for
+the expense had been great in preparations for the Governor&#8217;s visit and
+the week of Carnival that had been planned seemed doomed to a series of
+disappointments.</p>
+
+<p>None the less Auntie Lu held her brother to his promise to escort them
+everywhere; and everywhere they went, though mostly in covered carriages
+or under dripping umbrellas. One morning when the sunshine came for a
+brief visit they hastened to the street before the Provincial building
+to hear the most famous band in all the Canadas give its open air
+concert. Other people besides themselves had flocked thither at the
+first ray from the sun and now crowded the pavements surrounding the
+iron-fenced grounds. Everybody waxed enthusiastic and hopeful
+till&mdash;suddenly a drop fell on the tip of the band leader&#8217;s nose. He cast
+one glance skyward but continued to wield his baton with great flourish
+and skill. Another drop; many; and the summer crowd swiftly dispersed.
+Not so our sightseers from the States. But let Dorothy tell the tale in
+her own words and in the journal-letter she faithfully tried to keep for
+Father John:</p>
+
+<p>
+&#8220;Dear Father:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Since we&#8217;ve been here in Halifax I haven&#8217;t had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>a chance to write
+as regular as I ought. You see we come home so tired and wet every
+time that&mdash;Well, I just can&#8217;t really write.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We went to an open air concert in the heart of the city. The band
+was, were&mdash;which is right? Anyhow the men all had on their Sunday
+uniforms, the most beautiful red and brass and buttons, and their
+instruments shone like anything. It rained, still they didn&#8217;t even
+wink, except the head of them. He was brillianter dressed than any
+of them and he didn&#8217;t like the rain. You could see that plain as
+plain. They all had little stands before them with their music on
+and the music got wet and splattery, but they didn&#8217;t stop. They
+just tossed one piece of music down and began another, after they&#8217;d
+waited a little bit of while, to get their breath, I reckon. By and
+by all the people, nearly, had gone away from the sidewalk yet the
+band played right along.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then I heard somebody laugh. It was the Judge. He was laughing at
+Auntie Lu; he always is and she at him. When she asked him &#8216;why,&#8217;
+he said: &#8216;I was thinking this was a match game between British and
+Yankee pluck. It&#8217;s the Britisher&#8217;s &#8216;duty&#8217; to play to the end of his
+program and he&#8217;ll do it if he&#8217;s melted into a little heap when he&#8217;s
+finished. It seems to be Yankee pluck, or duty, to stand out here
+in this melancholy drizzle and hold on as long as he does.&#8217;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8216;Of course,&#8217; said Mrs. Hungerford, &#8216;it would be mean of us to
+desert the poor chaps and leave them without a listener at all.&#8217;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>&#8220;Then he said: &#8216;Let&#8217;s go indoors and sit in the &#8217;seats of the
+mighty.&#8217;&#8217;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She didn&#8217;t know what he meant but he soon showed her. The Province
+Building where their sort of Congress meets was all open wide and
+they weren&#8217;t having any session, it not being session time. So we
+went in and sat around in leather covered chairs, only Molly and I
+and the boys climbed up on the window seats and sat there. We could
+hear beautiful and we got quite dry. Only it isn&#8217;t any use getting
+dry, daytimes, &#8217;cause you&#8217;re always going right out and getting wet
+again.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sunday was the wettest yet. It didn&#8217;t look so and Auntie Lu let us
+girls put on white dresses, but she made us take our raincoats and
+umbrellas and rubbers just the same. We went to the soldiers&#8217;
+church out of doors, &#8217;cause they&#8217;d thought it was clearing off.
+There were benches fixed in rows like seats in church, and there
+was a kind of pulpit all covered by a great English flag. Other
+benches were up at one side. They were for the band. By and by a
+bugle blew and they came marching, marching over the grass from the
+big barracks beyond. The field sloped right down the side of a
+great hill and at the foot, seemed so close one could almost touch
+it but you couldn&#8217;t for there were streets between, was the harbor
+of water.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It was an English church service and the minister prayed for all
+the royal family one by one. The soldier-band played the chants and
+hymns and they and anybody wanted sang them. After a little <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>while
+it rained again and we put on our coats and didn&#8217;t dare to raise
+our umbrellas, &#8217;cause we were in church you know.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It seemed pretty long but I loved it. I loved the red soldiers and
+the beautiful place and all. Auntie Lu said it was a good sermon
+and that the preacher considerately cut it pretty short. But it
+wasn&#8217;t so short but that we got our hats dreadfully wet and Auntie
+Lu had to buy herself a new one before we came away last Monday
+morning. In the evening we went to St. Paul&#8217;s, which is the oldest
+church in this oldest city of Markland, as some call Nova Scotia.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now we have ridden a good many miles in wagons to this great old
+farmhouse right on the edge of the woods. Miles and miles of woods,
+seems if. There are lakes in them and rivers and game of every
+sort, seems if, to hear them tell. Judge Breckenridge&#8217;s friends are
+here, too, and the Indian guide. He calls them &#8216;the Boys,&#8217; and they
+do act like boys just after school&#8217;s let out. They laugh and joke
+and carry on till Molly and I just stare.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Judge has hired a river to fish in. Isn&#8217;t that funny? To pay for a
+place to fish, and the Farmer Grimm we&#8217;re to live with is going to
+haul all their camp things out there to-morrow morning before
+sun-up. Monty and Melvin are to go, too, and I expect we women
+folks&#8217;ll feel pretty lonesome.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One lovely thing the Judge did for me. He hired a violin for me to
+practice on here. He said <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span>he thought it would pass the time for
+all of us. There&#8217;s a piano, too, already in the house, and Molly
+can play real nice on that. Her Auntie Lu plays mag-nifi-cently. I
+wrote that out in syllables so as to get it right and to make it
+more&mdash;more impressiver. I&#8217;m dreadful tired and have been finishing
+this letter sitting on the floor beside a great big fire on the
+hearth. It isn&#8217;t a bit too warm, either, even though the sun has
+shone again to-day.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good night. Your sleepy Dorothy, but always loving you the best of
+all the world.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;P. S.&mdash;The funniest thing happened after supper. Two the funniest
+ones. The bashful-bugler, that&#8217;s Melvin, slipped something into my
+hand and said: &#8216;That&#8217;s to remember me by, a keepsake, if anything
+should happen to me out in the woods. I bought it for you that day
+in Digby.&#8217; When I opened the little box there was one those
+weeny-wiggley sort of silver fishes, they call the &#8216;Digby
+chickens,&#8217; that I&#8217;d wanted to take home to Alfy. But I shan&#8217;t take
+her this; I shall keep it. &#8217;Cause Molly wants one, too, and when we
+get our next month&#8217;s allowance, <i>if</i> we get it, we can write and
+buy some by mail.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The other funny thing was one of those grown up &#8216;boys.&#8217; He asked
+me to play for him and had me stand right near him. When I got
+through he looked over at the Judge and nodded his head. Two, three
+times he nodded it and then he said, just like this he said it: &#8216;It
+is the most remarkable likeness I ever saw. You&#8217;re on the right
+track <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>Schuy, I&#8217;m sure of it!&#8217; And the Judge cried real pleased,
+&#8216;Hurray!&#8217;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They two were little boys together, down in the south where they
+lived and they know Mrs. Cecil Calvert real well. And the other
+&#8216;boy&#8217; said: &#8216;Aunt Betty&#8217;d ought to be spanked&mdash;same as she&#8217;s
+spanked me a heap of times.&#8217;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder if it was I &#8216;resembled&#8217; anybody and who! I wonder why any
+gentleman should say such a dreadful impolite thing about that dear
+old lady! I wonder,&mdash;Oh, Father John! Your little girl so often
+wonders many, many things! Good night at last. Molly calls real
+cross and I must go.</p>
+
+<p class="right">&#8220;<span class="smcap">Dolly</span>.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy&#8217;s letters to Mother Martha were equally descriptive though not
+so long. One ran thus:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dearest Mother Martha:&mdash;<br /></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You ought to see this farm where we&#8217;re living now. It&#8217;s so big and
+has so many cattle and men working, and orchards and potato-fields.
+They call the potatoes &#8216;Bluenoses&#8217; just as they call the Nova
+Scotia folks. The house is part stone and part wood. The stone part
+was built ever and ever so long ago; strong so the man who built it
+could protect himself against the Indians. The man was English, and
+he was a Grimm; an ancestor of this Mr. Grimm we board with. The
+Indians were Micmacs and friends of the French. Seems if they were
+all fighting all together all the time, which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>should own the land.
+Mrs. Grimm says there have been a good many generations live here
+though all are gone now except her husband and herself. They are
+more than seventy years, both of them, but they don&#8217;t act one bit
+old. She cooks and tends to things though she has two, three maids
+to help her. He rides horseback all over his farm and jumps off his
+horse and works with the men. Sometimes he drives the ox-carts with
+the hay and lets us ride.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I did want you that last Saturday in Halifax. The day your letter
+came to me with the one dollar in it. I expect you wanted I should
+buy something to bring you with it but I didn&#8217;t. Listen. It was
+what they called a &#8216;green market&#8217; morning. Rained of course, or was
+terrible foggy between showers. The market is just a lot of Indians
+and negroes, and a few white people sitting round on the edge of
+the sidewalk all around a big building. The Judge told me many of
+them had come from across the harbor, miles beyond it, so far that
+they&#8217;d had to walk half the night to bring their stuff to market.
+Think of that! And such funny stuff it was. Green peas shelled in
+little measures, ready to cook. (I wish they&#8217;d have them that way
+in our own Lexington market at home!) Wild strawberries&mdash;I didn&#8217;t
+see any other kind, no big ones like we have in Baltimore or at
+home. The berries were hulled and put into little home-made
+birch-bark baskets that the Indian women make themselves, just
+pinned together at the end <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span>with a thorn or stick. Auntie Lu bought
+some for us but Miss Greatorex wouldn&#8217;t let me eat the berries,
+though I was just suffering to! She said after they&#8217;d been handled
+by those dirty Indian fingers she knew they were full of microbes
+or things and she didn&#8217;t dare. Oh! dear! I wish she didn&#8217;t feel so
+terrible responsible for my health, &#8217;cause it spoils a lot of my
+good times. The boys weren&#8217;t afraid of microbes and they ate the
+berries but I have the basket. It will be all I have to bring you
+from Halifax; because one of those Indian women had her baby with
+her and she looked so poor&mdash;I just couldn&#8217;t help giving that dollar
+right to her. I couldn&#8217;t really help it. She wanted me to take
+baskets in pay for it, but I knew that wouldn&#8217;t be <i>giving</i>. You
+won&#8217;t mind, will you, dearest Mother Martha? if the only thing I
+bring you from that city is a poor Indian woman&#8217;s blessing? You
+always give to the poor yourself, so I wasn&#8217;t afraid you&#8217;d scold.
+There are just two things that I&#8217;d like different here, on this
+lovely vacation. One is if only you and father were here, too!
+Every new and nice thing I see, or good time I have, I do so want
+them for you both also. The other is&mdash;I wish, I wish I knew who my
+father and mother were! The real ones. They couldn&#8217;t have been any
+nicer than you have been to me, but folks that don&#8217;t know me are
+sure to ask me about my family. Molly and Monty and Melvin are
+always able to tell about theirs, but I can&#8217;t. Her mother, the
+&#8216;other Molly,&#8217; died when she was a little thing, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>but she knows all
+about her. The Judge has a beautiful miniature of this &#8216;other
+Molly&#8217; his wife, and takes it with him wherever he goes, even into
+that camp, where we&#8217;re to be let to go, maybe, for a salmon dinner
+that the &#8216;Boys&#8217; catch themselves.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There are lots of books in this old house and a piano. Each
+generation has added to the library and Mrs. Grimm says that in the
+winter she and her husband read &#8217;most all the time. Christmases, no
+matter how deep the snow, all their children come home and then the
+rooms are opened and warmed and they have such fun. Oh! it must be
+grand to belong to a big family and know it&#8217;s all your own! They
+burn great logs of wood and even now we have a fire on the
+living-room hearth all the time. One of the young Indian boys who
+works here has nothing else for his chores except to keep the
+wood-boxes filled and the fires fresh. He&#8217;s rather a nice Indian
+boy but he&#8217;s full of capers. Molly is so lonesome without Monty and
+Melvin to play with she makes plays with Anton. I don&#8217;t think Mrs.
+Grimm likes it and I&#8217;m sure Aunt Lucretia doesn&#8217;t, for I heard her
+tell Molly so. But nobody can keep Molly Breckenridge still. She
+doesn&#8217;t care to read much and she hates practicing, and she cries
+every time she has to sew a seam, though Mrs. Hungerford makes her
+do that &#8216;for discipline.&#8217; I don&#8217;t know what would become of the
+darling if it wasn&#8217;t for Anton. She likes me, course, but I can&#8217;t
+climb trees after cherries, or wade in ponds after water-lilies,
+and though I like <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>to ride horseback with her I&#8217;m afraid to go
+beyond bounds where we&#8217;re told to stay. Molly isn&#8217;t afraid.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please give my love to Aunt Chloe and write soon to your loving</p>
+
+<p class="right">&#8220;<span class="smcap">Dorothy</span>.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Having finished this letter, longer than common, Dorothy wandered out of
+doors seeking her mate. She was nowhere in sight, but the man who rode
+into town so many miles away, to fetch and carry the mail and to bring
+supplies of such things as the farm did not produce, was just driving up
+the road and playfully shook his mail-pouch at her. She sped to meet
+him, was helped into his wagon and received the pouch in her arms. She
+and Molly were always eager to &#8220;go meet the mail,&#8221; which was brought to
+them only every other day, and whichever was first and obtained it was
+given the key to the pouch and the privilege of distributing its
+contents. This privilege would be Dorothy&#8217;s to-day; and she skipped into
+the living-room and to the ladies at their sewing, dragging the pouch
+behind her.</p>
+
+<p>Little she knew of its contents; or that among them would come the
+solution of that &#8220;wonder&#8221; that now so constantly tormented her:&mdash;&#8220;Who
+were my parents?&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>A MESSAGE FOR THE CAMP</h3>
+
+<p>When the gray-haired &#8220;Boys&#8221; had set out for camp, they had left word at
+the farm that they wished no newspapers or mail matter of that sort
+forwarded them. Also, most of them had, before leaving their own homes,
+asked that no letters should be written except such as were important,
+and these should be duly marked that. They wished to forget care and the
+outside world as far as possible, and to live in the faith that &#8220;no news
+is good news.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Therefore, since a fortnight had elapsed, there was a table in the
+living-room already heaped with the mail which had accumulated during
+that time. Each man&#8217;s portion of it was carefully sorted and placed by
+itself; but this morning Auntie Lu, upon whom that duty devolved, did
+not augment her brother&#8217;s heap by the three envelopes she had taken from
+the pouch. She sat long with them in her lap, pondering the course she
+should follow, for two bore a Richmond postmark and one that of
+Annapolis, and each was marked according to direction: &#8220;Important.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>Miss Greatorex and Dorothy had both received a letter and were eagerly
+perusing them upon a low window seat, and Mrs. Hungerford left her own
+mail unopened to glance toward them, still considering what she should
+do. Her gaze rested longest upon the girl, whose face was radiant over a
+long, many-paged epistle from Father John. The young lips were parted in
+a smile, the brown eyes were smiling too, and Dolly looked such a
+picture of innocent delight that a pang shot through the observer&#8217;s
+tender heart. For she knew that those &#8220;Important&#8221; letters concerned the
+child. They were addressed in Ephraim Cook&#8217;s familiar, crabbed hand, and
+the man would never have ventured to disturb the peace of his absent
+employer except by that employer&#8217;s command. Also, she knew that the only
+business of &#8220;Importance&#8221; the Judge had entrusted to Mr. Cook was that
+concerning Dorothy C. All law matters were attended to by other, more
+experienced persons. She longed to break the seals and read the contents
+for herself and wished now that she had asked permission so to do, but
+she could not open another person&#8217;s letter without that one&#8217;s desire.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, she glanced through her own letters and sought Mrs. Grimm in
+her kitchen, busy among her maids at preparing the mid-day meal, always
+an early one since the farm-hands so preferred it; and it had been among
+their arrangements that, although her &#8220;boarders&#8221; should have a separate
+table in an inner room, the food for all the household <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span>should be the
+same. Nobody could complain of this for the housemistress was a notable
+cook and her supplies generous.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Beg pardon, Mrs. Grimm, for interrupting you, but I want to ask if
+there&#8217;s a &#8216;hand&#8217; not busy who could ride out to camp and carry some
+letters to my brother. I am anxious he should have them for they may
+require immediate replies.&#8221; She did not add, as she might, that an
+intense but kindly curiosity of her own was another reason for the
+request.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, I can hardly tell, Mrs. Hungerford. They&#8217;re all busy in the
+fields, and my husband with them. There are some who need a constant
+supervision and my man believes that there&#8217;s nothing so good for any job
+as the &#8216;eye of the master.&#8217; Else, he&#8217;d ride into the woods himself and
+think naught of it. Let me consider who&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At that moment Anton came into the kitchen and threw an armful of hewn
+wood beside the great fireplace, where kettles hung upon cranes and
+&#8220;Dutch ovens&#8221; were ranged before the coals, each filled with savory food
+for hungry people. It was a spot Mrs. Hungerford found vastly
+interesting, but where she rarely lingered; for her presence seemed to
+disconcert the shy French maids who served their mistress there and
+whose own homes were isolated cottages here and there. So she was even
+now leaving the kitchen when she chanced to notice Anton and asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Couldn&#8217;t this lad go? I know that he heaped <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span>the boxes in the
+living-room and our bedrooms with more wood than we can use to-night,
+and surely one kitchen-fire can scarcely require more than that pile
+yonder. I will pay him, or you, well, if he can be spared to do my
+errand.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This guest was rarely so insistent and her hostess saw that to deny her
+the favor would be a great disappointment; so she answered that:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anton can be spared if&mdash;Anton can be trusted. And please, understand,
+dear madam, that no payment for such trivial service would be accepted.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But it is a long ride there and back, longer than into Halifax isn&#8217;t
+it? Yet the man who goes there makes but the one trip a day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is for other reasons. He goes out in the morning upon our errands.
+It is part of our contract with him that he shall stop the night in town
+with his family and return the next day early. He is really our caterer
+and postman. But Anton&mdash;Anton is &#8216;bound.&#8217; And Anton needs watching. Lad,
+do you promise that if I let you take a horse and ride to camp you&#8217;ll do
+the lady&#8217;s errand right and ride straight home again?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He had lingered just within the kitchen doorway, fooling with the
+youngest of the maids who resented his teasing by a sharp clap on his
+cheek, but he had not been so absorbed in this pastime that he had not
+heard every word spoken between his mistress and her guest. Knowing that
+he was in truth an untrustworthy messenger, he resented its being told;
+and the statement that no payment <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>would be accepted angered him. He was
+a bound-out servant, of course. So were many other lads of the Province
+and no disgrace in it; but if a free gift were offered, was it not his
+to take? A scowl settled on his dark face and he listened to the outcome
+of the matter with a vindictive interest. Also, he answered, sullenly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis a far call to that camp in the woods and one must ride crooked,
+not &#8216;straight,&#8217; to reach it. &#8217;Twould be in the night ere Anton could be
+back, and there is no moon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tut, lad! When was Anton ever afraid of the night or the dark? Indeed,
+some tell me that he loves it better than the light. The Scripture tells
+why. Will you go or not? And will you do the lady&#8217;s errand right?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The master read in the Big Book, last Sunday-day that ever was, how the
+&#8216;laborer is worthy of his hire.&#8217; That&#8217;s good Scripture, too, Missus, the
+hay-makers say, and one nudged me to take notice at that time.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Grimm hastily turned that he might not see the smile which flitted
+across her face, and Auntie Lu as suddenly found something interesting
+to observe which brought her back also toward the quick-witted,
+mischievous lad. She longed to renew her offer of payment but would not
+interfere between mistress and man, so waited anxiously for the result.
+It came after a moment, Mrs. Grimm saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go, saddle the gray mare and ride upon that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span>errand. You shall have
+your dinner first, and a supper in a napkin to cheer you on the ride
+home. By &#8216;lights out&#8217; you will be in your loft with the men. Now tidy
+yourself and come to table.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Anton wasted no time before he obeyed. His sullenness had been but a
+pretence and mostly assumed in order to secure that &#8220;payment&#8221; which the
+&#8220;foreign&#8221; lady offered. The gray mare was a fleet traveler, easy under
+the saddle&mdash;though for that matter he rarely used one&mdash;and he loved the
+forest. A half-day away from the mistress&#8217;s eye was clear delight. She
+had said nothing against a gun or a fishing line and not even the best
+guide in that region knew better the secret of wood and stream than this
+other descendant of the Micmacs.</p>
+
+<p>The maid he had teased was glad to be quit of him and hurried to dish up
+his portion of the dinner, while Mrs. Hungerford returned to desk to
+write a letter to her brother and to safely make all into a little
+packet, marked: &#8220;Private and Important.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She had told her companions of Anton&#8217;s trip and Dorothy sped out of
+doors to beg the lad:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If you see any new flowers, some of those wild orchids Miss Greatorex
+read grew around here, will you bring me some? Just a few for specimens,
+to press for Father John and Mr. Seth? They would be so pleased and I
+will be so grateful. Will you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Anton nodded. Promises were easy to make, and to break if he wished.
+Then came a maid from the kitchen with a message for her home, a tiny
+clearing on the edge of the &#8220;further wood.&#8221; To <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span>her, also, a promise was
+readily spoken; and master Anton thrusting the securely tied packet of
+letters into his pocket, bowed to Mrs. Hungerford with a third and more
+important promise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis of a truth I will deliver this into the hand of the man they call
+a Judge. It is a tedious task, yes, but I will so deliver it. Mayhap he
+too remembers what the Scripture says.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He uttered the last sentence in a low tone, with a furtive glance
+houseward, and bearing himself with an air of great complacency. He had
+become a very important person just then, had Anton, the &#8220;bound out.&#8221;
+Moreover, he was wholly honest in his determination so to deliver the
+letters. That Judge in the woods hadn&#8217;t heard the mistress&#8217;s opinion
+about payment and it wasn&#8217;t necessary that he should. Other farm hands
+had witnessed to the liberality of those odd men who lived in a tent,
+wore old clothes when they could wear new, and cooked their own food
+when they might have had others cook for them. Anton was not afraid to
+trust his &#8220;payment&#8221; to the man who owned the letters in that packet.</p>
+
+<p>Now it so happened that Molly was riding about the grounds and up and
+down a leafy lane upon a gentle horse that her father had engaged for
+her own and Dorothy&#8217;s enjoyment while on that lonely farm. She used the
+creature far more than Dorothy, as was natural and right enough; and had
+mounted it that day to escape what she called her chum&#8217;s &#8220;everlasting
+fiddling.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>Dorothy was as fond of her violin as Molly averse to her piano; and the
+nearest to dispute which ever rose between them was on account of
+Dolly&#8217;s devotion to her music. She had even complained to Aunt Lucretia
+that &#8220;a violin made her head ache.&#8221; Whereupon the ambitious violinist
+had begged permission of its owner to use an empty corncrib at the foot
+of the &#8220;long orchard,&#8221; as a music-room, and there &#8220;squeaked&#8221; as long and
+as loud as she pleased. She was going there now, violin case under her
+arm, to pass the half-hour before dinner and to watch the men come in
+from the fields, at the ringing of the great bell which hung from a pole
+beside the kitchen door. To her the country was full of every possible
+delight, but poor Molly found it &#8220;too quiet and lonely for words.&#8221; So
+she spent more and more of her time on every pleasant day, riding up and
+down the lanes or following Farmer Grimm to the fields.</p>
+
+<p>Between those two a great affection had sprung up. He liked her
+fearlessness in riding and laughed at her timidity when horned cattle
+appeared anywhere near. He was proud of the way in which she could take
+a fence and kept her with him all he could.</p>
+
+<p>On this day, however, he could not so take her. His errands were too far
+afield and too unsuited for her, and that was why she now rode alone,
+rather disconsolately up and down, until she saw Anton come out of the
+stable yard, mounted upon the gray mare and holding his head like a
+prince.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>&#8220;Anton! Anton! Oh! are you going riding? Take me with you! Please,
+please, Anton!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>For answer he touched Bess with his heel and she flew out of the
+enclosure like a bird.</p>
+
+<p>That was enough for Molly Breckenridge. Queenie, the broken-tailed
+sorrel which she rode, was as swift as she was gentle and needed no goad
+of heel or whip to spur her forward. A pat of the smooth neck, a word in
+the sensitive ear&mdash;&#8220;Fetch him out, Queen!&#8221;&mdash;and the race was on.</p>
+
+<p>Anton glanced behind and the spirit of mischief flamed in him. They rode
+toward the forest where a few wood-roads entered, each of which he knew
+to its finish, not one of which knew Molly. Only this much she did know
+that Anton lived at the farm, where she lived. Anton rode the farmer&#8217;s
+horse as she did. Anton was never absent from meals and it was
+dinner-time. Therefore, if she thought at all about it or considered
+further than the delight of a real race, she knew that back to the farm
+would Anton go and she could follow.</p>
+
+<p>He dashed aside from the wheel-rutted track. She stumbled over the
+ridges, kept him in sight, and followed him. He doubled and twisted, so
+did she. He dashed forward in a long straight line, curved, circled, and
+came back to the wood-road some distance ahead. She did not curve but
+cut his circle by a short line and brought up at his side.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Huh! &#8217;Tis a good rider you are, Miss Molly, but you&#8217;d best go back now.
+I&#8217;m for the camp.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never! You can&#8217;t be! They wouldn&#8217;t trust <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>you, you&#8217;re so tricksy. Who&#8217;d
+want you there?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was instantly offended and showed it, drawing himself erect on the
+gray mare and tossing his head high while his narrow black eyes looked
+angrily at her. Then he drew from his blouse the packet Mrs. Hungerford
+had given him and haughtily explained:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;For that Judge. Now, am I trusted? No?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was very strange. Ever since she had been at the farm she had heard
+of Anton&#8217;s pranks and trickiness. Tasks he had been set to perform were
+always neglected except that one of keeping fuel supplied, and this work
+brought him, also, constantly under his mistress&#8217;s eye. Yet he allowed
+Molly to come so close she could recognize her aunt&#8217;s handwriting
+outside the packet, and especially that word &#8220;Important.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly she resolved.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anton, if you ride to camp I ride with you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You will not. I say it.&#8221; He wasn&#8217;t going to be disappointed of his fun
+along the way by the presence of this girl, and no time had been told
+him when that parcel must be delivered. It must come to the Judge
+<i>sometime</i>, that was all. The later the better for him, Anton, the more
+leisure to enjoy the wild and escape that eternal carrying of wood. &#8220;You
+will not,&#8221; he repeated, more firmly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will so. That is for my father. His name is on it and it is
+&#8216;Important.&#8217; I will see that he gets it. I don&#8217;t trust you, Anton.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was rather impressed by the fact that she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span>could read what was
+written&mdash;he could not. He was also angered further by that unwise remark
+about not trusting him. He stared at her, she stared back. Good! It was
+a battle of wills, then!</p>
+
+<p>He seemed to waver, smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. All roads lead
+to one&#8217;s goal, if one knows them. He was an Indian. He could not be lost
+in any forest, he who was wise in woodcraft and could tell all
+directions by signs this &#8220;foreigner&#8221; could not know. He snapped his
+fingers, airily, pricked Bess forward again and into a trackless
+wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment Molly hesitated. Should she go back and give up this chase?
+Turning around she gazed about her and could not tell which way she had
+come.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why! I couldn&#8217;t go back, even if I tried. I don&#8217;t see any track and&mdash;I
+must follow him. I can hear him on ahead, by the breaking
+branches&mdash;Forward, Queenie, quick, quick!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Queenie wasn&#8217;t pleased to &#8220;forward.&#8221; She shrank from the rude
+pressure of the undergrowth against her delicate shanks and, for an
+instant, set her forefeet stubbornly among the ferns and brambles. But
+Molly was now past tenderness with any mount which would not do her will
+and Queenie was forced into the path she hated to tread. Already the
+brief delay had cost her the sound of the gray mare&#8217;s progress. There
+was neither breaking twig nor footfall to tell her whither that
+tormenting Anton had vanished. There was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>only the bruised herbage to
+show which way he had ridden and she must follow; and for a long time
+she kept her eyes on that faint lead and steadily pursued it.</p>
+
+<p>Then she came to a partly open glade and there she lost the trail
+entirely. Across this glade Anton had certainly passed but in which
+direction she couldn&#8217;t even guess. She reined Queenie to a stand and
+called:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anton! Anton! ANTON!!&#8221; and after another interval, again: &#8220;ANTON!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was an agony of fear in that last cry. Had Anton heard it, even
+his mischievous heart would have been touched and he would have ridden
+back to reassure her. But he did not hear her. He had now struck out
+from that narrow clearing into a road he knew well, by the blazed trees
+and the wheel-marks the camp-teamster had left upon it. The undergrowth
+had sprung up again, almost as completely as before it had been first
+disturbed, and even had Molly found that trail she would not have known
+enough to trace it.</p>
+
+<p>But he was now on his own right road. She was where&mdash;she pleased. He had
+not asked her to come, he had tried to make her go back. He had not
+wanted her at all, but she had taunted him, distrusted him, and yet he
+knew that this once he was proving trustworthy. He felt that little
+packet safe in his blouse and patted the cloth above it commendingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good boy, Anton. If &#8217;tis worth payment, this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>payment the so rich Judge
+will give. That girl rides well. Let her take care of herself. Go,
+Bess!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He fished a little, fired a shot or two at some flying bird, then
+remembered that a shot might be heard and those from the camp come to
+inquire why it had been fired. Save themselves there were supposed to be
+no other sportsmen for miles around, and they would surely come, if from
+no other motive than curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>It was supper-time when he came into camp and upon a picture that warmed
+his heart and banished from it, for a time, that rather uncomfortable
+sensation which had lately affected him. He had grown fanciful and
+thought a night-bird&#8217;s call was the cry of somebody lost in the woods.</p>
+
+<p>He was glad to see that cheerful fire, to smell the savory food cooking
+above it, to observe all the rude comforts with which modern sportsmen
+surround themselves. Those boys&mdash;Why, they had positively grown fat! And
+how they were laughing and fooling with one another! unrebuked by the
+older campers, who sat about on logs or stools, and smoked or talked or
+sang as the spirit moved them.</p>
+
+<p>The Judge&#8217;s keen eyes were the first to see the nose of the gray mare
+appearing through the thicket and he sprang to his feet with a little
+exclamation of alarm:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Anton, lad! What brings you here? Nothing had happened, I hope!
+Eh, what? A packet for me? All right. Thank you. You&#8217;re <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>just in time to
+join us. We&#8217;ve had fine sport to-day and will have a grand meal in
+consequence. How&#8217;s everybody? How&#8217;s my little Molly?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Anton&#8217;s answer was an indirect one.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll tell &#8217;em I brought it safe, no?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, surely. Did anybody doubt you would? And if it&#8217;s good news, a good
+fee for fetching it. If bad&mdash;fee according!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He drew a little apart, opened the parcel and read the letters. Then he
+took a pad from his tent and wrote a brief reply; after which he retied
+the bundle and gave it back to Anton, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Deliver this to Mrs. Hungerford as safely as you have to me and I dare
+say she&#8217;ll give you another like this!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He held out a shining silver dollar but somehow, although the lad did
+take it, it seemed to lie very heavy within that inner pocket where he
+dropped it.</p>
+
+<p>Supper over, all grouped about the fire and beset the Indian guide for a
+fresh batch of ghost stories, his specialty in literature or tradition;
+and though Judge Breckenridge asked his messenger if it were not time
+that he started back&mdash;for Aunt Lu had written urging him to keep the boy
+no longer than was absolutely necessary&mdash;Anton still lingered. Hitherto
+he had known no fear of any forest. He inherited his love for it and his
+knowledge. He had even loved best to prowl in its depths during the
+moonlit or starlit hours, and riding hither had anticipated a leisurely
+return. So long as he was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>back at the farm by morning he saw no reason
+to hurry himself before.</p>
+
+<p>Then he found himself listening to Monty&#8217;s question:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You say, Guide, that these very woods, right around us, are &#8216;haunted?&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sure. Hark!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was a strange unearthly cry from somewhere in the distance and the
+man continued:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Some call that a screech-owl! But I know it&#8217;s the cry of a girl who was
+lost in this forest. Why, Anton, boy, what&#8217;s happened you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Anton had suddenly swayed in his seat and his face under its copper skin
+had turned ghastly pale.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW MOLLY CAME TO CAMP</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, she was the daughter of one of the French squatters on that very
+lake we&#8217;ve fished this day. Susette they called her, and she was days in
+the woods. Out of this <i>Laque de la Mort</i>, they drew her body; but
+still, on dark nights, her spirit wanders as it wandered then, before
+she sought or found rest in the pool. &#8217;Tis easy, sure. Take one of you
+men, even, and set you away from all the guide-marks we&#8217;ve made, you
+could not find your way save by some inherited instinct. We Indians,
+descendants of the forest men, get that instinct with our birth; even we
+who have lived among the white men all our days. That Anton yonder,
+though he has been housed under a roof ever since he was born, I warrant
+me he could be set in some unknown wilderness but would find a way out.
+Is it not so, Anton?&#8221; asked the half-breed story-teller, shading his
+eyes from the firelight to look at the boy.</p>
+
+<p>An instant later he had risen and bent above Anton, who now cowered in
+his corner his head bent upon his knees and his whole attitude one of
+keen distress.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span>&#8220;Lad, what&#8217;s amiss with you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Anton tossed off the kindly hand just laid upon his shoulder and raised
+a face that had grown haggard, with wild terrified eyes staring into the
+questioner&#8217;s face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis a lie, no? There is no girl wanders the forest nights! You are
+fool, Merim&eacute;e, with your words!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s as a man judges. Ghost tales were asked and told, and one is
+true. I know it. But fear not, lad. No spirit will molest to his harm
+one who rides through the wood aright, in the fear of God and with
+honesty in his heart. As for the ghost of poor Susette, hapless maid!
+Would not one with a spark of manhood in him seek to help her if he
+could? But alas! When one is dead, even living men with hearts of
+courage can avail nought. But, up. You&#8217;ve rested and supped. &#8217;Tis time
+you were a-saddle and riding home to your duty. Up and away. Though the
+wood looks dark from here, &#8217;tis because of our fire so bright. The stars
+are out and once away from this the road will seem light enough. As
+light as many another when you&#8217;re played truant to your master to wander
+in it. Up, and away!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This Merim&eacute;e, guide, was mostly a man of few words. Yet when, as now,
+his toil for the day was over and the campers gathered for an evening
+chat it flattered his vanity to be asked for the legends and traditions
+of the countryside. His tongue had been loosened and he used it thus
+liberally <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>for the benefit of Anton, the mischievous, who &#8220;shamed his
+duty&#8221; as old Merim&eacute;e always honored it. As he finished speaking he
+walked to the tree where the gray mare was fastened, slipped on its
+saddle, tightened its girth, and called:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ready, Anton!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>And, as if in echo, again floated through the air overhead a
+night-bird&#8217;s mournful cry and Anton shrieked, then sprang to his feet
+shivering with terror.</p>
+
+<p>The men stared at him, astonished, and Monty ran to him, shook him, and
+demanded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you know better than that? Scare a fellow&#8217;s wits out of his head?
+That&#8217;s nothing but the same old bird that&#8217;s kept me awake&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Melvin shouted in laughter, and the others echoed him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Kept you awake! Well, I&#8217;d like to know when? You that always go to
+sleep over your supper&mdash;if you&#8217;re allowed!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Monty laughed, also, and the mirth around him seemed to restore Anton&#8217;s
+composure in a measure. But happening to glance toward Judge
+Breckenridge he saw that gentleman looking at him keenly and his guilty
+conscience awoke. In fact, the Judge was merely interested in watching
+the changes which fear wrought upon Anton&#8217;s healthy face and was growing
+impatient to have the lad start home. He knew how eagerly his sister
+would wait to read the letters he was returning her and to comply with
+his own brief instructions concerning them. He <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span>was a man who wished
+always to do at once anything he had to do; and nothing annoyed him more
+than others&#8217; shilly-shallying. To his amazement, Anton begged him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t! Don&#8217;t, sir, look at me like that! I didn&#8217;t go for to do it!
+She&mdash;she done it herself!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who did what? Have you lost your common sense?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then it all came out, the whole miserable story; in broken sentences,
+with keenest regret now, unhappy Anton told of Molly&#8217;s following, of the
+trick he had played upon her, and of the fact that she was now wandering
+somewhere in that wild forest alone, save for old Queenie.</p>
+
+<p>But the story was not ended before every member of that startled group
+was on his feet, ready for search and rescue. Though he could almost
+have killed the lad where he cowered, so furious was his wrath and
+terrible his fear, the Judge controlled himself and sternly ordered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;With me you come, Anton. Close to me you keep and lead me to the last
+spot where you left my child. If we find her not&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He did not need to finish his sentence with a threat, nor did he wait
+for the horse which Merim&eacute;e made haste to catch and saddle. On foot he
+started, Anton held by an iron grasp, and they two were out of sight
+before the others had quite realized that they were even moving.</p>
+
+<p>Old Merim&eacute;e took charge without question; organizing his little company
+into bands of two and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>directing each pair to take a separate route
+through the woods, but all verging toward the east and the distant
+farmhouse. He arranged that all, carrying guns, should agree upon
+certain signals; one shot meant distress, two reports called for
+reinforcement by the nearest searchers; and three&mdash;or a succession of
+more&mdash;good news, that the work had happily ended and the word was: &#8220;Back
+to the camp!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The old college president took Montmorency as his aide, with the
+clannish instinct of two New Englanders for one another&#8217;s company.
+Indeed, this odd pair had been almost constant companions since they
+entered the woods, and the lad had found the alert old man the &#8220;jolliest
+&#8216;boy&#8217; he had ever chummed with.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The surgeon called Melvin to share his own search and the merchant
+strode sturdily forward in the wake of Merim&eacute;e, the guide; who delayed
+but long enough to cover the fire and to sling over his shoulder a
+hunting-horn. He had often used this for four-footed game, and might now
+as a call to the Judge&#8217;s lost daughter. Seeing Merim&eacute;e do this sent
+Melvin also back to his tent, yet only for a moment. Then he ran after
+his partner and disappeared in the gloom of the forest.</p>
+
+<hr class="medium" />
+
+<p>Back at Farmer Grimm&#8217;s, when Molly rode out of the grounds, there had
+been none to see her go except one of the maids, drooping with
+sick-headache against the back porch. Even she had scarcely <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span>realized
+the fact, so absorbed was she by her own physical misery. There her
+mistress found her and promptly despatched her to her room and bed,
+until she should recover, and it was not till some hours later that she
+descended to find the house in a turmoil of search and anxiety. At
+dinner-time, Mrs. Hungerford had bidden Dorothy to call Molly; adding a
+warning word:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell her, Dolly dear, that she must come at once. Too often she lingers
+and keeps Mrs. Grimm waiting. That isn&#8217;t right because this household is
+managed as systematically as your own Academy in school time. Be sure
+and tell her.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, Auntie Lu, when I find her,&#8221; answered Dorothy, speeding out of
+doors, while the lady looked after her with more than ordinary interest;
+thinking: &#8220;What a dear, bonny creature that child is! And I am so glad,
+I hope so much for her now. I&#8217;m sure Schuyler will bid me go ahead and
+write, or will send a note to be forwarded. I can hardly wait for the
+outcome of the matter, but Dorothy must know nothing&mdash;nothing&mdash;until
+just the right moment. Then for the climax, and God grant it be a happy
+one!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She sat down on the broad sill by the open window to wait for the girls,
+lost in her own happy thoughts, until Miss Greatorex came and asked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you know that dinner had been served some moments and is fast
+getting cold? It&#8217;s mutton to-day, and Mrs. Grimm is fretting that
+&#8216;mutton must be eaten hot to be good.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span>&#8220;So late? I was musing over something&mdash;didn&#8217;t notice. Have the girls
+come in without my seeing them?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Neither of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s odd. By the way, when did you see Molly?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A few moments after breakfast, I think. I&#8217;ve been writing all morning
+at that further window and have scarcely looked out. Why?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She hasn&#8217;t been in and dearly as she loves riding I never knew her to
+keep on with it so long, unless she was off with the farmer. I sent
+Dolly to call her and now she delays, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very well, <i>I</i> will find Dorothy!&#8221; said Miss Isobel, with an air of
+authority. She considered Mrs. Hungerford quite too indulgent to her
+niece and was all the more strict with her own especial charge for that
+reason. She now left the room with a firm step and was still wearing an
+air of discipline when she came upon Dorothy emerging from the stables.
+The child looked perplexed and a trifle frightened. She didn&#8217;t wait for
+her governess to upbraid her but began at once:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, dear Miss Isobel! I can&#8217;t find her anywhere! Nobody has seen her
+and Queenie isn&#8217;t in her stall. I&#8217;ve been to my corncrib, the garden,
+the long orchard all through, and yet she isn&#8217;t. Ah! There&#8217;s Mr. Grimm!
+He&#8217;s finished his dinner already and is going back to the hay-fields.
+Please excuse me, I&#8217;ll run ask him if he&#8217;s seen her.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Best not delay longer yourself, Dorothy&mdash;&#8221; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span>called Miss Greatorex, but
+for once her charge did not pause at this tone of reproof; and a first,
+faint feeling of alarm rose in her own breast.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Molly, lassie? No, indeed! I haven&#8217;t seen her to-day. I was off to work
+before she came down stairs, but I&#8217;ve been wishing for her and you, too,
+the livelong day. The wild-roses that you love are blooming wonderful.
+All my far-away meadows are hedged with them as perfect as if they&#8217;d
+been set out a-purpose. Miles of them, I fancy, are on this old farm;
+but little golden-haired Molly&#8217;s the sweetest wild-rose I&#8217;ve seen this
+summer. For you&#8217;re no wild rose, lassie. You&#8217;re one of those
+&#8216;cinnamons,&#8217; home-keepers, close by the old house and that the Missus
+claims are the prettiest in all the world. So there&#8217;s a compliment for
+the pair of you! Wait till I whistle! Mistress Molly knows that it
+means: &#8216;Come! I&#8217;m waiting for your company!&#8217; &#8217;Twill fetch her, sure, if
+she&#8217;s within the sound of it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So he put his hands to his lips and whistled as only he could do, a
+long, musical note of call that reached far and wide and that the
+missing girl had often likened to the sound of Melvin&#8217;s bugle.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 321px;">
+<img src="images/i225.jpg" class="ispace jpg" width="321" height="500" alt="&#8220;QUEENIE TOO, HAD HEARD.&#8221; Dorothy&#8217;s Travels." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&#8220;QUEENIE TOO, HAD HEARD.&#8221;<br /> <i>Dorothy&#8217;s Travels.</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But there came no answer of Queenie&#8217;s footfalls over the gravel nor
+their soft thud-thud upon the grass, and the farmer felt he could delay
+no longer. Yet, could he go? While his little &#8220;comrade&#8221; was missing?
+Silly, to feel a moment&#8217;s alarm at such a trivial thing. A thoughtless
+lassie, sure she was, this little maid of the far-away southland; but
+oh! so <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span>&#8220;winsie.&#8221; No. Let the hay wait. He&#8217;d tarry a bit longer and be on
+hand to scold Fair-Hair when she came galloping back with a string of
+merry excuses tumbling off her nimble tongue, her ready &#8220;I forgots&#8221; or
+&#8220;I didn&#8217;t thinks&#8221;&mdash;the teasing, adorable witch that she was!</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fetch me my pipe and my paper, Dorothy, girl. I&#8217;ll wait under this
+apple tree till she comes. But do you all get your dinners and not so
+many go hungry because one wild child loiters. A whisper! The missus is
+getting a trifle crisp, in the kitchen yon. She&#8217;s missing the nap that
+is due her as soon as her people are fed. Best make haste. It&#8217;s
+pleasanter for all on the Farm when Missus is left to go her gait
+regular, without hindrance from any. Go, little maid, and a blessing on
+you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So she ran and brought him his pipe and his paper, received a kiss for
+her pains, and left him on the bench under the apple-tree, idle because
+little Molly was idle&mdash;no better reason than that&mdash;though this was his
+busiest time and he a most busy man.</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Hungerford could not eat, even though courtesy compelled her to
+table and to taste the good fare provided. Her want of appetite banished
+Miss Isobel&#8217;s, and though Dorothy was healthily hungry, as why shouldn&#8217;t
+she be? even she sent away her plate untouched, and was the first of the
+trio to put into words the dreadful fear that was in all their hearts:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t, I can&#8217;t eat! Something has happened <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span>to Molly! Something
+terrible has come to our Molly!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That ended waiting. After that the farmer promptly summoned his men, the
+mistress her maids, and a thorough search of all the premises began.
+Over the old-fashioned well with its long sweep poor Aunt Lu hovered
+like a creature distraught.</p>
+
+<p>That well had held a fascination for the novelty-loving Molly, in this
+case its age being the to her new thing. She had tried her own strength
+in lifting the great beam and lowering the bucket from its pole; and,
+perhaps, she had done so now and had fallen over the curb into the
+depths below!</p>
+
+<p>In vain did the others tell her how almost impossible this would have
+been; she could not be dissuaded, and most earnestly begged the farmer
+to have someone search the well.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, no, dear madam. Not till we&#8217;ve tried other more likely spots first.
+The last time Molly was seen was on Queenie&#8217;s back. Well, then we have
+only to find the sorrel and we&#8217;ll find the child. Take comfort. That
+up-and-a-coming little lass isn&#8217;t down anybody&#8217;s well. Not she.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There were many barns and outbuildings on that big farm; some new and
+modern, some old and disused. Not one was left unsearched. All work
+stopped. Haymakers and ploughmen left their fields to add their willing
+feet and keen eyes to the business, and up-garret, down cellar, through
+dairies, pantries, unused chambers, everywhere <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span>within doors the
+troubled housemistress led her own corps of searchers, and always
+without result. This had been a foregone conclusion yet she left nothing
+undone that might lead to the discovery of the missing girl; while the
+longer they sought the deeper the conviction grew in all those anxious
+hearts: &#8220;Molly is lost.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was the maid with the headache who furnished the first clue. Coming
+below after her hours of rest, she found the kitchen deserted, and all
+labor at a standstill. Hearing voices without she questioned the first
+she met and was told in faltering tones:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The bonny little maid is&mdash;lost!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Lost?</i> Where, then, is Anton?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Gone with a parcel to the far-away camp. The mistress sent him for Mrs.
+Hungerford.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, but, the maid was with him. That is she sought to be. I heard her
+call after him as he rode away and I thought her cries would split my
+aching head. He was galloping out of the far gate and she a-chase. They
+need not seek her hereabouts.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Said the mistress, in vast relief:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I might have known. I might have guessed. He a mischievous tease, she a
+wild, impulsive child.&#8221; Then she hurried to poor Auntie Lu, sitting
+disconsolate beside the well with Dorothy clasping her hand in her own
+small ones, trying to comfort as best she could, and exclaimed: &#8220;Fear no
+more! We should have thought at once the prank that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span>madcap would be at!
+She saw Anton ride away to the camp and she has followed him. The maid
+who was ill remembers. She is safe with her father long before this.
+Come in by, now, come in and have a cup of tea. A cup of tea will set
+you up again like anything.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Lu was greatly cheered but it took more than the other&#8217;s panacea of
+a &#8220;cup of tea&#8221; to banish all anxiety; yet in the hope that had been
+raised she passed the remainder of that dreadful day as calmly as she
+could and without burdening others with the fear which still lingered in
+her heart.</p>
+
+<p>Upon his wife&#8217;s report the farmer left off prying into all the home
+places and saddled his fleetest horse. He sent all the men back to the
+fields to house the abandoned hay machines and rusting ploughs, and to
+attend the many duties of so great a farm. But he took one man with him
+and a &#8220;snack&#8221; of supper in their pockets. It would be a long ride there
+and back and a detour might be necessary. Wherever he found sign of the
+child&#8217;s wandering, should she by chance have lost the trail of Anton,
+whom she followed, he would keep to the signs and not the shortest
+route. Many a place there was, of course, where even the surest-footed
+horse could not travel, and only a foot passage be made with difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>But he rode round to Auntie Lu, now coaxed within doors to an open
+window, and cheerily bade her:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Keep stout heart, my woman dear. When you <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>see my grizzled face again
+you shall see your Molly&#8217;s bonny one beside it. I&#8217;m a Grimm. I mean it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he bared his gray head, settled himself firmly in his saddle,
+called to his man: &#8220;Come on!&#8221; and rode as gallantly to the rescue as if
+his seventy winters had been no more than seventeen.</p>
+
+<p>All this time where was Molly?</p>
+
+<p>When she found that Anton had disappeared from that open spot in the
+forest she was at first terrified then comforted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, I reckon this must be mighty near that camp, after all. It&#8217;s &#8217;most
+clear of the little trees and bushes, like some of the farm-groves that
+anybody can play in and not be scared or&mdash;or get their dresses torn.
+Queenie, you and I can rest a few minutes. Somehow I&#8217;m dreadful tired. I
+rode such a lot all morning and now away out here after that Anton. He&#8217;s
+mean. He surely is dreadful ornery. When I see him again I&#8217;ll just hold
+my head mighty high and take no notice. Indians aren&#8217;t much better than
+negroes, I reckon. Anyhow he isn&#8217;t half so nice. Catch one of our black
+&#8216;boys&#8217; treating &#8216;little missy&#8217; so! You hungry, too, Queenie? Well,
+you&#8217;re luckier than I for you can get your dinner off the ground. Go
+ahead and nibble it. I&#8217;ll wait for you;&#8221; she said, talking to the sorrel
+as if she were human and could understand, and slipping from her saddle
+to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>After a moment&#8217;s contemplation of the lovely place, where a little
+stream ran trickling and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>babbling over stones, and where the ferns were
+high as her head, looking to her like miniature trees themselves, she
+began to feel almost contented. Open places between the pines let the
+sunlight through and, where it fell, the wild roses which creep
+everywhere over that fair land had forced themselves into a home and
+bloomed away most bravely. Then she espied a scarlet patch of color
+underneath and found that they were the wild strawberries she loved so
+well. She cried, scrambling after these:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah! Queenie! You&#8217;re not the only one can get something to eat away out
+here in the woods. I suppose that&#8217;s the kind of stream Papa fishes for
+trout. If I had a line and a hook and&mdash;and whatever I needed I could
+fish, too. But I wouldn&#8217;t. I never would like to kill anything, though a
+trout that somebody else had killed would make a mighty nice dinner
+right now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The berries were plenty, and &#8220;enough&#8221; of anything is &#8220;as good as a
+feast.&#8221; At least they satisfied her immediate hunger as the water from
+the brook, caught in a little cup made of a big leaf, satisfied her
+thirst. Queenie slaked her own thirst at the same pool and was so quiet
+and content that she greatly helped to cheer her small companion.</p>
+
+<p>Finally Molly remembered a maxim she had once taught Dorothy:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When you&#8217;re lost, stay right still in that spot till somebody comes and
+finds you.&#8221; Not always <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span>the safest judgment, it may be, but consoling
+then to this small girl.</p>
+
+<p>Then she continued to converse with the sorrel mare; assuring that calm
+creature:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That boy went away out of here, some place, and to go home again he&#8217;ll
+have to come away back. That&#8217;s plain enough. Now, you and I are real
+safe, Queenie, really perfectly safe; if some them mooses or caribous,
+or deers, or&mdash;or things&mdash;Let&#8217;s not think about them, Queenie. Let&#8217;s just
+wait. Let&#8217;s&mdash;let&#8217;s take a nap if we can, to make the time pass
+till&mdash;till Anton comes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She wished she hadn&#8217;t happened to think of any &#8220;wild beasts&#8221; just then
+and she was astonished to see Queenie take her advice so literally; for
+down upon that mossy ground dropped the sorrel, did its utmost to work
+the saddle off its back, and, failing in this, stretched itself on its
+side and did go to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Then for a time Molly busied herself in gathering flowers, wherever she
+caught sight of one, and, thrusting them into her blouse, told Queenie
+that &#8220;these are for that terrible flowery girl, Dorothy C. Oh! I wonder
+what she is doing now! If she isn&#8217;t scraping away on that old fiddle
+I&#8217;ll bet she&#8217;s missing me. &#8217;Tisn&#8217;t polite for girls to &#8216;bet,&#8217; Auntie Lu
+says. Oh! I wish I could see her now. Funny I should be so lonesome,
+right in the daylight with Queenie here. If I don&#8217;t look out I&#8217;ll be
+crying; for I&#8217;m getting that awful scared way I was when Anton first
+went. I&#8217;ll lie down too on that pile of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span>ferns and go to sleep&mdash;if I
+can. I hope there aren&#8217;t any wigglers of any sort to get into my ears.
+I&#8217;ll put my handkerchief over them and my face on that. Let&#8217;s play
+pretend it&#8217;s bedtime, Queenie. Good night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was no response from the weary old horse who had jogged about
+nearly all that day and Molly waited for none. A merciful drowsiness
+stole upon her and when she woke again the night was really there.
+Through the scattered tree-tops she could see the stars shining; close
+at her feet was the same gentle purring of the little stream, and
+overhead the soft rustle of pine needles moving lightly in the breeze.
+But what had wakened her? Something had, she knew. Some sound other than
+that of the brook or the pines. Queenie too, had heard. She had got to
+her feet and was listening, was whinnying, as in no fear of whatever
+thing it was. Molly could dimly see the old horse against the background
+of gloom but her presence was vast comfort.</p>
+
+<p>Hark! HARK!!</p>
+
+<p>Molly was on her feet now, wider awake than in all her life
+before, hands clasped to her breast, head bent forward,
+listening&mdash;listening&mdash;listening.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Toot! Toot! Tooty-ti-tooty-ti-toot!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A bugle! A bugle! The &#8216;Assembly!&#8217; First call to meals! Melvin&#8217;s coming!
+Melvin&mdash;MELVIN!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Nearer and nearer it came. It was at hand. On <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>the other side the
+murmuring stream. On this side. In her very ears; and screaming
+&#8220;Melvin!&#8221; with all the agony of fear that she had pent within her brave
+heart, Molly fell sobbing in the &#8220;Bashful Bugler&#8217;s&#8221; arms.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later she was in her father&#8217;s; and not long thereafter sat
+upon his knee before the camp-fire with her head upon his breast and he
+clasping her close, close in an embrace that held within it almost an
+agony of joy, so fierce it was.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>MRS. CALVERT PLANS AN INFAIR</h3>
+
+<p>Instead of being scolded for her escapade Molly found herself a sort of
+heroine. Nothing could exceed the tenderness of her thankful father, nor
+the interest of all the campers. The signal shots had brought them all
+back to the camp, and there the two lads went immediately to work to
+cook for the girl the most wonderful of suppers. Monty had caught some
+of Melvin&#8217;s deftness at the task and was most ambitious to show Molly
+his newly acquired skill. Also, at the first opportunity, when the Judge
+had for a moment released his darling&#8217;s hand to rise and greet Farmer
+Grimm coming through the woods, the boy proudly pulled from his pocket a
+few small coins and displayed them upon his palm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;See them, Miss Molly? Hmm. Those are mine. My own.
+I&mdash;earned&mdash;them&mdash;myself!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He paused so long to let this amazing statement sink into her mind that
+Melvin called:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on, Mont! No loafing! Fetch another bit of wood and get on your
+hurry-up step! Merim&eacute;e covered this fire so snug he nigh put it out,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span>but wise enough, too. A fire in the forest isn&#8217;t a laughing matter.
+Look out! Don&#8217;t poke it, you clumsy, else you&#8217;ll tip over that
+coffee-pot. First time we&#8217;ve had a lady to visit us don&#8217;t want to act
+the blunder-head, do you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! hush, Bugle! No call to bulldoze a fellow just because you happened
+to be first on the spot! What made you think of carrying that thing,
+anyway?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Molly herself drew near to hear the answer. She was wondering at the
+fact of their jolly comradeship, which was now so evident; and at
+Monty&#8217;s pride over a little money&mdash;he who had cared so little for it
+once. She was wondering at many things, and when Melvin did not at once
+reply she repeated Monty&#8217;s question.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Melvin, how did you happen to take the bugle?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why&mdash;why&mdash;I don&#8217;t know, but I fancy my mother would say that Providence
+put it into my mind. My mother believes that Providence has a Hand in
+everything, don&#8217;t you know? Anyhow, I&#8217;m glad I did take it. Without it
+and you hearing it we might have wandered right past that very
+place&mdash;one spot looks so much like another in the woods at night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Melvin, would you sell me that bugle? It was that saved my life, maybe,
+if the animals I thought about had come or if&mdash;Would you?&#8221; asked Molly,
+softly, and with a pathetic clasping of her hands, which trembled again
+now, as she recalled past perils.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span>&#8220;No, Molly, I won&#8217;t sell it to you. I&#8217;ll give it to you, if you&#8217;ll take
+it that way, and only wish it were a better one. It&#8217;s the cheapest made.
+It had to be, don&#8217;t you know?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the girl hesitated. She did not like to rob the lad of his
+only musical enjoyment and she felt that he could not afford the gift.
+Then she remembered that there were other bugles in the world and that
+she had but to suggest to her father a sort of exchange for the better,
+and so satisfy both herself and Melvin. So she said simply:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall prize it as the greatest treasure in the world, and I thank
+you, I&mdash;I can&#8217;t say much&mdash;I can&#8217;t talk when I feel most&mdash;but don&#8217;t you
+know how I feel? About my teasing you whenever I had the chance and&mdash;and
+lots of things? I&#8217;ll take the bugle if&mdash;if &#8216;you&#8217;ll call the slate washed
+clean,&#8217; as Dolly says, and we can begin all over again?&#8221; She held out
+her hand, entreatingly, and the shy lad took it for a moment, then
+dropped it as if its touch had burned. A sudden wave of his old
+bashfulness had swept over him, for though he had gained much
+self-confidence during those weeks in camp it would be a long time
+before he conquered the timidity of his nature, if he ever did.</p>
+
+<p>Then she asked Monty how he had earned money in such a place as that and
+he answered proudly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Made myself generally useful. The Prex hired me to wait on him and keep
+his traps in order sometimes&mdash;when the other old &#8216;Boys&#8217; would let <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>him
+be &#8216;coddled.&#8217; Every man for himself, you know, out here. But the Prex is
+odd. He wants his boots blacked, or shoes, that he puts on after he
+takes off his hunting ones and I&#8217;ve &#8216;shined&#8217; &#8217;em for him like any street
+bootblack that ever did my own. Fact! Fancy what my mother would say!
+Master Montmorency Vavasour-Stark blacking shoes in order to get a bit
+of pocket-money! But I tell you what, Molly Breckenridge, I like it. I&#8217;m
+going to have one of these dimes made into a watch-charm and wear it
+always, just to remind me how fine I felt over the first, the very
+first, cent I ever honestly earned. And it&#8217;s taught me one thing. I&#8217;ll
+quit idling. I shall never be a scholar like long-legged Jim, but I&#8217;ll
+<i>do</i> things, I mean it. I&#8217;ll find out what I can do best, and I think I
+can guess that, and then I&#8217;m going ahead to do it. I&#8217;m going to ask Papa
+to stop giving me money. I&#8217;m going to shock my mother by going to work.
+But&mdash;that Prex is a wise old chap. He&#8217;s taught hundreds, likely
+thousands, of boys to make decent men and he&#8217;s trying to teach me. He
+says&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O, Monty! Quit! I&#8217;ve broiled that salmon steak to the Queen&#8217;s taste and
+the coffee&#8217;s settled as clear as that spring water and&mdash;Supper&#8217;s ready,
+Miss Molly Breckenridge. Will your ladyship partake?&#8221; demanded Melvin,
+interrupting.</p>
+
+<p>Such a supper that was! Odd, that all the campers who had fared so
+heartily just a little while before should suddenly be &#8220;taken hungry&#8221;
+again and beg an invitation too. Even Farmer Grimm and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span>his man waited
+to feast with the others before riding home to carry the good news; then
+departed, with the forgiven but shame-faced Anton riding between them
+and with the precious packet of letters transferred from his pocket to
+his master&#8217;s for safe-keeping.</p>
+
+<p>Molly stayed the night to rest; lying snug in her father&#8217;s tent while he
+sat long awake thinking of many things; but mostly thankful for the
+safety of the little maid whose love and life meant all the world to
+him. The dear, repentant child; who had not gone to sleep till, all
+alone with him in the seclusion of his tent, she had clasped her arms
+about his neck and begged his pardon for all her thoughtlessness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It was terrible there in the dark woods when I woke and found I was
+lost, alone; but that wasn&#8217;t half so terrible, it didn&#8217;t make me feel
+half so bad in here,&#8221; laying her hand upon her heart, &#8220;as it does
+knowing how unhappy I&#8217;ve made everybody and how much trouble given.
+Seems if I never would be heedless and forget again, Papa dearest, seems
+if! But I&#8217;m just only Molly&mdash;and I haven&#8217;t much faith in your Molly,
+Judge Breckenridge!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>What could he do but kiss her quivering lips and smile at the whimsical
+way in which she expressed her contriteness? And, after all, would he
+have had her greatly different from what she was by nature, just his
+great-hearted, impulsive, precious Molly?</p>
+
+<p>Next morning she rode home in great state. With <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>Guide Merim&eacute;e heading
+the little cavalcade and with masters Melvin and Monty on either side
+when that was practical for the crowding of the trees, and as van or
+rear guard it was not. Because the road was straight enough to one who
+knew it, as did the half-breed hunter, and that happy company followed
+him with no thought of care. Monty was laden with wild-flowers of every
+sort for Dorothy; Melvin had store of forsaken birds&#8217; nests, lichens,
+and curious bits of stone or bark for Miss Greatorex to add to her
+&#8220;collection,&#8221; which Mrs. Hungerford assured her would cost more than it
+was worth to pass the revenue officers. &#8220;No matter if it does!&#8221; cried
+the happy teacher, &#8220;since it will be such an addition to Miss
+Rhinelander&#8217;s museum.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The guide brought fish, freshly caught that morning before daybreak, and
+enough of game to feast even that farm crowd of &#8220;hands;&#8221; and having
+tarried long enough to deliver the packet to Mrs. Hungerford, to assure
+her that her brother was well and more than happy now; that he and the
+other &#8220;Boys&#8221; intended to lengthen their vacation by a few weeks, in fact
+to &#8220;stay just as long as they could;&#8221; to add that by no means must Molly
+ride &#8220;off grounds&#8221; again, alone, and that Anton was not to be punished
+for his &#8220;prank;&#8221; and to partake of Mrs. Grimm&#8217;s most excellent food and
+drink. Then he called the lads, now almost reluctant to leave the
+pleasant place of peace and plenty, and rode away again, they following
+and looking back again and again, to wave farewell.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span>&#8220;I never saw so great an improvement in two boys as in those!&#8221; said
+Auntie Lu, standing to watch them disappear toward the forest, with
+Molly fast in her arms and Dorothy beside her; then laughed at the
+rather awkward manner in which she had expressed herself, as she saw
+Miss Greatorex regarding her. But for once that estimable person was not
+critical of others&#8217; speech or grammar; and murmured with an air of great
+content:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So many more weeks of rest and time to write up my travels.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Hungerford sighed, but conquered the slight loneliness that now
+oppressed her and set to work herself upon a vigorous correspondence and
+the carrying forward of a matter her brother had outlined for her.
+Sometimes in writing these letters she asked Dorothy to sit beside her
+and would frequently look at the girl as if she were studying her
+features or her manner. At such time Dolly felt a little awkward and
+perplexed, yet always, in some indefinable manner, as if this scrutiny
+were for her own good. Then Auntie Lu would laugh and call the girl her
+&#8220;Inspiration,&#8221; and write the faster.</p>
+
+<p>Those last weeks on the old Farm were very quiet, uneventful, yet most
+happy ones; and the two girls passed much of the time in the cool,
+shadowy library, among the fine literature therein collected. For Molly
+had no further desire at present for &#8220;larks&#8221; and began, instead, to find
+out how much happiness one may find between the covers of a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>book.
+Dorothy introduced her to Dickens, and thereafter the merry maid needed
+no urging to: &#8220;Do sit down and read and let me do so!&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="medium" />
+
+<p>One morning in that late summer time, Mrs. Betty Calvert was sitting on
+a hotel veranda at the Springs. She was looking very handsome and
+queenly, in her white gown, her piled-up, snow-white hair, and her &#8220;air
+of one who belonged&#8221; to an old &#8220;aristocracy.&#8221; A little table was beside
+her, heaped with her morning&#8217;s mail; for here, even as in her old home
+at Bellvieu, she surrounded herself with more such reading matter than
+she could use. But the letters were duly read and re-read, some of them;
+and at last she dropped one to her lap, and remarked to a gentleman near
+her:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cousin Seth, Lucretia Breckenridge always was a fool!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hard judgment, Cousin Betty. I should have given quite the contrary. I
+always thought her a very sweet, sensible, lovable woman.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hmm. You see a deal of &#8216;sweetness&#8217; in this silly old world. But look
+here. What sensible woman would write a letter of twenty pages when one
+would do? All to convince me of something I already knew.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t expect me to answer that. Go on and tell me what&#8217;s &#8216;meat&#8217; in so
+much &#8216;cocoanut.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She believes&mdash;and she takes pages to justify her belief&mdash;that she has
+traced the parentage of one Dorothy, a foundling! Indeed! Why, Seth,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span>those people up in that unhappy Nova Scotia&mdash;unhappy to be afflicted
+with two such foolish visitors&mdash;they think themselves detectives fit to
+rank with the world&#8217;s greatest. I thought Schuyler had some sense if
+Lucretia hadn&#8217;t. If they weren&#8217;t already there I&#8217;d bid them both &#8216;go to
+Halifax&#8217; as I used to be bidden when I was a naughty little girl and
+plagued my nurse. She makes a great ado about Dorothy&#8217;s &#8216;unhappiness.&#8217; I
+can&#8217;t believe that. I never, never saw a happier child in all my life.
+The idea! Lucretia is just as simple as she was always. She&#8217;s set out to
+find who Dorothy&#8217;s parents are or were and she thinks she&#8217;s found. The
+idea! The impertinent minx!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The &#8220;Learned Blacksmith&#8221; did not reply, but calmly perused his own
+paper. He was a blacksmith transformed, and he seemed to fit into this
+environment as readily and completely as he had fitted the simple life
+of the old smithy under the Great Balm tree. He had recovered his health
+but was sojourning for a little time in this old resort of his youth,
+meeting those who were lads and maidens then but now as venerable as
+himself. Few among them were as alert, as vigorous and as young of heart
+as Cousin Betty and himself; and they two had, as a younger guest
+remarked: &#8220;Been having the time of their lives. Why, that black-eyed old
+lady has more attention this day than any of us girls; and as for wit
+and repart&eacute;e, there isn&#8217;t her equal this year at our Springs.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>After a few moments of this silence, during which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>Mrs. Calvert tapped
+her white slipper impatiently, she interrupted her companion&#8217;s reading
+by an exclamation:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Seth Winters, do put up that tiresome paper and listen. I don&#8217;t believe
+you&#8217;ve comprehended a single sentence you&#8217;ve looked at. I know. Your
+eyes had that hungry-for-Dorothy look in them. Leastwise, if they
+hadn&#8217;t, the feel of it is in my own old heart. A pretty how&#8217;d-ye-do,
+when that little Lu Breckenridge-Hungerford sets out to hint to me of my
+duty! a slip of a girl like her&mdash;the saucy chit!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Old Seth laughed, so merrily that others drew near to learn the sport;
+seeing which, Mistress Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert, rather
+haughtily arose and remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come, Cousin Seth, I&#8217;d like to take a walk.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Pacing the green grove, up and down its smooth paths, they were
+undisturbed; but now all desire for conversation had left Mrs. Betty.
+She was, indeed, in deep reflection; wondering if a certain course she
+had followed were all for the best as she had hitherto esteemed it; and
+the only hint she gave to the blacksmith was the sentence:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wanted to wait till she came of her own accord. I&#8217;ve never quite
+forgiven her for preferring that woman Martha to me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then she went on in a silence which he knew her too well to disturb and
+finally she announced:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think I&#8217;ll give a house party at Deerhurst. A regular old-fashioned
+&#8216;infair,&#8217; though it&#8217;ll be no <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span>bride for whom the festivity is given.
+After the assembly&mdash;what seems best! Those Breckenridges and their
+camping friends; including the old &#8216;boys&#8217; and young ones. The foster
+parents, of course; and Johnnie must be written to about bringing that
+sealed letter of mine, that I entrusted to his care. I marked it not to
+be opened till after my death; but I think I&#8217;ll postpone dying&mdash;if God
+wills!&mdash;for I&#8217;m not nearly so dumpish as I was the day I sealed that
+packet and set my directions upon it. I may open it and I may not. I may
+oblige Lu Breckenridge by letting her think she&#8217;s a wonderful clever
+woman, and I may take the wind out of her sails by telling her&mdash;the
+truth. What do you say? Will you go along?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Will I not? I should go anyway, whether your house-warming-infair
+materializes or not. I hope, though, you won&#8217;t change your mind, because
+I long for the mountain and my peaceful life upon it. I hope you&#8217;ll
+stick to this notion longer than some others.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then come in and help me write the invitations and set things in trim
+for such a big entertaining. After they&#8217;re written I can&#8217;t change my
+mind, you know, though I rarely do. I scorn the imputation. Only, ought
+I to do it? Will it be for the best?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! make haste, Betty Calvert! If I don&#8217;t get those invitations off in
+the first mail I&#8217;ll never be allowed to send them at all!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He spoke jestingly, yet not without deep sympathy. The &#8220;change of mind&#8221;
+she intimated <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span>meant much, very much to little Dorothy; whose best
+interests nobody had so much in mind as these two old people with the
+young hearts. But his own desire was now for the clearing of all that
+&#8220;mystery&#8221; which had enveloped the child from her infancy and which only
+they two could solve.</p>
+
+<p>The notes were written and most promptly posted. Then other matters were
+put in line to make the reopening of Deerhurst the most memorable event
+in its history. Servants were ordered thither, disused rooms were aired
+and fitted for occupancy, every scrap of fallen leaf or intrusive weed
+removed from its driveways and paths, and in all the glory of its
+early-autumn beauty the fine old place awaited the coming of its
+mistress and her guests.</p>
+
+<p>First of all to arrive was one James Barlow, with two kindly happy dogs,
+leaping and barking and doing their canine best to express their
+happiness at seeing &#8220;home&#8221; once more. &#8220;Home&#8221; it was to the lad, also, as
+he felt it now; tugging stoutly upon the chains of the Great Danes, lest
+in their exuberant joy they should break away from him to gambol in the
+geranium beds that glorified the lawn.</p>
+
+<p>Around from the vine-draped back porch came old Ephraim and Dinah; Hans
+and Griselda Roemer, who greeted Jim in their hearty German fashion, as
+if he were their own son come home. And bless me! If out of that great
+kitchen didn&#8217;t issue Ma Babcock herself, and all her daughters a-trail
+behind!</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span>&#8220;Why, Mrs. Babcock, you here? Surely, this is indeed a surprise!&#8221; cried
+Jim, releasing the Danes to Ephraim&#8217;s care and clasping the hands she
+extended toward him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, then, it needn&#8217;t be. Me and Mis&#8217; Calvert has been neighbors this
+long while, years indeed. So what more natural than, when all the
+company was comin&#8217; and help so hard to get&mdash;capable help, you
+know&mdash;up-mounting, but that old Seth, the farrier, should write me the
+invite to come and take a hold of things and see that they was the
+rightest kind of right for such grand doings? So I come; and I had to
+fetch the girls along, &#8217;cause I never do leave them out of any the good
+times I have myself. Baretta stop holdin&#8217; onto my skirt! You&#8217;ll pull it
+clean out the gathers and it&#8217;s just fresh-washed and ironed. Claretta,
+will you never, never quit suckin&#8217; your thumb? Make your manners pretty,
+darlin&#8217;, to this fine gentleman! Who, after all said, is nobody but Jim
+Barlow, makin&#8217; the most of his chance. Why, Alfy! You bashful? Come and
+shake hands with your old friend and don&#8217;t act simple!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So Alfaretta came forward, a new modesty upon her and a change for the
+better in her whole appearance, even after so short a time as this one
+summer. And both happening to recall how she had greeted him when first
+this &#8220;hero&#8221; was presented to her, they laughed and the &#8220;ice&#8221; which had
+formed over their friendship during separation speedily melted.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span>&#8220;Pa Babcock, you&#8217;re askin&#8217; for? Oh, he&#8217;s well, that kind don&#8217;t never
+have nothing the matter with their health, though they&#8217;re always
+thinking they have. He stopped with his sister till she got tired and
+shook him. Then he went to Chicago, where there&#8217;s such a lot of silly
+Nanarchists like himself, and there he&#8217;s stayed. I hope will stay, too,
+till the children get growed. He seems to be makin&#8217; his salt, some kind
+of livin&#8217;, and he&#8217;s happy as a clam in high water. He hasn&#8217;t a thing to
+do but talk and talkin&#8217; suits him to a T. Best come in and get washed
+up. A letter come from Dorothy&#8217;s parents and the pair of &#8217;em will be to
+the Landing by the evening boat. Or one by train and one by boat. Anyhow
+they&#8217;ll both be there and I &#8217;low they&#8217;d admire, just admire that it
+should be you drove down to meet &#8217;em. Me and Alfy and Dinah&#8217;ll be right
+on hand here to see they get their supper and to show &#8217;em where they&#8217;re
+to sleep. You best hurry down to your own room to the gate-house and
+clean yourself. You&#8217;re powerful dusty and your face needs washin&#8217;. Alfy!
+What you gigglin&#8217; at? Ain&#8217;t I tellin&#8217; the truth? Ain&#8217;t he a sight?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, Ma, he is; one &#8216;good for sore eyes,&#8217; as you sometimes say;&#8221; and
+with this inelegant remark Miss Alfaretta walked away while laughing,
+happy Jim sped downwards to the vine-wreathed lodge at the great
+entrance gate. He had been happy all that summer, never more so; yet
+happier than ever now as he stepped into the freshly furbished upper
+chamber which was his own, his very home. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>All the dear familiar books
+on the shelves, the snowy bed, the dainty neatness of the place that
+showed the motherly touch of old Griselda everywhere, even to the bunch
+of flowers upon the little table.</p>
+
+<p>Dolly would have said that the bouquet looked &#8220;Dutchy,&#8221; like the kind
+hands which had arranged it; with its conflicting colors and its tightly
+crowded bunches of bloom. But Dorothy wasn&#8217;t there to comment, there was
+nobody who could see him, and the orphan lad who had not yet outgrown
+his boyish tenderness suddenly stooped and kissed it. Was this in memory
+of a mother he had never known, or because of his gratitude for his
+&#8220;home?&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>WHEN JOURNEYS END IN WELCOME</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;Welcome! Welcome! WELCOME!!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The blacksmith, &#8220;himself once more&#8221; and not the summer idler on a hotel
+veranda, stood at Mrs. Betty&#8217;s right hand on the broad steps of
+Deerhurst, to greet the carriages of happy folk who were whirled over
+the curving driveways and up to the hospitable door which stood wide
+open, as if eager to embrace them all in its own genial &#8220;welcome.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Somehow, there was a slight trembling in the hostess&#8217;s slender frame and
+she put out her white hand against the porch-pillar to steady herself.
+Somehow, too, there seemed a little mist in her bright eyes, as she
+peered anxiously outward toward her arriving guests. Had they all come?
+Everyone whom she had bidden to her &#8220;infair?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In the first carriage, the state barouche, sat the four grayheaded
+&#8220;Boys&#8221; whom she had known all their lives and for whom her best was
+prepared. In the next was &#8220;that slip of a girl,&#8221; one Mrs. Lucretia
+Hungerford, a &#8220;girl&#8221; whose locks were already touched with the rime of
+years; a rather <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>stern and dignified person who could be no other than
+Miss Isobel Greatorex of whom Dorothy had written; and a cadet in gray.
+A West Pointer! Off for the briefest of &#8220;furloughs&#8221; and a too-short
+reunion with his radiant mother. Cadet Tom Hungerford, and no other.
+Also, within that open trap a third gentlewoman, brought by Mrs.
+Hungerford&#8217;s invitation for a short &#8220;tour of the States&#8221; to see what
+sort of home it was unto which she would consign her son, the lad Melvin
+come to try his fortunes so far from home. The little widow, Mrs. Cook,
+indeed; past mistress in the art of making gardens and good dinners, and
+happy in her unexpected outing as a child. To her bonny face under its
+white hair, with her lovely English color and her sorrow-chastened
+smile, the heart of Mrs. Betty immediately went out in interest and
+admiration. Stranger though she was her welcome, too, was ready.</p>
+
+<p>But it was on that last open pony-cart, with its load of young folks,
+that the eye of the hostess rested first and last. Such a gay and
+laughing quartette that was! Molly and Dolly, the blonde and the
+brunette, Monty and Melvin, the rotund and the slender; but Dolly the
+gayest, the sweetest, the darlingest of all!</p>
+
+<p>At least, that was what some of those welcoming people, grouped upon the
+steps, believed with all their hearts. Father John and Mother Martha,
+Mr. Seth and &#8220;Fairy Godmother,&#8221; aye and honest Jim, first and
+faithfullest of comrades&mdash;to these <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span>there was visible, for one moment,
+no face save the face of smiling Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>When they were all housed and supper ended, they gathered in the great
+parlors, which Alfaretta&#8217;s capable hands had adorned with masses of
+golden-rod, of scarlet woodbine and snowy wreaths of seeding
+clematis&mdash;feathery and quite &#8220;too graceful for words,&#8221; as Dorothy
+declared, lovingly hugging Alfaretta who lingered by the door, a new
+shyness upon her, yet longing to be beside these other girls and lads no
+older than she, but who had seen so much more of the world in which they
+all lived.</p>
+
+<p>Then when Mrs. Betty begged:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now if all are rested, let&#8217;s compare our notes of the summer and tell
+what each found loveliest to remember. Come in, Alfaretta, and cuddle
+down with the rest upon the rugs before the fire. Old Deerhurst is at
+its best, to-night, filled with happiness. Now, Dr. Ryall, as
+once-master of these other &#8216;Boys,&#8217; can you give your happiest thought of
+the summer?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The venerable collegian leaned back and twirled his thumbs. He had left
+his boyishness but not his happiness back in the Markland woods, and it
+was quite gravely yet simply he answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why yes, Elizabeth, and easily. It was the awakening of Monty yonder to
+a sense of his own responsibility as a human being, made in his
+Creator&#8217;s image. He&#8217;s got down to bottom facts. He knows it isn&#8217;t
+dollars but doings that make God&#8217;s true man. Needn&#8217;t blush, my lad; but
+be reverently <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>thankful.&#8221; Then he turned a merry glance upon the company
+and demanded: &#8220;Next?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>And as if he were still in the class-room questioned upon a text-book,
+his merchant-pupil answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The happiest sight to me was the first salmon I landed!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A good and honest answer!&#8221; laughed Mrs. Betty, and like the president
+called: &#8220;Next!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>One after another the answers came; that of the surgeon being the memory
+of a wounded fawn whom he had cured and set at liberty again. The
+Judge&#8217;s happiest moment had been when he caught sight of Molly&#8217;s face on
+that dark night in the forest, when he dreaded lest he should see it no
+more alive and alight with love.</p>
+
+<p>All had some answer to give, even Miss Greatorex, who wondered why they
+smiled when she recorded her blest experience in discovering a rare
+specimen of quartz. Surely, that was the very best gift she was bringing
+home to &#8220;the Rhinelander,&#8221; and wasn&#8217;t it a specimen worth the whole trip
+to a &#8220;foreign&#8221; land?</p>
+
+<p>Even the youngsters were pressed to tell what they had found choicest
+and when Molly answered the question put to her, she spoke with a sweet
+solemnity: &#8220;The sound of Melvin&#8217;s bugle in the wilderness.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was a momentary silence. All were more moved than they could say,
+remembering how different a group this would have been had that bugle
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>never blown &#8220;Assembly&#8221; in that far-away forest. Dorothy said nothing.
+Even when it came to her and the last &#8220;turn,&#8221; she could only turn her
+happy eyes to one and another of the loved faces before her and shake
+her head. There had been times out there on the Nova Scotia farm when
+she had not been happy; when the moods of &#8220;wondering&#8221; had disturbed her
+peace and made her discontent. That was all past now that she was
+reunited to Father John and Mother Martha and somehow, best of all, to
+that beautiful, white-haired &#8220;Fairy Godmother,&#8221; who had caught her to
+her breast in such a tender fashion and had even left tears of joy from
+the old, dark eyes upon her own upturned cheek. Why had she loved the
+lady so? Why did the clasp of her slender arms seem so much more than
+that of sturdy Mrs. Martha? Dorothy inwardly upbraided herself for the
+disloyal feeling, but she was too honest to deny even to herself that
+her dearest welcome home had come from one on whom she had no claim.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Dolly Doodles, it isn&#8217;t fair for all the rest to tell their part
+and you just sit mum and stare and stare and stare! Honey Doll, I&#8217;m
+ashamed of you!&#8221; cried Molly.</p>
+
+<p>Thus goaded into speech, Dorothy answered: &#8220;The happiest thing I&#8217;ve
+known isn&#8217;t past, in the summer-time, but just right now and here. It&#8217;s
+coming home to Deerhurst and&mdash;YOU!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She could not have helped it and she could not have explained why not;
+but there was a look in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>Mrs. Betty&#8217;s eyes, an appealing tenderness that
+went straight to the heart of the girl, who sped like an arrow shot from
+the hearth to a place in her hostess&#8217;s arms.</p>
+
+<p>And again there was silence; while some of that goodly company exchanged
+most speaking glances. Then with a gesture prouder than the proudest she
+had ever given, Mrs. Calvert lifted her head and beckoned the Judge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schuyler, you&#8217;re a lawyer and that rare one, an honest man. I depute
+you to open this sealed document and read the contents to the company.
+Practically, it is my &#8216;last will and testament&#8217;&mdash;I mean the last one
+I&#8217;ve made, though I&#8217;m likely to alter it a score of times yet! I
+inscribed it &#8216;to be opened after my death,&#8217; but as I feel I&#8217;ve just
+secured a new lease of life you needn&#8217;t wait for that but shall open it
+now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She spoke with all her old whimsicality but with a tremor in her voice,
+and somehow Seth Winters managed to place himself a little nearer to her
+and Dorothy clung the tighter about her neck.</p>
+
+<p>Not yet did the child dream that this sealed packet related to herself
+or that the irrepressible feeling which had sent her flying to the old
+gentlewoman&#8217;s arms had been the call of the blood. She merely felt that
+her &#8220;Godmother&#8221; needed soothing and that it was her delightful duty to
+so soothe.</p>
+
+<p>There is no need to here repeat the technical wording of what the Judge
+so distinctly read in his clear, strong voice, amid a silence which
+except for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span>that voice would have echoed the falling of the proverbial
+&#8220;pin.&#8221; He summed it up after one reading in a brief epitome:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dorothy, otherwise Dorothy Elizabeth Somerset Calvert, is the last and
+nearest living relative of Mrs. Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert. She is
+the only child of one Cecil Calvert, deceased, and of Miriam his wife.
+Cecil Calvert, herein named, was the only son of the only son of Mrs.
+Calvert&#8217;s only brother. The descent is clear and unmistakable. Cecil
+Calvert, the father of Dorothy, was early left an orphan and was
+&#8216;raised&#8217; by Mrs. Betty, presumably to be her heir. When he came of age
+to want a wife she provided one for him. He objected and made his own
+choice. She cut him off with a limited income, but sufficient for one
+differently reared, and taking his bride he went to the far West. There
+he died and his wife soon followed him; but her illness was a lingering
+one and during it she sought to provide for their baby Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This envelope contains her letters and those of her husband, written
+after his fatal seizure to Mrs. Calvert, describing everything connected
+with their young and, as it proved, improvident lives. Neither of them,
+the sad wife protests, had ever been trained to the wise handling of
+money or of anything useful. It had not been their fault so much as
+their misfortunes that they were dying in what was to them real poverty;
+and the pathetic letters ended with the declaration that, after its
+mother&#8217;s death, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span>the child Dorothy would be safely convoyed to its
+great-great-aunt&#8217;s door and left to her to be &#8216;fairly dealt with.&#8217; It
+was all quite simple and direct; the commonplace story of many other
+lives.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But here Mrs. Betty, stifling the emotion which the re-reading of the
+papers had roused in her, took up the tale herself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When the baby came I was indignant. That at first. I felt I was too old
+to have a squalling infant forced into my house. Then better thoughts
+prevailed. I saw in the little thing traces of my own family likeness
+and I would have kept her. It was old Dinah and Ephraim who advised me
+then and wisely I believe, though there have been times when I&#8217;ve wished
+I hadn&#8217;t listened to them. They told me with the privilege of life-long
+service, that I&#8217;d made a brilliant failure of my raising of Cecil. They
+advised me to hunt up some worthy couple unburdened with children of
+their own and force the child upon them, to rear in simple, sensible
+ways, I to pay such a sum as would provide for the child&#8217;s actual
+necessities. No more. I listened and the notion falling in somewhat with
+my own conviction&mdash;you behold the result.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dorothy is what she is; to me the loveliest little maid in God&#8217;s good
+world. Save what nature implanted in her, all that makes her adorable to
+me and others is due to her foster-parents, the most unselfish and
+self-devoted pair of mortals it has ever been my lot to know in my long
+life. She belongs to them more than to me; but it shall be as she and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>they elect. Even yet I will try to say it justly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My homes are many and ample. There is room in every one of them for a
+little household of four. Johnnie, Martha, my own Dorothy, shall we not
+make at last, one unbroken, happy family?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a long speech and it had sorely tried the speaker. One by one her
+guests withdrew, leaving only the &#8220;four&#8221; of whom she spoke with that
+faithful friend of all, the radiant Seth, remaining in that firelit
+room.</p>
+
+<p>Then cried Dorothy, running to draw her foster-parents to her
+great-aunt&#8217;s side:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, father, yes mother! Come and be&mdash;<i>us!</i> I have a name at last and
+it still must be yours with &#8216;Calvert&#8217; at the end, a hyphen between! Say
+yes, dear ones, who&#8217;ve loved me all my life. We want you, &#8216;Godmother&#8217;
+and I, and don&#8217;t you dare&mdash;don&#8217;t either of you dare to be proud and
+independent now, when your little girl&#8217;s so happy&mdash;<i>so happy!</i>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Who could withstand her? Or the sincere affection which beamed upon them
+from Mrs. Cecil&#8217;s fine old eyes? Not &#8220;whistling Johnnie&#8221; of the big
+heart, himself; nor faithful Martha, radiant now in the doing away of
+&#8220;mysteries&#8221; and the happiness of the girl who had been found a
+&#8220;squalling baby&#8221; on her doorstep.</p>
+
+<p>So the night fell on Dorothy Calvert&#8217;s homecoming and home-finding. Once
+more she stood on the threshold of a new life. What befell her in it and
+what use she made of some of the great gifts which had come to her
+cannot be told here. That <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span>telling must be left for other pages and
+other hours; perhaps the reader will like to go with us to &#8220;Dorothy&#8217;s
+House party,&#8221; until then let us bid happy Dorothy a glad</p>
+
+<p>Good night!</p>
+
+<h3>THE END</h3>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+
+<h3>TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:</h3>
+
+<p>Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors and ensure consistent usage
+of punctuation in this e-text; otherwise, every effort has been made to be faithful to the
+author's words and intent.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, by Evelyn Raymond
+
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@@ -0,0 +1,7032 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, by Evelyn Raymond
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Dorothy's Travels
+
+Author: Evelyn Raymond
+
+Illustrator: S. Schneider
+
+Release Date: May 28, 2008 [EBook #25630]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY'S TRAVELS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Dorothy's Travels
+
+ BY
+
+ EVELYN RAYMOND
+
+ Illustrations by S. Schneider
+
+ A. L. CHATTERTON COMPANY
+
+ NEW YORK, N. Y.
+
+
+
+
+ COPYRIGHT 1908
+
+ BY
+
+ CHATTERTON-PECK CO.
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration: "ALLOW ME! AND HELPED MOLLY UP."
+ _Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+ CHAPTER                                                     PAGE
+
+
+    I. SAILING DOWN THE HUDSON                                 9
+
+   II. A RACE AND ITS ENDING                                  24
+
+  III. ADRIFT IN THE GREAT CITY                               40
+
+   IV. ON BOARD THE "PRINCE"                                  57
+
+    V. MOONLIGHT AND MIST ON THE SEA                          73
+
+   VI. SAFE ON SHORE                                          89
+
+  VII. FINNAN HADDIE IN A GARDEN                             106
+
+ VIII. DOROTHY AND THE BASHFUL BUGLER                        124
+
+   IX. AN OX-OMOBILE AND A SAILBOAT                          142
+
+    X. WHAT BEFELL A "DIGBY CHICKEN"                         158
+
+   XI. IN EVANGELINE LAND                                    171
+
+  XII. SIGHT SEEING UNDER DIFFICULTIES                       187
+
+ XIII. A MESSAGE FOR THE CAMP                                202
+
+  XIV. HOW MOLLY CAME TO CAMP                                217
+
+   XV. MRS. CALVERT PLANS AN INFAIR                          234
+
+  XVI. WHEN JOURNEYS END IN WELCOME                          249
+
+
+
+
+DOROTHY'S TRAVELS
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+SAILING DOWN THE HUDSON
+
+
+"All aboard--what's goin'! All ashore--what ain't!"
+
+The stentorian shout of the colored steward, so close to Dorothy's ear,
+made her jump aside with a little scream. Then as she saw that the boat
+hands were about to draw the gang plank back to the steamer's deck, she
+gave another little cry and fairly pushed Alfaretta toward it.
+
+"Never mind hugging me now, girlie, you must go or you'll be left!"
+
+But the lassie from the mountain only smiled and answered:
+
+"I don't mind if I am. Look a-here!" and with that she pulled a shabby
+purse from the front of her blouse and triumphantly displayed its
+contents.
+
+"Oh! Alfy! How'll you ever get back?"
+
+"Easy as preachin'. I--"
+
+But Dorothy had no further time to waste in argument. Here were Jim
+Barlow and Monty Stark shaking either hand and bidding a hasty good-by,
+while Molly Breckenridge was fairly dancing up and down in her anxiety
+lest the lads should also be left on board, as Alfaretta was likely to
+be.
+
+But they were not. Another second they had bounded down the stairs from
+the saloon to the lower deck, a workman had obligingly caught Monty by
+his coat collar and laughingly flung him over the plank to the dock
+beyond, while Jim's long legs strode after and made their last leap
+across a little chasm of water.
+
+"Good-by, good-by, good-by!"
+
+Handkerchiefs waved, kisses were tossed across the widening water, the
+bell rang, the whistle tooted, and Dorothy's travels had begun. Then as
+the group of schoolmates watching this departure from the shore grew
+more indistinct she turned upon her old mountain friend with the
+astonished question:
+
+"But Alfaretta! Whatever made you do this? What will become of you,
+alone in that great city of New York?"
+
+"I didn't say anything about Ne' York, did I? Should think you'd be glad
+to have me go along with you a little bit o' way. Course, I shall get
+off the boat when it stops to Cornwall landing. And I thought--I
+thought--Seems if I _couldn't_ have you go so far away, Dolly. It's
+terrible lonesome up-mounting now-a-days. And I--I don't see why some
+folks has everything and some hasn't nothin'!"
+
+There was more grief than grammar in this speech and a few tears sprang
+to the girl's eyes. But Alfy boasted that she was not a "crier" and as
+she heard the stewardess announcing: "Tickets, ladies and gentlemen,"
+she dashed the moisture away and stared at the woman.
+
+After her usual custom, "Fanny" was collecting money from the various
+passengers and would obligingly procure their tickets for those not
+already provided. As she made her way through the throng, which on that
+summer morning crowded the upper deck of the pretty "Mary Powell," the
+three young friends watched her with surprised interest.
+
+Apparently she took no note of the amount anybody gave her, carrying
+bills of all dimensions between her fingers and piles of specie on her
+broad palm.
+
+"How can she tell how much she's taken from anybody? How can she give
+them their right change?" wondered Dorothy.
+
+"I give it up! She must be a deal better at arithmetic than I am. I
+should make the mixedest mess of that business;" answered Molly, equally
+curious.
+
+"Yet you will see that she makes no mistakes. I've been traveling up and
+down the river on this same boat for many years and I've given her all
+sorts of sums, at times, on purpose to try her. But her memory never
+fails," said Miss Greatorex who was in charge of the party. She sat
+quite calmly with the amount of three fares in her hand but with a most
+forbidding gaze at Alfaretta.
+
+Who that young person was or why she had thrust herself into their
+company she did not understand. She had herself but known of this trip
+on the day before, when Miss Penelope Rhinelander had been obliged to
+give it up, on account of the extreme illness of a near relative.
+
+However, here she was with her two pupils, whom she taught at the
+Rhinelander Academy, bound for a summer's outing in--to her and
+them--unknown lands. Also, as there may be some who have not hitherto
+followed the fortunes of Dorothy, it may be well to explain that she was
+a foundling, left upon the doorstep of a man and wife, in a quiet street
+in Baltimore. That he had lost his health and his position as a
+letter-carrier in that city and had removed to his wife's small farm in
+the Hudson Highlands. That among their friends there was somebody who
+had taken an interest in the orphan girl and had burdened himself--or
+herself--with the charge of her education. That she had passed the last
+school year at the Academy and had been in some most exciting episodes
+detailed in "Dorothy's Schooling;" and that now, at the beginning of the
+long vacation, she was traveling with her closest school friend and a
+teacher, whose life she had been the means of saving at the time of the
+Academy fire, toward New York; and from thence to Nova Scotia--there to
+grow strong for another year of study.
+
+Alfaretta Babcock's home was near to her home upon the mountain; and
+though unlike, there was a sincere affection between this untaught
+country girl and the dainty Dorothy, and Alfy had begged a ride in a
+neighbor's wagon going to Newburgh, that she might bid her friend good
+by and watch her set sail on what seemed must be the most wonderful of
+journeys.
+
+She was to have returned home as she had come; but when the steamer was
+on the point of leaving an impulse had seized her to travel thus
+herself, if only for the brief distance between this landing and the one
+nearer her own home. She had a few cents in her purse and hoped they
+would be enough to pay her fare; and now when they were already moving
+down the stream and her familiar mountain-top came into view, she made a
+wild dart toward the stewardess, shouting:
+
+"Ma'am, please, ma'am, take mine! I've got to get off the next place
+and--and--I mustn't be left!"
+
+Fanny picked up the camp-chair Alfy had stumbled over, remarked in a
+soothing voice, "Plenty of time, little gal, oceans of time, oceans of
+time," and glanced at the money so suddenly thrust into her already
+crowded palm.
+
+"Four cents, little gal? Hardly enough. Fifteen is the regular fare. All
+you got, sissy? Look and see."
+
+The tone was kind but the statement sounded like a knell in poor
+Alfaretta's ears. Thousands of times she had watched the many boats pass
+up and down the river, but only once had she been upon any and that was
+a row-boat. It had been the dream of her life to voyage, as she was
+doing now, far and away beyond those Highlands, that seemed to meet and
+clasp hands across the mighty stream, and see the wonderful world that
+lay beyond. For the boats always disappeared around that projecting
+point of rock and forest, and so she knew that the mountains did not
+meet but merely seemed so to do. Well, of course, she wasn't to find out
+about them to-day. She knew that quite well, because her own landing was
+on this side the "Point" and she could go no further. Indeed, could she
+now go even so far?
+
+"Fifteen cents! My heart!--I--I--What can I do? Will the captain drop
+me--in the--river? Will--"
+
+The stewardess was very busy. People were watching her a little
+anxiously because of her indifferent handling of her money and the
+tickets she had not hurried to bring; and the sudden terrified clutch at
+her skirts which Alfy gave set her tripping among the crowded chairs and
+made her answer, crossly:
+
+"For goodness sake, girl, keep out from under foot! If you haven't the
+money go to your friends and get it!"
+
+"Friends! I haven't got any!" cried Alfaretta, and flung her skirt over
+her face and herself down upon the nearest seat.
+
+From their own place Molly and Dolly watched this little by-play for a
+moment, then darted forward themselves to see what was the matter.
+
+"Why, Alfy dear, what's happened? Won't the woman get your ticket for
+you? Never mind. I'll ask her. Maybe she will for me."
+
+"You needn't, Dolly girl! There ain't enough and I'm afraid they'll drop
+me off into the water! She--she--"
+
+"Alfy! How silly! Nobody would do such a thing. It would be murder. But
+you shouldn't have come unless you had the money and I'll go ask Miss
+Greatorex for some. She has our purses in her satchel, taking care of
+them for us. Wait a minute. You stay with her, Molly, while I go get it.
+How much, Alfy?"
+
+The girl began to count upon her fingers:
+
+"Four--that's what I have and it was meant for candy for the
+children--five, six--How many more'n four does it take to make
+fifteen I wonder? I'm so scared I can't think. And I wish,
+I--wish--to--goodness--knows I'd ha' said good-by back there to the dock
+and not let myself get carried off down river to nobody knows where. If
+they dassent to drop me off the boat they might keep me here till I
+paid--"
+
+"Alfaretta Babcock! I certainly am ashamed of you. That's a hard thing
+to say, just at parting, but it's the truth. The idea! First you fancy a
+decent human being will drown you because you haven't a little money,
+and then you can't reckon fifteen! What would dear Mr. Seth say, after
+teaching you so faithfully? Never mind. Don't act so foolish any more
+and I'll go get the money."
+
+This was not so easy as she fancied. The boat was already nearing the
+next landing where Alfaretta must go ashore, or be carried on to a much
+greater distance from her home, but it seemed difficult to make Miss
+Greatorex understand what was wanted and why. The poor lady's deafness
+had increased since her fright and exposure at the time of the fire and,
+now that she had been put into a position of greater trust than ever
+before, her sense of responsibility weighed heavily upon her. At
+parting, her principal, Miss Rhinelander, had enjoined:
+
+"Take particular care of the girls' finances, Cousin Isobel. It is
+important that they should learn to be wise in their small expenditures
+so that they may be equally prudent when they come to have the handling
+of larger sums--if that should ever be. Make them give a strict account
+of everything and check any foolishness at the beginning."
+
+The subordinate promised. She was a "poor relation" and knew that she
+was an unpopular teacher with many of the pupils of the fine school,
+though she had modified her sternness altogether in the case of Dorothy
+who had saved her from the fire. But the mandate of her superior was
+fresh in her mind. She had been touched by the rarely familiar "Cousin
+Isobel," and determined to do her duty to the utmost. Yet here was
+Dorothy already screaming into her deafest ear:
+
+"My purse, please, Miss Greatorex! I want some money right away! Quick,
+quick, please, or it'll be too late!"
+
+The girl's voice was so highly pitched that people around began to stare
+and some of them to smile. Like most afflicted persons the lady was
+sensitive to the observation of others and now held up her hand in
+protest against the attention they were attracting.
+
+"Softly, Dorothy. Better write what you wish if you cannot speak more
+distinctly;" and a small pad with pencil was extended.
+
+But Dorothy did not take them. The satchel upon Miss Greatorex's lap was
+open, her own and Molly's purses lay within. To snatch them both up and
+rush away was her impulsive act and to scamper back across the deck,
+wherever she could find a passage, took but a moment longer. But she was
+none too soon.
+
+Down below the steward was again crying:
+
+"All aboard what's goin'! All ashore what ain't! All who hasn't got deir
+tickets, please step right down to de Cap'n's office and settle."
+
+While another loud voice ordered:
+
+"Aft gangway for Cornwall! All ashore--all ashore! Aft gangway--all
+ashore!"
+
+Some were hurrying down the stairs to that "aft gangway," others
+speeding up them in equal haste with that excitement which always marks
+the infrequent traveler, and poor Alfaretta caught the same fever of
+haste. Without a word of real farewell, now that she had come thus far
+at so much risk to speak it, she dashed ahead, slipped on the
+brass-tipped stair and plunged headlong into the space below.
+
+For an instant there was silence even in that busy scene, people halting
+in their ascent and porters turning their skids aside with angry
+exclamations, lest the trunks they wheeled should fall upon her as she
+seemed bent to fall upon them.
+
+Yet only one thought now possessed the terrified girl--escape! She had
+bumped her head till she was dizzy, but she mustn't stop for that.
+Yonder yawned that open space in the deck-rail which they called the
+"aft gangway" and toward that point she propelled herself regardless of
+all that impeded her way.
+
+Down the plank, out upon the boards of the board dock, into the medley
+of stages and yelling drivers she hurried, very much as James Barlow and
+Montmorency Stark had done at that other, upper landing. But when she
+felt the solid quay beneath her feet she paused, clapped her hands to
+her dizzy head and--felt herself grasped in a wild and fierce embrace.
+
+Then both upon that dock and the deck of the outgoing steamer rang a
+shout of merriment, which made anger take the place of fear as she
+whirled about in the arms of whoever held her and shook her fist at the
+boat and its passengers.
+
+"Well! That was a short trip but it was full of incident!" remarked one
+passenger, near to Molly and Dorothy. They had run to the rail to see
+what followed Alfy's disappearance, and if she were carried away
+injured. "I saw her come aboard and depart and she managed to get a deal
+of action into those few minutes. Friend of yours, young ladies?"
+
+They faced about, wondering why this man should speak to them. He looked
+like a gentleman though a rather shabby one. Montmorency would have
+termed him "seedy." His coat had seen better days and his hat, lying on
+the bench beside him, was worn and discolored, and his thin white hair
+told that he, also, was old. This made the girls regard him kindly, for
+both of them had a reverence for age.
+
+More than that, a crutch rested against his knee and this made an
+instant appeal to Dorothy's sympathy. She had seen nobody with a crutch
+since she had said farewell to Father John; and now in pity for this
+other cripple she lingered near answering his many questions most
+politely.
+
+"Yes, she is a friend. She--I guess she ran away to sail a short
+distance with us. We shan't see each other again this summer. She forgot
+her money. I mean she didn't have any to forget; and--Sir? What did you
+ask me to find?"
+
+"To buy a morning paper for me, my dear. You see, being lame--Did you
+ever know anybody who was lame?" asked the old man, with a smile.
+
+"Ah! yes. The dearest man in all the world; my father."
+
+Thereupon Dorothy huddled down beside the stranger and gave a history
+of her father's illness, his wonderful patience, and the last effort he
+was making to regain his health.
+
+She did not know that it is often unsafe to talk with unknown people
+upon a journey; and in any case she would not have feared such a
+benignant old gentleman as this. She ended her talk with the inquiry:
+
+"Where will I find the paper, Mr.--Mr.--I mean, sir?"
+
+"Smith my name is. John Smith of Smithville. You'll find all the papers
+and books at a news-stand on the lower deck. There's a candy-stand
+there, too, such as will interest you two more than the papers, likely;"
+he answered with another smile.
+
+They started down the stairs leading from the main saloon to the lower
+part of the boat, and not until they had reached the news-stand did
+either of them remember that she hadn't brought her purse nor asked
+which paper their new acquaintance desired.
+
+"Oh! dear! Wasn't that silly of us! And we're almost to West Point,
+where my cousin Tom's a cadet! He promised to be on the lookout for us,
+if he could get leave to go to the steamboat landing. I wrote and told
+him about our trip and he answered right away. He's Aunt Lucretia's only
+child and she adores him. Hasn't spoiled him though. Papa took care
+about that! If I go back after our pocket-books I may lose the chance to
+see him! So provoking! I wish now we hadn't bothered ourselves about
+that old man. If he was able to come aboard the boat and go up those
+stairs to the deck he was able to buy his own old papers. So there!"
+cried Molly, stamping her little foot in her vexation.
+
+West Point cadets are given few permissions to leave their Academy for
+social visits, so that Tom had never been to the Rhinelander school
+where rules were also so strict that Molly had been but once to see her
+cousin in his own quarters. Until he went to the Point and she to school
+in the hill-city a few miles further up the river, they had lived
+together in her father's house and were like brother and sister. The
+disappointment now was great to the loving girl and Dorothy hastened to
+comfort, by saying:
+
+"Never mind, Molly, you stay right here. See! they're fixing that
+gang-plank again, at this very part of the deck. You stand right
+outside, close against the rail but where you won't be in the men's way
+and, if he's there, you'll surely see him.
+
+"I'll go back and get the purses. Where did you lay them?"
+
+"Hum. I don't know. I can't exactly think. You handed me yours, I
+remember, when you stooped to pick up his crutch he'd knocked down. Ah!
+Now I know. My hands got so warm and your pocketbook was red and I
+thought it would stain my new gloves. So I just laid them down on the
+bench beside him. You'll find them right there beside him. You can ask
+him which paper, then, and I say, Dolly Doodles, what right had that
+hindering old thing to expect us--us--to buy his papers for him? Why
+didn't he give us the money, himself? Seems if we'd been sort of--sort
+of goosies, doesn't it?"
+
+"Oh! Molly! That's not nice of you to think about that dear, lame old
+man! And why he didn't was, I suppose, because he didn't think. We don't
+always think ourselves, dearie. Never mind. I'll hurry and be right
+back."
+
+"Yes, do--do hurry! I've said so much about you in my letters I'm just
+suffering to have you two meet. Just suffering! Hark! They're whistling
+and ringing the bell and we'll be there in a minute! Do, do hurry--for I
+believe I see him now--that tall one at the end of the wharf--Hurry--or,
+better still--Wait! Wait!"
+
+But long before the excited Molly had finished speaking Dorothy had run
+up the stairs, along the long passage to the aft deck where she had left
+her lame acquaintance waiting for her to do his simple errand.
+
+He was not in the spot where she had left him. He was not in the big
+saloon, or parlor. He was not upon the forward deck; not yet amid the
+crowd pressed to the deck's rail, to watch for whatever might be seen at
+this historic landing place. Flying to the rail she scanned the few
+departing passengers and he was not among them. She saw, but scarcely
+realized that she did, a group of three cadets who had come as near the
+steamer as the wharf permitted and were gaily chattering with her chum,
+during the short stop that was made.
+
+"Could he have fallen overboard? And if he did why did he take our
+purses with him?" she wondered. Then reflected that it would be a
+difficult thing to explain this affair to Miss Greatorex; and also that
+the missing pocket-books contained a full month's "allowance" for both
+Molly and herself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+A RACE AND ITS ENDING
+
+
+Dorothy's search for the missing old man and, to her, the more important
+missing purses brought her to the lower deck and Molly. The latter was
+still leaning upon the rail, gazing a little sadly into the water, for
+the brief glimpse she had had of her cousin Tom had recalled their happy
+days in their old southern home. There were even a few tears in her
+bright blue eyes as she raised them toward her friend; but she checked
+them at once, frightened by the expression of Dorothy's own.
+
+"Why, honey, what's the matter?"
+
+"Our pocket-books are lost!"
+
+"Lost? Lost! They can't be. You mustn't say so. We can't, we daren't
+lose them. Weren't they on that bench beside the old man?" demanded
+Molly.
+
+"No, they were not. They were not anywhere--any single where. He wasn't
+either."
+
+"Pooh! He must be. He probably wanted to change his seat and was afraid
+to leave them lying on the bench, lest somebody might be tempted to pick
+them up. Somebody to whom they didn't belong, I mean."
+
+"Molly, what shall we do? What will Miss Greatorex say?"
+
+"Humph. She'll probably scream out her disgust as if we were deaf too
+like herself. That's the way she always does: when there's something to
+be said you don't want anybody else to hear she just talks her loudest;
+and when there's something you're longing to know she merely whispers.
+That's the way all deaf people do, Miss Penelope says. And--you're the
+one that lost them, so you'll be the one to tell her, Dorothy girl."
+
+"Why, child, I don't see how I lost them any more than you did! I'm
+sorry as I can be. Sorrier about yours than mine even, though I'd
+planned so many nice things to do with the money. Five dollars! Think of
+it! I never before had five whole dollars at a time, never in my life!"
+said Dolly, mournfully.
+
+"Well, what's the use staying down here and just worrying about the
+thing? Let's go and look again for the man. When we find the man we
+shall find the purses; but--whether he'll give them back to us is
+another matter."
+
+"Molly, what a dreadful thing to say! As if you thought he--he stole
+them, a nice old gentleman like that!"
+
+"Pooh! Once my Aunt Lucretia had her little handbag snatched out of her
+hand, right on Broadway street in New York city. She did so; and all she
+could remember about the snatcher was that he was a handsome young man
+with an eyeglass in one eye. A regular dandy he was, if the thief was
+the fellow who brushed against her so rudely. Anyhow, after he'd
+brushed, her bag was gone and all her shopping money in it. Papa told
+her it served her right. That to carry a purse, or a bag, that way was a
+temptation to any rogue who happened to pass by. He said the snatcher
+was smarter than Auntie and he hoped it would teach her a lesson. Aunt
+Lu thought Papa was almost as horrid as the thief; and what will either
+of them say to us for being so careless?"
+
+"I suppose we'll have to tell them!" reflected Dorothy, in sad
+perplexity.
+
+"Course we will. Aren't they both to meet us at the steamer? Aren't they
+going with us all the way to Halifax? Why, I should want to tell the
+very first thing. How else would I get any more money?"
+
+"I don't know, I'm sure. Lucky you! As for me there's nobody to replace
+my five dollars, so far as I know."
+
+"Oh! come on. Don't let's stand moping. I'll tell you. Let's begin right
+here at this spot. You go one side this lower place, all along that
+passage beside the engine-rooms and things and I'll go the other. Then
+if we don't see him anywhere here we'll meet at the foot of the stairs
+and search the upper floor just the same way. Out on both ends of the
+boat, poke into closets and barber-shop and captain's office--everywhere
+there is a chance a man, a passenger man, might be."
+
+It seemed a fine scheme and they promptly separated to put it into
+execution. But when they met at the foot of the stairway, leading to the
+upper saloon, neither had any success to report. Nor did they meet with
+any better fortune when they had made a prolonged examination of the
+whole steamer, even climbing to the hurricane deck and questioning the
+officer upon the bridge.
+
+As they slowly descended to the place where Miss Greatorex awaited them,
+alarmed by their absence and equally afraid to move from the spot lest
+somebody else should confiscate their three comfortable camp-chairs and,
+possibly, their hand luggage, Dorothy suggested:
+
+"Let's write it. That'll save other people, strangers, from hearing.
+Miss G. always carries a pad and pencil with her and I'll do it myself,
+since you think I'm most to blame. But I'm afraid even my writing won't
+stop her talking when she finds out! Oh! dear! I wish Alfy Babcock had
+never come on this boat! Then I shouldn't have gone to watch her and
+seen him."
+
+"Huh! I don't think it's quite fair to blame poor Alfy for our own
+fault. We'd no business to be so careless, either one of us. I had a
+bright notion that maybe that stewardess or some official had picked up
+the pocket-books, so I asked every single one of them, big and little,
+black and white, and not a soul knew a thing about it. No, Dolly
+Doodles, the blame's our own and--the man's," said Molly, with
+conviction.
+
+Miss Greatorex was vastly relieved to see her charges returning to her
+side. She had become anxious over their prolonged absence and in her
+nervousness had imagined all sorts of accidents which might have
+befallen them. Yet the same nervousness had prevented her questioning
+any employee of the steamer, who had come near, she shrinking from the
+observation this would attract to her deafness.
+
+Therefore, it was with a much brighter smile than ordinary that she
+welcomed the truants, and was disappointed to have her greeting so
+dejectedly returned.
+
+"I began to worry over you, my dears, I cannot call either of you really
+mischievous, yet I hope you won't leave me in suspense so long again.
+Anywhere, so that you are in my sight all of the time, you are free to
+move about. But--Why, my dears! What has happened to make you so sober?"
+
+It certainly was vexing, when the lady was making such extra effort to
+be agreeable and to adapt herself to young people's ideas, to have these
+efforts so disregarded; and it was a strange thing that Dorothy should
+without permission take the notebook and pencil from her teacher's lap
+and begin to write.
+
+Miss Isobel had set forth upon her travels with the firm intention of
+making notes about everything along the way and it disturbed her
+methodical soul to have anybody else "messing" with this neat little
+record. It was only a trifle better that the girl should have turned to
+the very back of the book and chosen a fly leaf there to scribble on.
+Scribbling it seemed, so rapidly was it done, and after a brief time the
+book was returned to its owner and she silently requested to examine
+what had been written in it. This is what she read:
+
+"We've lost our pocket-books. Or, maybe, I lost them both. We've lost
+the man, too. He was a little, shiny old man, with a fringe of white
+hair around his head. When he put his hat on he had two foreheads under
+its rim, one before and one behind. His coat was shiny. His hat was
+shiny and had a hole in it. He--he seemed to shine all over, especially
+in his smile. That was perfectly lovely. Have you seen him? Because if
+you know where he is I'd like to ask him for our purses. That is if he
+has them as Molly and, maybe, I think. Else how could we buy his paper
+for him without any money and how can we give him the paper if
+he--_isn't_?"
+
+Poor Dorothy fancied that she had made everything most explicit yet, at
+the same time, very gently broken the news of the lost purses. She was
+unprepared for the expression of confusion that settled upon Miss
+Greatorex's austere features as she read this communication once, then
+more carefully a second time.
+
+Leaning forward, eagerly observant of "how she'll take it" Molly
+perceived that Dorothy's explanation hadn't been sufficient; or else
+that it had not dawned upon Miss Isobel's comprehension that her girls
+had really been so careless, that the loss was genuine. As the lady
+looked up, after this second reading, with a question but no anger in
+her expression, the observer exclaimed:
+
+"Dolly, I don't believe you've told her all. Give me the book, please,
+Miss G. and I'll see what it says."
+
+Then after a rapid perusal of the message Molly turned upon her chum
+with an amused indignation:
+
+"You've said more about your 'shiny old man' with his adorable smile
+than our own trouble. Here, I'll write and I guess there won't be any
+mistake this time."
+
+So she also possessed herself of the cherished notebook and made her own
+brief entry:--
+
+"We laid our purses down on a bench and a man stole them. The same man
+D. described. Now somebody must have stolen _him_ 'cause he isn't on the
+boat."
+
+"Laid your purses down on a bench and left them there?" demanded Miss
+Greatorex in her most excited tones. Tones so loud that all the
+passengers sitting near turned their heads to look and listen; thereby
+calling attention to the two blushing girls, in a manner most
+unpleasant.
+
+All they could do to avert this audible upbraiding was to point to the
+notebook and mutely beg that she would do her scolding by that silent
+channel. Not she, however. Never in all the years of her drudgery of
+teaching had she felt her responsibility so great as now. To be
+entrusted with the charge of Miss Rhinelander's most indulged
+pupils--all the school knew that--had, at first seemed a burden, and
+next a most delightful honor. But, after all, they were just like other
+girls. Just as careless, just as disrespectful and annoying; for the
+sensitive old gentlewoman had considered the use of her notebook a
+presumption and their long absence from her side a proof that they were
+inconsiderate. However, these were mere matters of sentiment, but the
+loss of ten good dollars was a calamity.
+
+"Well, young ladies, all I have to say, and you may note that it is my
+final word, is: _Those pocket-books must be found._ You cannot leave
+this steamer until they are. I have promised especial care over your
+expenditures and I shall do my duty. I am now going to read my history
+of Hendrik Hudson. While I am reading you can seek your purses. We have
+still a long time before reaching New York and the better you employ it
+the better for--all of us."
+
+Every syllable was as distinctly uttered as if she were dictating to a
+secretary, but she ignored all the curious glances turned her way and
+resumed her reading with an air of great dignity.
+
+Molly and Dolly exchanged dismayed glances; then giggled, perceiving
+amused expressions upon the faces of many travelers near them. The whole
+affair began to seem more absurd than serious, and, finally, unable to
+longer restrain their rather hysterical mirth, they rose and walked
+away arm in arm.
+
+But they did no more searching. Had they not already looked everywhere?
+Besides, as Molly declared:
+
+"We're more apt to see that man somewhere if we sit right still in one
+place. Papa told me that was the way to do, if I were ever lost
+anywhere. I was once, in a big store in New York, but I remembered, I
+sat right down by the door and just waited and prayed all the time that
+Auntie Lu would come and find me there. I was a little tacker then, not
+bigger'n anything. And she came. I don't know how much the praying did
+'cause all I knew then was 'Now I lay me;' or how much the waiting.
+Anyhow she found me. So, maybe, if we keep still as still, the 'shiny
+man' will get around past us sometime. _He's_ the lost one in the case,
+isn't he? And did you ever see how restless the people all do seem? I
+guess they're tired of the long sail and anxious to be off the boat."
+
+"I guess so, too. Let's do something to pass the time. Count how many
+girls and women we can see in white shirt-waists--seems if it had rained
+them, seems if! Or how many people go trapesing up and down the deck.
+Make up stories about them, too, if you like, and fit names to them. I
+always do give a name to anybody I see and don't know. Let's call that
+nice looking man yonder 'Graysie.' He's all in gray clothes, hat,
+gloves, tie, and everything. There's another might be what Monty'd say
+was a 'hayseed.' I think that's not a nice name, though, but just call
+him 'Green Fields.' He's surely come from some farm up the river and
+looks as if he were enjoying every minute of this sail. I'm beginning to
+enjoy it too, now; only I'm getting dreadfully hungry. If I had my purse
+I think I'd go down to that stand in the corner and buy us some
+sandwiches;" said Dorothy, in response.
+
+Cried Molly, indignantly:
+
+"Don't talk about sandwiches to a poor, starving girl! Sailing does make
+a body ravenous, just ravenous, even though we did have a
+'vacation-breakfast' with something besides cereals and milk. When Miss
+Rhinelander does 'treat' us she does it thoroughly. But, what shall you
+order when we get to New York and meet Papa and Auntie Lu? You know
+we're all to dine at a big hotel, for the Nova Scotia boat doesn't sail
+till two o'clock. Two o'clock sharp! Not a minute before nor a minute
+after, Papa says; and he goes out to that country every year. Sometimes
+in the hunting season and now just to camp out and fish and get--get
+fat, I tell him. It's dreadful wearing to be a Judge. Judge of the
+Supreme Court. That's what my father is. He's a bank president, too, and
+has lots to do with other people's money. But he's something to do with
+a railway besides, and all these things and his taking care of Aunt
+Lucretia's 'property' wears him out. She hasn't any property, really,
+except the little tumble-down house where she and Papa were born. Papa
+says it isn't worth the cost of powder to blow it up; but Auntie loves
+it and makes more fuss over it than Papa does over all his own things."
+
+"A Judge is a man that can send a person to jail or not, isn't he?"
+
+"Worse than that! He can send one to the gallows or the electric
+chair--if he has to. That's the wearing part; having to be 'just' when
+he just longs to be 'generous.' If it wasn't that he has the same power
+to set a person free, too, I guess he'd give up Judging. If he could. I
+don't know about such things. What I do know is that he and some other
+Judges and some more bankers and such men have the greatest fun ever,
+summer times. They hunt up old clothes and wear them right in the woods.
+Auntie says she doesn't know where they find such duds 'cause they
+certainly never owned them at any other time. Then they sleep on the
+ground, and cook over a fire they make themselves, and fish and tell
+stories. 'Just loaf' Papa says, and to hear him tell makes me sorrier
+than ever I'm not a boy. If I were I could go too. But a girl--Pshaw!
+Girls can't do a single thing that's worth while, seems to me!"
+
+"I'm afraid I shall be afraid of a real Judge, Molly. I'm afraid I--"
+
+"The idea! You'll forget all those 'afraids' the minute you see my
+darling father! But you didn't say what you'd order for your dinner."
+
+"How can I order anything if I haven't the money to pay for it? Or does
+that all go in with the expenses of the whole trip, that Miss Greatorex
+has to take care of?" asked Dorothy, who was in real ignorance of some
+most practical matters, having merely been told that she was to take
+this journey under Miss Greatorex's charge.
+
+"I don't know what goes in or out; but I do know that my father wouldn't
+let ladies pay for their dinners when he was along. A pretty kind of a
+gentleman that would be! And Judge Schuyler Breckenridge is a Perfect
+Gentleman, I want you to understand," answered Molly, proudly.
+
+"So is my Father John," said Dorothy with equal decision; and for a few
+minutes there was silence while each loyal daughter reflected upon the
+astonishing merits of their respective fathers.
+
+Afterward they interested themselves in watching the people near them;
+so that it was with some surprise they heard "Diamond," the steward,
+announcing:
+
+"New Yawk! Twenty-third street landin'! Fo'wa'd gangway fo'
+Twen-ty--thir-d-st-r-e-et!!"
+
+Then followed a little scurry as they sought Miss Greatorex to inquire
+if this were where they would leave the boat. However she said not; that
+they were to remain on board until the steamer landed at Desbrosses
+street, lower down the city. There she had been informed that Judge
+Breckenridge and Mrs. Hungerford would meet them. After dining together
+they would cross the city to the other East River and take the steamer
+for Yarmouth. It was all very simple and yet very exciting.
+
+Both Miss Isobel and her pupils had "read up" on Nova Scotia and felt
+as if the short ocean trip would land them in a foreign country. Whether
+the entire vacation should be passed in that Province or they to travel
+further afield had not yet been decided.
+
+However, New York was sufficiently exciting, even to Molly who had been
+there many times, and far more so to Dorothy, who had passed through it
+but once. They could scarcely keep their feet from dancing as they
+gathered with the rest of the downtown passengers to await the landing
+of the "Powell" and their going ashore.
+
+"See! See! Papa! Darling Auntie Lu! There they are, there they are!"
+almost shrieked Molly, frantically waving her handkerchief to somebody
+on the wharf.
+
+There were many answering wavings of handkerchiefs from expectant
+friends to those still on board, and Dorothy peered eagerly among them
+trying to decide which was the pair to whom her chum belonged. Turning
+her head to beg information on this point she suddenly perceived her
+"shiny old man." He was on the edge of the crowding passengers, holding
+back and yet apparently in haste to get forward, by watching for little
+breaks in the ranks and dodging swiftly through them. His crutch was
+under his arm, he was not using it. His hat-brim had been lowered over
+his face, his coat collar pulled high about his ears and securely
+buttoned. There was none of that benign appearance about him now which
+had so won Dorothy's sympathetic heart and if he were lame he admirably
+disguised the fact.
+
+It was her chance! In another moment he would have left the boat and she
+would miss him. She would run up to him and ask him if he remembered
+about the purses--Quick, quick! He must have forgotten--
+
+He was going. Everybody was going. She kept her eyes fixed upon him,
+unmindful of the fact that somebody else was crowding her apart from
+Molly and Miss Greatorex, or that, as the throng pressed outward, they
+were getting further and further away.
+
+The "shiny man" wasn't three feet ahead of her when they at last gained
+the gang-plank and surged forward to the wharf. She could almost touch
+his shoulder--she would in a minute--she was gaining--
+
+No she wasn't! He had slipped aside and was hurrying away with the
+agility of youth! It couldn't be the cripple and yet--there was the
+point of his crutch sticking out behind! Well, she reckoned she could
+run as fast as he did and she promptly set out to try!
+
+It was a strange race in a strange place. West street in New York is a
+very crowded, dirty thoroughfare. An endless, unbroken line of drays,
+beer-wagons, vehicles of every sort, moves up one side and down the
+other of the hurrying street cars which claim the centre roadway. The
+pavement is always slippery with slime, the air always full of hoarse
+shouts, cries and distracting whistles. Car bells jangle, policemen
+yell their warnings to unwary foot passengers, hackmen screech their
+demands for patronage, and hurrying crowds move to and fro between the
+ferries and the city. A place that speedily set Dorothy's nerves
+a-tingle with fear, yet never once diverted her from her purpose.
+
+As she had once followed poor Peter Piper in a mad race over the fields,
+"just for fun," so now she followed her "shiny man," to regain her lost
+property. She had become convinced that he had it. He looked, at last,
+exactly like a person who would rob little girls of their last five
+dollars! Their own whole monthly allowance and a most liberal one.
+
+"But he shall not keep it! He--shall--not!" cried Dorothy aloud, and
+redoubling her speed, if that were possible.
+
+He darted between wagons where the horses' noses of the hinder one
+touched the tail-boards of the forward; so did she. He bobbed under
+drays; so did she. He seemed bent upon nothing but escape; she upon
+nothing but pursuit and capture. She believed that he must have seen her
+though she had not caught him turning once around to look her way.
+
+They had cleared the street; they were upon the further sidewalk; a
+policeman was screaming a "halt" to her but she paid no attention. In
+that medley of sounds one harsh cry more or less was of small account.
+What was of account, the only thing that now remained clear in her eager
+brain was the fact that the fugitive had--turned a corner! A corner
+leading into a street at right angles with this broad one, a street
+somewhat narrower, a fraction quieter, and even dirtier. She followed;
+she also flashed around that dingy, saloon-infested corner, bounded
+forward, breathless and exultant, because surely she could come up to
+him here. Then she paused for just one breath, dashed her hand across
+her straining eyes, and peered ahead.
+
+The "shiny man" had disappeared as completely as if the earth had opened
+and swallowed him up; and there Dorothy stood alone in the most unsavory
+of alleys, with a sudden, dreadful realization of the fact that--she was
+lost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+ADRIFT IN THE GREAT CITY
+
+
+"My darling! My darling!" cried Judge Breckenridge, clasping his
+daughter close to his breast, then holding her off at arm's length, the
+better to scan her beloved face and to observe the changes a few months
+of absence had wrought. "My darling Molly! More like the other Molly
+than ever! Now my vacation has indeed begun!"
+
+"Papa, Papa! You sweetest, dearest, beautifullest Papa ever lived! How
+good it is to see you! And, yes Auntie Lu, you're dear too; but a body's
+father--Why, he's her father and nobody like him, nobody!"
+
+In her enthusiastic greeting of and by her relatives Molly forgot
+everything and everybody else. She had crossed the gang-plank as swiftly
+as the people crowding behind and before her would permit, her feet
+restlessly dancing up and down in the limited space; and now that she
+was upon the solid wharf to which the steamer was moored she bore them
+along with her by an arm linked to each, eager to be free of that throng
+and in some quiet spot where she could perch upon her father's knee and
+talk, talk, talk!
+
+Had any of the trio thought about it for a moment they would have
+observed Miss Greatorex lingering close to the plank and staring at
+everyone who crossed it, searching for Dorothy.
+
+"Strange! She certainly was right here a minute ago! I thought she had
+gone off the boat ahead of me, but she couldn't have done so, for she's
+nowhere in sight;" she murmured to herself.
+
+When all had crossed and still Dorothy did not appear, the anxious
+teacher returned to the boat and renewed her search there: asking of all
+the employees she met if they had seen her missing charge. But one of
+them had noticed the girl at all; that was a workman who had helped to
+drag the gang-plank into place upon the wharf and against whom Dorothy
+had rudely dashed in her pursuit of the "shiny man."
+
+He remembered her excited manner, her swift apology to himself for the
+accident, and her frantic rush across the wharf. He had looked after her
+with curiosity and had remarked to a bystander:
+
+"That little passenger is afraid she'll get left! Maybe she doesn't know
+we lie alongside this dock till mid-afternoon."
+
+Then he had gone about his own affairs and dismissed her from his mind
+till, thus recalled by Miss Greatorex's question, he wished he had
+watched her more closely. He was afraid she might have been hurt among
+the heavy wagons moving about, and that was the poor comfort which he
+expressed to the now thoroughly frightened lady.
+
+Meanwhile the Breckenridge party had crossed the street, under
+conveyance of a waiting policeman, and had paused upon the further curb
+while Molly explained:
+
+"Miss Greatorex is dreadful slow, Papa dear. But she'll be here in a
+minute. She's sure to be and Dolly with her. Oh! she is the very
+sweetest, dearest, bravest girl I ever knew! If I had a sister I should
+want her to be exactly like Dorothy. I wonder what does keep them! And
+I'm so hungry, so terribly hungry and we lost our purses--couldn't be
+she'd linger to search for them again when we've already ransacked the
+whole boat! Why, Papa, look! Miss Greatorex is on the boat again,
+herself. Running, fairly running around the deck and acting as if she,
+too, had lost something. How queer that is!"
+
+Both the gentleman and lady now fixed their attention upon the teacher,
+until that moment unknown to them. She certainly was conducting herself
+in a strange, half-bewildered manner and the Judge realized that there
+was something wrong. Bidding his sister and child:
+
+"Stay right here on this corner. Don't leave it. I'll step back to the
+steamer and see what's amiss;" and to the hackman he had summoned, he
+added: "Keep your rig right on the spot and an eye upon these fares!
+I'll be back in a minute."
+
+[Illustration: "ARE YOU A POLICEMAN?"
+_Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+But he wasn't. When he did come, after Mrs. Hungerford and Molly had
+had ample time to grow anxious themselves, it was with a woe-begone Miss
+Greatorex upon his arm and a very disturbed expression on his own face.
+
+"Why, Papa, where's Dolly? Why didn't she come, too?" cried Molly,
+darting to meet him.
+
+"That, my dear, is exactly what this lady and I would like to know. I
+was in hopes she might have seen you standing here and crossed to join
+you. Well, she's been in too great haste, likely, and started by herself
+to go--I wonder where! Anyway, the best thing to be done is for you
+three to get into this carriage and drive to the Astor House and order
+dinner for all of us. It's an old-time hotel where my father and I used
+to go when I was a boy myself, and I patronized it for old association's
+sake. You, small daughter, had fixed your mind on nothing less than the
+Waldorf-Astoria, I expect! Never mind; you'll get as good food in one
+place as the other."
+
+"But, Papa, aren't you coming with us?"
+
+"Not just yet. I'll stop behind a bit and set a few policemen or small
+boys in search for Miss Dorothy. Tell me something by which we can
+recognize her when found. New York is pretty full of little girls, you
+know, and I might miss her among so many."
+
+The Judge tried to make his tone a careless one but there was real
+anxiety in it as his sister promptly understood; but she also felt it
+best to treat the matter lightly, for already poor Miss Isobel was on
+the point of collapse. So she answered readily enough:
+
+"Very well, brother, so we'll do. I reckon I know your tastes so that I
+can cater for you and--is there any limit to what we may order? I'm a
+bit hungry myself and always do crave the most expensive dishes on the
+menu. Good-by, for a little while."
+
+The Judge bade the driver: "To the Astor House;" lifted his hat to those
+within the carriage, and it moved away.
+
+Then he summoned a policeman and asked that scouts be sent out all
+through that neighborhood, to search for a "thirteen-year-old girl, in a
+brown linen dress, dark curly hair, brown eyes, and--'Oh! just too
+stylish for words!'" which was the description his daughter had given
+him. Indeed, he felt that this very "stylishness" might be a clue to the
+right person; since denizens of that locality, girls or women, are not
+apt to have that characteristic about them.
+
+He was a weary man. He had been up late the night before, and previous
+to his journey hither had been extremely busy leaving matters right in
+his southern home for a prolonged absence. He had counted upon the hour
+or two before sailing in which to procure some additions to his
+sportsman's outfit, and sorely begrudged this unexpected demand upon his
+time. Yet he could do no less than try to find the runaway, and to make
+the search as thorough as if it had been his own child's case.
+
+It was more than an hour later that he appeared in the dining-room of
+the hotel where his family awaited him. They had still delayed their own
+dinner, though Molly's hunger had almost compelled her to enjoy hers.
+Only the thought of "eating with Papa," had restrained her, because she
+had little fear that Dorothy would not be promptly found, or that she
+had done more than go a few blocks out of the way. She had often been in
+that city before, though only in its better parts, and it all seemed
+simple enough to her. It had been explained that the upper part was laid
+out in squares, with the avenues running north and south, the
+cross-streets easily told by their numbers. How then could anybody who
+could count be lost?
+
+"No news, Schuyler?" asked Aunt Lucretia.
+
+"Not yet. Not quite yet. But there will be, of course there will be.
+I've set a lot of people hunting that extremely 'stylish' young maiden,
+so I thought I'd best come down and get my dinner and let you know that
+all's being done that can be. Don't worry, Miss Greatorex. A capable
+girl like Dorothy isn't easy to lose in a city full of policemen, if
+she'll only use her tongue and ask for guidance. Probably she has gone
+back to the 'Powell' already, hoping to find us all there. Before I eat
+I'll telephone again and inquire, although I did so just a little while
+ago, as I came in."
+
+The more he talked the less he convinced his listeners that it would be
+that "all right" he had so valiantly asserted. Even Molly's hunger
+suddenly deserted her and she pushed away a plate of especially
+enticing dessert with a shake of her head and an exclamation:
+
+"Papa's talking--just talking! Like he always does when he takes me to
+the dentist's! His voice doesn't ring true, Auntie Lu, and you know it.
+You needn't smile and try to look happy, for you can't. Dorothy is lost!
+My precious Dolly Doodles is lost--is LOST!"
+
+For a moment nobody answered. Miss Greatorex echoed the exclamation in
+her own sinking heart, realizing at last how fully she had depended upon
+the Judge's ability to find the girl, until he had once more appeared
+without her. He had promptly sent a messenger to telephone again and
+awaiting the reply made a feint of taking his soup. Mrs. Hungerford kept
+her eyes fixed upon her plate, not daring just then to lift them to Miss
+Greatorex's white face; and altogether it was a very anxious party which
+sat at table then instead of the merry one which all had anticipated.
+
+When their pretence of a meal was over and they rose, the Judge looked
+at his watch. Then he said:
+
+"We have only time left to reach the 'Prince' in comfort. It is a long
+way up and across town to the dock on East river. You three must start
+for it at once. I'll step into a store near by for a few things I need
+and follow you. Of course, Dorothy knew all about her trip, the steamer
+she would sail by, and its landing place. Even if she didn't know that
+most of the officers would know and direct her.
+
+"I now think that having missed us at the 'Powell' she has gone straight
+to the other boat and you will find her there. I'll follow you in time
+for sailing and till then, good-by. A hack is ready for you at the
+door."
+
+Then he went hastily out, and Mrs. Hungerford said:
+
+"Brother is wise. We certainly shan't find Dolly here, and we may at the
+'Prince.' Have you all your parcels, both of you? Then come."
+
+They followed her meekly enough but at the street entrance Miss
+Greatorex rebelled. Her anxiety gave a more than ordinary irritation to
+her temper and harshness to her voice, and her habitually ungracious
+manner became more repellent than ever as she announced:
+
+"That's all very well, Mrs. Hungerford, and Molly. But I shan't go one
+step toward Nova Scotia till I've found my little girl. You three are
+all right, _you've got yourselves_ and of course other people don't
+matter. But Dorothy saved my life and I'll not desert her to nobody
+knows what dreadful fate! No, I will not, and you needn't say another
+single word!"
+
+As nobody had interrupted her excited speech this last admonition seemed
+rather uncalled for, but Molly waxed indignant thereat, though her Aunt
+Lucretia merely smiled compassionately. Then as they still stood upon
+the sidewalk, hesitating to enter their carriage, Miss Isobel waved her
+umbrella wildly toward another hack, and when it had obeyed her summons
+sprang into it and was whirled away.
+
+Where was Dorothy all this time? Little she knew of the commotion she
+had caused. Indeed, for a long time, her only thought was for herself
+and her unfortunate predicament. She had never been so frightened in her
+life. Nothing had ever looked so big, so dismal, and so altogether
+hopeless as this wretched side street where her fugitive had
+disappeared. There was not a policeman in sight. She didn't know which
+way to go, but promptly realized that she should not stay just there in
+that degraded neighborhood. Even the wider street from which she had
+diverged, with its endless lines of wagons and people, was better.
+But--she must go somewhere!
+
+She set out forward, resolutely, and as it proved eastward toward that
+famous Broadway which threads the city from its north to south, but that
+was yet many blocks removed. Indeed, it seemed an endless way that
+stretched beyond her; and it was not until she had run for some distance
+that her common sense awoke with the thought:
+
+"Why, how silly I am! I must go back to the boat. That's where I'll be
+missed and looked for. Of course, Miss Greatorex wouldn't go on and
+leave me, and oh! dear! I reckon I've made her wait till she'll be
+angry. I'll ask the first nice looking gentleman I see, if no policeman
+comes, the way to the 'Mary Powell.' Here comes one now--"
+
+A busy man came speeding toward her, whose coat skirt she tried to
+clutch; but he didn't even hear the question she put. He merely waved
+her aside, as he would any other street beggar with the passing remark:
+"Nothing. Get away!"
+
+The second person to whom she applied was German and shook his head with
+a forcible negative. So he, too, moved on and she stopped to think and
+recover some portion of that courage which had almost deserted her.
+
+"Of course. I couldn't be really lost, not really truly so, right in the
+broad daylight and a city full of people. But I am ashamed to have
+stayed so long. Oh! good! There comes a man in uniform--a policeman, a
+policeman!"
+
+Quite at rest now she darted forward and caught at the hand of the
+uniformed person who stared at her in surprise but not unkindly.
+
+"Well, little maid, what's wanted?"
+
+"O, sir! Are you a policeman? Will you take me to where I belong?"
+
+"Sorry to say 'no' to both your questions, but I'm only a railway
+conductor, in a hurry to catch my outgoing train. Wait a minute, child,
+and a real police officer will come and will look out for you."
+
+The blue-coated, much brass-buttoned man snatched his hand from her
+clinging grasp and strode westward in desperate haste. He had calculated
+his time to the last second and even this trifling delay annoyed him.
+
+But he had prophesied aright. A policeman was coming into view,
+leisurely sauntering over his beat, and on the lookout for anything
+amiss. Dorothy hurried forward, planted herself firmly in this man's
+path and demanded again:
+
+"Are you a policeman?"
+
+"Sure an' 'tis that same that I be! Thanks for all mercies! Me first day
+alone at the job, an' what can I do for ye, me pretty colleen?"
+
+"Tell me, or take me, back to the 'Mary Powell,' please. I--I've lost my
+way."
+
+"Arrah musha! An' if I was after doin' that same I'd be losin' mine! The
+'Mary Powell' is it? Tell me where does she be livin' at. I'm not long
+in this counthry and but new app'inted to the foruss. Faith it's a
+biggish sort of town to be huntin' one lone woman in."
+
+To anybody older or wiser than Dorothy Chester the very fact of his
+loquacity would have betrayed his newness to the "foruss." There wasn't
+a prouder nor happier man in the whole great city, that day, than Larry
+McCarthy, as he proceeded to explain:
+
+"First cousin on me mother's side to Alderman Bryan McCarthy, as has
+helped me over from Connemara, this late whiles, and has made me a
+free-born Amerikin citizen, glory be."
+
+"That must be very nice. I suppose an alderman is some sort of a very
+high-up man, isn't he? But--"
+
+"High is it, says she. Higher 'an I was when I was carryin' me hod up
+wan thim 'sky-scrapers' they do build in this forsaken--I mane
+blessed--counthry, says he. Sure it's a higher-up Bryan is, the foine
+lad."
+
+"Please, please, will you take me to the 'Mary Powell'?"
+
+"How can I since ye've not told me yet wherever she lives?"
+
+"Why she isn't a--she! She's a boat!"
+
+"Hear til the lass! She isn't a she isn't she? Then she must be a he,
+and that'd beat a priest to explain;" and at his own joke the
+newly-fledged officer indulged in a most unofficial burst of laughter.
+So long and so loud was this that Dorothy stamped her foot impatiently
+and another uniformed member of "the force," passing by on the other
+side of the street, crossed over to investigate.
+
+At whose arrival officer Larry straightened himself like a ramrod,
+squared his shoulders, and affected to be intensely angry with the small
+person who had delayed him upon his beat. But he could not deceive the
+keen eyes of the more experienced policeman and his superior in rank.
+
+With a swift recognition of the newcomer's greater intelligence, Dorothy
+put her inquiry to him, breathlessly stating her whole case, including
+the loss of her purse and her regret over it.
+
+"'Cause now, you see, sir, I haven't any money to pay for being taken
+back. Else I would have called a carriage, like people do sometimes, and
+got the carriage man to take me. That is, _if_ there was any carriage,
+and any man, and I--I had any money. Oh! dear! That isn't what I wanted
+to say, but I'm so tired running and--and--it's dreadful to be lost in
+a New York city!"
+
+Her explanation ended in a miserable breakdown of sobs and tears. Now
+that help had come--she was sure of it after one glance into this second
+officer's honest face--her courage collapsed entirely. The sergeant
+allowed her a moment to compose herself and then said, as he took out a
+notebook and prepared to write in it:
+
+"Now, once more. Tell me exactly, or listen if I have the facts right.
+You are a pupil at the Rhinelander Academy in Newburgh. You are starting
+upon a trip for your summer vacation. You are under the care of Miss
+Greatorex, a teacher. You ran away from the steamer 'Mary Powell' in
+pursuit of a man whom you think carried off your own and a friend's
+purse. Very well. I will send you to the boat and if your story is true
+you will be restored to your friends and nothing more will come of it.
+If it isn't true, you will be sent to a station-house to await
+developments. McCarthy, proceed upon your beat."
+
+Larry shrugged his shoulders more snugly into his new uniform, assumed
+the bearing of a drum major and duly proceeded. The superior officer put
+a whistle to his lips, and like the genii in Arabian Nights, his servant
+instantly appeared.
+
+"Call a cab. Take this young person to the 'Mary Powell,' foot of
+Desbrosses street. If her guardian is not there, drive to the other
+landing at Twenty-third street and inquire if the girl has been sought
+for there. If this is a false story, report to me at the station and, of
+course, bring the girl with you."
+
+The words "station house" sounded ominous in Dorothy's ears. During her
+Baltimore life she had learned all that was necessary about such places
+to infect her with fear, having with other children sometimes watched
+the "police patrol wagons" make their dreary rounds. She had peered at
+the unhappy prisoners sitting within the van and had pitied them
+unspeakably, despite the fact that they must have been wicked. A picture
+of herself thus seated and despairing flashed before her mind, but she
+put it resolutely aside and with great humility stepped into the cab
+which her new protector had summoned.
+
+This was one of those then new electric cabs and instantly riveted her
+attention. To move through the streets so swiftly without visible means
+of locomotion was as delightful as novel; and the skill with which the
+driver perched up behind twisted around corners and among crowding
+vehicles seemed fairly wonderful.
+
+It was a most charming ride, despite the fact that she was a lost person
+seeking her friends, and it came all too soon to an end at the dock she
+had named. She recognized the place at once and was out of the cab,
+hurrying along the wharf, calling back to her guide:
+
+"Here she is! This is the 'Mary Powell!' See?"
+
+He was promptly at her side again, his duty being not to lose sight of
+her until that "report" had been duly made when and where ordered. Also,
+the recognition of her by "Fanny" and the other boat hands proved that
+thus much of her tale was true. She had come down the river on that
+steamer's last trip and people had been back upon it, frantically
+seeking news of her.
+
+"You oughtn't to have run away like that, little girl, and scare them
+people into forty fits. That nice Judge--somebody, he said his name
+was--he hired no end of people to go searching for you and now you've
+come and he hasn't. Like enough they've gone to the other landing,
+up-town, to seek you. Better drive there, policeman, and see."
+
+"All right. But, stewardess, if anybody comes again to inquire, say that
+she'll be taken to the 'Prince' steamship, East river, and be held there
+till the boat sails. Afterward at station number --."
+
+There is no need to follow all of Dorothy's seeking of her friends.
+Already, as has been told, they had made a fruitless search for her; and
+when at length fully convinced that she was telling a "straight case"
+the official who had her in charge, failing to find Miss Greatorex at
+that "up-town landing"--though a dock-hand said that she had been there
+and again hurried away "as if she was a crazy piece"--the cab was turned
+toward that east-side dock whence the voyage to Nova Scotia was to be
+made.
+
+Here everything was verified. Dorothy's luggage marked with her name
+was in the baggage-room, having been sent down the day before in order
+to prevent mischance. With it was the luggage of Molly Breckenridge and
+Miss Greatorex. Also upon the steamer's sailing list was her name and
+the stateroom to which she had been assigned. To this point then must
+all the rest of the party come if they were to sail by that vessel.
+Obviously, it was the safest place for her to await her friends, and she
+was promptly permitted to go aboard and watch for them.
+
+She had expected to see a much larger craft than the "Prince." Why, it
+wasn't half as large, it seemed to her, as some of the boats which
+passed up and down the Hudson. It had but one deck, high up, so that to
+reach it she had to climb a ladder, or gang-plank almost as steep as a
+roof. But she climbed it with a feeling of infinite relief and security.
+Sitting close to the rail upon one of the many steamer chairs she found
+there, herself almost the only passenger who had yet come aboard, she
+leaned her weary head against the rail, and, despite the hunger which
+tormented her, fell fast asleep. She knew nothing more; heard none of
+the busy sounds of loading the luggage, now constantly arriving, and was
+peacefully dreaming, when a girlish voice from the dock pierced through
+the babel and the dream:
+
+"Why, Papa Breckenridge! There she sits--asleep! _That runaway!_
+Dorothy--Dorothy! how came you here? How dared you scare us so?"
+
+She sprang to her feet and looked down, answering with a rapturous cry.
+There they were, Molly, Auntie Lu and the Judge! But--and now she rubbed
+her eyes the better to see if they deceived her--where was Isobel
+Greatorex.
+
+Alas! That was the question the others were all asking:
+
+"Where is Miss Greatorex? Only two minutes to sailing--but where is Miss
+Greatorex?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+ON BOARD THE "PRINCE"
+
+
+There wasn't an instant to waste in questions. The captain of this
+steamship prided himself upon his exceeding punctuality, and had often
+declared that if he delayed for one passenger one day he would have to
+do so the next; that somebody was always late; that it might be that
+delinquent's misfortune if he were left but was not Captain Murray's
+fault.
+
+Knowing this fact Judge Breckenridge handed his sister her ticket and
+Molly's, hastily bade her:
+
+"Go aboard, Lucretia, while I claim our luggage. Miss Greatorex may
+already be there."
+
+"Step lively, please!" requested a sailor in a blue uniform as the lady
+began to slowly mount the almost upright ladder. Other sailors were
+speeding up and down it, between the ascending passengers and an air of
+great bustle and haste pervaded the whole scene.
+
+Then the blue-coat gallantly put his hand under Mrs. Hungerford's arm
+and fairly shoved her up the plank. Molly sprang lightly after, caught
+her foot in one of the little cross-pieces nailed across the plank to
+prevent people slipping and sprawled her length, hindering everybody a
+deal more than if she had climbed more slowly.
+
+However, they gained the deck and Dorothy's side in safety, and took
+their stand against the rail to watch the Judge and many another
+passenger hurriedly identifying their baggage ranged under the wharf
+shed; and, as each piece was claimed, to see it swiftly tossed upon a
+skid and rolled into the lower part of the ship.
+
+Captain Murray stood at the foot of the ladder, chronometer in hand, a
+picture of calm decision; while another uniformed official faced him
+from the other side the plank, to scan the tickets presented. Judge
+Breckenridge finished his task and also climbed to the deck, while a
+sigh of relief escaped Aunt Lucretia's lips.
+
+"That's all right! I got so worried lest we should miss the steamer and
+there isn't another sailing for three days. I'm so glad to get our
+things! I never do feel comfortable until I see my trunks aboard my
+train or steamer."
+
+"Yes, indeed! A woman bereft of her 'things' is a forlorn creature!"
+laughed the Judge, in gentle sarcasm, but his sister disdained reply.
+She merely reflected how much greater annoyance her brother would have
+felt had his sporting outfit been delayed and this was the very first
+piece of luggage he had identified--her trunk the last. However, there
+was the utmost good nature in their jesting intercourse, and both now
+turned their attention to the wharf where the "very last" passenger was
+hurrying to the ladder.
+
+After him ascended the two officers, and the boat and dock hands seized
+the ropes to haul the plank aboard. The whistle was blowing, wheels were
+turning, passengers crowded the rails to wave farewells to friends
+ashore who had come to see them off, and at this very last second a cab
+came dashing furiously down the street and up to the steamer's side.
+
+A woman leaped out, and rushed to the spot where the ship had been
+moored. She was almost past speaking from haste and excitement as she
+scanned the groups upon the deck, then with a look of satisfaction at
+sight of the Judge's party, clasped her hands imploringly toward the
+captain and the mate.
+
+"Don't leave her, Captain Murray! I know her--she belongs to us--it
+isn't her fault--throw the ladder out again, even if--" shouted the
+Judge.
+
+There was no withstanding the sight of so many clasped, entreating
+hands, even by such a rigid disciplinarian as this fine skipper. For not
+only Miss Greatorex upon the wharf, but the two girls and Mrs.
+Hungerford had clasped theirs, also, begging a brief delay.
+
+Then the officer waved his hand, down went the plank again, and a couple
+of sailors sprang forward to the teacher's assistance. They had fairly
+to drag her up the now slippery incline, and almost to toss her upon
+the deck, where the Judge's arm shot out for her support and the captain
+himself helped her to a chair.
+
+Another instant they had put a stretch of water between them and the
+land, and a fresh uproar of whistles and bells announced that the
+steamer "Prince" had sailed.
+
+But those near her had thought now only for Miss Greatorex. Her face was
+at first intensely red and she leaned back in her chair, with closed
+eyes and gasping breath. Indeed, so difficult her breathing that it
+seemed as if after each respiration she would never breathe again. Mrs.
+Hungerford made haste to hold a smelling bottle to the sufferer's
+nostrils, but it was feebly waved aside as if it hindered rather than
+helped.
+
+Then the color faded from the crimson face and all that terrible gasping
+ceased, so that those watching thought for a moment that life itself had
+ended.
+
+"Fainted!" said the captain, tersely. "Get her to bed. Number Eight,
+take her ticket to the purser, get her stateroom key, and send the
+stewardess. Prompt, now."
+
+Fortunately, the room engaged for Miss Greatorex and Dorothy was on that
+deck and very near; and thither the dignified lady was quickly conveyed,
+very much as a sack of corn might have been. But as for Dorothy's
+thoughts during this brief transit there is nothing comforting to say.
+
+"Oh, I've killed her, I've killed her! If I hadn't been so careless and
+left the purses, and if I hadn't chased that 'shiny man' and made all
+this trouble, she wouldn't have--I can't bear it. What shall I do!" she
+wailed to Molly, as they followed hand in hand, where Miss Greatorex was
+carried.
+
+"You can stop saying 'if' and worrying so. You didn't do anything on
+purpose and she's to blame herself. If she hadn't gone off mad from the
+hotel and left Auntie and me, maybe she wouldn't have run too hard and
+hurt herself. If--if--if! It isn't a very happy beginning of a vacation
+is it? Even though we have got Papa and Auntie Lu and everything. And I
+don't know yet what you did after you ran away from the boat. We can't
+do a thing here to help. Let's go to Papa, there and you tell us the
+whole story. He took a lot of trouble to find you and paid a lot of
+money to men to seek you, and he looks awful tired and--and disgusted. I
+guess he wishes he'd just brought Auntie and me and not bothered himself
+with you and Miss Greatorex. And that's my fault, too. If I hadn't asked
+him to do it he would never have thought of it. Seems if things never do
+go just as you plan them, do they?"
+
+Under other circumstances Dorothy might have replied to her friend's
+unflattering frankness by some reproaches of her own, but not now. She
+realized the truth but was too humble to resent it. So she merely
+glanced once more through the door of the little stateroom at Miss
+Greatorex stretched upon the bed and Mrs. Hungerford with the stewardess
+attending her, and followed Molly.
+
+The Judge met them with an encouraging smile and the command:
+
+"Shorten up your countenances, little maids! This is a holiday, did you
+know? Folks don't go holiday-ing with faces as long as your arm. Here,
+cuddle down beside me and watch the sights. Tell me too, Miss Dorothy,
+all that befell you after you disappeared. I'm as curious as Molly is,
+and she's 'just suffering' to know. Don't worry about Miss Greatorex,
+either. She's simply over-exerted herself and allowed herself to get too
+anxious about this one small girl. The idea! What's one small girl more
+or less, when the world's chock full of them?"
+
+But the affectionate squeeze he gave to the "girl's" shoulders as she
+sat down beside him, while Molly sat herself upon his knee, told her
+that he had already forgiven any annoyance she had caused him. He was
+too warm hearted to hold a grudge against anybody; least of all against
+as penitent a child as Dorothy.
+
+She related her adventures and the Judge laughed heartily over her
+mimicry of Larry McCarthy, the "new policeman." Nor did he make any
+criticisms when the story was ended. She had been sufficiently punished,
+he considered, for any lapses from prudence and the lessons her
+experience had taught would be far more valuable than any word of his.
+So he merely called their attention to the scenery before them.
+
+"This beautiful, green spot that we are passing is Blackwell's Island,
+where the city's criminals and other unfortunates are sent. Doesn't seem
+as if wicked people could be hidden behind those walls, does it? Well
+keep out of mischief and don't go there!
+
+"Soon we'll be going up Long Island Sound, and you'll get a glimpse of
+some handsome homes. Hello! What's this? My little bugler, as I live!
+Good day to you, Melvin; and what is this present 'toot' for, if you
+please?"
+
+A fair-faced boy came rather shyly forward and accepted the hearty hand
+grasp which the Judge extended, but he seemed to shrink from the keen
+observation of the two girls; though a flush of pleasure dyed his smooth
+cheeks, which were as pink-and-white as blond Molly's own.
+
+"My respects, Judge Breckenridge, and glad to see you aboard again, sir.
+To get your table seats, sir, if you'll remember."
+
+"Thank you, lad, and good enough! Come on, lassies, let's go down and
+scramble for best places and first table, when eating time comes."
+
+All over the deck people were beginning to rise and make their way
+toward a further door, from which a flight of stairs descended to the
+dining-room, and these three followed the crowd. The very mention of
+"eating" had brought back to Dorothy a sensation of terrible hunger. She
+had eaten nothing since her breakfast at the Academy, and her sail had
+sharpened her appetite beyond ordinary. During her late experiences in
+the city and her terror concerning Miss Greatorex she had forgotten
+this matter, but now it came back with a positive pang. Suddenly Molly,
+too, remembered the fact and exclaimed:
+
+"Why, you poor girlie! Talk about eating--you can't have had a bit of
+dinner! Papa, Dorothy hasn't had her dinner this livelong day!"
+
+Her tone was so tragic that people behind her smiled, as her abrupt
+pause upon the stairs arrested their own progress, and she was promptly
+urged forward again by her father's hand.
+
+"Heigho! That's a calamity--nothing less! But one that can be conquered,
+let us hope. Now, fall into line close behind me and watch this
+interesting proceeding."
+
+From the earnestness depicted upon the countenances of the passengers,
+this securing of good seats at the first table, in a room which would
+not allow the serving of all at one time, was a vital matter. The purser
+stood at the entrance of the saloon and assigned a seat to each person
+upon the examination of a ticket presented. His office was not a
+pleasant one. There were the usual grumblers and malcontents, but he
+preserved his good nature amid all the fault-finding and selfishness;
+and the Judge had the good fortune to secure five places at the
+Captain's table, which was significant of "first call to meals."
+
+This accomplished he led his charges out of line, carefully deposited
+his "meal tickets" in an innermost pocket, and crossed an ante-room to
+where there were plates of ship's biscuits and slices of cheese.
+
+"Take all you want, all you can eat, both of you youngsters. Sorry to
+say no regular meal will be served, not even for Dorothy's benefit, till
+the six o'clock dinner. Unless she choses to get seasick; when she would
+have tea and toast sent to her and wouldn't be able to touch it! Enough?
+Take plenty. There's no stinting on Captain Murray's good ship though a
+lot of cast-iron rules that one must never break. Hark! There's Melvin's
+toot again! There must be a great crowd on board, if all haven't come to
+get their seats here yet. Now we'll interview our women folk and see how
+they're faring."
+
+Munching their crackers and cheese the girls hurried to "Number
+Thirteen," the only stateroom on the promenade deck which Miss
+Rhinelander had been able to secure for her cousin Isobel and Dorothy;
+and though she had held her peace concerning it Miss Greatorex had
+inwardly revolted against this "unlucky" number.
+
+But it was in fact among the very best on that small steamship. It's
+door opening directly upon the deck so that after retiring one could lie
+and watch the stars and breathe the pure air of the sea. Also, her short
+sojourn in it was to do her much good physically. Even now, when Molly
+and Dorothy peeped in they saw her sitting upright, drinking a cup of
+tea and chatting with the stewardess as calmly as usual.
+
+At sight of Dorothy, however, she promptly dismissed the attendant and
+bade the girl enter and explain everything that had happened after her
+disappearance from the "Mary Powell."
+
+Molly made a grimace, and Dolly sighed. Repetition of unpleasant things
+made them doubly disagreeable, and she now longed to enter into the
+Judge's spirit and feel that this was happy holiday. She cut the tale as
+short as she could; listened meekly to Miss Isobel's reproofs; waited
+upon that fidgetty person with admirable patience; and with equal
+patience received all the many instructions as to "suitable conduct"
+during their whole journey. When the final word had been said, and she
+had been told that no other "allowance" could be hers until "advices"
+had been received from Miss Rhinelander, and that she must report every
+cent expended, she ventured to cut the "lecture" also short, by kneeling
+in the little aisle between their berths and kissing her guardian's hand
+with the petition:
+
+"Please forgive me, dear Miss Greatorex, for all the worry I gave you. I
+will be good. I will be 'prudent,' I will remember--everything--if only
+you'll say you'll love me just the same again!"
+
+Miss Isobel was touched. In her heart she was very fond of Dorothy and
+grateful to her, on account of her bravery that night of the fire. But
+she felt it beneath her dignity to show this fondness openly, and
+answered more coldly than she felt:
+
+"Certainly, it would be unworthy in me to harbor ill will against
+anybody. But I trust you will give me no further annoyance. Rise,
+please; and there is Molly. Thank you, Miss Breckenridge, I am much
+better. It was but a momentary weakness to which I yielded. Please make
+my regards to your father for his courteous messages of regret. Yes,
+Dorothy, you may go with your friend for a walk on the deck. I will join
+you very soon."
+
+"Hope she won't, mean old thing!" grumbled Molly, under her breath.
+"She's one of the plans that didn't go right. Instead of darling Miss
+Penelope with her sweet mother-ways to have the 'Grater' forced on us
+this way is too bad. I know Papa and Auntie Lu aren't pleased with her
+either, though they're too polite to say so."
+
+"O, Molly, don't! I was bad, I can't deny it and I deserve to have her
+stiff and cross with me. I don't believe she's half so vexed as she
+seems but she doesn't think it's 'proper' to let me know how thankful
+she is I wasn't really lost. Folks can't help being themselves, anyway;
+else I'd be a perfectly angelic sort of a girl, and be it quick! Hark!
+Those bells!"
+
+"Yes, honey, let me tell you! Papa just told me. That's four o'clock,
+'eight bells.' In half an hour it'll strike once. At five will strike
+twice. Every half hour one more stroke till at the end of four hours
+it'll be eight bells again. That's the beginning and the end of a
+'watch.' A 'watch' is four hours long and the sailors change off then,
+one lot comes from 'duty' and another lot 'stand' theirs. Isn't it odd
+and interesting? Oh! I think being on shipboard is just too lovely for
+words! And aren't we going to have a glorious time after all?"
+
+"Oh! Molly, I hope so. Course I think it's splendidly interesting, too,
+if I could get over feeling so ashamed of myself and my foolishness. I
+don't like to go near your father for he must think I have been horrid.
+I don't know how I can ever pay him back the money he spent hiring folks
+to hunt for me, and the trouble I gave him--oh! dear! Why didn't I let
+that old 'shiny man' go and not try to follow him!"
+
+"Give it up Dolly Doodles. Reckon you happened to value that five
+dollars more than you did us, just about then. And you might as well
+have 'let him go' since he went anyhow and our precious purses with him.
+Now, honey, you quit. Don't you say another single word of what _has_
+happened but let's just think of all the nice things that _are going_ to
+happen. Ah! Hold up your head, put on all your 'style,' make yourself as
+pretty as you can, for here comes that adorable young bugler and he's
+perfectly enchanting! Oh! I do so love boys! Don't you?"
+
+"Molly Breckenridge, stop making me giggle. He'll think we're laughing
+at him and I don't like to hurt anybody's feelings."
+
+"My dear innocent! You couldn't hurt his. Why, Papa says that all the
+passengers try to make a pet of that sweet youth, so he knows he's all
+right no matter who laughs. The trouble is he'll never speak to anybody
+if he can help it and unless it happens to be his duty. Sailors are
+great for 'duty,' you know. But did you ever see such funny clothes?"
+
+The girls continued their walk around the deck, the bugler passed them
+by, unseeing--apparently; and quoth mischievous Molly:
+
+"I'm going to get acquainted with that Melvin before we leave this ship,
+see if I don't! I believe he has a lot of fun in him, if he wasn't
+afraid of his 'duty.' Papa said he was the only son of his mother and
+their home is at Yarmouth. Papa met her last summer when he stopped
+there for a few weeks' fishing. I'll make him understand I'm my father's
+daughter; you see!"
+
+"Molly Breckenridge, you'll do nothing to disgrace that father,
+understand me too. Here comes 'Number Eight.' Isn't he funny?"
+
+To their unaccustomed eyes the sailor's clothing did look odd. The Judge
+had explained to Molly that these "numbered" officials were recognized
+by their numbers only. That they acted in various capacities; as
+table-waiters, and especially as "chamber maids." Each "number" had his
+own section of staterooms to attend, each one his especial table to
+serve in the dining saloon.
+
+In a natural reaction from their anxiety of the earlier day the spirits
+of both girls had risen proportionately. They were ready to see humor in
+everything and poor Number Eight came in for his share of absurd
+comment, when he had passed out of hearing.
+
+"He's such a big, red-faced, red-haired man, and his jacket is so
+little. Looks as if his arms and shoulders had just been squeezed into
+it by some machine. Did you notice his monstrous trousers? Enough in
+them to piece out the jacket, I should think, and never be missed. All
+these Numbers are dressed alike; little bit o' coaties, divided skirts
+for panties, and such dudish little caps! Who wouldn't be a sailor on
+the bright blue sea, if he could wear clothes cut that fashion? 'A life
+on the ocean wave,'" she quoted. "'A home on the rolling deep--'"
+
+"'Where the scattered waters rave. And the winds their revels keep. The
+wi-i-inds their r-r-r-ev-el-s-s k-e-e-e-ep!'" A rich voice had caught
+the burden of Molly's song and finished it with an absurd flourish.
+
+"Now, Papa!" cried the girl, facing suddenly about. So suddenly, indeed,
+that she collided with an unseen somebody, slipped on the freshly washed
+boards, and fell at her victim's feet. A bugle shot out from under his
+arm and banged against the deck-rail; but before he recovered that
+Melvin had stooped, said "Allow me!" and helped Molly up again. Then he
+lifted his cap, picked up his bugle, and proceeded on his way without so
+much as another word.
+
+Molly stared after him, blushing and mortified, shaking her tiny fist
+toward his blue-uniformed back, and remarking:
+
+"Huh! Master Melvin! I'd just declared I'd get acquainted with you but I
+didn't mean to do it in quite that way!"
+
+Maybe, too, her chagrin would have been deeper could she have seen the
+amused expression of the young bugler's face; and again she observed--to
+Dorothy as she supposed:
+
+"Anyhow, if you'd been a gentleman, a real gentleman-boy, you'd have
+stopped to ask if I was hurt. Huh! you're terribly 'sot up' and
+top-lofty, just because you wear a uniform and toot-ti-ti-toot on little
+tin-horn kind of a thing that I could play myself, if I wanted to. Don't
+you think so, Papa and Dolly? Wasn't it horrid of him to trip me up that
+way and make me look so silly? Why don't you answer, one of you?"
+
+She turned the better to see "why," and found herself gazing into the
+stern countenance of Captain Murray. That strict gentleman had recently
+been annoyed by the "skylarking" of girlish passengers who had tried
+"flirting" with his "boys" and was bent upon preventing any further
+annoyance of that sort.
+
+"Your father has gone forward to meet your ailing friend and the little
+girl is with him. I would advise you to join them."
+
+That was all the reproof he administered, but it was sufficient to make
+Molly Breckenridge flush scarlet again, and this time with anger against
+the skipper. She hurried to "join" the others who had met Miss
+Greatorex and exclaimed with great heat:
+
+"I just detest that horrid stiff Captain! He looked--he believed I
+tumbled against that precious bugler of his just on purpose! I wish I
+need never see either one of them again or hear that wretched thing
+toot!"
+
+She could not then foresee how important a part in her own life that
+"toot" was yet to play; nor was the laughter with which her outburst was
+received very comforting.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+MOONLIGHT AND MIST ON THE SEA
+
+
+However and despite her declaration to the contrary it was a most
+welcome "toot" which sounded along the deck and announced to the hungry
+voyagers that dinner was served; and Molly was among the first to spring
+up and hurry her father tableward.
+
+"Seems as if I'd never had anything to eat in all my life!" she
+exclaimed. "Come on, Dolly Doodles, _you_ must be actually famished."
+
+"I am pretty hungry," admitted Dorothy; but mindful now of her recent
+resolve to do everything as Miss Greatorex would have her, she waited
+until that lady rose from her steamer chair, gathered her wraps about
+her, and anxiously inquired of Mrs. Hungerford:
+
+"Will it be safe to leave my rug behind? or should I carry it with me to
+table?"
+
+"Oh! leave it, by all means. There's none too much room below and I
+never worry about my things. Lay it on your chair and that will prove to
+anybody who comes along that your especial seat is 'reserved.' I'm
+leaving mine, you see;" answered the more experienced traveler,
+wondering if Miss Isobel's nervousness would not prove a most unpleasant
+factor in their vacation fun. Also thinking that she had too readily
+given consent to Molly's written plea: that Dorothy and a teacher should
+be invited to join them on this trip.
+
+Because there had been some question as to where the girl should pass
+the long vacation. Deerhurst would not be open, even if Mrs. Calvert had
+expressed any desire for a visit from Dorothy, which she had not. The
+old gentlewoman was to spend that season at the White Sulphur Springs,
+whither she had been in the habit of going during many years; and where
+among other old aristocrats she queened it at their own exclusive hotel.
+
+The mountain cottage would, of course, be in the hands of the Martin
+family, and Mother Martha had not approved Dorothy's coming to Baltimore
+and passing the heated term there with herself. Indeed, deep in the
+little woman's heart was a resentment against the unknown benefactor who
+was now supporting her adopted child and sending her to such an
+expensive school. As she complained to the aged relative with whom she
+now lived:
+
+"I feel, Aunt Chloe, that I've been meanly treated. I've had all the
+care of Dorothy through her growing up and having the measles, scarlet
+fever, whooping cough, and all the other children's diseases. I've sewed
+for her, and washed and ironed for her, and taught her all the useful
+things she knows; yet now, just as she is big enough to be some company
+and comfort--off she's snatched and I not even told by whom. I doubt if
+John knows, either, though he won't say one way or other, except that
+'it's all right and he knows it.' So I say I shan't worry; and I
+wouldn't think it right, anyway, for her to come down south if only this
+far after being north for so long."
+
+Seth Winters had not come back to his beloved mountain, so that she
+could not go to him; and the only thing that was left was to go to her
+father at his Sanitorium or remain with Miss Rhinelander.
+
+Neither of these plans was satisfactory. Father John did not want her to
+pass her holidays in an atmosphere of illness; and Miss Rhinelander
+craved freedom and rest for herself. There were still extensive repairs
+to be made to the Academy and she wished to superintend them.
+
+Finally, Molly Breckenridge had taken the matter in hand with the result
+related; and with the one unlooked for feature, the presence of Miss
+Greatorex where Miss Penelope had been desired.
+
+However, here they all were at last; a few hours outward bound on their
+short ocean trip and looking forward to the most enjoyable of summers in
+lovely Nova Scotia. They were to make a complete tour of the Province,
+then settle down in some quiet place near the fishing and hunting
+grounds where the Judge would go into camp.
+
+Molly was thankful that her table-seat was well removed from that of
+Captain Murray at its head. But she soon found that she need not have
+worried, and that the closer she could be to him--when he was off
+duty--the better she would like it. This wasn't the austere officer in
+command! who told such amusing tales of life at sea, who kept his guests
+so interested and absorbed, and who so solicitously watched his waiters
+lest anybody's wants should be unsupplied! No, indeed. He was simply a
+most courteous host and delightful talker, and before that first meal
+was over she had forgotten her dislike of him, and, after her impulsive
+manner had "fallen in love" with him.
+
+Then back to the deck, to watch the moon rise and to settle themselves
+comfortably for a long and happy evening; and after awhile, begged
+Molly:
+
+"Now, Papa darling, if your dinner's 'settled,' please to sing. Remember
+I haven't heard you do so in almost a year."
+
+"Now, my love, you don't expect me to make an orchestra of myself, I
+hope? I notice they haven't one aboard this little steamship. Nobody but
+Melvin to make music for us. I must tell you girls about that lad. He--"
+
+"Never mind _him_ now, Papa. He will keep. He can wait. But I do want
+you to sing! Dorothy, go take that chair on Papa's other side; and here
+comes Number Eight with more rugs. Wouldn't think it could be so cool,
+almost cold, would you, after that dreadful heat back there in New York?
+Now, sir, begin!" and the Judge's adoring "domestic tyrant" patted his
+hand with great impatience.
+
+"Very well, Miss Tease. Only it must be softly, so as not to disturb
+other people who may not have as great fancy for my warbling as you
+have."
+
+Mrs. Hungerford leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes in great
+content. Like his daughter she thought there was no sweeter singer
+anywhere than her beloved brother; but the too-correct Miss Isobel drew
+herself stiffly erect with an unspoken protest against this odd
+proceeding. She was quite sure that it wasn't good form for anybody to
+sing in such a public place and under such circumstances. Least of all a
+Judge. A Judge of the Supreme Court! More than ever was she amazed when
+he began with a college song: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," in which
+Molly presently joined and, after a moment, Dorothy also.
+
+But even her primness could not withstand the witchery of the
+gentleman's superb tenor voice, with its high culture and feeling;
+because even into that humdrum refrain he put a pathos and longing which
+quite transformed it.
+
+People sitting within hearing hitched their chairs nearer, but
+softly--not to disturb the singers; who sang on quietly, unconsciously,
+as if in their own private home. Drifting from one song to another, with
+little pauses between and always beginning by a suggestive note from
+Molly, the time passed unperceived.
+
+Evidently, father and child had thus sung together during all their
+lives; and long before her that "other Molly," her dead mother, of whom
+his child was the very counterpart, had also joined her exquisite tones
+to his. Into many melodies they passed, college songs left behind, and
+deeper feelings stirred by the words they uttered; till finally
+perceiving that his own mood was growing most un-holiday like, the Judge
+suddenly burst forth with "John Brown's Body."
+
+Then, indeed, did mirth and jollification begin. Far and near, all sorts
+and conditions of voices caught up the old melody and added their quota
+to the music; and when their leader began mischievously to alter the
+refrain by dropping the last word, and shortening it each time by one
+word less, delight was general and the fun waxed fast and furious.
+
+The abrupt termination left many a singer in the lurch; and when the
+last verse was sung and ended only with "John--," "John--," "John,"
+there were still some who wandered on into "the grave" and had to join
+in the laugh their want of observation had brought upon them.
+
+By this time also Miss Isobel Greatorex had become quite resigned to a
+proceeding which no other passenger had disapproved and which, she could
+but confess, had added a charm to that never-to-be-forgotten evening.
+Moonlight flooded the sea and the deck. The simplicity and
+good-fellowship of Judge Breckenridge and his sister had brought all
+these strangers into a harmony which bridged all distinctions of class
+or interest and rendered that first night afloat a most happy one for
+all.
+
+Until--was the moonlight growing clouded? Did those six strokes of the
+bell actually mean eleven o'clock? So late--and suddenly so--so--_so
+queer_!
+
+Even if the little concert had not already ended nobody could have sung
+just then.
+
+"I guess we've left the Sound and struck the ocean;" remarked one
+gentleman, in a peculiar tone. "Good night all," and he disappeared.
+
+A lady next Miss Greatorex made an effort to extricate herself from her
+rugs and chair and observed:
+
+"I've such a curious feeling. So--so dizzy. My head swims. Is--is there
+a different--motion to the boat? Have you noticed?"
+
+Yes, Miss Greatorex had noticed, but she couldn't reply just then. Nor
+was this because of her "stiffness" toward a person who had not been
+properly "introduced." It was simply that--that--dear, dear! She felt so
+very queer herself. She would try and get to her stateroom. In any case
+it was very late and everybody was moving.
+
+A petulant cry from Molly expressed her own desires exactly.
+
+"Papa, dear Papa! What makes the folks go wobbling around the way they
+do? I wish they wouldn't! I wish they would--would keep
+real--perfectly--still! I wish! Oh! dear!"
+
+The Judge rose at once and, despite her size, caught up his daughter and
+marched off with her toward Mrs. Hungerford's stateroom, whither that
+experienced voyager had as suddenly preceded him. When he came back, a
+few minutes later, he found that Miss Greatorex had vanished, and that
+Dorothy sat alone on the deserted deck wondering what in the world was
+the matter to make everybody rush off at once, or almost everybody.
+Wondering whether she should follow, and if her guardian would return
+and need her rugs again; yet placidly thinking over the delightful
+evening she had spent and how strange it was for her, "just plain
+Dorothy," to be having such a splendid trip in such charming company.
+
+"Well, lassie, are you all right? Don't _you_ feel a 'little queer,'
+too?"
+
+"Yes, thank you, Judge Breckenridge. I'm right enough but I don't know
+whether Miss Greatorex wants me to come to our room now or whether
+she'll need her things again. She went away in a great hurry, seems if;
+and so--so did 'most everybody else. Funny for them all to get sleepy
+just in a minute so."
+
+The old traveler laughed and patted Dorothy's shoulder.
+
+"A 'fog swell' is what we've struck. That explains the darkness and the
+hasty departure of our neighbors. Seasick, poor creatures! and no
+suffering worse, while it lasts. Sure you aren't yourself, Dorothy?"
+
+"No. I don't feel any different from ever, yet, Judge Breckenridge."
+
+"Good enough. I'm mighty glad for you. Poor little Moll will be apt to
+have a sorry time of it until we reach Yarmouth and land. By the way,
+lassie, I observe that you've been well trained to give a person their
+name and title when you speak to them. But we're on our holiday now, you
+know, and mustn't work more than we can help. So, my dear, suppose you
+call me Uncle Schuy, or simply Uncle, while we are together. 'Judge
+Breckenridge' is considerable of a mouthful for a small maid who, I
+hope, will have to address me a great many times. I shall find it
+pleasant to be 'Uncled' for I greatly miss our boy, Tom."
+
+He did not add, as he might, that some pity mingled in this desire.
+Coming unobserved upon the little figure sitting alone in the
+steamer-chair, amid a pile of rugs which almost hid her from sight,
+deserted, and possibly also in the throes of illness, he had resolved to
+make her time with him and his as happy as he could. He would have done
+this under any circumstances; but Molly's fervid description of
+Dorothy's orphanage and ignorance of her real parentage had touched him
+profoundly.
+
+Loving his own little daughter beyond all others in the world he loved
+this deserted child for Molly's sake; and felt that he should promptly
+love her for her own.
+
+Sitting down again beside her he covered himself with rugs and begged
+permission to smoke; remarking:
+
+"It's a shame to keep you up longer but I fancy that your stateroom
+wouldn't be very pleasant just now. It's next to my sister's, you know,
+and I saw Number Eight coming out of it with considerable haste. Miss
+Greatorex is probably ill, but should be better once she gets settled in
+bed. Then you must go and also get to rest. Quite likely you'll be the
+only little girl-companion I'll have for the rest of the trip. I was
+afraid Molly would make a poor sailor, and she's proving me correct. My
+sister, though, never suffers from seasickness and is a charming
+traveling companion as you'll find."
+
+He relapsed into silence and a great drowsiness began to overpower
+Dorothy. Her day had been long and most eventful and the sea air was
+strong. Presently, her head drooped against the back of her chair, the
+Judge grew indistinct in her sight, and she fell asleep.
+
+He considered then what was best to do; and presently decided that, if
+she wasn't sent for, she might well and safely pass the night on deck as
+he intended to do.
+
+Indeed, so often had he voyaged on that ship that its employees had
+learned his wishes without telling; and now there came to him one Number
+Seven, his own room attendant, bringing a pillow and more rugs. He was
+dispatched for another pillow and between them they gently lowered the
+back of Dorothy's chair, placed a pillow under her unconscious head and
+tucked her warmly in. Then he settled himself to rest and neither of
+them knew distinctly anything more until the daylight came and the
+sunshine struggled with the enwrapping fog.
+
+She, indeed, had had vague dreams of what went on about her. Had heard
+muffled bells and passing footsteps, but these had mingled only
+pleasantly with her sense of rest and happiness; and it was a very
+surprised young person who at last opened her eyes upon a gray expanse
+of mist-covered ocean and a gray-haired man asleep on a chair beside
+her.
+
+Sitting up, she stared about her for a moment till she realized what had
+happened; then smiled to think she had actually slept out of doors.
+Afterward, she wondered with some anxiety if Miss Greatorex had sent for
+her during the night, or if she were still too ill to care about anybody
+save herself.
+
+"Anyhow, I must go and see. My! how damp these rugs are and yet I am as
+warm as can be. That's what dear Miss Penelope said she meant to
+do--sleep on deck. But she didn't come and I've done it in her stead.
+What a queer world it is and how things do get twisted round! Now I must
+be still as still and not wake that dear Judge--'Uncle', who's so lovely
+to me!"
+
+With these thoughts she slipped softly out of her rugs and tiptoed away,
+having some slight trouble to locate "Number Thirteen" stateroom; and,
+having done so, discovered its door ajar, fastened against intrusion by
+a chain.
+
+She peeped through the opening. Miss Isobel lay with her eyes closed,
+but whether asleep or not Dorothy couldn't decide. She was very pale and
+perfectly motionless, and a too-suggestive tin basin was fastened to the
+railing of her berth.
+
+"Ugh! I can't go in there and wake her, if she's asleep; or to go any
+way. I'll slip around to this other side the boat where there are such
+heaps of chairs and nobody in them. My! It's cold and I haven't anything
+to put over me here. Never mind, I'll stay. If I go back to where I was
+I might wake Judge Breckenridge, and I shouldn't like to do that. I
+don't wonder Molly called him a handsome man. He looked better than
+handsome to me, sleeping there, he looked _noble_."
+
+Thus reflecting she settled herself on a chair against the inner wall
+and watched the men at work mopping the wet decks and putting the
+steamer generally "ship-shape" against the day's voyage. It was a
+forlorn outlook into the world of fog, through which the sound of the
+bells rang strangely. Also, there was an almost continuous blowing of
+whistles and a look of some anxiety on the faces of such of the crew as
+passed by.
+
+Finally, out of some far-off stairway, young bugler Melvin came tripping
+and hurried along the deck in her direction. She fancied a look of
+surprise in his eyes as he perceived her and that he would pass on
+without further notice. Yet, just as he reached a point opposite her
+chair, he flashed one glance toward her; and almost as quickly turned
+about to retrace his steps. Shivering and rather miserable she watched
+him idly, and now the surprise was her own.
+
+He returned and still without speaking, yet with an almost painful flush
+on his face, tossed two heavy rugs into her lap and instantly passed on.
+She had no chance to thank him, but readily answered a laugh from a
+deck-hand near by who had witnessed the little incident and enjoyed it.
+The "Bashful Bugler" was Melvin's shipboard nickname and no lad ever
+better deserved such. Yet he had been well "raised" and there was
+something very appealing to the chivalry of any lad in the look of
+Dorothy's just now sad eyes; though commonly their brown depths held
+only sunshine.
+
+The sweeper on the deck moved the chairs near her and even her own,
+though without her leaving it, the better to clear off the moisture
+which the fog had deposited. She had echoed his laugh and he remarked:
+
+"Nice boy, 'Bashful' is; but no more fitted to go round 'mongst
+strangers'n a picked chicken."
+
+Both the sailor and Dorothy were glad to speak with anybody, and she
+asked:
+
+"Will this fog last long? Is it often so cold right in the summer time?"
+
+"Cold enough to freeze the legs off an iron pot, slathers of times. This
+is one of 'em! As for fogs lastin', I reckon, little Miss, there won't
+be no more sunshine 'twixt here and Yarmouth harbor. If you're cold out
+here though, and don't want to go to your room, you'll find things snug
+down yonder in that music-room, or what you call it."
+
+"Oh! is there a place? Under shelter? Will you show me?"
+
+"Sure. If 'tis open yet. Sometimes it's shut overnight but likely not
+now. I'll take them rugs for you, Sissy, if you like."
+
+"Thank you. Thank you so much. How nice everybody is on a steamship! Is
+it living all the time on the water makes you kind, I wonder?"
+
+"Give it up!" answered this able seaman, not a little flattered by
+Dorothy's appreciation of his service, and in Molly's own frequent
+manner. With another smile at this memory, Dorothy followed as he walked
+ahead, dragging his mop behind him and leaving a shining streak in his
+wake.
+
+They found the little saloon, music-room, writing-room, or "what you
+call it," closed, but the door opened readily enough, and Dorothy was
+delighted to creep within the warmth and comfort of the place. It was
+dark inside but the man turned on the electric light, and, doffing his
+cap, went out, shut the door behind him, and left her to her solitary
+enjoyment.
+
+"What a pretty room! How cozy and warm! I'm going to cuddle down in this
+easy chair and take another nap. There's nobody stirring much and I
+heard one man say to another that there were more folks sick this trip
+than had been all summer. I wonder if poor Molly is yet! I'd go and see
+only I don't want to disturb Mrs. Hungerford.
+
+"Now, Dorothy girl, shut your eyes and don't open them again till
+breakfast time. I am awfully disappointed. I'd counted upon watching the
+sun rise over the ocean and was going to get up so early to do it: Huh!
+I'm early enough, but the poor sun is taking a bath and can't be seen."
+
+Artificial heat had been turned into the room which accounted for the
+warmth she found so grateful. This, succeeding her shivering fit, made
+her drowsy and she shut her eyes "just for forty winks." But a good many
+times "forty" had passed before she opened them once more and found
+herself still alone. She got up and looked about her, thinking that she
+must go to "Number Thirteen" and bathe her face and hands, though not
+much more than that could be accomplished in such limited quarters.
+She'd go in just a minute. Meanwhile there was a piano. She'd like to
+try it, though her lessons on that instrument had been but few.
+However--
+
+"Oh! joy! There's a violin case on the shelf yonder! I'm going to look
+at it. If there's a violin inside--There is! I'd love, just love to try
+that, far more than a jingling piano. I wonder would anybody hear me? I
+don't believe so. It's so far away. I'm going to--I am!"
+
+With a fiddle once more under her chin Dorothy forgot all but that happy
+fact. Delicately and timidly at first, she drew her bow across the
+strings, fearing an interruption; but when none came she gathered
+boldness and played as she would have done in Herr von Peter's own
+helpful presence.
+
+How long she stood there, swaying to her own music, enwrapped in it and
+no longer lonely, she didn't know; but after a time the minor chords of
+her last and "loveliest lesson" were rudely broken in upon by other
+strains which cut short her practicing and set her face toward the door.
+
+There stood the "Bashful Bugler" tooting his "first call to breakfast"
+directly toward her, and her response was a crash of discord from the
+violin. The effect upon Melvin was to make him lower his bugle and flash
+out of sight as if propelled by a hurricane.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+SAFE ON SHORE
+
+
+The bad weather continued. So did the illness of Miss Greatorex and
+Molly Breckenridge. Neither of them left their stateroom again till that
+day and another night had passed and the "Prince" came to her mooring in
+Yarmouth harbor.
+
+Both Mrs. Hungerford and Dorothy spent much of their time with one or
+other patient, yet were often alone together on deck or in the
+music-room and became very well acquainted, indeed, during their hours
+of loneliness. From the girl Auntie Lu drew many details of her short
+life, and was especially interested when she found that Mrs. Betty
+Calvert was a friend of them both; exclaiming:
+
+"Why, my dear, I've known Mrs. Betty Calvert all my life! She was my
+mother's dearest correspondent. They had been girls together, though
+Mrs. Calvert was older than mother. Their homes were near each other in
+Maryland; and--why, the Calverts, or Somersets, were as intimate as it
+is possible for families to be with our folks--the Breckenridges! This
+is most interesting. Most certainly interesting. I must tell my brother.
+Schuyler is so loyal to all our old Marylanders; he thinks there are no
+people like them anywhere, though for my part I find human nature's
+pretty much the same all the world over."
+
+"Yes, Mrs. Hungerford, I've heard Mrs. Calvert say that there was no
+gentleman so fine as a southern one. Mr. Seth laughs at her and says
+that's a 'hobby,' and she's 'mistaken.' He says 'gentlemen don't grow
+any better on one soil than another,' but are 'indigenous to the whole
+United States,' though Mr. Winters is a Marylander himself." Then she
+naively added in explanation, and in a little vanity about her botanical
+lore: "'Indigenous' means, maybe you don't know, a plant that belongs
+to, is a native of, some particular region. Mr. Seth taught me and
+Father John. They both know lots about botany, though father hasn't
+lived in the country as long as our 'Learned Blacksmith,' who does know,
+seems if, all there is worth knowing in this world. For a man, I mean."
+
+Aunt Lucretia smiled and nodded, but in an absent sort of manner as if
+she had scarcely heard what Dorothy had said. Then as the girl rose,
+remarking: "I'll go now and sit a while with Molly if she's awake.
+Funny! She says she feels all right as long as she lies down and so
+horrid when she tries to get up and dress;" the lady's gaze followed her
+little figure with a keenly critical interest. Also, she eagerly greeted
+the Judge, who now came to her, with the ambiguous exclamation:
+
+"Schuyler Breckenridge, the most marvellous thing! I've discovered--or I
+believe I have--what that remarkable likeness is which has so perplexed
+me. Blood always tells, always crops out!"
+
+"Exactly. Especially in cases like this. Having nothing else to do
+I've tried whittling--with this result. Tie it up, Lu, and explain
+yourself--if you can," he answered, whimsically holding out a finger
+he had cut and that was slightly bleeding.
+
+"Oh! you poor dear!"
+
+"Yes. Am I not! Wait. Here's a bit of court-plaster. Forgot I had it or
+wouldn't have troubled you. Now, talk ahead."
+
+"Schuyler, a man like you shouldn't trifle with edged tools. You have no
+gift for anything but--lawing. It wouldn't be any laughing matter if you
+should develop blood-poison--"
+
+"It certainly would not, and as I like to laugh I shan't do it. Now,
+what is this marvellous thing you've discovered, please? I'm getting
+tired of fog, no newspapers, and chess with a stranger; so welcome even
+a woman's gossip with delight!"
+
+She paid no heed to his chaffing but began:
+
+"I believe I know who that Dorothy's parents were. I'm as positive as if
+I'd been told; and I'm perfectly amazed at Mrs. Betty Calvert. Isn't it
+wonderful?"
+
+"Apparently--to you. Not yet to me. I've understood that two and two
+makes four; but how your 'belief' and poor old Betty Calvert make
+sensible connection I fail to comprehend. I await instruction."
+
+"Stop jesting and you shall have it. Then tell me if I haven't given
+you better food for thought than you'd find in to-day's paper--if you
+could get it here at sea."
+
+Thereupon, hitching her chair a little nearer to her brother's and
+glancing about to see no stranger overheard, the lady began a low toned
+conversation with him. This proved, as she had foretold, far more
+entertaining than the day's news; and when it was over, when there was
+nothing more to be said, he rose, pulled his traveling cap over his
+eyes, thrust his hands into his capacious pockets and walked away "to
+think it over." Adding, as he left:
+
+"Well, if you're right everything is wrong. And if you're wrong
+everything's right."
+
+Over which eminent legal opinion Mrs. Hungerford smiled, reflecting:
+
+"He's convinced. There's nobody I know so well versed in Maryland
+genealogy as Schuyler Breckenridge. It's been his pastime so long he'll
+be keen on this scent till he proves it false or true. And if it is
+true--what a shame, what a shame! That horrid, lonely old woman to take
+such an outrageous course. Poor, dear, sweet little Dorothy!"
+
+The result to Dorothy of this conversation was a greater kindness than
+ever on the part of Molly's people; who now seemed to take her into
+their hearts as if she were of kin to them. She often found them looking
+at her searchingly, trying to trace that "likeness" which one of them
+had discovered. But no word of what was in their minds was said to her.
+She was merely invited to call Mrs. Hungerford "Aunt" as she was to call
+the Judge "Uncle."
+
+So despite the dullness of the fog, which prevented her seeing much of
+the ocean, the day passed very well. When she was asked if she could
+play and to give her new friends a little music, she took the violin
+from its shelf and gave them her simple best. To please them who were so
+kind to her was a delight to herself and her readiness to oblige was
+instantly construed by Aunt Lucretia as a fresh proof of her
+"discovery."
+
+"Only a well-born child has that easy grace of manner, Schuyler, as you
+must often have observed," she remarked with pleased conviction.
+
+To which he replied by warning:
+
+"Take care you don't build up a romance that will fall to pieces like a
+house of cards at the first breath of reality. But as to birth, be it
+high or low, Dorothy is a most winning little maid and I'm thankful to
+have her along with us on our holiday. Thankful, also, that impulsive
+Molly chose just such an unselfish, ingenuous girl for her 'chum.' My
+poor little lass! Her first ocean voyage will be a dreary memory for
+her!"
+
+"Oh! not so bad. She's perfectly comfortable when she lies still. She
+has plenty of attention and sleeps a deal. She's not losing much fun out
+here in this weather and will be no more glad to step onto solid land
+again than I shall. Except that, but for this enforced close
+companionship with little Dorothy I might not have thought out her story
+as I have."
+
+"There you go again! Well, the suggestion haunts me, too. I'll
+investigate promptly; and--what I shall do after that I haven't yet
+decided. I hate a meddler and am not anxious to become one. Heigho! No
+matter how hard a tired man tries to mind his own business he can't do
+it! Here comes that young Melvin Cook, and he's a lad with a pedigree,
+let me tell you, as long as any oldest Marylander of all. He and I have
+a bit of business to discuss, so I'll walk the deck with him awhile.
+Dorothy, I suppose, will sleep in her own stateroom to-night, since Miss
+Greatorex is comfortable. Good night, and sleep well."
+
+The deserted deck and the quiet gloom were a forcible contrast to the
+radiance and hilarity of the evening before, so that Mrs. Hungerford did
+not linger long after the Judge had left her, to pace up and down in
+earnest conversation with the "Bashful Bugler." Yet her thought was now
+upon the lad and his name which her brother had mentioned.
+
+"Cook! Cook, from Yarmouth. Why, that's the same as that quaint old
+fellow brother took into his private office. He came from Nova Scotia,
+too, and called himself a typical Bluenose. Feared he was liable to
+consumption and left home for our milder climate. Wonder if he is a
+relative of the blond bugler! After all, as Molly so often exclaims,
+'what a little bit o' world it is! Everybody you know turning up
+everywhere you go!' Quite a keen observer is my flighty little niece,
+in spite of all her nonsense; and bless her heart! I must go and see
+how she is and send small nurse Dorothy to her own slumbers."
+
+So she too walked forward, and was seen no more till the grating sounds
+and the shouted orders told that the good ship "Prince" was docked and
+her goodly company had reached that safe "haven where they would be."
+
+Then as if by magic the decks filled with a merry company, even those
+who had suffered most from seasickness the gayest of all.
+
+"So good to go ashore! Too early for breakfast? Of course; but I'll take
+a walk on dry--or fog-wet ground before I take mine!" said the gentleman
+who had been first to succumb to the "fog swell," and stepped down the
+ladder, whistling like a happy lad.
+
+Miss Greatorex and Molly emerged from their staterooms a little pallid,
+rather shaky on their feet, but quite as happy as their neighbors. Not
+the less pleased, either, because the Judge promptly announced:
+
+"We'll not bother for breakfast here. Some of us don't remember the
+'Prince's' dining-room with great affection, eh?" and he playfully
+pinched Molly's wan cheek. "We're going to stop in Yarmouth for a few
+days, and the hotel carriage will take the rest of you up to it at once.
+You'll find your rooms all ready for you. I'll see to our luggage and
+have that sent up, then follow in time to join you at table. All right,
+everybody? All your small belongings in hand? Then driver, pass on."
+
+Already the fog was lifting, and the urbane old man upon the box leaned
+down and informed his fares:
+
+"Going to be a fine day, ladies. You'll see Ya'mouth at her purtiest.
+Ever been here before, any of you?"
+
+Miss Greatorex's propriety began to return. A sure sign, Mrs. Hungerford
+thought, that she was feeling better; and she watched in secret
+amusement the sudden stiffening of the angular figure and the
+compression of the thin lips as the "instructress" looked fixedly out of
+the carriage window and vouchsafed no other reply.
+
+But Aunt Lu always adapted herself to the habits of any country of the
+many she had visited and replied, with an eagerness that was
+half-mischievous and for Miss Isobel's benefit:
+
+"No, indeed! and we're anxious to see and learn everything new. So
+please point out anything of note, and thank you."
+
+"Hmm. I should suppose there could be nothing 'of note' in a place like
+this," murmured Miss Isobel, severely, as she scornfully observed the
+dingy streets and dwellings of that neighborhood.
+
+But the hackman was gratified by Mrs. Hungerford's interest and a chance
+for his own garrulity, and promptly informed them:
+
+"'Tain't never fair to judge no town by its water-front. Course not.
+Stands to reason that shipyards and docks and sailorses' saloons ain't
+laid out for beauty. But just you wait till we get up the hill a speck
+and then you'll see somethin' worth seein'. True. There ain't a nicer
+town in the whole Province o' Novy Scoshy 'an Ya'mouth is. Now we're a
+gettin'. _Now!_ See there?"
+
+"Ah! how lovely!" "Oh! Auntie Lu!" "Oh! my heart, my heart! If only
+darling Father John could see that hedge? What is it, Auntie Lu, can you
+tell?" cried Dorothy in rapture; for, indeed, the hedges of this old
+town by the sea are famous everywhere the name of Yarmouth is heard.
+
+The driver didn't wait for Mrs. Hungerford to reply, even if she could
+have done so. He received every question and exclamation as personal and
+proudly answered:
+
+"Ha'tho'n, them are, this side. Then yonder is spruce. And our gardens!
+If you women-folks love posies as most females does, you'd ought to be
+here a spell later. Roses ain't out yet but cherries is in flower."
+
+"Roses not in bloom? Why, they're past it with us!" responded Auntie Lu,
+surprised.
+
+"Hmm, ma'am. And where might that be, if I c'n make so bold?"
+
+"The vicinity of New York, I was recalling."
+
+"Hmm. Exactly. A poor kind of country, New York is, even though they do
+call it the 'Empire State' and try to bolster up its failin's with a lot
+of fine talk. Now our Province o' Novy Scoshy, and this Ya'mouth, don't
+need to do no talkin'. All's necessary for us and them is just to--BE!
+Once a feller comes and gets a good square look at us--no water-front
+way--" he interpolated, with a shrewd glance toward Miss Isobel's
+averted face and an absurd wink to Mrs. Hungerford--"he just sets right
+down and quits talkin' of his own places. Fact. I've lived here all my
+life and that's the reason I know it."
+
+The man's good nature and self-satisfaction were vastly amusing to Aunt
+Lucretia, who ignored what seemed impertinence to the more formal Miss
+Greatorex, while the former inwardly delighted in this to her "new type"
+of liveryman, and was already anticipating the Judge's entertainment
+when the story of this ride was told him.
+
+But Molly waxed indignant over his disparagement of her native land and
+exclaimed:
+
+"I wish you'd not talk that way! We're Americans. I don't like it!"
+
+"American, be you? So'm I."
+
+"Oh! well. Course it's all America, but I mean we're from--from the
+States," as she chanced to recall an expression she had heard.
+
+"From the States, hey? So be I."
+
+"Yet you say you've lived here all your life. If you hadn't you'd have
+been more--more liberal--like travel makes people. If you'd once seen
+New York you wouldn't think that little Yarmouth was so mighty pretty. A
+right smart you know about it, anyway!"
+
+"Huh! Gid-dap!" was the scornful rejoinder, as Jehu whirled about on his
+seat and touched his team to a gallop.
+
+Mrs. Hungerford gave Molly a warning tap, though she was inwardly
+pleased to find the child so far recovered as to take an interest in
+defending her own home.
+
+It was rather startling to have an ensuing silence broken by the old
+driver's facing about once more and declaring with great glee:
+
+"You ain't no New Yorker, so you needn't be touchy about that little
+village. You're from down south."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Yorkers don't say 'mighty pretty' and 'right smart,' as the Johnny Rebs
+do. I know. I've druv a power of both lots. As for me, I'm a Yankee,
+straight descent. My forbear, Sealed Waters, was one the first settlers
+here. A Yankee I claim to be, and the 'wa'' ain't over yet, 'pears like.
+Ha, ha, ha!"
+
+His mirth was contagious and they all joined in it; even Miss Greatorex
+emitting a faint little cackle, which was all her dignity permitted.
+Also, by that time the carriage had been halted before a fine hotel,
+into which other passengers from their steamer were already passing; and
+they were duly helped to alight and enter, their loquacious jehu calmly
+extending his card with his name and number and, after a most
+business-like fashion, requesting their patronage during the rest of
+their stay.
+
+"Show you the purtiest little town in the world, and'll live to hear you
+admit it, Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am, and good-day to you."
+
+The Judge had secured their rooms long in advance of their arrival, and
+it was well that he had. The Province had come greatly to the fore as a
+summer pleasure ground and less thoughtful travelers did not always
+obtain such quarters as they preferred.
+
+"Oh! this is fine!" exclaimed Mrs. Hungerford, as she entered her
+chamber with its neat appointments and refreshing bath. But Miss
+Greatorex was not enthusiastic. She was disappointed in the inn as she
+had been in the steamer, having anticipated something much larger and
+finer. The exaggerated term of "palatial," which the proprietors had
+attached to both, had deceived her and it was no great comfort to have
+her companion explain:
+
+"Of course, one can't find Broadway hostelries nor European 'liners' in
+this part of the world; but brother has often stayed in this house and
+knows it well. There is a larger, newer hotel, but he likes this little
+inn. The fare is excellent, the place is safe and quiet, and the
+landlord becomes your actual host. That's the charm of the Canadians;
+they are all so simple and so courteous. Try and ignore the
+disadvantages, dear Miss Isobel, and get all the fun out of our trip you
+can. If you'd seen some of the places I've slept in you'd think this is
+really 'palatial.'"
+
+The girls were out of hearing and Mrs. Hungerford felt herself
+justified in thus much of admonition to her traveling mate, whose ideas
+had been too highly raised by the circulars and descriptions she had
+read. Fortunately, Miss Greatorex was so thankful to be once more on
+land that she really tried to forget minor annoyances and to look upon
+whatever happened as so much further "education." Her little notebook
+was promptly put to use and she filled several pages with memoranda of
+the old seaport which she had so despised at first and found so
+historically instructive afterward. Indeed, as Molly declared:
+
+"You'll have to buy a good many books to hold all you want to write,
+even in that fine hand, dear Miss Greatorex; and what a lot of things
+you'll have to tell the girls at our 'twilight talks!'"
+
+Nor could any inexperienced traveler have found better companions than
+Judge Breckenridge and his sister. They were so simple, so friendly, and
+such keen observers. Everywhere they went they met and mingled with the
+people exactly as if they were old and familiar friends; and in the
+gentleman's case this was quite true. He had been in the Province many
+times, as has been said, and he had the happy gift of a good and
+_willing_ memory. He never forgot an acquaintance nor recalled one
+unkindly, and it surprised even Mrs. Hungerford to see how many faces
+brightened at his approach and how often the greeting came: "Welcome,
+welcome, friend!"
+
+"Why, Judge, you back again? Well, I'm certain glad to see you?
+'Tourists' like you are the sort we welcome heartiest to Ya'mouth. Fact,
+ain't it? The more folks know, the more they've traveled, the more they
+find to admire and enjoy even in such a place as this!" cried one old
+seaman, whom they met on their morning walk.
+
+For having enjoyed a most excellent breakfast and the sun now shining
+brilliantly, they set out for a stroll through the pretty streets and
+past the charming gardens of the town; and finally brought up at the
+postoffice where there were letters for everybody, even for Dorothy.
+
+Hers was from Jim Barlow, and full of news of the mountain and old
+friends there; saying, also, that he had been invited to join his tutor,
+the Rev. Mr. Sterling, who was sometimes called the "tramping parson,"
+on a walking tour through the northern part of the Empire State. It was
+overflowing with enthusiasm over the places he would visit and the
+wonderful "good luck" which had so changed the life of the truck-farm
+lad; "and I mean to make the whole 'tramp' a part of my education. I
+tell you, Dolly girl, if there's much gets past me without my seeing and
+knowing it, it'll be when I'm asleep. Mr. Sterling's a geologist, and
+likes to take his vacation this way, so's he can find new stones, or
+hammer old ones to his heart's content.
+
+"Whilst he's a hammering I'll be hunting things in the woods. I mean to
+make a regular list of every bird I see, and every animal, and study all
+their little habits and tricks. I'll carry some old newspapers and a
+book, too, so that if I come across any new kind of flower or plant I'll
+press it for you. That way my vacation'll be considerable of a help to
+you too.
+
+"Try and learn all you can, Dorothy child, whilst you have the chance.
+There's nothing so perfectly grand in all this world as learning things.
+I've noticed you were getting a little flighty, along back, and setting
+more store by your clothes than you used to, or that a girl who'll have
+to teach for her living had ought to. Needn't get mad with me for
+reminding you. I can write it easier than I could say it to your face,
+some way; and amongst all the good times you're having don't forget to
+write to me once in a while, for we've been so like brother and sister
+this long time that I want to hear. So no more at present from your
+affectionate
+
+                         "JAMES BARLOW.
+
+"P. S.--I had a letter from Mrs. Cecil Somerset-Calvert. She wrote I was
+to call to Deerhurst and get Peter and Ponce, her two Great Danes, and
+take them with me on my tour. She'd already written to Mr. Sterling,
+because she knew he was a dog-lover, and he was pleased to have them on
+the trip. Good-by.
+
+                         "JIM."
+
+"Well, this changes our plans somewhat," remarked the Judge, looking up
+from one of his letters, with an expression of some disappointment. They
+had all paused outside the postoffice building to hastily scan their
+news, and now grouped about him in interest, as Mrs. Hungerford rather
+anxiously asked:
+
+"Why, Schuyler, what's happened?"
+
+"Oh! nothing unpleasant. Not at all. Only this is from Ihrie, and the
+boys will be on hand earlier than expected. So, to get around to all the
+places we want to see and yet be at our rendezvous in time we'll have to
+cut our stay here short. I wouldn't like to fail the boys."
+
+"Not on any account!" exclaimed Aunt Lu, merrily; and then explaining to
+Miss Greatorex: "Let me tell you, Miss Isobel, that these 'boys' range
+anywhere from fifty to seventy-five years in age! and that one of them
+is a college president, another a world-famous surgeon, and the third an
+equally notable merchant. Old class-mates under their president, whom it
+is their glory to have with them on these annual trips."
+
+"Why, I--I think that is beautiful!" returned the teacher, with so much
+enthusiasm that the others reflected how she was "waking up."
+"Beautiful," she added again, after a pause in which she had looked with
+new interest upon her own young pupils.
+
+"Yes, we must get on. So let's plan our day the best we can, and take
+the evening express for Digby. How does this suit? To call a carriage
+and have you ladies driven all around, to 'do' Yarmouth as thoroughly as
+possible in so short a time. Don't wait dinner for me--for us. I have a
+visit to make which must not be postponed, since it concerns the
+interests of other people. I'll take the girls with me and give them a
+chance to see the inside of a Yarmouth cottage. Also, if we're invited,
+to taste a bit of native Yarmouth cookery. We'll get around back to the
+inn in time for collecting our traps and making the train. Eh?"
+
+"Suits me well enough;" answered Mrs. Hungerford, and Miss Isobel nodded
+acquiescence, saying to the surprise of the others: "That descendant of
+'Sealed Waters' might impart the most information of any driver,
+possibly."
+
+"But--Molly! Why, Molly, what are you acting that way for?" demanded
+Dorothy, smiling at the antics of her mate. For the girl had hastily
+scanned two of her letters and having saved "the best to the last" was
+now prancing all over the sidewalk, waving the missive overhead and
+crying:
+
+"Splendid! Splendid! SPLENDID!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+FINNAN HADDIE IN A GARDEN
+
+
+As Molly's excitement seemed pleasurable they did not tarry for its
+explanation but promptly separated; the ladies returning to their hotel
+to order their carriage and repack the few articles they had taken from
+their valises.
+
+The Judge set off down the street, still examining his mail and bidding
+the girls to follow; and, as they did so, Molly exclaimed:
+
+"It's just too lovely for words! Monty's coming, Monty's coming!"
+
+Dorothy almost lost sight of the Judge as he turned a corner into a side
+street, so long she paused and so disgusted she felt.
+
+"That boy! What's he coming for? I hope not to be with us!"
+
+"Exactly what he is, then! We laid a little plan that last morning when
+we started. His mother was in Newburgh, you know, and hadn't decided
+where she would pass her vacation. So I suppose he went right to her and
+asked and she always does just what he wants. He writes that she'd never
+visited Nova Scotia nor Canada and was simply delighted to come. She
+wouldn't force their society upon our party, oh! no, not for anything!
+But she'll manage to take the first steamer out from Boston and will go
+straight to Digby. We'll meet there; and if Aunt Lucretia doesn't think
+a Stark is good company for a Breckenridge, I'll know the reason why.
+Oh! fine, fine."
+
+"Oh! nuisance, nuisance! But come on! Your father is ever so far ahead
+and we'll have to hurry to catch up."
+
+They set off upon a run and for a few minutes neither spoke. Molly was
+disappointed that Dolly didn't "enthuse," and the latter felt that a
+boy--such a boy--would effectually spoil the good times she and her mate
+might have had together, alone. Finally, Molly asked:
+
+"Who was your letter from?"
+
+For answer and with considerable pride Dorothy drew James Barlow's
+epistle from its envelope and held it toward her friend, saying:
+
+"You can read and see."
+
+Molly read and returned the letter, with a little sniff of contempt and
+the remark:
+
+"Huh! The only interesting part of that is the post-script. It will be
+just fine to have those dogs along. I suppose Mrs. Calvert sent them up
+from Baltimore to Deerhurst. But if I were you, Dolly Doodles, I
+wouldn't let that ignoramus preach to me like he does to you in that
+letter. He's a prig, that's what he is, and I hate a prig. So there."
+
+"No, he isn't. Mr. Seth would say that he had only 'lost his head' for a
+minute. You see poor Jim can't get over the wonder of his getting his
+'chance.' He's simply crazy-wild over learning--now. He believes it's
+the only thing in the world worth while. He didn't mean to scold me.
+I--I guess. If he did I don't mind. He's only Jim. He just knows I'll
+have to take care of my father and mother, some day, if our mineral
+spring and mine don't pay better than now. He's afraid I'll waste my
+'chance,' that's all. Dear, faithful old Jim!"
+
+"Pooh! Horrid, pokey old Jim, I say. But Monty'll have some fun in him;
+unless--he thinks two girls are poor company."
+
+"I hope he will. I hope he'll coax your father and those old 'boys' to
+take him with them into the woods. That might do him some good and take
+the nonsense out of him."
+
+"Well, Dorothy, I think that's not a nice thing for you to say. You must
+have forgotten the night of the fire and what he did to help you. There
+wasn't any 'nonsense' about Montmorency Vavasour-Stark then, if you
+please!"
+
+Instantly touched by this reminder and fully regretful for her
+sarcasm--though still sorry that he was coming--Dolly returned:
+
+"That's true, Molly, honey. I did forget, just for a minute. He's not
+half bad, Monty isn't; and I guess he'll be useful to climb trees and
+pick cherries for us, or get flowers that we can't reach. Anyhow, we're
+fairly dawdling and almost quarreling, and all the time your father is
+getting further away. See! He's stopping before that house? I'll race
+you to the gate!"
+
+"All right. One--two--three--go!"
+
+It was a charming little cottage before which they brought up at the
+Judge's side. Its front yard was small, so that the bay-windows one upon
+each side the door, came almost to the white paling before the grounds;
+but one could catch a glimpse of a deep garden behind and Dorothy's
+flower-loving soul was enchanted by it, even as by the contents of the
+windows.
+
+"Oh! look! How lovely! Did you ever see such Gloxinias and Cyclamens?
+And that Weeping Fuschia in the other window! It is gorgeous, simply
+gorgeous! But how queer, too, to keep plants indoors as late as this!
+and their lace curtains up, right in the summer-time! Are we going in
+here, Judge Breckenridge?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. I paused only to let your rhapsody have vent, though I
+really wish the little mistress of this home could have heard such a
+spontaneous tribute to her skill as a florist. You'll notice that
+peculiarity all through the Province. Window plants remain in the
+windows all the year round and there is scarcely a home that hasn't its
+share of them and its tiny conservatory, such as is here.
+
+"Curtains? I hadn't thought why they're up, but maybe it's to keep out
+the prying gaze of too eager 'tourists.' A fine scorn the native always
+has for the average 'tourist'--though he has no scorn for the tourist's
+cash. Ah! Here she comes!"
+
+At that instant his summons upon the tiny knocker was answered by the
+soft footfall of a woman, and the opening of the door a narrow way. Then
+it was as instantly flung wide and a dainty little housemistress,
+white-capped and white-haired, extended two small, toil-worn hands in
+greeting.
+
+"Oh! Judge Breckenridge! You did give me such a start! But I'm so glad
+to see you! So more than glad. Do step right in, please. All of you step
+in."
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Cook, for your welcome and your invitation; but we'd
+rather step right out if you don't mind?"
+
+"Why--sir!"
+
+"No lack of appreciation, believe me. But I've a young lady here who is
+'plumb crazy' over posies and, coming along on the steamer, I promised
+her a glimpse of some of Yarmouth's garden 'cosy corners.' I know none
+lovelier than your own; and as for your window-plants--I'm afraid if we
+don't take her away from temptation she'll break the glass and 'hook'
+one of your 'Gloxamens' or 'Cyclaglinias' or--"
+
+The lady laughed as merrily as a girl and patted Dorothy's shoulder with
+appreciation of the Judge's joke. Then started to lead the way around
+the cottage into that inviting greenery behind, when a curious voice
+hindered her by a pathetic appeal:
+
+"Mamma! Oh! Mamma! Don't go and leave poor Mum! Quisanthemum must go
+with Mamma!"
+
+The visitors turned in surprise, toward this querulous "child" as the
+girls fancied it, though the Judge was already smiling his understanding
+of the matter. Then there appeared in the doorway a parrot, of wonderful
+plumage and exaggerated awkwardness; who waddled from side to side,
+climbed one side of its mistress's gown to her shoulder and walked
+head-first down the other, rolling its eyes and emitting the most absurd
+moans till the two girls were convulsed with laughter.
+
+Then Mrs. Cook held out her wrist, the parrot settled on it, and they
+proceeded to the garden; the lady explaining:
+
+"This little Miss Chrysanthemum is a spoiled baby. She's only a few
+months old, was brought to me by one of my sailor friends, and about
+rules the house now. Especially when my boy is away."
+
+As she mentioned her "boy" the tiny woman looked rather anxiously into
+the Judge's face; and Dorothy noticed that her own was really quite
+young, despite the white hair and widow's cap which crowned it. She
+thought the lady charming, she was so small, so delicate and quaint. Yet
+there was the real "English color" on her still fair cheek and her eyes
+were as bright a blue as Molly's own.
+
+"Son told me you would call. Also, Ephraim wrote me in his last letter;
+but I had not expected you to-day. I thought you were to be in Yarmouth
+for a week or more and didn't anticipate so prompt a kindness."
+
+Then opening a little bag which hung fastened to her waist, the cottager
+drew from it a pair of blunt-pointed scissors and gave them to Dorothy,
+saying:
+
+"It's you I see, who has the keenest eyes for flowers. Cut all you want
+of anything you fancy;" and she swept her hand rather proudly toward the
+hedges of sweet-peas, just coming into bloom, and the magnificent roses
+which were earlier in her protected garden than elsewhere in the town.
+
+Had Dorothy known it, this was a rare privilege that had been accorded
+her. Mrs. Cook loved her flowers as she did her human friends and had a
+fancy that cutting them was almost as cruel as wounding a person she
+loved. Until they faded she never cut them for her own enjoyment; and
+only now and then nerved herself to clip them for the cheer of some
+ailing neighbor. She was therefore greatly pleased when the girl
+returned the scissors, after one questioning glance toward Molly, as to
+her possible disappointment.
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Cook, but I don't like to do that. They are so lovely
+and look so happy in this beautiful garden, I'd hate to. We shall be
+going, I'm told, and they'll only be ruined for nothing. But, if you
+please, I'd like to sit down on these steps and enjoy them. Wouldn't
+you, Molly? While your father talks with Mrs. Cook."
+
+The steps belonged to a sort of lean-to, or outdoor kitchen. The little
+addition was covered with vines in leaf and more sweet-peas clambered
+about its base. Behind it was the living-room with its open door and
+table already set for dinner. A savory odor issued thence and set the
+girls to thinking how remarkably hungry they were, despite their late
+and substantial breakfast. Also, to wondering if Nova Scotia air was to
+whet their appetites this way all the time.
+
+Thought Molly, in especial: "If it is I shall buy me a little bag to
+wear at my waist, as Auntie does, and fill it with crackers."
+
+Then, thinking of food, she "pricked up her ears," hearing her hostess
+inviting:
+
+"But, Judge Breckenridge, I would take it the highest honor if you would
+share our dinner with us. Of course, it isn't what I'd have liked to
+have, had I known. But my husband used to say, 'Welcome is the best
+sauce.' Besides, if you're to leave so soon I'll be glad to talk over
+that matter of which I just spoke. I am really so perplexed as to what
+is best. You've been so kind to my brother-in-law, Ephraim, that--"
+
+She interrupted herself to laugh and observe:
+
+"Yet that's presumptuous of me, too. The fact that you've been a kind
+adviser to one of the family doesn't form a precedent for all the rest
+of us. But, business aside, cannot you and your daughters join us?"
+
+"Thank you. We will be most happy; though I must set you right on that
+point--of relationship. One is my daughter, the blonde, not the
+flower-lover; and one is my temporarily 'adopted.' Molly and Dolly their
+names; and two dearer little maids you'll travel far to find."
+
+"Aye, they're fair bonny, and so unlike. Now, sit you down, please,
+while I dish up; and tell me, if you will, how does the man, Ephraim? He
+was ever in fear of his health but a better one never lived. After my
+sister died--the pair of us married brothers--he grew lost and finical.
+Nought we could do for him just suited the man. It was the grief, I
+knew. So, after he'd mumbled along more years than he'd ought, fending
+for himself, he crossed over to the States and drifted south to Richmond
+and you. 'Twas a sad pity he'd neither son nor daughter to cheer him in
+his widower life, but so was his Providence. Mine has been better. Son
+is my hope and--and my anxiety. He's not found his right niche yet, poor
+lad. There's a love of the sea in him, like his sailor father; but he's
+never got over that tragedy of his father's death."
+
+"Where did that happen, Mrs. Cook? Ephraim told me he was drowned,"
+asked the visitor, sympathetically.
+
+"Off Pollock Rip Shoals. A bad and fearsome place that, where many an
+honest fellow has sunk to his last sleep." She dashed a tear from her
+eye, and laid her hand for an instant upon her widow's cap. Then she
+went on more cheerfully, as if time had taught her resignation: "But
+that's a gone-by. Son's future isn't. It's laid upon me by the Lord to
+be both father and mother to the boy and I must study what's for _his_
+best, not mine. Ephraim wrote I was to consult you who are a Judge and
+wise. He said in his letter that he hadn't been a sort of
+general-utility-man in your office thus long without knowing it wasn't
+your best paying clients that got your best advice. That, wrote Ephraim,
+came out of your heart for the widows and orphans. We're that, son and
+I, and--What a garrulous creature I am!"
+
+All the time the little woman had been talking she had also been
+preparing for the meal; and it now being ready to serve she stepped to
+the rear door, opening on the place where the girls were sitting, and
+announced:
+
+"Our finnan haddie and greens are ready, young ladies, if you will come
+and partake of it. Also, lest you be disappointed, I'll say that there's
+a 'John's Delight' in the 'steamer,' and a dish of the best apples in
+the Province for the sweeties. Eh? What, my dear?"
+
+To Dorothy's utter amazement Molly was doing a very rude thing. She had
+risen and made her very prettiest courtesy, but had supplemented this
+act of respect by the petition:
+
+"Please, Mrs. Cook, may we have ours out here, on these steps?"
+
+"Why, Molly!" cried her chum, in reproof. "The idea of giving all that
+trouble!"
+
+"No trouble whatever, but a pleasure," replied the hostess, although
+she, also, was surprised.
+
+Molly wheeled upon Dorothy, demanding:
+
+"Wouldn't you like it here? Could you find a lovelier place to eat in?
+As for making trouble, I don't want to do that. I--If Mrs. Cook will
+just put it on one plate I'll fetch it here for us both. It would be
+like a picnic in a garden; and you could stay here and--and watch."
+
+"Watch? What am I to watch, except these beautiful flowers?" asked
+Dolly, even further surprised.
+
+Fortunately for Molly her father had not overheard her odd request or
+she would have received reproof far more effectual than Dorothy's. Also,
+Mrs. Cook was hospitality itself, and this meant wishing her guests to
+enjoy themselves after the manner they liked best.
+
+As swiftly as either of the girls could have moved, she was back in the
+pleasant living-room, arranging a tray with a portion of the palatable
+dinner she had provided; saying in response to the Judge's inquiring
+expression:
+
+"We thought it would be a fine thing, and one the lassies will long
+remember, to have their Bluenose dinner in a Bluenose garden. For all
+their lives long they can think of this summer day and my greenery yon;
+and, maybe, too, of the first time they ever ate 'finnan haddie' and
+'John's Delight.' More than that, it will give us the freedom of speech
+with son, as it wouldn't were they sitting by. He's aye shy, is my
+laddie."
+
+Then she carried out a little table, set it beside the steps and placed
+the tray thereon. After which she "Begged pardon!" and lifted up her
+gentle voice in an appeal that sounded almost pathetic in its entreaty.
+
+"Son! Dear son Melvin! Come now to dinner with your mother! Son! SON!"
+
+The last word was spoken in a tone he rarely disobeyed, and low-toned
+though it was, it was so distinctly uttered that people passing on the
+street beyond heard it. So also must he have heard who was summoned, if
+he was anywhere upon those premises--as he had been when these guests
+arrived.
+
+However, he did not appear; and Mrs. Cook and the Judge sat down alone,
+while "Son" for whom that "home dinner" had been specially prepared was
+"fair famished" for want of it.
+
+Out upon the steps of that lattice-covered, vine-enwrapped summer-house,
+the two girls enjoyed their dinner greatly. In particular did mistress
+Molly. Her eyes sparkled, her dimples came and went, her smiles almost
+interfered with her eating, and her whole behavior was so peculiar that
+Dorothy stared. She was puzzled and began to be slightly disgusted, and
+at last remarked:
+
+"Why, honey, I never saw you get so much--so much fun out of your food.
+I've heard about gourmands. I think I can guess now what they are and
+act like. Hark! What's that noise? Kind of a crackle, as if a cat or
+something was overhead among those vines. I hope it isn't. Cats love
+fish. I always have to shut up Lady Rosalind when Mother Martha has it
+for dinner. Isn't 'finnan haddie' a queer name?"
+
+"Yes. I've heard Papa tell of it before. It's haddock smoked, some sort
+of queer way. But this is nice--My! How nice this is! Umm, umm, umm!"
+giggled Molly, as if she found something most amusing in the food she
+smacked her lips over in such a very strange manner.
+
+"Well, Molly Breckenridge, one thing I can say for you. That is: it's a
+good thing Miss Rhinelander isn't here to see you now. You--you act like
+a little pig. Excuse me, but you really do."
+
+"Cats do like fish. Maybe it's a cat. Let's call it a cat, anyway,"
+answered Molly, in no wise offended by her chum's plain speech.
+Then lifting her voice she began to call: "Kitty! Kitty!
+Kitty--kitty--kitty--kitty--kitty--come!" as fast as she could speak.
+
+Just then Mrs. Cook came out to them to remove their plates and bring
+them generous portions of "John's Delight," a dessert which Molly
+declared was "first cousin to a Christmas plum pudding," and over which
+she was tempted to smack her lips in earnest, not pretence. A momentary
+soberness touched her merry face, however, when the hostess observed
+with keen regret:
+
+"I am so sorry Son isn't here to do the honors of this little picnic. I
+don't see where he can have gone. His dinner on shore is always such a
+pleasure to him and besides--I wanted him to meet you all in a private
+fashion, not as a bugler aboard-ship."
+
+"Maybe--maybe he is--_is_ doing the honors!" said Molly, half choking
+over the strange remark. "Maybe he's--he can see--he's rather shy, isn't
+he? The sailor said they called him the 'Bashful Bugler.' But he--he
+bugles beautifully, especially first calls to meals which a seasick girl
+can't eat. I--"
+
+Then she stopped abruptly. Mrs. Cook was looking at her with much the
+same expression Dorothy's mobile face had worn; and again from overhead
+came that ominous crackle of breaking twigs. Also, a few crushed leaves
+fluttered to the ground and caused Dorothy to exclaim:
+
+"Must be a pretty big cat to tear things like that. Did you see it? Do
+you suppose it's a wildcat? Don't they have all sorts of creatures in
+the Nova Scotia woods? Do you suppose it's wild--"
+
+"It certainly is. It's about the wildest thing I ever met--of its size.
+Isn't this pudding delicious? If I was a hungry, a sea-starved cat how
+angry I should be to be kept out of my share of it just by a couple of
+girls. Girls are cats' natural enemies. Sometimes girls eat cats--if
+they're nice, purry, pussy-cats! Some cats have blue eyes, and
+some--Why, Papa! Are you ready? Going so soon?"
+
+"Yes, dear. I can't wait any longer. I am greatly disappointed in not
+seeing Melvin again; but possibly he may run up to the station before
+the train starts. I'll try to be there early. As early as I can, though
+I have some little affairs here still to attend to. Good-by, Mrs. Cook.
+I think the plan we have discussed is the best all round. It will be a
+test, so to speak. There is nothing like life in the woods together to
+break down all barriers of shyness or reserve.
+
+"Thank you, cordially, for your hospitality. I haven't enjoyed a dinner
+so much in many a day. I will see you again, if we return this way, and
+I will keep you informed of my address if our plan falls through and we
+have to try some other."
+
+Deeply moved, the little mother began to utter her own profuse thanks;
+for what the listening girls did not know. But these were promptly
+suppressed by the Judge's manner of saying:
+
+"Don't do that, yet, my dear lady. Wait and prove Ephraim's words are
+true. And now good-by again. I had hoped to have you and my sister meet,
+but our unexpected departure has prevented that until some more
+fortunate future day."
+
+He raised his hat, bowed profoundly, and walked away; the girls making
+their adieus and expressing their own thanks for hospitality received in
+a manner which did credit to Miss Rhinelander's training. Only Molly's
+cheek burned with an unusual blush, and she did not lift her eyes to
+Mrs. Cook's as readily and affectionately as Dorothy did.
+
+The latter, indeed, was to receive a rare tribute; for the lady followed
+her to the street and slipping inside the front door broke from her
+beautiful Gloxinias a handful of blossoms and gave them to the girl,
+saying:
+
+"My dear, I'm sure you will appreciate these; and I'm equally sure you
+and I have much in common. Good-by. May all good things attend you."
+Then she kissed the red lips which had impulsively kissed her and
+watched them all out of sight.
+
+But she did not kiss Molly; and though that young person would not have
+expected such a caress, she was for an instant jealous of that bestowed
+upon Dorothy.
+
+The Judge waited for them to join him and taking a hand of each, in his
+fatherly fashion, remarked:
+
+"I find that sailor's widow a very charming woman and a perfect hostess.
+No apologies for what she had to offer, though in her heart a slight
+regret that it was not of some sort more expensive. A pity Melvin didn't
+appear. I would have liked to study him in his mother's presence. One
+can always tell what a boy is by the way he treats his mother; and I
+wasn't pleased that he so disregarded her call to dinner, because she
+said he had been there when I knocked and after we had entered the
+garden itself."
+
+A sudden comprehension of the state of things flashed through Dorothy's
+mind, and she turned her eyes inquiringly toward Molly, who flushed,
+hesitated, and finally burst forth:
+
+"He couldn't come, Papa dear, because--because I wouldn't let him! He
+got caught in the trap of his own horrid bashfulness."
+
+Somehow Molly was no longer giggling, as she had been at intervals ever
+since they reached the cottage. Things didn't look as "funny" as they
+had a few minutes before; nor was she pleased to have the Judge stop
+short on the path and demand:
+
+"Explain yourself, daughter."
+
+"Why it's easy enough. When that Melvin boy, that bugler, saw us coming
+to that porch he was scared stiff. He just looked at us a second, then
+scrambled up that lattice-work to the top of that arbor or whatever it
+is, and--course he had to stay there. That's why I sat down on those
+steps. Why I wanted my dinner out there. Oh! it was the funniest thing!
+A great big boy like him to stay up on such an uncomfortable place just
+because two girls whom he'll never see again had sat down beneath him.
+Of course, he'd have to pass us to answer his mother's call to dinner;
+and he'd rather go without that than do it. Oh! it was too funny for
+words! And when the leaves fell Dolly thought it was the 'cat.' She
+wondered if it was a 'wildcat,' and I said 'yes, it was wild!' Oh! dear!
+I was so amused!"
+
+Dorothy laughed. To her the affair had also its "too funny" side, now
+that she understood it. But the Judge did not laugh. If he felt any
+secret amusement at the girlish prank he did not betray it in his
+expression, which was the sternest his daughter had ever seen when bent
+upon her idolized self.
+
+"Well, Molly, you certainly have distinguished yourself. The joke which
+might have been harmless under some circumstances was an abominable
+rudeness under these. I am ashamed of you. I shall expect you to write a
+note of apology to Mrs. Cook, before you leave Yarmouth. And as for
+never seeing Melvin again, let me set you right. I have invited the lad
+to join us for our entire summer vacation. Understand?"
+
+Alas! She understood but too well. Yet if a bomb had exploded at her
+feet she could hardly have been more astonished.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+DOROTHY AND THE BASHFUL BUGLER
+
+
+The main street of pretty Digby runs close to the water. The bluff is
+crowned by a grassy sward and a row of well-grown trees, with a driveway
+between these and the buildings on the further side.
+
+"Oh! how lovely and how different from our own seaside places, with
+their hot sands, board walks, and cityfied shops. I hope no board walk
+will ever spoil this charming boulevard!" exclaimed a lady, who stood at
+a hotel window overlooking Annapolis Basin, on whose shore nestles the
+little town.
+
+"Yes, Mamma! Aren't you glad you came?" asked Monty Stark, entering the
+room and joining her at the window.
+
+"I hope I shall be, dear. I'm a little anxious about your friends. I
+should greatly object, myself, to having people force themselves upon a
+touring party I had organized. But you must understand, Montmorency,
+that if I discover the slightest sign of objection to us, I shall go on
+my own way and you will have to go with me. I--I am not accustomed to
+being patronized or--no matter. I came to please you, my precious boy,
+and I hope it will be all right. Let me see if you are quite correct. I
+suppose the guests wear evening dress for dinner as in other civilized
+places. Though--it looks more like a country village yonder, than a real
+watering place."
+
+"But, Mamma, it is a country village. Nothing else, the Judge says. And
+somehow I feel rather silly in this rig. I saw the Judge a moment ago
+and he wasn't in evening clothes, but he's a 'brick' all right!"
+
+"Montmorency! How can you use such dreadful expressions?"
+
+"Easy as preaching, _chere Maman_!"
+
+"I'm afraid your associates at Brentnor are not all of them as refined
+and exclusive as I had supposed. I've observed other phrases that I do
+not like. One of them was, I think, 'Shucks!'"
+
+"Yes, I reckon you did. I didn't catch that from a Brentnor, though, but
+from Jim Barlow."
+
+"Who is he, pray?"
+
+"Blest if I can tell or he either. He hails from a poorhouse. He was
+'bound out' to a woman truck farmer. He's been 'taken up' by Mrs. Cecil
+Somerset-Calvert, of Baltimore, and lots of other places. A lady that's
+so rich she has homes in ever so many different parts of the country.
+But better than that he's a 'trump,' a life-saver, a scholar, and--a
+gentleman! One of 'Nature's' you know. Would like to have you meet him
+because he's my present chum; that is, he would be if--if we lived in
+the same house and could be. But unfortunately, he has agreed to do
+'chores' for a parson in payment for his instruction in Greek and all
+the 'ologies.' He's off on a tramp now, 'hoofing it,' as he elegantly
+expresses it, for a vacation. He's taken the parson and a couple of dogs
+along for company. The parson's a trotting tramper, too. Maybe you've
+read some of his delightful articles in the magazines. Eh? What? Too
+much for you, Mamma? Well, never mind. I'll quit now, for there goes the
+last bell for dinner. Allow me?"
+
+Bowing and offering his arm Monty conducted his richly clad mother
+toward the dining-room, whither a crowd of tourists were hastening.
+These were garbed in any sort of comfortable traveling clothes, the
+women mostly in white shirt-waists such as Mrs. Stark would have
+disdained even for morning wear at home. The men looked as if they had
+just come from a dusty train, a too-fragrant fishing boat, or a rough
+camp in the woods; and at the foot of the stairs the fashionable Mrs.
+Stark paused in a sort of dismay.
+
+For an instant, too, she had an odd feeling as if it were she who had
+made a mistake, not those groups of merry, hungry holiday-makers, who
+elbowed one another good naturedly, in order to find a seat at the
+crowded tables. Mrs. Stark wasn't used to elbowing or being elbowed, and
+she gathered her silken train in her hand to preserve it from contact
+with the oil-cloth covered floor of the lobby, while her face gathered
+an expression of real alarm.
+
+"Why, my dear son! We can't stay here, you know! It is simply impossible
+to hobnob with such--such queer persons. We must seek another hotel at
+once. I'll step into that room yonder which is the 'parlor' probably,
+and you summon the proprietor. I--I am not accustomed to this want of
+courtesy and--indeed, dear, I am greatly displeased with you. You
+painted the trip in such glowing colors I--"
+
+"But, Mamma, don't the colors glow? Did you ever see anything in your
+life lovelier than this glimpse of the Annapolis Basin, with the
+moonlight on it, the great peaks and cliffs beyond? I'm sorry if you're
+disappointed but you didn't seem to be up in your room, looking out. As
+for changing hotels we'd simply 'hop out of the frying pan into the
+fire,' since this is the best one in the town. Else Judge Breckenridge
+wouldn't have come here."
+
+"Monty, dear! Such phrases again! Is that another lesson learned from
+the poorhouse boy?"
+
+"No, indeedy! I caught that from Alfaretta Babcock. She of the
+_retrousse_ nose and simple speech. A royal sort of girl, too, is Alfy;
+first of the alphabetical Babcock sisters. The second is--But come,
+Mamma. We're in for it and I don't want to go to bed hungry, even if you
+do. I'm afraid, Mother mine, that there's been too much 'de luxe' in
+your life and I shall have to reconstruct you."
+
+His mirthful face provoked her to laughter despite her real vexation and
+fortunately, at that moment, Mrs. Hungerford entered the room and
+advanced to Mrs. Stark with extended hand and the warmest of greetings.
+
+"This is Monty's mother, I'm sure. I am Molly's Auntie Lu. We exist I
+fancy, for our respective youngsters and mine discovered you through the
+doorway of the dining-room and commissioned me to fetch you. We've had
+seats reserved for you at our table in the corner and I apologize for
+not hunting you up earlier. The truth is we were out driving until the
+last moment and were greatly hurried ourselves. So, of course, we were
+none of us here when the train came in and I did not know you had
+arrived. Shall we go now? You will find that people grow desperately
+hungry when they first come into this bracing air, and with the best
+intentions in the world, the proprietor isn't always able to provide
+enough for such clamorous appetites. My brother says that explains the
+rather rude crowding to get 'first table,' and that our remedy lies in
+doing a bit of crowding ourselves. I rather enjoy it, already, though we
+only came here yesterday. Did you have a pleasant trip?"
+
+"No, I did not. I was never on such a poor steamer before. Fortunately I
+wasn't ill and it's not a long sail from Boston across. Is it really
+true, as Montmorency tells me, that there is no better hotel than this?"
+returned the other, rising to follow Auntie Lu.
+
+[Illustration: "HELLO SNACKENBERG! HERE AM I! GIVE ME A RIDE?"
+_Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+Since Monty had said that he was hungry, of course, she would stay for
+that one meal and let him get comfortable. Afterward--she would
+follow her own judgment.
+
+But she, also, was gently bred and born, and despite a lack of plain
+common sense was an agreeable person in the main. She had responded to
+Mrs. Hungerford's greeting with a correct society manner; and now, as
+she followed toward the dining-room, she bestowed upon that lady's back
+a keenly critical survey. She saw that Aunt Lucretia was well but simply
+gowned in white. She was immaculately fresh, and fragrant from her bath
+with a faint odor of violets about her that pleased rather than offended
+nostrils which habitually objected to "perfumery" as something common
+and vulgar.
+
+Her gown might have been expensive but did not look so and was eminently
+more fit for an evening dinner in a tourists' hotel than the elaborate
+costume of Mrs. Stark.
+
+Though she had been but twenty-four hours in the place, Auntie Lu had
+already adapted herself to it completely, and smiled away the services
+of a rather frightened head-waitress new to her business, as she
+threaded her way toward that distant corner of the crowded room where
+her own table overlooked the water.
+
+A little hush fell over the adjoining tables as Mrs. Stark's elegance
+bore down upon them in her majestic way. She was portly and
+heavy-motioned, as poor Monty was apt to be when he should arrive at her
+age; and chairs had to be drawn in closer, feet tucked under them, and
+heads bent forward as she passed by.
+
+As for the youth in her train misery and mortification shone on his
+chubby countenance. For a boy he had been absurdly fond of dress, but he
+had also a keen sense of what was fit and he knew his present costume
+was not that. However, all this trivial unpleasantness passed, as the
+entering pair were greeted by the rest of the party. The Judge still
+wore a business suit but his manner, as he rose to be presented to Mrs.
+Stark was so polished and correct that her spirits revived, thinking:
+
+"Well, the people are all right, if the place isn't."
+
+She acknowledged Miss Isobel's greeting with a slight haughtiness, such
+as she felt was due a social inferior. Upon Molly she bestowed an
+admiring smile and glance; and upon Dorothy a rather perfunctory one.
+The girl might also be "poorhouse born" for aught anybody knew, and from
+contact with such her "precious lamb" was to be well protected. She
+intended to see to it that further intercourse between her son and that
+"tramp," Jim Barlow, should be prevented also; and while she marvelled
+that "the Breckenridges" should make much of the girl, as apparently
+they did, it wasn't necessary that she should do the same. Monty had
+told her all about each member of the party so that Dorothy's story was
+familiar to her. The lad had concluded his recital with the words:
+
+"She's the bravest, sincerest girl in the world. She's braver than
+Molly Breckenridge, and I like her immensely. All the boys at Brentnor
+think she's fine, and we all hope some grand romance will come out of
+the facts of her parentage. She doesn't come of any illiterate, common
+stock, Mamma. You may be sure of that. So I hope you'll be nice and
+not--not too _Stark-ish_ toward her, please!"
+
+So this was the girl who had saved life. Of that grim teacher opposite
+and, later, of a farmer's son out of a tree where he was hanging. Very
+creditable, of course, though it couldn't affect herself, Mrs. Ebenezer
+Vavasour-Stark, and she fixed her attention elsewhere.
+
+It was due to the Judge that she altered her opinion of her present
+quarters so far as to decide upon remaining in them; and to make the
+best of the whole trip, "which you know is but a prolonged picnic. As
+for air and health and strength, you could find nothing better the world
+over, my dear Madam," he had said.
+
+After that first dinner also she had a talk with her son; which resulted
+in his displaying a common sense that did him credit.
+
+"Look here, Mamma. Let's just pack all these over-fine togs in the
+trunks and leave them here to be sent to us when wanted. All we shall
+need, I fancy, is a suit-case a-piece with the plainest things we own.
+Even that 'fancy' hunter's suit I bought is ridiculous. The Judge uses
+the oldest sort of things--'regular rags,' Molly says; and I--I may _be_
+a fool but I don't like to _look_ like one! Do it, Mamma, to please me.
+And let's put our 'society' manners into the trunks with the clothes.
+Let's live, for these few weeks, as if we were real poor--as poor as
+Dolly or Miss Greatorex. I don't believe even that lady has any money to
+speak of and as for Dorothy, she hasn't a cent. Not a cent."
+
+"How do you know that, Montmorency? Are you on such intimate terms with
+that foundling that she confides the state of her finances to you? If
+so, she is probably hinting for presents."
+
+"Umm. Might be. Didn't look like it though when I proposed just now to
+buy her one of those Indian baskets on sale in the lobby. She wouldn't
+take one, though Molly took all I wanted to give--and more. _That_ girl
+hasn't any scruples about having a good time and letting anybody pay
+that wants to."
+
+"That, son, is a proof of good birth and breeding, she has always been
+accustomed to having her wants supplied and takes it as a matter of
+course. But, Monty darling, you must be good to Mamma. She doesn't feel
+as if she had come to a 'Paradise of a place,' as you told me I would
+find it. Yet if it pleases you to see your mother dressed like a servant
+why, of course, for your sake I'll consent. But I warn you, no
+skylarking with underbred people or I shall take you straight home."
+
+This little conversation shows that Mrs. Hungerford was right when she
+informed her brother on that same evening:
+
+"We made a blunder when we allowed the Starks to join our personal
+party. They fit into it about as well as a round peg in a square hole.
+The woman--Well, she may be high-born and rich but I don't want our
+Molly to copy her notions. She's not nice, either, to poor Miss Isobel
+nor Dorothy. The result is that Miss Greatorex has grown more difficult
+and 'stiff' than she was in the beginning. Such a pity when she's just
+begun to get softer and more human!"
+
+In his heart the Judge was not over-pleased by this untoward opening of
+the new association, but he wouldn't admit it to her. He merely said:
+
+"I'm sorry if you're going to let the prejudices of silly women spoil
+your own vacation. Don't do it. Just remember what you often say, that
+human nature is the same everywhere. We have the pride of wealth to
+contend with on one hand and the pride of poverty on the other; but
+beneath each sort of pride lies an honest heart. I believe it, and that
+we shall yet see these two opposing elements merged in a warm
+friendship. Watch for it. It takes all sorts of people to make a world
+and another sort will be added, to-morrow, when Melvin joins us. Throw
+in the college Prex, the millionaire financier, and surgeon Mantler, and
+we shall have a miniature world of our own in our traveling mates."
+
+"Schuyler, you haven't told me yet what part that lad Melvin is to play
+in this 'world.' Why did you ask him?"
+
+"To test him, Lu, nothing else. His mother is anxious he should make a
+man of himself and isn't sure how best he can. She permitted him to take
+a bugler's place on the 'Prince' because he wanted to try a sea-faring
+life. Two seasons of it, even under the comfortable conditions of a
+passenger steamship, has sickened him of that. He fancied he could be a
+musician and has talent sufficient only to 'bugle.' Now he wants to see
+the world, though he didn't dream I was to offer him a chance. She
+thinks he would make a good lawyer, and so his uncle Ephraim thinks. Her
+pastor thinks he ought to be a minister; and the only point upon which
+all his friends and himself agree is that he should not spend all his
+days in 'Ya'mouth.' I'm going to take him to camp with me, to act as
+handy-man for all of us. That will give me a chance to see what stuff
+he's made of; and if he's worth it--if he's worth it--I'll take him down
+to Richmond and set him at the law.
+
+"Molly, however, must let him alone. That girl can upset more plans than
+the wisest man can lay; and if she gets to teasing him on account of his
+strange bashfulness she'll scare him away from us and disappoint his
+mother's tender heart. _She_ thinks that 'son' is a paragon of all the
+virtues. So does this other mother who's just joined us, think of her
+beloved Montmorency Vavasour-Stark. What a name! Between them and their
+'laddies' I reckon I shall have less peace than from the wildest of
+tricksy Molly's capers."
+
+"Schuyler, you mustn't be hard on her. She's exactly like what you were
+at her age! And she is the dearest child, you know it!"
+
+"I must have been what you call 'a sweet thing,' then! But, of course,
+she's my own 'crow,' therefore she's pure white," laughed the adoring
+father, with more earnest than jest.
+
+"Also, brother, in all your plans for others don't forget little
+Dorothy's. I know you're busy but I must find out who her own people
+are. I _must_. It's a sin and a heartless one to keep her young heart
+longer in suspense. I know she often ponders the thing, in spite of her
+cheerfulness, even gayety."
+
+To which he returned:
+
+"Don't attribute more pondering to her than belongs. Of the two I fancy
+you do the most of that. Nor think I've forgotten her interests. Her
+history is already being unravelled, thread by thread, and stitch by
+stitch. When the thread's wound clear up I trust it may make a goodly
+ball."
+
+"Oh! my dear brother, what do you mean?" cried Aunt Lucretia, eagerly.
+
+"I mean that I set old Ephraim Cook to the task. He's already down at
+Annapolis, fairly burrowing in archives and genealogies, and the
+skeleton closets of all our old Maryland families. It's the most
+congenial task he ever undertook in all his generally-useful life; for
+back here in 'Markland' he's long ago prepared a history of the
+peninsula that deserve publishing. He can trace every Bluenose household
+to its very beginning, and claims his own came to this side the sea in
+the Mayflower. That's one reason he wants Melvin, the last of his race,
+to make a name for it. Trust me he'll forage for our Dorothy better than
+I could myself; but he isn't to disturb us with letters of theories or
+'maybes.' When he gets his facts--hurrah for the _denoument_! Now, dear,
+to your rest. The burdens of a peacemaker rest on your shoulders
+but--you'll make and keep the peace. Good night."
+
+After all, when the sun rose on the following morning and this oddly
+assorted traveling party met to discuss the day's plans, each was so
+rested and refreshed that an abnormal amiability pervaded the whole
+group.
+
+"What would you like to do best?" "Oh, no! You say!" "I'm sure whatever
+the rest propose will be agreeable to me in the way of sight-seeing."
+"Or even staying quietly at the hotel and just enjoying the outlook on
+the sea."
+
+Such were the remarks exchanged and with such suavity of manner that
+Molly clapped her hands and cried:
+
+"I declare, you're all too sweet to be wholesome! And it happens that I
+know what _I_ want to do, even if you don't. Let's go away down to the
+end, I mean the beginning, of the town where they are curing fish. I saw
+them from the car window, and even then they were so interesting. I mean
+the fish were. Or--or the things where they fixed them. And, beg pardon,
+Mrs. Stark, even if you looked at that water all day long you couldn't
+make it into a 'sea.' It's only a Basin, the fag end of Annapolis Basin.
+Yonder, where there are so many sails and steamers, is the Bay of Fundy,
+and to get to the really truly sea you must go beyond that. The reason
+I'm so wise, if you want to know, is that I've been here twenty-four
+hours longer than you and I improved my time by asking questions."
+
+With that the little maid swept her new acquaintance a courtesy and
+smiled so sweetly that any presumption on her girlish part was readily
+forgiven. Besides she was a Breckenridge; and though Mrs. Stark had now
+resolved to be as "democratic" as her new friends were it was easier
+resolved than practiced. If it had been Dorothy who ventured to plan for
+her elders her suggestions would have been coolly ignored.
+
+The Judge drew near in time to hear the end of the talk and added:
+
+"That is a sight we won't meet elsewhere in the same proportion as here.
+Also, the walk will do us good, and we shall pass the postoffice on our
+way. I like going for my own mail to the 'general delivery' better than
+having it sent to the hotel. I like the mingling with the eager crowd
+that waits before the little window to ask: 'Anything for me?' I like to
+watch the faces of the people when they open their letters. One can
+guess the 'home' ones by the expression of joy and the merely friendly
+by the indifference. I like--"
+
+"Dear Schuyler, spare us! If there's anything upon earth you _don't_
+like that's even half-way interesting I can't guess it." Then turning to
+Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Hungerford added: "Brother is like a boy when he gets
+leave of absence, this way. Suppose you walk along with him and find out
+if there is anything he _doesn't_ like along the way."
+
+Her brother gave her an arch glance. Evidently she had begun her
+peaceful adjustment of "assorted" temperaments by assigning himself to
+Mrs. Stark's escort, though she knew all the time that he wanted to be
+with the youngsters. She placed herself along side Miss Isobel, smiling
+at that lady's inquiry if she were going into a public street without a
+hat.
+
+"Surely. 'When in Rome do as the Romans do,' you remember. And see.
+Though most of the people have on some sort of wrap very few women are
+bonneted and even the men carry their hats in hand. Brother has snatched
+his off already."
+
+The Judge was in front, attentively courteous and listening to Mrs.
+Stark's remarks, yet seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; for
+presently he asked:
+
+"What are you youngsters lagging behind for? Dolly, take Melvin under
+your shelter and make him tell you everything you want to know about
+Digby. He's been here before many times, I've learned. And Molly, you
+and Monty walk ahead if you please. I like to keep my eye on my own and
+I fancy Mrs. Stark does too."
+
+Separated from these two, who had been in the rear of the whole party,
+Melvin did exert himself to overcome his abnormal shyness and to talk;
+and when after proceeding a little way and his finding Dorothy eagerly
+observant of even the most trivial things that were new to her, he had
+an abrupt burst of courage--or was it a harmless spite against his
+tormentor of the day before, Molly? Whatever it was that emboldened him,
+he suddenly laid his hand on her arm and said:
+
+"Wait just a minute! There comes a man I know. He's a transplanted
+Yarmouthian who's moved to Digby to 'haul' for his livelihood. He'll be
+glad to see me and hear the news from home; and won't want to waste time
+in doing it. I'll ask him to give us a ride. I don't believe either of
+you girls from the States ever did ride in such an equipage."
+
+She had paused as he wished and was listening in surprise. As much
+because he talked so well and so easily as at the really joyous tone in
+which he hailed his uncouth acquaintance from "Home."
+
+"Hello, Snackenberg! Here am I! Give me a ride?"
+
+"Well, well, well! Son of all the Cooks! What you doin' here? Allowed
+you was sailin' the 'blue and boundless' just about now!" cried the
+teamster and leaning forward shook the lad so heartily by his own hard
+hand that Melvin squealed and protested:
+
+"Well, we can't stand here, you know. I'll just help this young lady
+in--she's from the States--and you can jog on."
+
+The team was of the sort that is always willing to stop, and the
+"equipage" was easily entered by merely stepping into its open rear. It
+swung low to the ground, after the fashion of Nova Scotian carts, and
+for seats it had a bundle of clean straw.
+
+In another moment the animals had been goaded to fresh effort, their
+owner had turned about on the chain where he balanced himself for a seat
+and also turned a corner into a side street that climbed the hill behind
+the town. Then he ordered:
+
+"Fire ahead! Tell everything you know; and I say, Sissy, did you ever
+see a purtier pair of creeturs than them be? I'm prouder of 'em than I
+could be of the finest team o' thoroughbreds ever stepped. Gee, there!
+Haw, I tell ye!"
+
+Beyond, at the postoffice, the truants had been suddenly missed; and
+with varying degrees of anxiety their elders were asking one another:
+
+"What do you suppose has become of Dorothy and that queer boy?"
+
+But Molly was more vexed than anxious and she looked upon Monty with
+rising disfavor. She guessed that they were having some fun from which
+she was shut out and which Montmorency Vavasour-Stark would never have
+had the originality to suggest.
+
+"Oh! I wish I knew! Maybe they're eating each other up! Yesterday she
+asked if he was a 'wildcat' and I told her 'yes.' Maybe, maybe--Oh! Why
+did you make us walk in front, namby-pamby so, Papa dear? If we'd been
+with them we'd know what they are doing and what has happened. Oh! dear!
+If I hadn't been in front I'd have been behind!" she complained. Nor was
+she greatly pleased by the laugh which her Irish-cism raised.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+AN OX-OMOBILE AND A SAILBOAT
+
+
+Even Melvin had not expected that Dorothy and he would long be away from
+the rest of the party, though he did not realize that he was in any wise
+responsible to them, since his duties as camp-helper had not yet begun.
+But he enjoyed his freedom from the society of so many strangers and
+found Dorothy a pleasant companion. She might have been just another
+boy, for any "nonsense" there was about her; and she was so delighted
+with everything he pointed out that he, also, began to find new beauties
+in the familiar scenery, and to grow eager to show her all he could.
+
+For the teamster prolonged his journey to the very crest of the hill
+behind the town, and made it slowly. He had so many questions to ask
+concerning his old neighbors that he delayed all he reasonably could and
+rather resented Melvin's attempts to entertain Dorothy.
+
+"That's Point Prim lighthouse, yonder. See? Yes, Joel, Reuben Smith did
+paint his house bright blue, just as he vowed he would to spite his
+neighbor. That's Digby Gap, where the two hills come so near together in
+the water. The boats that sail from here have to pass through it and
+travelers say--No. I didn't hear what price that Company did get for its
+last 'catch.' Lobsters haven't been running so free this year, I hear;
+and there's another company started canning them. If Judge Breckenridge
+stays long enough I hope he'll take you sailing up Bear River. It's a
+nice drive there, too, but the sail is better. Up yonder is the
+Joggin--Why, Joel, I'm sure I don't know. I hadn't heard."
+
+Such was a sample of the talk which went on and which provoked from the
+lad, at last, the comment:
+
+"Learning under difficulties!" which he said with such an amused glance
+toward Dorothy that she laughed and felt that Molly had been right in
+her belief that "that boy has some fun in him." Thought of Molly made
+her also exclaim:
+
+"Oh! I do wish she were here! She would have liked this so much! I don't
+believe she ever rode in an ox-cart either, any more than I did before.
+How funny it is! And how much longer shall we be? I'm afraid I ought to
+have asked Mrs. Hungerford or Miss Greatorex before I came. But I didn't
+think. I never do think till--afterward."
+
+"Glad of it. Glad you didn't, else likely you'd have lost the ride. Joel
+doesn't call this an ox-cart, though. Not by any means. This, if you
+please, is an 'ox-omobile,' and very proud of it he is. Guess you
+needn't worry. Nobody can get lost in little Digby; and--Where now,
+Joel? How much longer will you be?"
+
+"Oh! I reckon not long. Just a little minute or few. Depends on folks
+havin' their trunks ready to haul. Some towerists have been stopping up
+here to one these houses and engaged me to take their luggage down to
+the pier. They're goin' over to St. John, I reckon, only one of 'em.
+She's goin' to the dee-po. When we go down hill you two may set on the
+trunks--if you can!" and Mr. Snackenberg laughed at his own thoughts.
+
+The trunks did happen to be ready. Indeed the "towerists" were even
+impatient to be gone and were just starting to walk to the pier when the
+carter arrived. They looked rather enviously at Dorothy and Melvin, so
+comfortably seated in the cart, but its owner did not extend an
+invitation to them to ride. Indeed, as he explained to his companions:
+
+"If I was a mind I could have all Digby village a ridin' in my
+'ox-omobile.' They seem to think it's powerful cunnin', as if they'd
+never seen a team of oxen before. Where've they lived at, I'd like to
+know, that they don't know an ox when they see it. There. Them trunks is
+in. Now, Sissy, you just set right down and--You'll find out the rest."
+
+The trunks did fill the cart pretty well but there was plenty of room to
+put one's feet in the spaces between; and Dorothy fixed herself
+comfortably, wondering why Melvin disdained to ride but strode along
+beside the teamster who also walked. Throned in solitary state all went
+well for awhile, until a corner was turned and the steep descent into
+the town began. Then the trunks slid upon the slippery hay, resting
+their weight against the chain at the rear, which alone prevented their
+falling out; and after a few efforts to maintain her seat Dorothy also
+sprang to the ground and joined the others.
+
+"Ha, ha, ha! Ridin' up-hill and ridin' down is two quite different
+things, ain't it, Sissy? Ever been to the pier to see the boat start
+across the Bay to St. John's, New Brunswick? No? First time you been to
+the Province? All right. You stick close to me and I'll p'int out all
+the 'lions' there is to see. Melvin, here, can talk as glib as the next
+one when he gets waked up, but I know more about Digby 'an he does. One
+the sights towerists rave the most over is the fish-grounds. They're
+right adj'ining the pier and you can kill them two 'lions' at once. Ha,
+ha!"
+
+"But, sir, I'm afraid I ought to go back. I mean--to where my friends
+are. Is the pier on the road home?" asked Dorothy.
+
+"All roads lead home--for somebody. The pier and the fish-curin' grounds
+amongst 'em. Don't you vex yourself, Sissy. If you was to go from one
+end to the other of this little town you couldn't never get fur from
+where you live."
+
+The truth was that the old teamster wanted to keep the young folks with
+him as long as he could. There were still numberless questions he hadn't
+put to Melvin and he had taken a fancy to Dorothy. If she was simply a
+"towerist" she was, of course, an idler and it was of no consequence her
+wasting her time. He hadn't learned yet why Melvin was here and if he
+didn't find that out he felt he "couldn't bear it." So now he asked:
+
+"Well, son of all the Cooks, what's fetched you here this time o' day?
+Lost your job?"
+
+"Not exactly. I've given it up. I'm tired of sailing back and forth over
+the same old route and a friend of mine wanted to take my place. I'm
+going to help a gentleman I know in his camping out. Cook, maybe, or
+whatever he wants. Now--that's all. You needn't ask me how much I earn,
+or what's next, or anything. You just go ahead and tell this Miss
+Dorothy anything you fancy; since you know so much more of things than I
+do."
+
+"H'ity-t'ity! Miffed, be ye? Never mind. You'd ought to rest your
+tongue, 'cause I 'low it's never wagged so fast afore in your whole
+life. But I'm ekal to it. I'm ekal. I've growed to be a regular 'Digby
+chicken,' I've tarried here so long already. Ever eat 'Digby chicken,'
+Sissy?"
+
+Joel was affronted in his own turn now and determined to ignore that
+"Miss" which Melvin had pronounced so markedly. Joel wasn't used to
+"Miss"-ing any girl of Dorothy's size and he wasn't going to begin at
+his time of life. Not he!
+
+Meanwhile, Melvin had relapsed into utter silence. He declined to answer
+any of the teamster's further questions, and if his knowledge of the
+locality had been quite as accurate as he had boasted he would have
+suggested to the girl that they take a short-cut back to the hotel. Yet,
+he had heard that teasing Molly say they were bound for the
+fish-grounds. Beyond these lay, also, that notable Battery Point, with
+its rusty old guns; its ancient, storm-bent trees; and the Indian
+encampment still further along. He had seen tourists so many times that
+he fancied they were all alike, full of curiosity, and with ample
+leisure to gratify it. So, in all probability, the Judge and his friends
+were still at that end of town and he had better stick to Joel till he
+conducted the girl and him to their presence. Then he would himself
+vanish until such time as the Judge might require his service.
+
+They came to the pier and drove along its great length, the teamster
+pointing out all sorts of interesting things, so that Dolly forgot all
+else in her eager listening.
+
+"Forty feet high the tide rises sometimes, right on this very p'int.
+That's why it's built so lofty. Look over the edge. See that sloping
+wharf clean down into the water? Well, sir, that's where folks land
+sometimes; and other times away up top here. My heart! The pretty
+creetur!"
+
+Joel abruptly checked his team and stooped above something lying on the
+wide planking of the pier. Then he lifted the object and handed it to
+Dorothy, explaining:
+
+"That's a poor little coddy-moddy! A little baby gull. Pity! Something's
+hurt it, but it's alive yet. Makes me feel bad to see any young creetur
+suffer; most of all to see a bird. Put it in the crook of your elbow,
+Sissy, and fetch it along. I'll take it home with me and see if I can't
+save its life."
+
+After a moment he added, seeing her look wistful, as he thought:
+
+"I'd give it to you, Sissy, but towering folks haven't no time nor
+chance to tend sick birds. It'll be better off in my house than jogglin'
+over railroads and steamboats."
+
+There was sense in this as Dorothy rather reluctantly admitted, for she
+would have liked to keep the "coddy-moddy" and made a pet of it. With
+Joel, however, it would simply be cured and set free, or it would die in
+peace. Also she was touched by the real tenderness with which the
+rough-handed teamster made a nest in the straw of his cart and placed
+the bird upon it.
+
+He had first deposited the trunks in the baggage-room and there was
+nothing to keep him longer; so with another whimsical glance at Melvin,
+who had sauntered behind them, he remarked:
+
+"Right this way to the fishin'-grounds! 'Stinks a little but nothin' to
+hurt!'"
+
+Then in the fatherly fashion which almost every man she met adopted
+toward her, he held out his hand to Dorothy C. and led her back over the
+pier and around to the broad field where numbers of men were salting and
+piling the haddock and cod they had caught. The fish were piled in
+circles or wheel-like heaps, after they were sufficiently dried; and the
+fresher ones were spread upon long frames to "cure." It was a great
+industry in that locality and one so interesting to Dorothy that she
+wanted to linger and watch the toilers despite the decidedly "fishy"
+odor which filled the air.
+
+But Joel said that he must leave them then and, after pointing with his
+whip to a grassy plain beyond the fishing-grounds, advised:
+
+"Best step right over to the Battery, Sissy, now you're so nigh it. I've
+learned in my life that things don't happen twice alike. Maybe you won't
+be just here again in such terr'ble agreeable company--" and he
+playfully touched Melvin on the shoulder--"and best improve it. And,
+Sissy, strikes me you're real likely. Sort of a common sense sort of
+little creetur without so many airs as some the girl-towerists put on.
+If so be 't you stop a spell in Digby just tip me the wink and I'll haul
+you with any load I happen to have on my 'Mobile.' Or, if so be we never
+meet again on earth, be sure, little Sissy, 't you meet me in Heaven.
+Good-by, till then."
+
+Off he went and left Dorothy standing looking after him with something
+very like tears in her brown eyes. Such a quaint figure he looked in his
+long blue smock, his worn hat pushed to the back of his head, his sandy
+beard sweeping his breast; jogging beside his beloved team, doing his
+duty simply as he found it "in that state of life to which it had
+pleased God to call him."
+
+"He's a very religious man, Joel Snackenberg, and never loses a chance
+to 'pass the word.' My mother sets great store by him and I must write
+her about our meeting him. Shall we go to the Battery or back to the
+hotel? Your friends don't--aren't anywhere in sight, so I suppose
+they've gone there," remarked Melvin.
+
+"Then we ought. Indeed, I feel afraid we've stayed too long; and yet I
+can't be sorry, since we've met that dear old man."
+
+Melvin had promptly recovered his "glibness" upon the departure of the
+teamster; and though he looked at her in some surprise he answered:
+
+"I don't believe many girls would call him 'dear.' I shouldn't have
+thought of doing so myself. That Molly wouldn't, I know; but you have a
+way of making folks--folks forget themselves and show their best sides
+to you, so I guess. Anyhow, I never talked so much to any girl before,
+and you're the only one in all that crowd I don't feel shy of. Even that
+boy--Hmm."
+
+"Thank you. That's the nicest thing I ever had said to me. And don't you
+think that life--just the mere living--is perfectly grand? All the time
+meeting new people and finding out new, beautiful things about them?
+Like Mr. Snackenberg asking me to meet him in Heaven. It was certainly
+an odd thing to say, it startled me, but it was beautiful--beautiful.
+Now--do you know the road home?"
+
+"Sure. We'll be there in five minutes."
+
+"All right. Lead the way. And say, Melvin Cook, do one more nice thing,
+please. Forgive my darling Molly for the prank she played on you and be
+the same friendly way to her you've been to me."
+
+"Well, I'll try. But I don't promise I'll succeed."
+
+They hurried back over the main street of the town to their inn, past
+the postoffice where a throng of tourists were still waiting for
+possible mail, past the little shops with their tempting display of
+"notions" representative of the locality, until they reached one window
+in which some silverware was exposed for sale.
+
+Something within caught Melvin's eye, and he laughed:
+
+"Look there, miss."
+
+"Dorothy, please!"
+
+"Look there, Dorothy! There's your 'Digby chicken' with a vengeance!"
+and he pointed toward some trinkets the dealer was exhibiting to
+customers within. Among the articles a lot of tiny silver fish, labeled
+as he had said, and made in some way with a spring so that they wriggled
+from the tip of a pin, or guard, in typical fish-fashion.
+
+"Oh! aren't they cute! How I would like to buy one! Do you suppose they
+cost very much?" cried Dorothy, delighted.
+
+"I'll ask," he said and did; and returning from the interior announced:
+"Fifty cents for the smallest one, seventy-five for the others."
+
+She sighed and her face fell. "Might as well be seventy-five dollars, so
+far as I'm concerned. I have exactly five cents, and I shouldn't have
+had that only I found it left over in my jacket pocket. You see, once I
+had five dollars. How much is that in Nova Scotia money?"
+
+"Just the same. Five dollars."
+
+"Well, come on. I mustn't stand and 'covet,' but I would so love to have
+that for Alfaretta. I promised to bring her something home and that
+would please her to death!"
+
+"Good thing she isn't to have it then!" he returned.
+
+Dorothy laughed. "Course. I don't mean that. I'm always getting reproved
+for 'extravagant language.' Miss Rhinelander says it's almost as bad as
+extravagant--umm, doing. You know what I mean. Listen. I'll tell you how
+I lost it, but we must hurry. I smell dinners in the houses we pass and
+I reckon it's mighty late."
+
+She narrated the story of her loss and her New York experiences in a few
+graphic sentences; and had only concluded when they reached the hotel
+piazza, bordering the street, and saw their whole party sitting there
+waiting the dinner summons. The faces of the elders all looked a little
+stern, even that of the genial Judge himself; and Molly promptly voiced
+the thoughts of the company when she demanded:
+
+"Well, I should like to know where you have been! We were afraid
+something had happened, and I think it's mean, real mean I say, to scare
+people who are on a holiday. Dorothy, child, where have you been?"
+
+"Ox-omobiling," answered poor Dorothy, meekly, and feeling as if she
+were confessing a positive crime.
+
+"W-h-a-t?" gasped Molly amazed.
+
+"Ox-omobiling. I didn't mean--"
+
+"What in the world is that? Did you do it with that boy? Is
+he--where--what--do tell and not plague me so."
+
+"No. I did it with the man who--" Here culprit Dolly looked up and
+caught the stern, questioning gaze of Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, and her wits
+fled. "With Joel, and I'm to meet him in--in Heaven--right away."
+
+Utter silence greeted this strange answer, part of which had been made
+to Miss Greatorex's austere gesture. This signified on the lady's part
+that her ward was late and hindering the meal and was so understood by
+the frightened girl. She looked around for Melvin to corroborate her
+statement but he had vanished. Having escorted her into sight of her
+friends he considered his duty done and disappeared.
+
+"Dorothy! You've been having adventures, I see, and have got things a
+trifle 'mixed.' Best say no more now, till we all get over our
+dinner-crossness and then tell us the whole story. Since you are safely
+back no real harm is done; and, friends, shall we go in to table? The
+second bell has rung," asked Mrs. Hungerford, smiling yet secretly
+annoyed by the delay Dorothy's absence had caused.
+
+The Judge had received more letters from his "Boys" and even more
+urgent ones. That meant cutting short their stay in every town they
+visited; even omitting some desirable places from their list. It had
+been decided that they must leave Digby on Monday, the next day but one,
+and they wished to utilize every moment of the time between in visiting
+its most attractive points.
+
+"Now, we'll take that ride. I was going to get Melvin to drive one small
+rig with the young folks and I would drive another surrey with us
+elders. He's taken himself off, though, so I'll just order a buckboard
+that will hold us all," said the Judge, when they had rather hastily
+finished their meal.
+
+So they did, and presently the four-seated wagon with its four horses
+and capable driver tooled up to the entrance and the party entered it.
+All but Monty Stark. Much to his mother's annoyance and regret, that
+young gentleman firmly objected to the trip.
+
+"I don't want to go. I hate driving. I don't care a rap for all the
+lighthouses or Bear Rivers in the world. I'd rather stay right here and
+watch the fishermen. I never had such a chance to see them so close at
+hand and--I--do--not want--to go."
+
+"Montmorency, darling! Don't turn nasty and spoil all poor Mamma's
+pleasure, don't. I can't see what's the matter with you, dear? You have
+been positively disagreeable ever since we took that walk. Did you get
+too tired, lovey? Is Mamma's baby boy ill?"
+
+"Oh! Mamma, please! I _shall_ be ill if you don't quit molly-coddling
+me, as if I were an infant in arms."
+
+They were speaking apart and in low tones, so that she caught but the
+word "Molly" and instantly inquired:
+
+"Is it that girl, dearest? Has she been behaving badly to you? You
+mustn't mind her sharp tongue, she's only a--a Breckenridge!"
+
+"Yes, she has been behaving outrageously. She's made me feel as cheap as
+two cents. Just because I couldn't think of any remarkably funny thing
+to do in this horrid old town--Oh! go on, and let me be. I'm not mad
+with you, Mamma, but I shan't go on that ride and be perched on a seat
+with either of those wretched girls, nor any old woman either, for the
+whole afternoon. Do go--they're waiting, and they'll wish no Starks had
+ever been born. I guess they wish it already."
+
+Perforce, she had to go; but it wasn't a happy drive for her. If her
+adored Monty was disgruntled over anything she felt the world a gloomy
+place. She did exert herself to be agreeable to the Judge, who sat
+beside her, yielding his place on the driver's seat to Molly, whose
+manner was almost as "crisp" as Montmorency's own. But she would rather
+have stayed behind to look after her son; and had she known what was to
+happen on that sunshiny afternoon she would have been even more sorry
+that she had not followed her inclination.
+
+However, at that moment there was no cloud upon the day; and no sooner
+had the buckboard disappeared from sight than Montmorency Vavasour-Stark
+performed a sort of jig on the hotel verandah, threw up his cap, gave a
+loud Brentnor "yell" and dashed up the stairs to his room as fast as his
+short fat legs could move. Thence he soon reappeared, clad in his
+"athletics"--of which a broad-striped blue-and-white sweater attracted
+much attention.
+
+He had now become "plain boy." He had shed the "young gentleman" with
+vigor and completeness and was bent upon any sort of "lark" that would
+restore his usual good nature and complacency. He had observed whither
+disappeared the various bell-boys when off duty and meant "to stir up"
+one of them if nothing better offered.
+
+Something better did offer, in the shape of Melvin Cook; calmly munching
+a slice of bread and butter in the stable-yard and as rejoiced as Monty
+himself to be quit for a time of women and girls and "manners" in
+general.
+
+Montmorency hadn't been attracted before to this "son of all the Cooks,"
+who was so fair of face and slender of build, but now he reflected that
+if he obtained permission to go into camp with the "Boys," and the
+Judge, Melvin would, perforce, be his daily companion. As well begin now
+as ever then; so he accosted the bugler with the question:
+
+"Say, can't you get up something dandy for the rest of the day? We've
+shed those folks till dark, I guess, and I'm dying for anything doing.
+Eh?"
+
+"I've hired a sail boat and am going out alone, except for Tommy here."
+
+Tommy was the most juvenile of all the bell-boys, a lad of not more than
+ten, who tried to appear quite as old as these others and who now
+strutted forward announcing:
+
+"Yes, me and him is going out in the 'Digby Chicken.' A tidy craft but
+we'll manage her all right, all right."
+
+"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" cried Monty, patting the child's shoulder and
+incidentally slipping a quarter into the little fellow's open palm; for
+it was a habit of the richer lad to bestow frequent tips whenever he
+journeyed anywhere, enjoying the popularity this gave him with his
+"inferiors."
+
+"A sail-boat? Can you manage a sail-boat, Melvin Cook, by yourself
+without a man to help you?" he demanded in sincere astonishment.
+
+"Feel that!" answered Melvin, placing Monty's hand upon his "muscle."
+"There's a bit of strength in that arm, eh, what? And you may not know
+that I come of a race of sailors and have almost lived upon the water
+all my life. Manage a sail-boat? Huh! If you choose to come along I'll
+show you."
+
+Ten minutes later they were moving out in a their frail craft from the
+little pier across the street from the hotel; Melvin for skipper, Tommy
+for mate, and Montmorency for a passenger. That was the beginning. It
+did not dawn upon any of the trio what the ending of that sail would be.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+WHAT BEFELL A "DIGBY CHICKEN"
+
+
+The second bell for the last meal of the day had again rung, and again
+the Breckenridge party waited on the verandah for delinquents. Mrs.
+Stark positively declined to enter the dining-room until she had found
+out what had become of Montmorency. Mrs. Hungerford as positively
+declined to leave Mrs. Stark, and the Judge's temper was again being
+sorely tried. Their twenty-mile drive and sight-seeing had sharpened
+appetites that already were quite sharp enough and the eminent jurist
+wanted his supper. To walk off his impatience, if he could, he paced up
+and down the long verandah at a brisk rate, which did not tend to allay
+that uncomfortable feeling in his "inner man."
+
+The hotel proprietor left the dining-room, where he personally
+superintended the serving of his guests, and joined the Judge, advising
+and complaining:
+
+"We've the usual Saturday, week-end crowd in the house and I'd like to
+have your party get through in yonder soon's you can, if you please.
+I'm driven half-crazy, nights like this, by the demands and exactions
+of these transient people. I need every man-jack of the help and
+somebody says that Tommy has gone off with your lads. Tommy is small but
+he's the best bell-boy in the house and--I'll trounce him well when he
+gets back for serving me such a trick. Best get your dinner now, Judge,
+or I'll not promise you'll be able to later. Excuse me for urging, it's
+in your own interest, and--There comes another load from somewhere! and
+I haven't a room to give them. Cots in the parlor, if they choose,
+nothing better?"
+
+With that he hurried to meet the newcomers and the Judge said to Aunt
+Lu:
+
+"We certainly should go in to table now. It does no good to sit here and
+wait. That doesn't bring the runaways any sooner and they'd ought to go
+without their suppers if they're so thoughtless of our comfort. Mrs.
+Stark, won't you come?"
+
+Then he observed that the lady was weeping copiously. It was now fixed
+in her mind that Monty was drowned. She had been told that he had gone
+sailing with that other dreadful bugler-boy the Judge had picked up,
+and, of course, this was the only explanation of his absence. She
+refused to be comforted and would have gone out in a boat herself to
+search for her son had she felt this would be of the slightest use.
+Indeed, she was fast becoming hysterical, and Mrs. Hungerford shook her
+head negatively when her brother begged her to leave her post and come
+with him.
+
+"Very well, then, sister, Miss Greatorex and the girls and I will go
+without you. Afterward, when the boys come, I'll try to have a special
+meal served for you somewhere. If I can! Come, Molly, Dolly; and I'm
+glad that you, Miss Greatorex, have some sense."
+
+So they departed and finding that Mrs. Stark was attracting the
+attention of the other guests upon the piazza, Aunt Lucretia persuaded
+her to cross the street to the pavilion that stood upon the bluff above
+the water and that was now deserted.
+
+"From there we can see the boat as soon as it approaches, dear Mrs.
+Stark, and I feel sure you've no cause for such anxiety. Doubtless the
+boys have been fishing and have not realized how long. It is still
+bright daylight yonder and these are glorious moonlight nights. Even if
+they stayed out till bedtime they could see all right enough."
+
+Mrs. Stark followed the advice to seek the pavilion; yet simply because
+it brought her that much nearer her lost darling. But when a tray of
+supper was sent out to the two ladies there she refused to touch it and
+her grief spoiled her companion's appetite as well.
+
+After a little time Miss Greatorex and the girls retired to their rooms,
+at the Judge's advice. He too had at last become infected with the
+anxious mother's forebodings and felt that there was no need for Molly
+and Dolly to be also frightened. Then he joined the watchers in the
+pavilion, where the other guests refrained from disturbing them,
+although it was a favorite resort on pleasant evenings.
+
+Many a boat came back to the various small piers extending from the
+shore into the water, here and there, but none was the little "Digby
+Chicken." Her owner took his place at the end of the pier and sat down
+to wait. Of all his boats she was the newest and prettiest. She had
+sailed out into the sunlight glistening with white paint, her new sail
+white and unstained, and on her shining hull a decoration of herring
+surrounding her red-lettered name. It had been the builder's conceit to
+omit the name, the string of painted fish answering for it to all but
+"foreigners;" but as it had been built for the use of these "foreigners"
+or "tourists" the printed words had finally been added.
+
+Minutes passed. Quarter-hours; an hour; two of them; even three. There
+was no longer any moonlight. The distant cliffs and headlands became
+invisible. One could only guess where the Gap strove to close the
+entrance to an outer world. The hotel verandah became more and more
+deserted, and one by one the lights in the upper windows shone out for a
+time, then disappeared. Gradually all lights vanished save those in the
+lobby and a faint glimmer from a corridor above.
+
+Though wraps has been early sent out to the anxious watchers in the
+pavilion, now heavy steamer rugs were brought, to keep out that
+penetrating chill. The Judge had on his heaviest overcoat and yet
+shivered, himself covering his long legs with a thick blanket. He had
+made several efforts to induce Mrs. Stark to go indoors but all had
+failed.
+
+The fog that was slowly rising when the boat-owner took his station on
+the little quay below had crept nearer and nearer into shore, and
+finally enveloped everything and hidden it. So dense it was that from
+his bench on one side the circular pavilion the Judge could barely make
+out the white pillars on its opposite side. A lamp had been lighted in
+the roof but against this Mrs. Stark had vehemently protested, because
+it made that wall of white mist seem closer and more impenetrable, and
+without it she fancied that her eye could still pierce the distance,
+still discover any incoming craft.
+
+About midnight the wind rose and the fog began to thin and scatter. The
+boatman on the pier had long ago left it, forced off by the rising tide,
+and now sat floating in one of the row-boats fastened there. He had put
+on his oilskins and set his oars in readiness for the first sign of
+distress on the face of the waters; but he had about given up hope of
+his pretty "Digby Chicken." That a couple of touring lads, even though
+one had protested that he was a good sailor, that these should come
+safely through a night like this seemed unlikely; but now that the wind
+was rising and the fog lifting, he drew his boat close under the pole at
+the pier's end and lighted the lantern which swung there. There was now
+a chance that its gleam might be seen from beyond and there had been
+none before.
+
+Then another time of waiting, which ended with the boatman pulling out
+from shore. The watchers above had heard nothing, had not even seen him
+leave, although the lantern had faintly shown him riding upon the wave,
+moored to the pier by a rope.
+
+But now, rubbing her strained eyes to clear their vision Mrs. Stark
+broke the long silence with a cry:
+
+"The man! He isn't there? He's gone--to meet them!"
+
+She was as sure of this now as she had been before that her son was
+drowned, and Mrs. Hungerford slipped an arm about her waist in pity. She
+dared not think what the result would be of a fresh disappointment.
+
+However, their long vigil was really ended. The trained ear of the
+boatman had caught a faint halloo from somewhere on the water and had
+rowed toward the sound with all his strength and speed. At intervals he
+had paused to answer and to listen--and the now swiftly dispersing fog
+enabled him also to see--and finally to utter a little malediction under
+his breath. It scarcely needed the glass he raised to show him the
+"Digby Chicken" riding quietly on the water not more than half a league
+off shore. Her sail was furled, she looked taut and trim, and he could
+discern a figure at her prow which raised its arms and again hallooed.
+
+"All's well that ends well." But it might not have been so well. The
+full story of that night's work did not transpire at once. All that Mrs.
+Stark knew was that she had her son once more within her close embrace;
+that he had been helped, even carried, up the narrow pier and placed
+dripping within her arms. She ascribed his soaked condition to the fact
+of the fog and not to the truth; and it was not until daylight came that
+he told her that. Then lying warm in his bed, with her hovering over him
+in a flutter of delight and reproof, he announced:
+
+"I tell you, Mamma, the only folks that amount to anything in this world
+are the poor ones!"
+
+"Very likely, love, very likely. Only don't distress yourself any more.
+I can't forgive that wretched little bugling boy for taking you out in
+that horrible boat and nearly killing you. You're very apt to have
+pneumonia or something--Don't you feel pretty ill now?"
+
+"Mamma, _you can't forgive him?_ What do you mean? Didn't anybody tell?"
+
+"Tell what, lovey. I certainly didn't stop to ask questions. All I cared
+for was to get you into bed and a warm breakfast or supper or whatever
+it is sent up."
+
+"Then you don't know that but for Melvin Cook I should be lying at the
+bottom of the Basin now, instead of in this bed?" demanded Monty,
+raising himself on his elbow.
+
+The pallor that overspread his mother's face was answer enough, and he
+blamed himself for the question. Even without knowing the worst truth
+she had evidently worried herself ill. But the mischief was done and
+when she asked: "What do you mean?" he thought it best to tell. Moreover
+he was anxious that she should know of Melvin's bravery at once. So he
+answered:
+
+"Well, I made a fool of myself. He had tackle and we fished along, just
+for nothing hardly, and I got cocky and jiggled the boat. Then when he
+said I'd better not but ought to lend a hand in working her and 'learn
+sense,' I--Well, I don't remember exactly what happened after that; only
+I got up on the gunwale, or edge of the 'Chicken' and the next I knew I
+was in the water. It all came over me in a flash that I couldn't swim
+and would drown and I shut my eyes and tried to say a prayer. But I
+couldn't think, and then I felt something grab me. It was that Melvin.
+He'd tossed off his jacket and dove for me and was dragging me to the
+surface and the boat. I tried to get hold of him tighter but he kicked
+me off and said if I did that we'd both go down. I thought we would,
+anyhow, so I did let go and then he got me to the boat, yanking me by
+the collar and--that was all for a good while. I--I was pretty sick I
+guess. I'd swallowed so much salt water and all. He and Tommy rubbed me
+and jounced me around and paid no attention to the boat, that kept
+drifting further out all the time.
+
+"I don't remember much else. I lay on the bottom of the thing and the
+boys put their coats over me to stop my shivering. Melvin said afterward
+that I shivered from fear and shock more than from dripping, too, but
+he couldn't stop for that. He had to try to get back to shore and the
+fog was rising.
+
+"Tommy told me a good deal, later on when I felt better. He said the fog
+got so thick Melvin was afraid to try and sail lest we should bump into
+some other craft. So we lay still till--I guess you know the rest. Now I
+want to hear, has anybody coddled either of those boys--heroes, both of
+'em--as you've coddled me? If they haven't been treated right I'll make
+it lively for somebody. Anyhow, I want to get up and dress. I'm ashamed
+of myself. When I see how other boys act I think I've been--Well, I
+won't call your lovey-dovey hard names! But you hear me say: I'll be a
+man after this or--or know the reason why!"
+
+It certainly was a long speech for a sick boy as Mrs. Stark persisted in
+considering him; and it left her shaken and most undecided on various
+points. Upon one, however, she was fully set; she would cut this Nova
+Scotia trip short at once. She would telegraph her husband in Boston and
+follow her telegram, bag and baggage, by that afternoon's train. With
+this resolve in mind she left the room; merely bidding her son "lie
+still till I come back."
+
+Then she descended to the hotel office and called for a telegraph blank.
+
+This was courteously provided; also pen and ink with which to inscribe
+it, which she promptly did, then the following dialogue:--
+
+"Please send this message at once, clerk."
+
+"Sorry, Madam, but I can't do it. Not to-day."
+
+"Why not?" haughtily.
+
+"Office is closed. No despatches sent on Sunday. Can do it about seven
+A. M. Monday."
+
+"You mean to tell me that ridiculous stuff? Where is the office? If this
+second-rate hotel can't accommodate its patrons I'll take it myself."
+
+"The office is at the railway station, Madam. You will find it closed."
+
+"Indeed? Well, when does the first train start for Yarmouth and a
+steamer for the States, either Boston or New York?"
+
+"At ten o'clock Monday morning. Upon arrival at Yarmouth meets steamers
+for both ports, Madam."
+
+"None, to-day?"
+
+"None, Madam. It is a law of the Province. From Saturday night to Monday
+morning all traffic is suspended."
+
+Mrs. Stark did not continue the dialogue. She couldn't. She was too
+astonished and too indignant. That she, Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, wife of the
+great banker of that name, should not be able to control a matter of
+this sort was simply incredible. With her head very high she left the
+desk and sought the Judge in his quiet corner of the piazza, where he
+sat, newspaper over face, trying to catch "forty winks" after his night
+of scant sleep.
+
+He suppressed a yawn as he rose at the lady's call.
+
+"Judge Breckenridge, a moment, if you please. Sorry to disturb you but
+it's most important. I want to send a telegram and that ridiculous
+clerk says I can't do it."
+
+"Quite right. I'd like to myself and can't."
+
+He placed a chair for her and she thoroughly aired her grievance. He
+sympathized but declared himself powerless to help her. She remarked:
+
+"It is simply outrageous. A trap to keep visitors here whether or no. My
+husband will make it his business to alter the whole thing. I must go
+and take Monty away from here. I am in fear for his life. I shan't rest
+till I see him safe back in his father's arms."
+
+The Judge listened courteously, but said:
+
+"We tourists have no business to find fault with the laws the
+Provincials make for themselves. We'd resent their interference in the
+States. As for taking your son away, just because of a little accident
+which ended all right, aren't you making a mistake? In any case, since
+you cannot get away till to-morrow, anyway, wouldn't it be wise for you
+to rest now and recuperate from your night of anxiety? Unless you will
+join us in church-going. Lucretia never lets me off that duty, even if I
+were inclined, but I'm not. Like herself I always enjoy service in
+strange churches. We would be most happy to have you?"
+
+"Thank you, but I couldn't. Not to-day. I'm too upset and weary. I
+couldn't leave my darling boy, either, after he's just been rescued from
+a--a watery grave. He's just told me that he fell, or was pushed
+overboard, and that the bugling boy was scared and helped him out. Oh!
+it makes me cold all over just to think of it!"
+
+The Judge was no longer sleepy. His tone was sharp and judicial as he
+asked:
+
+"Is that the version Montmorency gave of the affair?"
+
+Then when she hesitated to answer, he added:
+
+"Because I have heard quite a different one. I wormed it out of little
+Tommy, whom Melvin had threatened with punishment if he betrayed the
+really heroic part the 'bugling boy' played in the case. Doubly brave
+because, though he has tried his best to overcome it, Melvin has a
+horror of the sea. His father was drowned and if he followed his
+inclination the orphaned lad would never leave dry ground. But his race
+is a sea-faring one, and he knows that it may only be by following the
+profession of his forebears that he can ever earn a living for himself
+and his mother--though I should have put her first, as she certainly is
+in her son's thoughts. When Montmorency fooled and fell overboard--by no
+means was pushed--Melvin conquered his own horror and plunged after him.
+If he hadn't--Well, we shouldn't be talking so calmly together now, you
+and I."
+
+Poor Mrs. Stark! She was torn and tossed by more emotions than had ever
+been hers during her easy life, and each emotion was at variance with
+another. She dropped into a chair to collect herself; and at the end of
+a few moments remarked:
+
+"If that is the case I will do something for the boy. Whatever amount
+of money you think suitable, I will give you a check for."
+
+He wanted to retort sharply, but he didn't. He forced himself to say
+quite gently:
+
+"No payment, Mrs. Stark, would prove acceptable. In his victory over
+himself and his own cowardice Melvin has grown richer than any dollars
+could make him. If you will pardon my advice, don't offer him anything
+save kindness and don't make that too conspicuous. A shy boy needs
+careful handling."
+
+He bowed as she now rose and went her way, a very thoughtful woman. But
+her heart rejoiced beyond expression that no matter what the details of
+the night's episode had been, her best-loved object in this world was
+safe and sound. She would go to him and basking in the sunshine of his
+beloved presence content herself as best she could, until tomorrow's
+trains should bear them both away.
+
+Alas! When she came to the room where she had left him she found no
+chance to "bask." Her "sunshine" had again disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN EVANGELINE LAND
+
+
+The obliging operator at the telegraph office was almost at her wits'
+end. She had never been besieged so early in the morning and required to
+send so many lengthy messages, nor have them come crowding one another
+so confusingly. The strange part of it all was that although they were
+intended for one person, a Mr. Ebenezer Stark of Boston, there were
+three persons telegraphing him.
+
+One was a stout lady of exceedingly fashionable appearance and most
+peremptory manner. As seemed fitting the first reply of Mr. Ebenezer
+Stark was for her, and assured her that he would meet her at the wharf,
+with a carriage, upon the arrival of the first steamer out from
+Yarmouth. It also informed her that he had already sent her word by
+post--that letter could follow her home--of the dangerous illness of her
+mother and that she should make all possible haste. Thus far her message
+suited him exactly. He made no mention of their son nor did she. It went
+without saying that Monty would accompany his mother upon her return
+trip.
+
+Judge Breckenridge was also an early riser. He had met Monty hurrying
+down the back street toward the little railway station and the office in
+its corner, and had greeted him with gay surprise:
+
+"Heigho, lad! Whither so fast and so early?"
+
+"Trying to get ahead of Mamma."
+
+"Why, Montmorency!" cried the gentleman, with an assumed sternness yet a
+twinkle in his eye.
+
+"Fact. She's on the road somewhere, but she had to wait for them to
+hitch up a rig first. Thinks she can't walk these few blocks alone, I
+suppose, and didn't suspect I could have escorted her. But 'Lovey'
+didn't tell her his plans till he knows if he can carry them out. But
+I'm glad to see you. I didn't want to do anything sort of underhand with
+you, you know. Say, Judge, does your invitation to go camping still hold
+good? After my looking such a muff and acting it?"
+
+"Certainly. If your parents permit, I shall be glad to have you. I think
+that a few weeks' association with men like my friends would give you a
+new idea of true manliness; and I can promise you to hear more good
+stories from the 'Boys' than you ever heard in your life."
+
+"Thank you, sir. I'm going to wire Papa to let me stay. What he says
+goes, even with Mamma. He lets her have her way about my school, and
+clothes and all that stuff, but he hasn't ever quite let go of me
+himself. If it hadn't been for Papa I'd be a bigger muff than I am now.
+Only he's so awfully absorbed in business that he never takes a
+vacation himself or does anything except pile up the cash and shove it
+out for Mamma to spend. Beg pardon, I've no business to tell you, or
+bother you, with our affairs. I only wanted to know in case he says
+'Yes.'"
+
+They were almost at the end of their short walk and the Judge's face
+lightened with a whimsical expression, as he answered:
+
+"Well, Monty lad, muffs are mighty handy sometimes. I heard Lucretia say
+they wore them large last winter! If I take a muff into camp I shall
+expect it to add to the general comfort of the party. Ready to warm the
+heart of anybody who happens to get lonely or out of sorts."
+
+"This muff will do its duty, sir. You'll see; if--"
+
+He left his sentence unfinished and although his response was delayed
+till after Mrs. Stark's had been received he did not complain of it, but
+smilingly handed it to the Judge to peruse.
+
+His outward telegram had been:
+
+"Papa, let me stay;" and the incoming one was: "All right. Stay."
+
+He did not inform his mother why he was there at the office so early and
+she did not inquire. She attributed it to his filial affection and was
+accordingly touched by it. She petted him as usual, and carried him back
+to the hotel in her phaeton, while she thrilled with satisfaction at the
+knowledge she could at last get away from a benighted region where no
+Sunday trains were run.
+
+The Judge's messages were last, and the longest. His outgoing one gave
+Mr. Ebenezer Stark a sketchy outline of his vacation plans, announced
+the gentlemen who would share it with him, and added a formal invitation
+for Montmorency to be of the party, if agreeable to the lad's friends.
+Mr. Stark's reply was heartily grateful, expressed his appreciation of
+the Judge's courtesy and good nature in "loading himself with a boy of
+the calf age. A calf of good enough pedigree, but needed turning out to
+pasture away from the mother," and a little more to that nature.
+
+The rub came when trunks were being packed and Montmorency announced
+that his "things" needn't be put in; except the "dudish" ones which he
+wouldn't want in a vacation camp.
+
+Mrs. Stark was so astonished that she was silent and during that
+interval her son talked and explained with a rapidity that left her no
+chance for reply. "Father says so," was the final argument that clinched
+the matter; and she wisely refrained from further controversy,
+reflecting that "Father" might alter his opinion when she had met him
+and reported the true state of things. Then he would, of course,
+promptly recall his son and heir from a region so fraught with dangers
+and temptations as this Province.
+
+Therefore, the parting was effected with less friction than Monty had
+anticipated, and he watched the train that bore his too-solicitous
+mother out of sight with a delight that, for the present, knew no
+regret. He was fully in earnest to "make a man" of himself, and felt
+that he would be better able to succeed if freed from the indulgence
+which had surrounded him from his cradle.
+
+After allowing himself the relief of one "pigeon-wing" on the
+station-platform, he sprang up to the steps at the rear of the hotel
+stage which had brought departing guests to the train and hugged Tommy,
+perched there, till the little fellow squealed.
+
+"Good enough, Tommy boy! I'm to rough it now to my heart's content. Ever
+been hunting or fishing in the woods, younker?"
+
+"Yep. Go most every year--that is, I've been once--with the Boss. He's
+the best hunter anywhere's around. It was him got all those moose and
+caribou heads that are in the lobby. Oh! you bet it's cracky! I'm going
+this fall if--if I'm let, and my mother don't make me go to school."
+
+"Mothers--Well, mothers have a bad way of spoiling a fellow's fun, eh,
+lad? But after all, they're a pretty good arrangement. I hope my
+mother'll have a good trip over to Boston; and see? Look there?"
+
+With that he pulled from his pocket a handful of silver, explaining that
+when she traveled Mrs. Stark always provided herself with a large
+quantity of "change" expressly for "tips," and that she had generously
+handed the amount on to her son, since she was simply "going home" and
+wouldn't need it.
+
+"More in my suit-case, too, Tommy. But--I'm going to give it all away
+the minute I get back to the hotel."
+
+Tommy's eyes almost bulged from his head, as he ejaculated in intense
+amazement:
+
+"You _never!_"
+
+"Fact. I'm going to begin right now."
+
+Tommy nearly fell off the step. There in his own small hand lay the
+greater part of what had been in Montmorency's, but he couldn't believe
+in his own good fortune. Despite the tips he received at the hotel--they
+were neither many nor generous--master Thomas Ransom was a very poor
+little fellow. He held his position at the inn by the fact that he was
+willing to work "for his board" and whatever the guests might chance to
+bestow upon him. The landlord had the name of a "skin-flint," whether
+justly or not the boarders didn't know.
+
+It was to his interest, however, to serve _them_ well and he did it; but
+it was rumored that the "help" fared upon the leavings of the guests'
+plates, and in that atmosphere of healthy appetites such leavings were
+scant. Anyway, Tommy was always hungry, and the fact showed in his
+pinched, eager little face.
+
+"You're foolin'. Here 'tis back;" he finally gasped, extending his hand
+toward Monty with a pitiful attempt at a smile.
+
+"Fooling? Not one bit. You put that where it's safe, and the first
+chance you get run into the village to some restaurant and get yourself
+a good square meal. Then go to the circus, if you want. I see by the
+placards that one is coming."
+
+"Oh! Pshaw! I don't know what to say. But, if you do mean it, I ain't
+going to no restaurant. I'm going home to my mother the first leave off
+I get and give it to her. She can't make her rent hardly, sewing, and
+she'll cook a dinner for me to the queen's taste! Wish you'd come and
+eat it with us."
+
+"Wish I could," answered Monty, with a warm glow in his heart. He hadn't
+often had such a look of rapturous gratitude turned upon him and it gave
+him a most delightful sensation. "But you see we're off by the afternoon
+train. Going to hurry along now till we get into camp. See you later,
+maybe."
+
+Then they were at the hotel entrance and master Tommy made haste to
+bestow his treasure in the safest place he knew until his brief hour of
+recreation should arrive and he could take it home. But how he worked
+that day! Even the keen-eyed proprietor could find no manner of fault
+with the nimble little fellow, who answered bells like a flash, so
+smilingly trotted about with pitchers of ice-water, and so regretfully
+watched the departure of the Breckenridge party from the house. And in
+justice to him be it said this regret was after all and most sincerely
+for the courteous treatment all of them had given him.
+
+"Some folks--_some_ folks think a bell-boy hain't no feelings, but I
+might ha' been--Why, I might ha' been _them_, their own folks, so nice
+they all were to me;" thought the lad, watching the afternoon train
+bearing them all away, and secretly wiping the tears from his eyes.
+However, even for him, deserted as his childish heart felt then, there
+was comfort. The circus was coming to-morrow! It would be his day off
+and he had the money to pay for his ticket and one for Ma!
+
+The train was nearing Wolfville where the travelers were to leave it for
+a brief visit to "Evangeline land" before proceeding to Halifax whence
+the campers would set out. Aunt Lucretia had checked off the various
+stations from her time-table and now announced:
+
+"Better get your things together, everybody. Next stop will be ours."
+
+Then Montmorency Vavasour-Stark got his courage to the sticking point
+and went forward to where the Judge stood looking through the car door
+at the landscape whirling by.
+
+"Judge Breckenridge will you do me a favor? Another one, I mean, for
+you've done a lot already."
+
+"Certainly, if it's within my power."
+
+"It is, easy enough. I want you to take this and keep it for me. I want
+to actually give it away, or put it beyond my reach. I've been thinking
+it's the boys without money that amount to something. I want to make
+myself poor and see if I'm worth 'shucks' aside from my father's cash."
+
+He held out a fat pocketbook but, for a moment, the Judge did not
+appear to see it. He looked the lad critically over, his keen, but
+kindly eyes interested and yet doubtful. Then he said:
+
+"I don't like whimsies. A person who makes a resolution and doesn't keep
+it weakens rather than strengthens his character. Have you the slightest
+idea what it means to be 'poor,' or even like Melvin back yonder, who
+has but a very small wage to use for his own?"
+
+"I don't suppose I have. But I'd like to try it during all the time I'm
+over here in the Province. What I mean is that you should pay all my
+necessary expenses just as you pay for the others; and beyond that I
+don't want a cent."
+
+"Melvin will earn a little for his work in camp. He is to cook and do
+whatever is needed. There will be an Indian guide with us, and he, of
+course, will have his regular price per day, or week. Beyond these two
+helpers we 'Boys' will do everything else ourselves. It is our custom. I
+can't hire you and pay you, as an extra. If that were done it would have
+to be by some other of the party and it's not likely."
+
+The gentleman's tone was more grave than the lad felt was necessary, but
+it made him reflect a little deeper himself. At last he again offered
+the purse, saying:
+
+"I mean it. It's my chance. The first one I ever had to see if I can
+deny myself anything. Please try me."
+
+"Very well, lad, and I congratulate you on the pluck that makes the
+effort. However--your last chance! Once made, once this pocketbook
+passes into my care it becomes mine for the rest of our stay together."
+
+"All right, sir. That's exactly what I want."
+
+"Do you know how much is in it?"
+
+"To a cent. And it's a great deal too much for a good-for-nothing like
+me."
+
+"Don't say that, Montmorency. I wouldn't take a 'good-for-nothing'
+under my care for so long a time. You forget I already have a 'muff'
+on hand. I congratulate myself, this time, on having secured a
+'good-for-something.' Ah! here we are!"
+
+The Judge took the purse and coolly slipped it into his own pocket,
+merely adding:
+
+"I will also count the contents and make a note of them as soon as I
+can. As your expenses have been paid by yourself until now we'll begin
+our account from this moment. When we part company, soon or late, you
+shall have an itemized account of all that is used from your store."
+
+Then the conductor came through the car calling:
+
+"Wolfville! All out for Wolfville!"
+
+"Out" they were all, in a minute, and again the "Flying Bluenose" was
+speeding on toward the end of its route.
+
+"This is the nearest, or best, point from which to make our excursion to
+Grand Pre and old Acadia, which our beloved Longfellow made famous by
+his poem. You'll find yourselves 'Evangelined' on every hand while
+you're here. Glad it's so pleasant. We won't have to waste time on
+account of the weather."
+
+They found comfortable quarters for the night and longer if desired and
+were early to bed. The girls to dream of the hapless maid whose story
+thrilled their romantic souls; and Molly went to sleep with an abridged
+copy of the poem under her pillow.
+
+Early in the morning she and Dorothy took a brisk walk through the
+pretty village and peered into the shop windows where, indeed, the name
+"Evangeline" seemed tacked to most articles of commerce. So frequently
+was it displayed that when they met a meditative cow pacing along the
+dewy street Molly exclaimed:
+
+"I wonder if that's Evangeline's 'dun white cow,' whatever 'dun white'
+may be like. She looks ancient enough and--Oh! she's coming right toward
+us!"
+
+Molly was afraid of cows and instinctively hid herself behind Dolly, who
+laughed and remarked:
+
+"Poor old creature! She looks as if she might have lived in the days of
+the Acadians, she's so thin and gaunt. Yet the whole street is
+grass-bordered if she chose to help herself. But isn't this glorious?
+Can you hardly wait till we get to Grand Pre? It's only a few miles away
+and I'd almost rather walk than not."
+
+"You'll not be let to walk, mind that. My father has had enough of
+things happening to us youngsters. I heard him tell Auntie Lu that none
+of us must be allowed out of sight of some of them, the grown-ups, till
+we were landed safe on that farm, and Auntie laughed. She said she
+agreed with him but she wasn't so sure about even a farm being utterly
+safe from adventures. So we'll all have to walk just niminy-piminy till
+then. We shouldn't be here if Miss Greatorex hadn't said she too wanted
+to 'exercise.' Now, she's beckoning to us and we must turn back. Come
+away from staring over into that garden! That hedge of sweet-peas is not
+for you, honey, badly as you covet it!"
+
+"All right, I'll come. But I wish, I wish Father John could see them. I
+never saw any so big and free-blooming as they are in this beautiful
+Province."
+
+"It's the moisture and coolness of the air, Auntie Lu says. Now, Miss
+Greatorex, do make Dolly Doodles walk between us, else she'll never tear
+herself away from the lovely gardens we pass."
+
+But they were not late to breakfast, nevertheless. They had learned at
+last that nothing so annoyed the genial Judge as want of punctuality. He
+planned the hours of his day to a nicety and by keeping to his plans
+managed to get a great deal of enjoyment for everybody.
+
+Already carriages to take them on the drive to Grand Pre and the old
+Acadian region had been ordered and were at the door when they had
+breakfasted and appeared on the piazza. The two girls were helped into
+the smaller open wagon where Melvin sat holding the reins and visibly
+proud of the confidence reposed in him, and on the front seat of this
+the Judge also took his place. The ladies with Monty and a driver
+occupied the comfortable surrey; and already other vehicles were
+entering the hotel grounds, engaged by other tourists for the same trip.
+
+Monty looked back with regret at the other young folks and longed to ask
+the Judge to exchange places; then laughed to himself as he remembered
+that it was no longer his place to ask favors--a penniless boy as he had
+become!
+
+That was a never-to-be-forgotten day for all the party. No untoward
+incident marked it, but so well-known is the story of that region that
+it needs no repetition here. Of course they visited the famous well
+whence "Evangeline" drew water for her herd, and almost the original
+herd might have fed in the meadow surrounding it, so peaceful were the
+cattle cropping the grass there. They saw the "old willows" and the
+ancient Covenanter church, wherein they all inscribed their names upon
+the pages of a great book kept for that special purpose.
+
+The church especially interested Dorothy, with its quaint old pulpit and
+sounding board, its high-backed pews and small-paned windows; and when
+she wandered into the old burying ground behind, with its
+periwinkle-covered graves, a strange sadness settled over her.
+
+The whole story had that tendency and the talk of "unknown graves"
+roused afresh in her mind the old wonder:
+
+"Where are my own parents' graves, if they are dead? Where are _they_ if
+they are still alive?"
+
+With this in mind and in memory of these other unknown sleepers whose
+ancient head-stones had moved her so profoundly, she gathered from the
+confines of the field a bunch of that periwinkle, or myrtle which grew
+there so abundantly. Thrusting this into the front of her jacket she
+resolved to pack it nicely in wet moss and send it home to Alfaretta,
+with the request that she would plant it in the cottage garden. Then she
+rejoined the others at the gate and the ride was continued to another
+point of interest called "Evangeline Beach." Why or wherefore, nobody
+explained; yet it was a pretty enough spot on the shore where a few
+guests of a near-by hotel were bathing and where they all stopped to
+rest their horses before the long ride home.
+
+Dorothy was full of thoughts of home by then, and something in the color
+of the horse which had drawn her hither awoke tender memories of pretty
+Portia, now doubtless happily grazing on a dear mountain far away. With
+this sentiment in mind she stooped and plucked a handful of grass and
+held it under the nose of the pensive livery-nag.
+
+But alas, for sentiment! Not the few blades of sea-grass appealed to the
+creature who, while Dorothy's head was turned, stretched forth its own
+and pulled the myrtle from the jacket and was contentedly munching it
+when its owner discovered its loss.
+
+"Dolly Doodles, whatever are you doing?" cried Molly, running up.
+
+"She's got--he's got my 'Evangeline' vines! I'm getting--what I can!"
+
+Molly shouted in her glee and the rest of the party drew near to also
+enjoy. They had all alighted to walk about a bit and stretch their
+limbs, and now watched in answering amusement the brief tussle between
+maid and mare. It ended with the latter's securing the lion's share of
+the goodly bunch; but myrtle vines are tough and Dorothy came off a
+partial victor with one spray in her hand. It had lost most of its
+leaves and otherwise suffered mischance, yet she was not wholly hopeless
+of saving that much alive; and in any case the incident had banished all
+morbid thoughts from her mind, and she was quite the merriest of all
+during that long drive homeward to the hotel.
+
+As they alighted Monty stepped gallantly forward and offered:
+
+"When we get to Halifax I'll buy you a slender vase and you can keep it
+in water till you go home yourself. Or I'll send back to that graveyard
+and pay somebody to send you on a lot, after you get back to your own
+home."
+
+"Oh! thank you. That's ever so kind, and I'll be glad of the vase. But
+you needn't send for any more vines. They wouldn't be the same as this I
+gathered myself for darling Father John."
+
+"But you shall have them all the same. They'd be just as valuable to him
+if not to you and some of those boys that hung around the church would
+pack it for a little money. I'll do it, sure."
+
+"_Will_ you, Montmorency? _How?_" asked a voice beside him and the lad
+looked up into the face of the Judge.
+
+"No, sir, I won't! I'll have to take that offer back, Dorothy, take them
+both back," and he flushed furiously at her surprised and questioning
+glance. It was the first test he had made of his "poverty" and he found
+it as uncomfortable as novel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+SIGHT SEEING UNDER DIFFICULTIES
+
+
+"Halifax! End of the line!"
+
+The conductor's announcement was followed by the usual haste and bustle
+among the passengers, the taking down of parcels from the racks
+overhead, and a general settling and straightening of travel-crushed
+garments.
+
+This little preparatory freshening over, the travelers stepped into the
+car aisles and followed the rush forward; passing out into by far the
+most pretentious station they had seen in the Province. Lines of hackmen
+were drawn up alongside the rail which bordered the paved descent to the
+railway level, and a policeman in uniform held back the too-solicitous
+drivers from the arriving strangers, who looked about them, mostly, in
+doubt which vehicle to select:
+
+"Here you are for the Halifax!" "Right this way for the Queen! Queen,
+sir? Queen, madam? Finest hotel in--" "Prince Edward! Right on the
+bluff--overlooking--" "King's Arms! Carriage for the King's Arms?"
+
+To the rail and no further were these runners for their various
+employers permitted to go, yet even at that few feet of safe distance
+their cries were so deafening and insistent that Dorothy clapped her
+hands to her ears and shut her eyes, lest she should grow too much
+confused.
+
+But there was no hesitation about the Judge. His hotel was a familiar
+one, their rooms engaged long before; and by a nod he summoned the 'bus
+of that house, marshalled his party into it, handed the runner his
+baggage checks, and they rolled away through the streets of the oldest
+city in the Province.
+
+Just then it was gay with illimitable decorations of bunting and flags,
+in honor of the visit of the Viceroy of Canada and his consort, due upon
+the morrow.
+
+"Oh, Papa, did they know we were coming?" mischievously inquired Molly,
+as vista after vista of red and blue and white unrolled before her eager
+eyes. "I never saw anything like it! Even at our home Carnival there
+wasn't anything to compare."
+
+"That's Canada. We Yankees boast we go ahead of everything in the world
+no matter what line we chance to follow. Canada doesn't boast, she
+simply goes ahead."
+
+"Oh! how disloyal, Schuyler!" protested Aunt Lucretia, herself gazing
+with admiration at the buildings whose fronts were almost solidly
+covered with artistically arranged decorations. Of course the English
+and Canadian flags held first place, but at last their 'bus stopped
+before a quaint old hotel whose balconies were draped with as many
+American as English banners.
+
+"Why, is this an American, I mean a United States hotel?" asked Auntie
+Lu; while Miss Greatorex's face assumed a more agreeable expression than
+it had worn since they left the station. She had felt hitherto as if an
+alien nation had flaunted its colors in her own patriotic face; but her
+common sense now assured her that these people had a right to honor
+their rulers after their own fashion even if it could by no possibility
+be so good a fashion as reigned in her beloved States.
+
+The youngsters of the party felt nothing but delight; and as a squad of
+scarlet-coated soldiers came marching toward them on the other side of
+the street Monty tossed up his cap and cheered. Melvin did more, as was
+natural. They marched to the tune of "God Save the King," and were on
+their way to Parliament House to give an evening concert; and as the
+'bus came abreast of the squad with its fine band and its national
+colors floating in front, the young Yarmouthian rose and bared his head,
+saluting the flag! Then he dropped back to his seat with a slight flush
+on his fair cheek, as he felt the eyes of the three strangers rest upon
+him curiously. Then cried Molly:
+
+"That was funny! I forgot you weren't a 'Yankee' like ourselves, but you
+did right, you did just right. I wouldn't have let Old Glory pass by
+without doing it my honor. But, do you know, Auntie Lu, I feel as if
+this were a foreign country and not part of our own America?"
+
+She was to feel it more and more, but to find a keen delight in all
+that was so new to her and so matter of fact to Melvin. Even the dishes
+served at table, were decidedly "English" in name and flavor, though
+there were plenty of other and more familiar ones upon the _menu_.
+
+After this supper which was more hearty than most dinners at home, they
+walked to the postoffice and found a heap of mail that had been
+forwarded along their route. As usual there were letters from the "Boys"
+and the Judge hailed with delight the news that they, as well as the
+Governor-General, would be among the morrow's arrivals.
+
+"We'll stay till Sunday in Halifax, then start for camp on Monday, rain
+or shine, wind, fog, or sunshine;" wrote the correspondent who arranged
+matters from the other end of the line.
+
+"Good enough, good enough! Then my vacation will actually begin!" cried
+the pleased man.
+
+"And pray, what do you call the days that have just passed, my brother?"
+demanded Auntie Lu, with a smile.
+
+"My dear, I call that a 'personally conducted tour,' a tour of great
+responsibility and many perils. After Monday, when I deposit you ladies
+and the youngsters at Farmer Grimm's, I wash my hands of the whole of
+you for one long, delightful month!"
+
+The laugh with which he said this disarmed the words of any unkindness
+and was echoed by another laugh quite free from offense.
+
+"Very well, then, Schuyler, until Monday we hold you to your
+'personally' conducting. You must take us everywhere, show us everything
+that is worth while. I want to go to the 'Martello' tower; to the
+Citadel, the old churches, the parks, all over the harbor on all sorts
+and conditions of boats, to--"
+
+But the Judge held up his hand, protesting. Then asked:
+
+"Suppose it proves a foggy season? Fog is one of the things to be
+counted upon in all parts of this country, more especially here. One
+summer I was here three weeks and the sun didn't shine once!"
+
+However, Mrs. Hungerford was bent upon enjoying and making others enjoy
+this visit; and she laughingly assured him that they were all "fog
+proof."
+
+"Every one of us has overshoes, umbrella, and raincoat. We feminines I
+mean and 'boys' aren't supposed to mind any sort of weather. Am I not
+right, Melvin?"
+
+"Yes, Mrs. Hungerford, I fancy you are. We have so much wet weather
+we're 'most unprepared for sunshine, don't you know."
+
+This was so long a remark for Melvin, and so thoroughly "English" with
+its "fancy" and "don't you know," that all laughed.
+
+But they waked in the morning to find the Judge's fear of a fog
+justified. The whole city was a-drip. The decorations which had been so
+crisp and brilliant on the day before hung limp and already discolored;
+and the scarlet and white bunting which had been so artistically
+wreathed about columns and cornices now clung tightly to them as if
+shivering in the wet.
+
+It was a disheartened populace, too, which one met upon the street; for
+the expense had been great in preparations for the Governor's visit and
+the week of Carnival that had been planned seemed doomed to a series of
+disappointments.
+
+None the less Auntie Lu held her brother to his promise to escort them
+everywhere; and everywhere they went, though mostly in covered carriages
+or under dripping umbrellas. One morning when the sunshine came for a
+brief visit they hastened to the street before the Provincial building
+to hear the most famous band in all the Canadas give its open air
+concert. Other people besides themselves had flocked thither at the
+first ray from the sun and now crowded the pavements surrounding the
+iron-fenced grounds. Everybody waxed enthusiastic and hopeful
+till--suddenly a drop fell on the tip of the band leader's nose. He cast
+one glance skyward but continued to wield his baton with great flourish
+and skill. Another drop; many; and the summer crowd swiftly dispersed.
+Not so our sightseers from the States. But let Dorothy tell the tale in
+her own words and in the journal-letter she faithfully tried to keep for
+Father John:
+
+"Dear Father:--
+
+"Since we've been here in Halifax I haven't had a chance to write
+as regular as I ought. You see we come home so tired and wet every
+time that--Well, I just can't really write.
+
+"We went to an open air concert in the heart of the city. The band
+was, were--which is right? Anyhow the men all had on their Sunday
+uniforms, the most beautiful red and brass and buttons, and their
+instruments shone like anything. It rained, still they didn't even
+wink, except the head of them. He was brillianter dressed than any
+of them and he didn't like the rain. You could see that plain as
+plain. They all had little stands before them with their music on
+and the music got wet and splattery, but they didn't stop. They
+just tossed one piece of music down and began another, after they'd
+waited a little bit of while, to get their breath, I reckon. By and
+by all the people, nearly, had gone away from the sidewalk yet the
+band played right along.
+
+"Then I heard somebody laugh. It was the Judge. He was laughing at
+Auntie Lu; he always is and she at him. When she asked him 'why,'
+he said: 'I was thinking this was a match game between British and
+Yankee pluck. It's the Britisher's 'duty' to play to the end of his
+program and he'll do it if he's melted into a little heap when he's
+finished. It seems to be Yankee pluck, or duty, to stand out here
+in this melancholy drizzle and hold on as long as he does.'
+
+"'Of course,' said Mrs. Hungerford, 'it would be mean of us to
+desert the poor chaps and leave them without a listener at all.'
+
+"Then he said: 'Let's go indoors and sit in the 'seats of the
+mighty.''
+
+"She didn't know what he meant but he soon showed her. The Province
+Building where their sort of Congress meets was all open wide and
+they weren't having any session, it not being session time. So we
+went in and sat around in leather covered chairs, only Molly and I
+and the boys climbed up on the window seats and sat there. We could
+hear beautiful and we got quite dry. Only it isn't any use getting
+dry, daytimes, 'cause you're always going right out and getting wet
+again.
+
+"Sunday was the wettest yet. It didn't look so and Auntie Lu let us
+girls put on white dresses, but she made us take our raincoats and
+umbrellas and rubbers just the same. We went to the soldiers'
+church out of doors, 'cause they'd thought it was clearing off.
+There were benches fixed in rows like seats in church, and there
+was a kind of pulpit all covered by a great English flag. Other
+benches were up at one side. They were for the band. By and by a
+bugle blew and they came marching, marching over the grass from the
+big barracks beyond. The field sloped right down the side of a
+great hill and at the foot, seemed so close one could almost touch
+it but you couldn't for there were streets between, was the harbor
+of water.
+
+"It was an English church service and the minister prayed for all
+the royal family one by one. The soldier-band played the chants and
+hymns and they and anybody wanted sang them. After a little while
+it rained again and we put on our coats and didn't dare to raise
+our umbrellas, 'cause we were in church you know.
+
+"It seemed pretty long but I loved it. I loved the red soldiers and
+the beautiful place and all. Auntie Lu said it was a good sermon
+and that the preacher considerately cut it pretty short. But it
+wasn't so short but that we got our hats dreadfully wet and Auntie
+Lu had to buy herself a new one before we came away last Monday
+morning. In the evening we went to St. Paul's, which is the oldest
+church in this oldest city of Markland, as some call Nova Scotia.
+
+"Now we have ridden a good many miles in wagons to this great old
+farmhouse right on the edge of the woods. Miles and miles of woods,
+seems if. There are lakes in them and rivers and game of every
+sort, seems if, to hear them tell. Judge Breckenridge's friends are
+here, too, and the Indian guide. He calls them 'the Boys,' and they
+do act like boys just after school's let out. They laugh and joke
+and carry on till Molly and I just stare.
+
+"Judge has hired a river to fish in. Isn't that funny? To pay for a
+place to fish, and the Farmer Grimm we're to live with is going to
+haul all their camp things out there to-morrow morning before
+sun-up. Monty and Melvin are to go, too, and I expect we women
+folks'll feel pretty lonesome.
+
+"One lovely thing the Judge did for me. He hired a violin for me to
+practice on here. He said he thought it would pass the time for
+all of us. There's a piano, too, already in the house, and Molly
+can play real nice on that. Her Auntie Lu plays mag-nifi-cently. I
+wrote that out in syllables so as to get it right and to make it
+more--more impressiver. I'm dreadful tired and have been finishing
+this letter sitting on the floor beside a great big fire on the
+hearth. It isn't a bit too warm, either, even though the sun has
+shone again to-day.
+
+"Good night. Your sleepy Dorothy, but always loving you the best of
+all the world.
+
+"P. S.--The funniest thing happened after supper. Two the funniest
+ones. The bashful-bugler, that's Melvin, slipped something into my
+hand and said: 'That's to remember me by, a keepsake, if anything
+should happen to me out in the woods. I bought it for you that day
+in Digby.' When I opened the little box there was one those
+weeny-wiggley sort of silver fishes, they call the 'Digby
+chickens,' that I'd wanted to take home to Alfy. But I shan't take
+her this; I shall keep it. 'Cause Molly wants one, too, and when we
+get our next month's allowance, _if_ we get it, we can write and
+buy some by mail.
+
+"The other funny thing was one of those grown up 'boys.' He asked
+me to play for him and had me stand right near him. When I got
+through he looked over at the Judge and nodded his head. Two, three
+times he nodded it and then he said, just like this he said it: 'It
+is the most remarkable likeness I ever saw. You're on the right
+track Schuy, I'm sure of it!' And the Judge cried real pleased,
+'Hurray!'
+
+"They two were little boys together, down in the south where they
+lived and they know Mrs. Cecil Calvert real well. And the other
+'boy' said: 'Aunt Betty'd ought to be spanked--same as she's
+spanked me a heap of times.'
+
+"I wonder if it was I 'resembled' anybody and who! I wonder why any
+gentleman should say such a dreadful impolite thing about that dear
+old lady! I wonder,--Oh, Father John! Your little girl so often
+wonders many, many things! Good night at last. Molly calls real
+cross and I must go.
+
+                         "DOLLY."
+
+Dorothy's letters to Mother Martha were equally descriptive though not
+so long. One ran thus:
+
+"Dearest Mother Martha:--
+
+"You ought to see this farm where we're living now. It's so big and
+has so many cattle and men working, and orchards and potato-fields.
+They call the potatoes 'Bluenoses' just as they call the Nova
+Scotia folks. The house is part stone and part wood. The stone part
+was built ever and ever so long ago; strong so the man who built it
+could protect himself against the Indians. The man was English, and
+he was a Grimm; an ancestor of this Mr. Grimm we board with. The
+Indians were Micmacs and friends of the French. Seems if they were
+all fighting all together all the time, which should own the land.
+Mrs. Grimm says there have been a good many generations live here
+though all are gone now except her husband and herself. They are
+more than seventy years, both of them, but they don't act one bit
+old. She cooks and tends to things though she has two, three maids
+to help her. He rides horseback all over his farm and jumps off his
+horse and works with the men. Sometimes he drives the ox-carts with
+the hay and lets us ride.
+
+"I did want you that last Saturday in Halifax. The day your letter
+came to me with the one dollar in it. I expect you wanted I should
+buy something to bring you with it but I didn't. Listen. It was
+what they called a 'green market' morning. Rained of course, or was
+terrible foggy between showers. The market is just a lot of Indians
+and negroes, and a few white people sitting round on the edge of
+the sidewalk all around a big building. The Judge told me many of
+them had come from across the harbor, miles beyond it, so far that
+they'd had to walk half the night to bring their stuff to market.
+Think of that! And such funny stuff it was. Green peas shelled in
+little measures, ready to cook. (I wish they'd have them that way
+in our own Lexington market at home!) Wild strawberries--I didn't
+see any other kind, no big ones like we have in Baltimore or at
+home. The berries were hulled and put into little home-made
+birch-bark baskets that the Indian women make themselves, just
+pinned together at the end with a thorn or stick. Auntie Lu bought
+some for us but Miss Greatorex wouldn't let me eat the berries,
+though I was just suffering to! She said after they'd been handled
+by those dirty Indian fingers she knew they were full of microbes
+or things and she didn't dare. Oh! dear! I wish she didn't feel so
+terrible responsible for my health, 'cause it spoils a lot of my
+good times. The boys weren't afraid of microbes and they ate the
+berries but I have the basket. It will be all I have to bring you
+from Halifax; because one of those Indian women had her baby with
+her and she looked so poor--I just couldn't help giving that dollar
+right to her. I couldn't really help it. She wanted me to take
+baskets in pay for it, but I knew that wouldn't be _giving_. You
+won't mind, will you, dearest Mother Martha? if the only thing I
+bring you from that city is a poor Indian woman's blessing? You
+always give to the poor yourself, so I wasn't afraid you'd scold.
+There are just two things that I'd like different here, on this
+lovely vacation. One is if only you and father were here, too!
+Every new and nice thing I see, or good time I have, I do so want
+them for you both also. The other is--I wish, I wish I knew who my
+father and mother were! The real ones. They couldn't have been any
+nicer than you have been to me, but folks that don't know me are
+sure to ask me about my family. Molly and Monty and Melvin are
+always able to tell about theirs, but I can't. Her mother, the
+'other Molly,' died when she was a little thing, but she knows all
+about her. The Judge has a beautiful miniature of this 'other
+Molly' his wife, and takes it with him wherever he goes, even into
+that camp, where we're to be let to go, maybe, for a salmon dinner
+that the 'Boys' catch themselves.
+
+"There are lots of books in this old house and a piano. Each
+generation has added to the library and Mrs. Grimm says that in the
+winter she and her husband read 'most all the time. Christmases, no
+matter how deep the snow, all their children come home and then the
+rooms are opened and warmed and they have such fun. Oh! it must be
+grand to belong to a big family and know it's all your own! They
+burn great logs of wood and even now we have a fire on the
+living-room hearth all the time. One of the young Indian boys who
+works here has nothing else for his chores except to keep the
+wood-boxes filled and the fires fresh. He's rather a nice Indian
+boy but he's full of capers. Molly is so lonesome without Monty and
+Melvin to play with she makes plays with Anton. I don't think Mrs.
+Grimm likes it and I'm sure Aunt Lucretia doesn't, for I heard her
+tell Molly so. But nobody can keep Molly Breckenridge still. She
+doesn't care to read much and she hates practicing, and she cries
+every time she has to sew a seam, though Mrs. Hungerford makes her
+do that 'for discipline.' I don't know what would become of the
+darling if it wasn't for Anton. She likes me, course, but I can't
+climb trees after cherries, or wade in ponds after water-lilies,
+and though I like to ride horseback with her I'm afraid to go
+beyond bounds where we're told to stay. Molly isn't afraid.
+
+"Please give my love to Aunt Chloe and write soon to your loving
+
+                         "DOROTHY."
+
+Having finished this letter, longer than common, Dorothy wandered out of
+doors seeking her mate. She was nowhere in sight, but the man who rode
+into town so many miles away, to fetch and carry the mail and to bring
+supplies of such things as the farm did not produce, was just driving up
+the road and playfully shook his mail-pouch at her. She sped to meet
+him, was helped into his wagon and received the pouch in her arms. She
+and Molly were always eager to "go meet the mail," which was brought to
+them only every other day, and whichever was first and obtained it was
+given the key to the pouch and the privilege of distributing its
+contents. This privilege would be Dorothy's to-day; and she skipped into
+the living-room and to the ladies at their sewing, dragging the pouch
+behind her.
+
+Little she knew of its contents; or that among them would come the
+solution of that "wonder" that now so constantly tormented her:--"Who
+were my parents?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A MESSAGE FOR THE CAMP
+
+
+When the gray-haired "Boys" had set out for camp, they had left word at
+the farm that they wished no newspapers or mail matter of that sort
+forwarded them. Also, most of them had, before leaving their own homes,
+asked that no letters should be written except such as were important,
+and these should be duly marked that. They wished to forget care and the
+outside world as far as possible, and to live in the faith that "no news
+is good news."
+
+Therefore, since a fortnight had elapsed, there was a table in the
+living-room already heaped with the mail which had accumulated during
+that time. Each man's portion of it was carefully sorted and placed by
+itself; but this morning Auntie Lu, upon whom that duty devolved, did
+not augment her brother's heap by the three envelopes she had taken from
+the pouch. She sat long with them in her lap, pondering the course she
+should follow, for two bore a Richmond postmark and one that of
+Annapolis, and each was marked according to direction: "Important."
+
+Miss Greatorex and Dorothy had both received a letter and were eagerly
+perusing them upon a low window seat, and Mrs. Hungerford left her own
+mail unopened to glance toward them, still considering what she should
+do. Her gaze rested longest upon the girl, whose face was radiant over a
+long, many-paged epistle from Father John. The young lips were parted in
+a smile, the brown eyes were smiling too, and Dolly looked such a
+picture of innocent delight that a pang shot through the observer's
+tender heart. For she knew that those "Important" letters concerned the
+child. They were addressed in Ephraim Cook's familiar, crabbed hand, and
+the man would never have ventured to disturb the peace of his absent
+employer except by that employer's command. Also, she knew that the only
+business of "Importance" the Judge had entrusted to Mr. Cook was that
+concerning Dorothy C. All law matters were attended to by other, more
+experienced persons. She longed to break the seals and read the contents
+for herself and wished now that she had asked permission so to do, but
+she could not open another person's letter without that one's desire.
+
+Presently, she glanced through her own letters and sought Mrs. Grimm in
+her kitchen, busy among her maids at preparing the mid-day meal, always
+an early one since the farm-hands so preferred it; and it had been among
+their arrangements that, although her "boarders" should have a separate
+table in an inner room, the food for all the household should be the
+same. Nobody could complain of this for the housemistress was a notable
+cook and her supplies generous.
+
+"Beg pardon, Mrs. Grimm, for interrupting you, but I want to ask if
+there's a 'hand' not busy who could ride out to camp and carry some
+letters to my brother. I am anxious he should have them for they may
+require immediate replies." She did not add, as she might, that an
+intense but kindly curiosity of her own was another reason for the
+request.
+
+"Why, I can hardly tell, Mrs. Hungerford. They're all busy in the
+fields, and my husband with them. There are some who need a constant
+supervision and my man believes that there's nothing so good for any job
+as the 'eye of the master.' Else, he'd ride into the woods himself and
+think naught of it. Let me consider who--"
+
+At that moment Anton came into the kitchen and threw an armful of hewn
+wood beside the great fireplace, where kettles hung upon cranes and
+"Dutch ovens" were ranged before the coals, each filled with savory food
+for hungry people. It was a spot Mrs. Hungerford found vastly
+interesting, but where she rarely lingered; for her presence seemed to
+disconcert the shy French maids who served their mistress there and
+whose own homes were isolated cottages here and there. So she was even
+now leaving the kitchen when she chanced to notice Anton and asked:
+
+"Couldn't this lad go? I know that he heaped the boxes in the
+living-room and our bedrooms with more wood than we can use to-night,
+and surely one kitchen-fire can scarcely require more than that pile
+yonder. I will pay him, or you, well, if he can be spared to do my
+errand."
+
+This guest was rarely so insistent and her hostess saw that to deny her
+the favor would be a great disappointment; so she answered that:
+
+"Anton can be spared if--Anton can be trusted. And please, understand,
+dear madam, that no payment for such trivial service would be accepted."
+
+"But it is a long ride there and back, longer than into Halifax isn't
+it? Yet the man who goes there makes but the one trip a day."
+
+"That is for other reasons. He goes out in the morning upon our errands.
+It is part of our contract with him that he shall stop the night in town
+with his family and return the next day early. He is really our caterer
+and postman. But Anton--Anton is 'bound.' And Anton needs watching. Lad,
+do you promise that if I let you take a horse and ride to camp you'll do
+the lady's errand right and ride straight home again?"
+
+He had lingered just within the kitchen doorway, fooling with the
+youngest of the maids who resented his teasing by a sharp clap on his
+cheek, but he had not been so absorbed in this pastime that he had not
+heard every word spoken between his mistress and her guest. Knowing that
+he was in truth an untrustworthy messenger, he resented its being told;
+and the statement that no payment would be accepted angered him. He was
+a bound-out servant, of course. So were many other lads of the Province
+and no disgrace in it; but if a free gift were offered, was it not his
+to take? A scowl settled on his dark face and he listened to the outcome
+of the matter with a vindictive interest. Also, he answered, sullenly:
+
+"'Tis a far call to that camp in the woods and one must ride crooked,
+not 'straight,' to reach it. 'Twould be in the night ere Anton could be
+back, and there is no moon."
+
+"Tut, lad! When was Anton ever afraid of the night or the dark? Indeed,
+some tell me that he loves it better than the light. The Scripture tells
+why. Will you go or not? And will you do the lady's errand right?"
+
+"The master read in the Big Book, last Sunday-day that ever was, how the
+'laborer is worthy of his hire.' That's good Scripture, too, Missus, the
+hay-makers say, and one nudged me to take notice at that time."
+
+Mrs. Grimm hastily turned that he might not see the smile which flitted
+across her face, and Auntie Lu as suddenly found something interesting
+to observe which brought her back also toward the quick-witted,
+mischievous lad. She longed to renew her offer of payment but would not
+interfere between mistress and man, so waited anxiously for the result.
+It came after a moment, Mrs. Grimm saying:
+
+"Go, saddle the gray mare and ride upon that errand. You shall have
+your dinner first, and a supper in a napkin to cheer you on the ride
+home. By 'lights out' you will be in your loft with the men. Now tidy
+yourself and come to table."
+
+Anton wasted no time before he obeyed. His sullenness had been but a
+pretence and mostly assumed in order to secure that "payment" which the
+"foreign" lady offered. The gray mare was a fleet traveler, easy under
+the saddle--though for that matter he rarely used one--and he loved the
+forest. A half-day away from the mistress's eye was clear delight. She
+had said nothing against a gun or a fishing line and not even the best
+guide in that region knew better the secret of wood and stream than this
+other descendant of the Micmacs.
+
+The maid he had teased was glad to be quit of him and hurried to dish up
+his portion of the dinner, while Mrs. Hungerford returned to desk to
+write a letter to her brother and to safely make all into a little
+packet, marked: "Private and Important."
+
+She had told her companions of Anton's trip and Dorothy sped out of
+doors to beg the lad:
+
+"If you see any new flowers, some of those wild orchids Miss Greatorex
+read grew around here, will you bring me some? Just a few for specimens,
+to press for Father John and Mr. Seth? They would be so pleased and I
+will be so grateful. Will you?"
+
+Anton nodded. Promises were easy to make, and to break if he wished.
+Then came a maid from the kitchen with a message for her home, a tiny
+clearing on the edge of the "further wood." To her, also, a promise was
+readily spoken; and master Anton thrusting the securely tied packet of
+letters into his pocket, bowed to Mrs. Hungerford with a third and more
+important promise.
+
+"'Tis of a truth I will deliver this into the hand of the man they call
+a Judge. It is a tedious task, yes, but I will so deliver it. Mayhap he
+too remembers what the Scripture says."
+
+He uttered the last sentence in a low tone, with a furtive glance
+houseward, and bearing himself with an air of great complacency. He had
+become a very important person just then, had Anton, the "bound out."
+Moreover, he was wholly honest in his determination so to deliver the
+letters. That Judge in the woods hadn't heard the mistress's opinion
+about payment and it wasn't necessary that he should. Other farm hands
+had witnessed to the liberality of those odd men who lived in a tent,
+wore old clothes when they could wear new, and cooked their own food
+when they might have had others cook for them. Anton was not afraid to
+trust his "payment" to the man who owned the letters in that packet.
+
+Now it so happened that Molly was riding about the grounds and up and
+down a leafy lane upon a gentle horse that her father had engaged for
+her own and Dorothy's enjoyment while on that lonely farm. She used the
+creature far more than Dorothy, as was natural and right enough; and had
+mounted it that day to escape what she called her chum's "everlasting
+fiddling."
+
+Dorothy was as fond of her violin as Molly averse to her piano; and the
+nearest to dispute which ever rose between them was on account of
+Dolly's devotion to her music. She had even complained to Aunt Lucretia
+that "a violin made her head ache." Whereupon the ambitious violinist
+had begged permission of its owner to use an empty corncrib at the foot
+of the "long orchard," as a music-room, and there "squeaked" as long and
+as loud as she pleased. She was going there now, violin case under her
+arm, to pass the half-hour before dinner and to watch the men come in
+from the fields, at the ringing of the great bell which hung from a pole
+beside the kitchen door. To her the country was full of every possible
+delight, but poor Molly found it "too quiet and lonely for words." So
+she spent more and more of her time on every pleasant day, riding up and
+down the lanes or following Farmer Grimm to the fields.
+
+Between those two a great affection had sprung up. He liked her
+fearlessness in riding and laughed at her timidity when horned cattle
+appeared anywhere near. He was proud of the way in which she could take
+a fence and kept her with him all he could.
+
+On this day, however, he could not so take her. His errands were too far
+afield and too unsuited for her, and that was why she now rode alone,
+rather disconsolately up and down, until she saw Anton come out of the
+stable yard, mounted upon the gray mare and holding his head like a
+prince.
+
+"Anton! Anton! Oh! are you going riding? Take me with you! Please,
+please, Anton!"
+
+For answer he touched Bess with his heel and she flew out of the
+enclosure like a bird.
+
+That was enough for Molly Breckenridge. Queenie, the broken-tailed
+sorrel which she rode, was as swift as she was gentle and needed no goad
+of heel or whip to spur her forward. A pat of the smooth neck, a word in
+the sensitive ear--"Fetch him out, Queen!"--and the race was on.
+
+Anton glanced behind and the spirit of mischief flamed in him. They rode
+toward the forest where a few wood-roads entered, each of which he knew
+to its finish, not one of which knew Molly. Only this much she did know
+that Anton lived at the farm, where she lived. Anton rode the farmer's
+horse as she did. Anton was never absent from meals and it was
+dinner-time. Therefore, if she thought at all about it or considered
+further than the delight of a real race, she knew that back to the farm
+would Anton go and she could follow.
+
+He dashed aside from the wheel-rutted track. She stumbled over the
+ridges, kept him in sight, and followed him. He doubled and twisted, so
+did she. He dashed forward in a long straight line, curved, circled, and
+came back to the wood-road some distance ahead. She did not curve but
+cut his circle by a short line and brought up at his side.
+
+"Huh! 'Tis a good rider you are, Miss Molly, but you'd best go back now.
+I'm for the camp."
+
+"Never! You can't be! They wouldn't trust you, you're so tricksy. Who'd
+want you there?"
+
+He was instantly offended and showed it, drawing himself erect on the
+gray mare and tossing his head high while his narrow black eyes looked
+angrily at her. Then he drew from his blouse the packet Mrs. Hungerford
+had given him and haughtily explained:
+
+"For that Judge. Now, am I trusted? No?"
+
+It was very strange. Ever since she had been at the farm she had heard
+of Anton's pranks and trickiness. Tasks he had been set to perform were
+always neglected except that one of keeping fuel supplied, and this work
+brought him, also, constantly under his mistress's eye. Yet he allowed
+Molly to come so close she could recognize her aunt's handwriting
+outside the packet, and especially that word "Important."
+
+Suddenly she resolved.
+
+"Anton, if you ride to camp I ride with you."
+
+"You will not. I say it." He wasn't going to be disappointed of his fun
+along the way by the presence of this girl, and no time had been told
+him when that parcel must be delivered. It must come to the Judge
+_sometime_, that was all. The later the better for him, Anton, the more
+leisure to enjoy the wild and escape that eternal carrying of wood. "You
+will not," he repeated, more firmly.
+
+"I will so. That is for my father. His name is on it and it is
+'Important.' I will see that he gets it. I don't trust you, Anton."
+
+He was rather impressed by the fact that she could read what was
+written--he could not. He was also angered further by that unwise remark
+about not trusting him. He stared at her, she stared back. Good! It was
+a battle of wills, then!
+
+He seemed to waver, smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. All roads lead
+to one's goal, if one knows them. He was an Indian. He could not be lost
+in any forest, he who was wise in woodcraft and could tell all
+directions by signs this "foreigner" could not know. He snapped his
+fingers, airily, pricked Bess forward again and into a trackless
+wilderness.
+
+For a moment Molly hesitated. Should she go back and give up this chase?
+Turning around she gazed about her and could not tell which way she had
+come.
+
+"Why! I couldn't go back, even if I tried. I don't see any track and--I
+must follow him. I can hear him on ahead, by the breaking
+branches--Forward, Queenie, quick, quick!"
+
+But Queenie wasn't pleased to "forward." She shrank from the rude
+pressure of the undergrowth against her delicate shanks and, for an
+instant, set her forefeet stubbornly among the ferns and brambles. But
+Molly was now past tenderness with any mount which would not do her will
+and Queenie was forced into the path she hated to tread. Already the
+brief delay had cost her the sound of the gray mare's progress. There
+was neither breaking twig nor footfall to tell her whither that
+tormenting Anton had vanished. There was only the bruised herbage to
+show which way he had ridden and she must follow; and for a long time
+she kept her eyes on that faint lead and steadily pursued it.
+
+Then she came to a partly open glade and there she lost the trail
+entirely. Across this glade Anton had certainly passed but in which
+direction she couldn't even guess. She reined Queenie to a stand and
+called:
+
+"Anton! Anton! ANTON!!" and after another interval, again: "ANTON!"
+
+There was an agony of fear in that last cry. Had Anton heard it, even
+his mischievous heart would have been touched and he would have ridden
+back to reassure her. But he did not hear her. He had now struck out
+from that narrow clearing into a road he knew well, by the blazed trees
+and the wheel-marks the camp-teamster had left upon it. The undergrowth
+had sprung up again, almost as completely as before it had been first
+disturbed, and even had Molly found that trail she would not have known
+enough to trace it.
+
+But he was now on his own right road. She was where--she pleased. He had
+not asked her to come, he had tried to make her go back. He had not
+wanted her at all, but she had taunted him, distrusted him, and yet he
+knew that this once he was proving trustworthy. He felt that little
+packet safe in his blouse and patted the cloth above it commendingly.
+
+"Good boy, Anton. If 'tis worth payment, this payment the so rich Judge
+will give. That girl rides well. Let her take care of herself. Go,
+Bess!"
+
+He fished a little, fired a shot or two at some flying bird, then
+remembered that a shot might be heard and those from the camp come to
+inquire why it had been fired. Save themselves there were supposed to be
+no other sportsmen for miles around, and they would surely come, if from
+no other motive than curiosity.
+
+It was supper-time when he came into camp and upon a picture that warmed
+his heart and banished from it, for a time, that rather uncomfortable
+sensation which had lately affected him. He had grown fanciful and
+thought a night-bird's call was the cry of somebody lost in the woods.
+
+He was glad to see that cheerful fire, to smell the savory food cooking
+above it, to observe all the rude comforts with which modern sportsmen
+surround themselves. Those boys--Why, they had positively grown fat! And
+how they were laughing and fooling with one another! unrebuked by the
+older campers, who sat about on logs or stools, and smoked or talked or
+sang as the spirit moved them.
+
+The Judge's keen eyes were the first to see the nose of the gray mare
+appearing through the thicket and he sprang to his feet with a little
+exclamation of alarm:
+
+"Why, Anton, lad! What brings you here? Nothing had happened, I hope!
+Eh, what? A packet for me? All right. Thank you. You're just in time to
+join us. We've had fine sport to-day and will have a grand meal in
+consequence. How's everybody? How's my little Molly?"
+
+Anton's answer was an indirect one.
+
+"You'll tell 'em I brought it safe, no?"
+
+"Why, surely. Did anybody doubt you would? And if it's good news, a good
+fee for fetching it. If bad--fee according!"
+
+He drew a little apart, opened the parcel and read the letters. Then he
+took a pad from his tent and wrote a brief reply; after which he retied
+the bundle and gave it back to Anton, saying:
+
+"Deliver this to Mrs. Hungerford as safely as you have to me and I dare
+say she'll give you another like this!"
+
+He held out a shining silver dollar but somehow, although the lad did
+take it, it seemed to lie very heavy within that inner pocket where he
+dropped it.
+
+Supper over, all grouped about the fire and beset the Indian guide for a
+fresh batch of ghost stories, his specialty in literature or tradition;
+and though Judge Breckenridge asked his messenger if it were not time
+that he started back--for Aunt Lu had written urging him to keep the boy
+no longer than was absolutely necessary--Anton still lingered. Hitherto
+he had known no fear of any forest. He inherited his love for it and his
+knowledge. He had even loved best to prowl in its depths during the
+moonlit or starlit hours, and riding hither had anticipated a leisurely
+return. So long as he was back at the farm by morning he saw no reason
+to hurry himself before.
+
+Then he found himself listening to Monty's question:
+
+"You say, Guide, that these very woods, right around us, are 'haunted?'"
+
+"Sure. Hark!"
+
+There was a strange unearthly cry from somewhere in the distance and the
+man continued:
+
+"Some call that a screech-owl! But I know it's the cry of a girl who was
+lost in this forest. Why, Anton, boy, what's happened you?"
+
+Anton had suddenly swayed in his seat and his face under its copper skin
+had turned ghastly pale.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+HOW MOLLY CAME TO CAMP
+
+
+"Yes, she was the daughter of one of the French squatters on that very
+lake we've fished this day. Susette they called her, and she was days in
+the woods. Out of this _Laque de la Mort_, they drew her body; but
+still, on dark nights, her spirit wanders as it wandered then, before
+she sought or found rest in the pool. 'Tis easy, sure. Take one of you
+men, even, and set you away from all the guide-marks we've made, you
+could not find your way save by some inherited instinct. We Indians,
+descendants of the forest men, get that instinct with our birth; even we
+who have lived among the white men all our days. That Anton yonder,
+though he has been housed under a roof ever since he was born, I warrant
+me he could be set in some unknown wilderness but would find a way out.
+Is it not so, Anton?" asked the half-breed story-teller, shading his
+eyes from the firelight to look at the boy.
+
+An instant later he had risen and bent above Anton, who now cowered in
+his corner his head bent upon his knees and his whole attitude one of
+keen distress.
+
+"Lad, what's amiss with you?"
+
+Anton tossed off the kindly hand just laid upon his shoulder and raised
+a face that had grown haggard, with wild terrified eyes staring into the
+questioner's face.
+
+"'Tis a lie, no? There is no girl wanders the forest nights! You are
+fool, Merimee, with your words!"
+
+"That's as a man judges. Ghost tales were asked and told, and one is
+true. I know it. But fear not, lad. No spirit will molest to his harm
+one who rides through the wood aright, in the fear of God and with
+honesty in his heart. As for the ghost of poor Susette, hapless maid!
+Would not one with a spark of manhood in him seek to help her if he
+could? But alas! When one is dead, even living men with hearts of
+courage can avail nought. But, up. You've rested and supped. 'Tis time
+you were a-saddle and riding home to your duty. Up and away. Though the
+wood looks dark from here, 'tis because of our fire so bright. The stars
+are out and once away from this the road will seem light enough. As
+light as many another when you're played truant to your master to wander
+in it. Up, and away!"
+
+This Merimee, guide, was mostly a man of few words. Yet when, as now,
+his toil for the day was over and the campers gathered for an evening
+chat it flattered his vanity to be asked for the legends and traditions
+of the countryside. His tongue had been loosened and he used it thus
+liberally for the benefit of Anton, the mischievous, who "shamed his
+duty" as old Merimee always honored it. As he finished speaking he
+walked to the tree where the gray mare was fastened, slipped on its
+saddle, tightened its girth, and called:
+
+"Ready, Anton!"
+
+And, as if in echo, again floated through the air overhead a
+night-bird's mournful cry and Anton shrieked, then sprang to his feet
+shivering with terror.
+
+The men stared at him, astonished, and Monty ran to him, shook him, and
+demanded:
+
+"Don't you know better than that? Scare a fellow's wits out of his head?
+That's nothing but the same old bird that's kept me awake--"
+
+Melvin shouted in laughter, and the others echoed him.
+
+"Kept you awake! Well, I'd like to know when? You that always go to
+sleep over your supper--if you're allowed!"
+
+Monty laughed, also, and the mirth around him seemed to restore Anton's
+composure in a measure. But happening to glance toward Judge
+Breckenridge he saw that gentleman looking at him keenly and his guilty
+conscience awoke. In fact, the Judge was merely interested in watching
+the changes which fear wrought upon Anton's healthy face and was growing
+impatient to have the lad start home. He knew how eagerly his sister
+would wait to read the letters he was returning her and to comply with
+his own brief instructions concerning them. He was a man who wished
+always to do at once anything he had to do; and nothing annoyed him more
+than others' shilly-shallying. To his amazement, Anton begged him:
+
+"Don't! Don't, sir, look at me like that! I didn't go for to do it!
+She--she done it herself!"
+
+"Who did what? Have you lost your common sense?"
+
+Then it all came out, the whole miserable story; in broken sentences,
+with keenest regret now, unhappy Anton told of Molly's following, of the
+trick he had played upon her, and of the fact that she was now wandering
+somewhere in that wild forest alone, save for old Queenie.
+
+But the story was not ended before every member of that startled group
+was on his feet, ready for search and rescue. Though he could almost
+have killed the lad where he cowered, so furious was his wrath and
+terrible his fear, the Judge controlled himself and sternly ordered:
+
+"With me you come, Anton. Close to me you keep and lead me to the last
+spot where you left my child. If we find her not--"
+
+He did not need to finish his sentence with a threat, nor did he wait
+for the horse which Merimee made haste to catch and saddle. On foot he
+started, Anton held by an iron grasp, and they two were out of sight
+before the others had quite realized that they were even moving.
+
+Old Merimee took charge without question; organizing his little company
+into bands of two and directing each pair to take a separate route
+through the woods, but all verging toward the east and the distant
+farmhouse. He arranged that all, carrying guns, should agree upon
+certain signals; one shot meant distress, two reports called for
+reinforcement by the nearest searchers; and three--or a succession of
+more--good news, that the work had happily ended and the word was: "Back
+to the camp!"
+
+The old college president took Montmorency as his aide, with the
+clannish instinct of two New Englanders for one another's company.
+Indeed, this odd pair had been almost constant companions since they
+entered the woods, and the lad had found the alert old man the "jolliest
+'boy' he had ever chummed with."
+
+The surgeon called Melvin to share his own search and the merchant
+strode sturdily forward in the wake of Merimee, the guide; who delayed
+but long enough to cover the fire and to sling over his shoulder a
+hunting-horn. He had often used this for four-footed game, and might now
+as a call to the Judge's lost daughter. Seeing Merimee do this sent
+Melvin also back to his tent, yet only for a moment. Then he ran after
+his partner and disappeared in the gloom of the forest.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Back at Farmer Grimm's, when Molly rode out of the grounds, there had
+been none to see her go except one of the maids, drooping with
+sick-headache against the back porch. Even she had scarcely realized
+the fact, so absorbed was she by her own physical misery. There her
+mistress found her and promptly despatched her to her room and bed,
+until she should recover, and it was not till some hours later that she
+descended to find the house in a turmoil of search and anxiety. At
+dinner-time, Mrs. Hungerford had bidden Dorothy to call Molly; adding a
+warning word:
+
+"Tell her, Dolly dear, that she must come at once. Too often she lingers
+and keeps Mrs. Grimm waiting. That isn't right because this household is
+managed as systematically as your own Academy in school time. Be sure
+and tell her."
+
+"Yes, Auntie Lu, when I find her," answered Dorothy, speeding out of
+doors, while the lady looked after her with more than ordinary interest;
+thinking: "What a dear, bonny creature that child is! And I am so glad,
+I hope so much for her now. I'm sure Schuyler will bid me go ahead and
+write, or will send a note to be forwarded. I can hardly wait for the
+outcome of the matter, but Dorothy must know nothing--nothing--until
+just the right moment. Then for the climax, and God grant it be a happy
+one!"
+
+She sat down on the broad sill by the open window to wait for the girls,
+lost in her own happy thoughts, until Miss Greatorex came and asked:
+
+"Did you know that dinner had been served some moments and is fast
+getting cold? It's mutton to-day, and Mrs. Grimm is fretting that
+'mutton must be eaten hot to be good.'"
+
+"So late? I was musing over something--didn't notice. Have the girls
+come in without my seeing them?"
+
+"Neither of them."
+
+"That's odd. By the way, when did you see Molly?"
+
+"A few moments after breakfast, I think. I've been writing all morning
+at that further window and have scarcely looked out. Why?"
+
+"She hasn't been in and dearly as she loves riding I never knew her to
+keep on with it so long, unless she was off with the farmer. I sent
+Dolly to call her and now she delays, too."
+
+"Very well, _I_ will find Dorothy!" said Miss Isobel, with an air of
+authority. She considered Mrs. Hungerford quite too indulgent to her
+niece and was all the more strict with her own especial charge for that
+reason. She now left the room with a firm step and was still wearing an
+air of discipline when she came upon Dorothy emerging from the stables.
+The child looked perplexed and a trifle frightened. She didn't wait for
+her governess to upbraid her but began at once:
+
+"Oh, dear Miss Isobel! I can't find her anywhere! Nobody has seen her
+and Queenie isn't in her stall. I've been to my corncrib, the garden,
+the long orchard all through, and yet she isn't. Ah! There's Mr. Grimm!
+He's finished his dinner already and is going back to the hay-fields.
+Please excuse me, I'll run ask him if he's seen her."
+
+"Best not delay longer yourself, Dorothy--" called Miss Greatorex, but
+for once her charge did not pause at this tone of reproof; and a first,
+faint feeling of alarm rose in her own breast.
+
+"Molly, lassie? No, indeed! I haven't seen her to-day. I was off to work
+before she came down stairs, but I've been wishing for her and you, too,
+the livelong day. The wild-roses that you love are blooming wonderful.
+All my far-away meadows are hedged with them as perfect as if they'd
+been set out a-purpose. Miles of them, I fancy, are on this old farm;
+but little golden-haired Molly's the sweetest wild-rose I've seen this
+summer. For you're no wild rose, lassie. You're one of those
+'cinnamons,' home-keepers, close by the old house and that the Missus
+claims are the prettiest in all the world. So there's a compliment for
+the pair of you! Wait till I whistle! Mistress Molly knows that it
+means: 'Come! I'm waiting for your company!' 'Twill fetch her, sure, if
+she's within the sound of it."
+
+So he put his hands to his lips and whistled as only he could do, a
+long, musical note of call that reached far and wide and that the
+missing girl had often likened to the sound of Melvin's bugle.
+
+[Illustration: "QUEENIE TOO, HAD HEARD."
+_Dorothy's Travels._]
+
+But there came no answer of Queenie's footfalls over the gravel nor
+their soft thud-thud upon the grass, and the farmer felt he could delay
+no longer. Yet, could he go? While his little "comrade" was missing?
+Silly, to feel a moment's alarm at such a trivial thing. A thoughtless
+lassie, sure she was, this little maid of the far-away southland; but
+oh! so "winsie." No. Let the hay wait. He'd tarry a bit longer and be
+on hand to scold Fair-Hair when she came galloping back with a string of
+merry excuses tumbling off her nimble tongue, her ready "I forgots" or
+"I didn't thinks"--the teasing, adorable witch that she was!
+
+"Fetch me my pipe and my paper, Dorothy, girl. I'll wait under this
+apple tree till she comes. But do you all get your dinners and not so
+many go hungry because one wild child loiters. A whisper! The missus is
+getting a trifle crisp, in the kitchen yon. She's missing the nap that
+is due her as soon as her people are fed. Best make haste. It's
+pleasanter for all on the Farm when Missus is left to go her gait
+regular, without hindrance from any. Go, little maid, and a blessing on
+you."
+
+So she ran and brought him his pipe and his paper, received a kiss for
+her pains, and left him on the bench under the apple-tree, idle because
+little Molly was idle--no better reason than that--though this was his
+busiest time and he a most busy man.
+
+But Mrs. Hungerford could not eat, even though courtesy compelled her to
+table and to taste the good fare provided. Her want of appetite banished
+Miss Isobel's, and though Dorothy was healthily hungry, as why shouldn't
+she be? even she sent away her plate untouched, and was the first of the
+trio to put into words the dreadful fear that was in all their hearts:
+
+"I can't, I can't eat! Something has happened to Molly! Something
+terrible has come to our Molly!"
+
+That ended waiting. After that the farmer promptly summoned his men, the
+mistress her maids, and a thorough search of all the premises began.
+Over the old-fashioned well with its long sweep poor Aunt Lu hovered
+like a creature distraught.
+
+That well had held a fascination for the novelty-loving Molly, in this
+case its age being the to her new thing. She had tried her own strength
+in lifting the great beam and lowering the bucket from its pole; and,
+perhaps, she had done so now and had fallen over the curb into the
+depths below!
+
+In vain did the others tell her how almost impossible this would have
+been; she could not be dissuaded, and most earnestly begged the farmer
+to have someone search the well.
+
+"No, no, dear madam. Not till we've tried other more likely spots first.
+The last time Molly was seen was on Queenie's back. Well, then we have
+only to find the sorrel and we'll find the child. Take comfort. That
+up-and-a-coming little lass isn't down anybody's well. Not she."
+
+There were many barns and outbuildings on that big farm; some new and
+modern, some old and disused. Not one was left unsearched. All work
+stopped. Haymakers and ploughmen left their fields to add their willing
+feet and keen eyes to the business, and up-garret, down cellar, through
+dairies, pantries, unused chambers, everywhere within doors the
+troubled housemistress led her own corps of searchers, and always
+without result. This had been a foregone conclusion yet she left nothing
+undone that might lead to the discovery of the missing girl; while the
+longer they sought the deeper the conviction grew in all those anxious
+hearts: "Molly is lost."
+
+It was the maid with the headache who furnished the first clue. Coming
+below after her hours of rest, she found the kitchen deserted, and all
+labor at a standstill. Hearing voices without she questioned the first
+she met and was told in faltering tones:
+
+"The bonny little maid is--lost!"
+
+"_Lost?_ Where, then, is Anton?"
+
+"Gone with a parcel to the far-away camp. The mistress sent him for Mrs.
+Hungerford."
+
+"Well, but, the maid was with him. That is she sought to be. I heard her
+call after him as he rode away and I thought her cries would split my
+aching head. He was galloping out of the far gate and she a-chase. They
+need not seek her hereabouts."
+
+Said the mistress, in vast relief:
+
+"I might have known. I might have guessed. He a mischievous tease, she a
+wild, impulsive child." Then she hurried to poor Auntie Lu, sitting
+disconsolate beside the well with Dorothy clasping her hand in her own
+small ones, trying to comfort as best she could, and exclaimed: "Fear no
+more! We should have thought at once the prank that madcap would be at!
+She saw Anton ride away to the camp and she has followed him. The maid
+who was ill remembers. She is safe with her father long before this.
+Come in by, now, come in and have a cup of tea. A cup of tea will set
+you up again like anything."
+
+Aunt Lu was greatly cheered but it took more than the other's panacea of
+a "cup of tea" to banish all anxiety; yet in the hope that had been
+raised she passed the remainder of that dreadful day as calmly as she
+could and without burdening others with the fear which still lingered in
+her heart.
+
+Upon his wife's report the farmer left off prying into all the home
+places and saddled his fleetest horse. He sent all the men back to the
+fields to house the abandoned hay machines and rusting ploughs, and to
+attend the many duties of so great a farm. But he took one man with him
+and a "snack" of supper in their pockets. It would be a long ride there
+and back and a detour might be necessary. Wherever he found sign of the
+child's wandering, should she by chance have lost the trail of Anton,
+whom she followed, he would keep to the signs and not the shortest
+route. Many a place there was, of course, where even the surest-footed
+horse could not travel, and only a foot passage be made with difficulty.
+
+But he rode round to Auntie Lu, now coaxed within doors to an open
+window, and cheerily bade her:
+
+"Keep stout heart, my woman dear. When you see my grizzled face again
+you shall see your Molly's bonny one beside it. I'm a Grimm. I mean it."
+
+Then he bared his gray head, settled himself firmly in his saddle,
+called to his man: "Come on!" and rode as gallantly to the rescue as if
+his seventy winters had been no more than seventeen.
+
+All this time where was Molly?
+
+When she found that Anton had disappeared from that open spot in the
+forest she was at first terrified then comforted.
+
+"Why, I reckon this must be mighty near that camp, after all. It's 'most
+clear of the little trees and bushes, like some of the farm-groves that
+anybody can play in and not be scared or--or get their dresses torn.
+Queenie, you and I can rest a few minutes. Somehow I'm dreadful tired. I
+rode such a lot all morning and now away out here after that Anton. He's
+mean. He surely is dreadful ornery. When I see him again I'll just hold
+my head mighty high and take no notice. Indians aren't much better than
+negroes, I reckon. Anyhow he isn't half so nice. Catch one of our black
+'boys' treating 'little missy' so! You hungry, too, Queenie? Well,
+you're luckier than I for you can get your dinner off the ground. Go
+ahead and nibble it. I'll wait for you;" she said, talking to the sorrel
+as if she were human and could understand, and slipping from her saddle
+to the ground.
+
+After a moment's contemplation of the lovely place, where a little
+stream ran trickling and babbling over stones, and where the ferns were
+high as her head, looking to her like miniature trees themselves, she
+began to feel almost contented. Open places between the pines let the
+sunlight through and, where it fell, the wild roses which creep
+everywhere over that fair land had forced themselves into a home and
+bloomed away most bravely. Then she espied a scarlet patch of color
+underneath and found that they were the wild strawberries she loved so
+well. She cried, scrambling after these:
+
+"Ah! Queenie! You're not the only one can get something to eat away out
+here in the woods. I suppose that's the kind of stream Papa fishes for
+trout. If I had a line and a hook and--and whatever I needed I could
+fish, too. But I wouldn't. I never would like to kill anything, though a
+trout that somebody else had killed would make a mighty nice dinner
+right now."
+
+The berries were plenty, and "enough" of anything is "as good as a
+feast." At least they satisfied her immediate hunger as the water from
+the brook, caught in a little cup made of a big leaf, satisfied her
+thirst. Queenie slaked her own thirst at the same pool and was so quiet
+and content that she greatly helped to cheer her small companion.
+
+Finally Molly remembered a maxim she had once taught Dorothy:
+
+"When you're lost, stay right still in that spot till somebody comes and
+finds you." Not always the safest judgment, it may be, but consoling
+then to this small girl.
+
+Then she continued to converse with the sorrel mare; assuring that calm
+creature:
+
+"That boy went away out of here, some place, and to go home again he'll
+have to come away back. That's plain enough. Now, you and I are real
+safe, Queenie, really perfectly safe; if some them mooses or caribous,
+or deers, or--or things--Let's not think about them, Queenie. Let's just
+wait. Let's--let's take a nap if we can, to make the time pass
+till--till Anton comes."
+
+She wished she hadn't happened to think of any "wild beasts" just then
+and she was astonished to see Queenie take her advice so literally; for
+down upon that mossy ground dropped the sorrel, did its utmost to work
+the saddle off its back, and, failing in this, stretched itself on its
+side and did go to sleep.
+
+Then for a time Molly busied herself in gathering flowers, wherever she
+caught sight of one, and, thrusting them into her blouse, told Queenie
+that "these are for that terrible flowery girl, Dorothy C. Oh! I wonder
+what she is doing now! If she isn't scraping away on that old fiddle
+I'll bet she's missing me. 'Tisn't polite for girls to 'bet,' Auntie Lu
+says. Oh! I wish I could see her now. Funny I should be so lonesome,
+right in the daylight with Queenie here. If I don't look out I'll be
+crying; for I'm getting that awful scared way I was when Anton first
+went. I'll lie down too on that pile of ferns and go to sleep--if I
+can. I hope there aren't any wigglers of any sort to get into my ears.
+I'll put my handkerchief over them and my face on that. Let's play
+pretend it's bedtime, Queenie. Good night."
+
+There was no response from the weary old horse who had jogged about
+nearly all that day and Molly waited for none. A merciful drowsiness
+stole upon her and when she woke again the night was really there.
+Through the scattered tree-tops she could see the stars shining; close
+at her feet was the same gentle purring of the little stream, and
+overhead the soft rustle of pine needles moving lightly in the breeze.
+But what had wakened her? Something had, she knew. Some sound other than
+that of the brook or the pines. Queenie too, had heard. She had got to
+her feet and was listening, was whinnying, as in no fear of whatever
+thing it was. Molly could dimly see the old horse against the background
+of gloom but her presence was vast comfort.
+
+Hark! HARK!!
+
+Molly was on her feet now, wider awake than in all her life
+before, hands clasped to her breast, head bent forward,
+listening--listening--listening.
+
+"Toot! Toot! Tooty-ti-tooty-ti-toot!"
+
+"A bugle! A bugle! The 'Assembly!' First call to meals! Melvin's coming!
+Melvin--MELVIN!"
+
+Nearer and nearer it came. It was at hand. On the other side the
+murmuring stream. On this side. In her very ears; and screaming
+"Melvin!" with all the agony of fear that she had pent within her brave
+heart, Molly fell sobbing in the "Bashful Bugler's" arms.
+
+A few minutes later she was in her father's; and not long thereafter sat
+upon his knee before the camp-fire with her head upon his breast and he
+clasping her close, close in an embrace that held within it almost an
+agony of joy, so fierce it was.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MRS. CALVERT PLANS AN INFAIR
+
+
+Instead of being scolded for her escapade Molly found herself a sort of
+heroine. Nothing could exceed the tenderness of her thankful father, nor
+the interest of all the campers. The signal shots had brought them all
+back to the camp, and there the two lads went immediately to work to
+cook for the girl the most wonderful of suppers. Monty had caught some
+of Melvin's deftness at the task and was most ambitious to show Molly
+his newly acquired skill. Also, at the first opportunity, when the Judge
+had for a moment released his darling's hand to rise and greet Farmer
+Grimm coming through the woods, the boy proudly pulled from his pocket a
+few small coins and displayed them upon his palm.
+
+"See them, Miss Molly? Hmm. Those are mine. My own.
+I--earned--them--myself!"
+
+He paused so long to let this amazing statement sink into her mind that
+Melvin called:
+
+"Come on, Mont! No loafing! Fetch another bit of wood and get on your
+hurry-up step! Merimee covered this fire so snug he nigh put it out,
+but wise enough, too. A fire in the forest isn't a laughing matter.
+Look out! Don't poke it, you clumsy, else you'll tip over that
+coffee-pot. First time we've had a lady to visit us don't want to act
+the blunder-head, do you?"
+
+"Oh! hush, Bugle! No call to bulldoze a fellow just because you happened
+to be first on the spot! What made you think of carrying that thing,
+anyway?"
+
+Molly herself drew near to hear the answer. She was wondering at the
+fact of their jolly comradeship, which was now so evident; and at
+Monty's pride over a little money--he who had cared so little for it
+once. She was wondering at many things, and when Melvin did not at once
+reply she repeated Monty's question.
+
+"Melvin, how did you happen to take the bugle?"
+
+"Why--why--I don't know, but I fancy my mother would say that Providence
+put it into my mind. My mother believes that Providence has a Hand in
+everything, don't you know? Anyhow, I'm glad I did take it. Without it
+and you hearing it we might have wandered right past that very
+place--one spot looks so much like another in the woods at night."
+
+"Melvin, would you sell me that bugle? It was that saved my life, maybe,
+if the animals I thought about had come or if--Would you?" asked Molly,
+softly, and with a pathetic clasping of her hands, which trembled again
+now, as she recalled past perils.
+
+"No, Molly, I won't sell it to you. I'll give it to you, if you'll take
+it that way, and only wish it were a better one. It's the cheapest made.
+It had to be, don't you know?"
+
+For a moment the girl hesitated. She did not like to rob the lad of his
+only musical enjoyment and she felt that he could not afford the gift.
+Then she remembered that there were other bugles in the world and that
+she had but to suggest to her father a sort of exchange for the better,
+and so satisfy both herself and Melvin. So she said simply:
+
+"I shall prize it as the greatest treasure in the world, and I thank
+you, I--I can't say much--I can't talk when I feel most--but don't you
+know how I feel? About my teasing you whenever I had the chance and--and
+lots of things? I'll take the bugle if--if 'you'll call the slate washed
+clean,' as Dolly says, and we can begin all over again?" She held out
+her hand, entreatingly, and the shy lad took it for a moment, then
+dropped it as if its touch had burned. A sudden wave of his old
+bashfulness had swept over him, for though he had gained much
+self-confidence during those weeks in camp it would be a long time
+before he conquered the timidity of his nature, if he ever did.
+
+Then she asked Monty how he had earned money in such a place as that and
+he answered proudly:
+
+"Made myself generally useful. The Prex hired me to wait on him and keep
+his traps in order sometimes--when the other old 'Boys' would let him
+be 'coddled.' Every man for himself, you know, out here. But the Prex is
+odd. He wants his boots blacked, or shoes, that he puts on after he
+takes off his hunting ones and I've 'shined' 'em for him like any street
+bootblack that ever did my own. Fact! Fancy what my mother would say!
+Master Montmorency Vavasour-Stark blacking shoes in order to get a bit
+of pocket-money! But I tell you what, Molly Breckenridge, I like it. I'm
+going to have one of these dimes made into a watch-charm and wear it
+always, just to remind me how fine I felt over the first, the very
+first, cent I ever honestly earned. And it's taught me one thing. I'll
+quit idling. I shall never be a scholar like long-legged Jim, but I'll
+_do_ things, I mean it. I'll find out what I can do best, and I think I
+can guess that, and then I'm going ahead to do it. I'm going to ask Papa
+to stop giving me money. I'm going to shock my mother by going to work.
+But--that Prex is a wise old chap. He's taught hundreds, likely
+thousands, of boys to make decent men and he's trying to teach me. He
+says--"
+
+"O, Monty! Quit! I've broiled that salmon steak to the Queen's taste and
+the coffee's settled as clear as that spring water and--Supper's ready,
+Miss Molly Breckenridge. Will your ladyship partake?" demanded Melvin,
+interrupting.
+
+Such a supper that was! Odd, that all the campers who had fared so
+heartily just a little while before should suddenly be "taken hungry"
+again and beg an invitation too. Even Farmer Grimm and his man waited
+to feast with the others before riding home to carry the good news; then
+departed, with the forgiven but shame-faced Anton riding between them
+and with the precious packet of letters transferred from his pocket to
+his master's for safe-keeping.
+
+Molly stayed the night to rest; lying snug in her father's tent while he
+sat long awake thinking of many things; but mostly thankful for the
+safety of the little maid whose love and life meant all the world to
+him. The dear, repentant child; who had not gone to sleep till, all
+alone with him in the seclusion of his tent, she had clasped her arms
+about his neck and begged his pardon for all her thoughtlessness.
+
+"It was terrible there in the dark woods when I woke and found I was
+lost, alone; but that wasn't half so terrible, it didn't make me feel
+half so bad in here," laying her hand upon her heart, "as it does
+knowing how unhappy I've made everybody and how much trouble given.
+Seems if I never would be heedless and forget again, Papa dearest, seems
+if! But I'm just only Molly--and I haven't much faith in your Molly,
+Judge Breckenridge!"
+
+What could he do but kiss her quivering lips and smile at the whimsical
+way in which she expressed her contriteness? And, after all, would he
+have had her greatly different from what she was by nature, just his
+great-hearted, impulsive, precious Molly?
+
+Next morning she rode home in great state. With Guide Merimee heading
+the little cavalcade and with masters Melvin and Monty on either side
+when that was practical for the crowding of the trees, and as van or
+rear guard it was not. Because the road was straight enough to one who
+knew it, as did the half-breed hunter, and that happy company followed
+him with no thought of care. Monty was laden with wild-flowers of every
+sort for Dorothy; Melvin had store of forsaken birds' nests, lichens,
+and curious bits of stone or bark for Miss Greatorex to add to her
+"collection," which Mrs. Hungerford assured her would cost more than it
+was worth to pass the revenue officers. "No matter if it does!" cried
+the happy teacher, "since it will be such an addition to Miss
+Rhinelander's museum."
+
+The guide brought fish, freshly caught that morning before daybreak, and
+enough of game to feast even that farm crowd of "hands;" and having
+tarried long enough to deliver the packet to Mrs. Hungerford, to assure
+her that her brother was well and more than happy now; that he and the
+other "Boys" intended to lengthen their vacation by a few weeks, in fact
+to "stay just as long as they could;" to add that by no means must Molly
+ride "off grounds" again, alone, and that Anton was not to be punished
+for his "prank;" and to partake of Mrs. Grimm's most excellent food and
+drink. Then he called the lads, now almost reluctant to leave the
+pleasant place of peace and plenty, and rode away again, they following
+and looking back again and again, to wave farewell.
+
+"I never saw so great an improvement in two boys as in those!" said
+Auntie Lu, standing to watch them disappear toward the forest, with
+Molly fast in her arms and Dorothy beside her; then laughed at the
+rather awkward manner in which she had expressed herself, as she saw
+Miss Greatorex regarding her. But for once that estimable person was not
+critical of others' speech or grammar; and murmured with an air of great
+content:
+
+"So many more weeks of rest and time to write up my travels."
+
+Mrs. Hungerford sighed, but conquered the slight loneliness that now
+oppressed her and set to work herself upon a vigorous correspondence and
+the carrying forward of a matter her brother had outlined for her.
+Sometimes in writing these letters she asked Dorothy to sit beside her
+and would frequently look at the girl as if she were studying her
+features or her manner. At such time Dolly felt a little awkward and
+perplexed, yet always, in some indefinable manner, as if this scrutiny
+were for her own good. Then Auntie Lu would laugh and call the girl her
+"Inspiration," and write the faster.
+
+Those last weeks on the old Farm were very quiet, uneventful, yet most
+happy ones; and the two girls passed much of the time in the cool,
+shadowy library, among the fine literature therein collected. For Molly
+had no further desire at present for "larks" and began, instead, to find
+out how much happiness one may find between the covers of a book.
+Dorothy introduced her to Dickens, and thereafter the merry maid needed
+no urging to: "Do sit down and read and let me do so!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One morning in that late summer time, Mrs. Betty Calvert was sitting on
+a hotel veranda at the Springs. She was looking very handsome and
+queenly, in her white gown, her piled-up, snow-white hair, and her "air
+of one who belonged" to an old "aristocracy." A little table was beside
+her, heaped with her morning's mail; for here, even as in her old home
+at Bellvieu, she surrounded herself with more such reading matter than
+she could use. But the letters were duly read and re-read, some of them;
+and at last she dropped one to her lap, and remarked to a gentleman near
+her:
+
+"Cousin Seth, Lucretia Breckenridge always was a fool!"
+
+"Hard judgment, Cousin Betty. I should have given quite the contrary. I
+always thought her a very sweet, sensible, lovable woman."
+
+"Hmm. You see a deal of 'sweetness' in this silly old world. But look
+here. What sensible woman would write a letter of twenty pages when one
+would do? All to convince me of something I already knew."
+
+"Don't expect me to answer that. Go on and tell me what's 'meat' in so
+much 'cocoanut.'"
+
+"She believes--and she takes pages to justify her belief--that she has
+traced the parentage of one Dorothy, a foundling! Indeed! Why, Seth,
+those people up in that unhappy Nova Scotia--unhappy to be afflicted
+with two such foolish visitors--they think themselves detectives fit to
+rank with the world's greatest. I thought Schuyler had some sense if
+Lucretia hadn't. If they weren't already there I'd bid them both 'go to
+Halifax' as I used to be bidden when I was a naughty little girl and
+plagued my nurse. She makes a great ado about Dorothy's 'unhappiness.' I
+can't believe that. I never, never saw a happier child in all my life.
+The idea! Lucretia is just as simple as she was always. She's set out to
+find who Dorothy's parents are or were and she thinks she's found. The
+idea! The impertinent minx!"
+
+The "Learned Blacksmith" did not reply, but calmly perused his own
+paper. He was a blacksmith transformed, and he seemed to fit into this
+environment as readily and completely as he had fitted the simple life
+of the old smithy under the Great Balm tree. He had recovered his health
+but was sojourning for a little time in this old resort of his youth,
+meeting those who were lads and maidens then but now as venerable as
+himself. Few among them were as alert, as vigorous and as young of heart
+as Cousin Betty and himself; and they two had, as a younger guest
+remarked: "Been having the time of their lives. Why, that black-eyed old
+lady has more attention this day than any of us girls; and as for wit
+and repartee, there isn't her equal this year at our Springs."
+
+After a few moments of this silence, during which Mrs. Calvert tapped
+her white slipper impatiently, she interrupted her companion's reading
+by an exclamation:
+
+"Seth Winters, do put up that tiresome paper and listen. I don't believe
+you've comprehended a single sentence you've looked at. I know. Your
+eyes had that hungry-for-Dorothy look in them. Leastwise, if they
+hadn't, the feel of it is in my own old heart. A pretty how'd-ye-do,
+when that little Lu Breckenridge-Hungerford sets out to hint to me of my
+duty! a slip of a girl like her--the saucy chit!"
+
+Old Seth laughed, so merrily that others drew near to learn the sport;
+seeing which, Mistress Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert, rather
+haughtily arose and remarked:
+
+"Come, Cousin Seth, I'd like to take a walk."
+
+Pacing the green grove, up and down its smooth paths, they were
+undisturbed; but now all desire for conversation had left Mrs. Betty.
+She was, indeed, in deep reflection; wondering if a certain course she
+had followed were all for the best as she had hitherto esteemed it; and
+the only hint she gave to the blacksmith was the sentence:
+
+"I wanted to wait till she came of her own accord. I've never quite
+forgiven her for preferring that woman Martha to me."
+
+Then she went on in a silence which he knew her too well to disturb and
+finally she announced:
+
+"I think I'll give a house party at Deerhurst. A regular old-fashioned
+'infair,' though it'll be no bride for whom the festivity is given.
+After the assembly--what seems best! Those Breckenridges and their
+camping friends; including the old 'boys' and young ones. The foster
+parents, of course; and Johnnie must be written to about bringing that
+sealed letter of mine, that I entrusted to his care. I marked it not to
+be opened till after my death; but I think I'll postpone dying--if God
+wills!--for I'm not nearly so dumpish as I was the day I sealed that
+packet and set my directions upon it. I may open it and I may not. I may
+oblige Lu Breckenridge by letting her think she's a wonderful clever
+woman, and I may take the wind out of her sails by telling her--the
+truth. What do you say? Will you go along?"
+
+"Will I not? I should go anyway, whether your house-warming-infair
+materializes or not. I hope, though, you won't change your mind, because
+I long for the mountain and my peaceful life upon it. I hope you'll
+stick to this notion longer than some others."
+
+"Then come in and help me write the invitations and set things in trim
+for such a big entertaining. After they're written I can't change my
+mind, you know, though I rarely do. I scorn the imputation. Only, ought
+I to do it? Will it be for the best?"
+
+"Oh! make haste, Betty Calvert! If I don't get those invitations off in
+the first mail I'll never be allowed to send them at all!"
+
+He spoke jestingly, yet not without deep sympathy. The "change of mind"
+she intimated meant much, very much to little Dorothy; whose best
+interests nobody had so much in mind as these two old people with the
+young hearts. But his own desire was now for the clearing of all that
+"mystery" which had enveloped the child from her infancy and which only
+they two could solve.
+
+The notes were written and most promptly posted. Then other matters were
+put in line to make the reopening of Deerhurst the most memorable event
+in its history. Servants were ordered thither, disused rooms were aired
+and fitted for occupancy, every scrap of fallen leaf or intrusive weed
+removed from its driveways and paths, and in all the glory of its
+early-autumn beauty the fine old place awaited the coming of its
+mistress and her guests.
+
+First of all to arrive was one James Barlow, with two kindly happy dogs,
+leaping and barking and doing their canine best to express their
+happiness at seeing "home" once more. "Home" it was to the lad, also, as
+he felt it now; tugging stoutly upon the chains of the Great Danes, lest
+in their exuberant joy they should break away from him to gambol in the
+geranium beds that glorified the lawn.
+
+Around from the vine-draped back porch came old Ephraim and Dinah; Hans
+and Griselda Roemer, who greeted Jim in their hearty German fashion, as
+if he were their own son come home. And bless me! If out of that great
+kitchen didn't issue Ma Babcock herself, and all her daughters a-trail
+behind!
+
+"Why, Mrs. Babcock, you here? Surely, this is indeed a surprise!" cried
+Jim, releasing the Danes to Ephraim's care and clasping the hands she
+extended toward him.
+
+"Well, then, it needn't be. Me and Mis' Calvert has been neighbors this
+long while, years indeed. So what more natural than, when all the
+company was comin' and help so hard to get--capable help, you
+know--up-mounting, but that old Seth, the farrier, should write me the
+invite to come and take a hold of things and see that they was the
+rightest kind of right for such grand doings? So I come; and I had to
+fetch the girls along, 'cause I never do leave them out of any the good
+times I have myself. Baretta stop holdin' onto my skirt! You'll pull it
+clean out the gathers and it's just fresh-washed and ironed. Claretta,
+will you never, never quit suckin' your thumb? Make your manners pretty,
+darlin', to this fine gentleman! Who, after all said, is nobody but Jim
+Barlow, makin' the most of his chance. Why, Alfy! You bashful? Come and
+shake hands with your old friend and don't act simple!"
+
+So Alfaretta came forward, a new modesty upon her and a change for the
+better in her whole appearance, even after so short a time as this one
+summer. And both happening to recall how she had greeted him when first
+this "hero" was presented to her, they laughed and the "ice" which had
+formed over their friendship during separation speedily melted.
+
+"Pa Babcock, you're askin' for? Oh, he's well, that kind don't never
+have nothing the matter with their health, though they're always
+thinking they have. He stopped with his sister till she got tired and
+shook him. Then he went to Chicago, where there's such a lot of silly
+Nanarchists like himself, and there he's stayed. I hope will stay, too,
+till the children get growed. He seems to be makin' his salt, some kind
+of livin', and he's happy as a clam in high water. He hasn't a thing to
+do but talk and talkin' suits him to a T. Best come in and get washed
+up. A letter come from Dorothy's parents and the pair of 'em will be to
+the Landing by the evening boat. Or one by train and one by boat. Anyhow
+they'll both be there and I 'low they'd admire, just admire that it
+should be you drove down to meet 'em. Me and Alfy and Dinah'll be right
+on hand here to see they get their supper and to show 'em where they're
+to sleep. You best hurry down to your own room to the gate-house and
+clean yourself. You're powerful dusty and your face needs washin'. Alfy!
+What you gigglin' at? Ain't I tellin' the truth? Ain't he a sight?"
+
+"Yes, Ma, he is; one 'good for sore eyes,' as you sometimes say;" and
+with this inelegant remark Miss Alfaretta walked away while laughing,
+happy Jim sped downwards to the vine-wreathed lodge at the great
+entrance gate. He had been happy all that summer, never more so; yet
+happier than ever now as he stepped into the freshly furbished upper
+chamber which was his own, his very home. All the dear familiar books
+on the shelves, the snowy bed, the dainty neatness of the place that
+showed the motherly touch of old Griselda everywhere, even to the bunch
+of flowers upon the little table.
+
+Dolly would have said that the bouquet looked "Dutchy," like the kind
+hands which had arranged it; with its conflicting colors and its tightly
+crowded bunches of bloom. But Dorothy wasn't there to comment, there was
+nobody who could see him, and the orphan lad who had not yet outgrown
+his boyish tenderness suddenly stooped and kissed it. Was this in memory
+of a mother he had never known, or because of his gratitude for his
+"home?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+WHEN JOURNEYS END IN WELCOME
+
+
+"Welcome! Welcome! WELCOME!!"
+
+The blacksmith, "himself once more" and not the summer idler on a hotel
+veranda, stood at Mrs. Betty's right hand on the broad steps of
+Deerhurst, to greet the carriages of happy folk who were whirled over
+the curving driveways and up to the hospitable door which stood wide
+open, as if eager to embrace them all in its own genial "welcome."
+
+Somehow, there was a slight trembling in the hostess's slender frame and
+she put out her white hand against the porch-pillar to steady herself.
+Somehow, too, there seemed a little mist in her bright eyes, as she
+peered anxiously outward toward her arriving guests. Had they all come?
+Everyone whom she had bidden to her "infair?"
+
+In the first carriage, the state barouche, sat the four grayheaded
+"Boys" whom she had known all their lives and for whom her best was
+prepared. In the next was "that slip of a girl," one Mrs. Lucretia
+Hungerford, a "girl" whose locks were already touched with the rime of
+years; a rather stern and dignified person who could be no other than
+Miss Isobel Greatorex of whom Dorothy had written; and a cadet in gray.
+A West Pointer! Off for the briefest of "furloughs" and a too-short
+reunion with his radiant mother. Cadet Tom Hungerford, and no other.
+Also, within that open trap a third gentlewoman, brought by Mrs.
+Hungerford's invitation for a short "tour of the States" to see what
+sort of home it was unto which she would consign her son, the lad Melvin
+come to try his fortunes so far from home. The little widow, Mrs. Cook,
+indeed; past mistress in the art of making gardens and good dinners, and
+happy in her unexpected outing as a child. To her bonny face under its
+white hair, with her lovely English color and her sorrow-chastened
+smile, the heart of Mrs. Betty immediately went out in interest and
+admiration. Stranger though she was her welcome, too, was ready.
+
+But it was on that last open pony-cart, with its load of young folks,
+that the eye of the hostess rested first and last. Such a gay and
+laughing quartette that was! Molly and Dolly, the blonde and the
+brunette, Monty and Melvin, the rotund and the slender; but Dolly the
+gayest, the sweetest, the darlingest of all!
+
+At least, that was what some of those welcoming people, grouped upon the
+steps, believed with all their hearts. Father John and Mother Martha,
+Mr. Seth and "Fairy Godmother," aye and honest Jim, first and
+faithfullest of comrades--to these there was visible, for one moment,
+no face save the face of smiling Dorothy.
+
+When they were all housed and supper ended, they gathered in the great
+parlors, which Alfaretta's capable hands had adorned with masses of
+golden-rod, of scarlet woodbine and snowy wreaths of seeding
+clematis--feathery and quite "too graceful for words," as Dorothy
+declared, lovingly hugging Alfaretta who lingered by the door, a new
+shyness upon her, yet longing to be beside these other girls and lads no
+older than she, but who had seen so much more of the world in which they
+all lived.
+
+Then when Mrs. Betty begged:
+
+"Now if all are rested, let's compare our notes of the summer and tell
+what each found loveliest to remember. Come in, Alfaretta, and cuddle
+down with the rest upon the rugs before the fire. Old Deerhurst is at
+its best, to-night, filled with happiness. Now, Dr. Ryall, as
+once-master of these other 'Boys,' can you give your happiest thought of
+the summer?"
+
+The venerable collegian leaned back and twirled his thumbs. He had left
+his boyishness but not his happiness back in the Markland woods, and it
+was quite gravely yet simply he answered:
+
+"Why yes, Elizabeth, and easily. It was the awakening of Monty yonder
+to a sense of his own responsibility as a human being, made in his
+Creator's image. He's got down to bottom facts. He knows it isn't
+dollars but doings that make God's true man. Needn't blush, my lad; but
+be reverently thankful." Then he turned a merry glance upon the company
+and demanded: "Next?"
+
+And as if he were still in the class-room questioned upon a text-book,
+his merchant-pupil answered:
+
+"The happiest sight to me was the first salmon I landed!"
+
+"A good and honest answer!" laughed Mrs. Betty, and like the president
+called: "Next!"
+
+One after another the answers came; that of the surgeon being the memory
+of a wounded fawn whom he had cured and set at liberty again. The
+Judge's happiest moment had been when he caught sight of Molly's face on
+that dark night in the forest, when he dreaded lest he should see it no
+more alive and alight with love.
+
+All had some answer to give, even Miss Greatorex, who wondered why they
+smiled when she recorded her blest experience in discovering a rare
+specimen of quartz. Surely, that was the very best gift she was bringing
+home to "the Rhinelander," and wasn't it a specimen worth the whole trip
+to a "foreign" land?
+
+Even the youngsters were pressed to tell what they had found choicest
+and when Molly answered the question put to her, she spoke with a sweet
+solemnity: "The sound of Melvin's bugle in the wilderness."
+
+There was a momentary silence. All were more moved than they could say,
+remembering how different a group this would have been had that bugle
+never blown "Assembly" in that far-away forest. Dorothy said nothing.
+Even when it came to her and the last "turn," she could only turn her
+happy eyes to one and another of the loved faces before her and shake
+her head. There had been times out there on the Nova Scotia farm when
+she had not been happy; when the moods of "wondering" had disturbed her
+peace and made her discontent. That was all past now that she was
+reunited to Father John and Mother Martha and somehow, best of all, to
+that beautiful, white-haired "Fairy Godmother," who had caught her to
+her breast in such a tender fashion and had even left tears of joy from
+the old, dark eyes upon her own upturned cheek. Why had she loved the
+lady so? Why did the clasp of her slender arms seem so much more than
+that of sturdy Mrs. Martha? Dorothy inwardly upbraided herself for the
+disloyal feeling, but she was too honest to deny even to herself that
+her dearest welcome home had come from one on whom she had no claim.
+
+"Well, Dolly Doodles, it isn't fair for all the rest to tell their part
+and you just sit mum and stare and stare and stare! Honey Doll, I'm
+ashamed of you!" cried Molly.
+
+Thus goaded into speech, Dorothy answered: "The happiest thing I've
+known isn't past, in the summer-time, but just right now and here. It's
+coming home to Deerhurst and--YOU!"
+
+She could not have helped it and she could not have explained why not;
+but there was a look in Mrs. Betty's eyes, an appealing tenderness that
+went straight to the heart of the girl, who sped like an arrow shot from
+the hearth to a place in her hostess's arms.
+
+And again there was silence; while some of that goodly company exchanged
+most speaking glances. Then with a gesture prouder than the proudest she
+had ever given, Mrs. Calvert lifted her head and beckoned the Judge.
+
+"Schuyler, you're a lawyer and that rare one, an honest man. I depute
+you to open this sealed document and read the contents to the company.
+Practically, it is my 'last will and testament'--I mean the last one
+I've made, though I'm likely to alter it a score of times yet! I
+inscribed it 'to be opened after my death,' but as I feel I've just
+secured a new lease of life you needn't wait for that but shall open it
+now."
+
+She spoke with all her old whimsicality but with a tremor in her voice,
+and somehow Seth Winters managed to place himself a little nearer to her
+and Dorothy clung the tighter about her neck.
+
+Not yet did the child dream that this sealed packet related to herself
+or that the irrepressible feeling which had sent her flying to the old
+gentlewoman's arms had been the call of the blood. She merely felt that
+her "Godmother" needed soothing and that it was her delightful duty to
+so soothe.
+
+There is no need to here repeat the technical wording of what the Judge
+so distinctly read in his clear, strong voice, amid a silence which
+except for that voice would have echoed the falling of the proverbial
+"pin." He summed it up after one reading in a brief epitome:
+
+"Dorothy, otherwise Dorothy Elizabeth Somerset Calvert, is the last and
+nearest living relative of Mrs. Elizabeth Cecil Somerset-Calvert. She is
+the only child of one Cecil Calvert, deceased, and of Miriam his wife.
+Cecil Calvert, herein named, was the only son of the only son of Mrs.
+Calvert's only brother. The descent is clear and unmistakable. Cecil
+Calvert, the father of Dorothy, was early left an orphan and was
+'raised' by Mrs. Betty, presumably to be her heir. When he came of age
+to want a wife she provided one for him. He objected and made his own
+choice. She cut him off with a limited income, but sufficient for one
+differently reared, and taking his bride he went to the far West. There
+he died and his wife soon followed him; but her illness was a lingering
+one and during it she sought to provide for their baby Dorothy.
+
+"This envelope contains her letters and those of her husband, written
+after his fatal seizure to Mrs. Calvert, describing everything connected
+with their young and, as it proved, improvident lives. Neither of them,
+the sad wife protests, had ever been trained to the wise handling of
+money or of anything useful. It had not been their fault so much as
+their misfortunes that they were dying in what was to them real poverty;
+and the pathetic letters ended with the declaration that, after its
+mother's death, the child Dorothy would be safely convoyed to its
+great-great-aunt's door and left to her to be 'fairly dealt with.' It
+was all quite simple and direct; the commonplace story of many other
+lives."
+
+But here Mrs. Betty, stifling the emotion which the re-reading of the
+papers had roused in her, took up the tale herself.
+
+"When the baby came I was indignant. That at first. I felt I was too old
+to have a squalling infant forced into my house. Then better thoughts
+prevailed. I saw in the little thing traces of my own family likeness
+and I would have kept her. It was old Dinah and Ephraim who advised me
+then and wisely I believe, though there have been times when I've wished
+I hadn't listened to them. They told me with the privilege of life-long
+service, that I'd made a brilliant failure of my raising of Cecil. They
+advised me to hunt up some worthy couple unburdened with children of
+their own and force the child upon them, to rear in simple, sensible
+ways, I to pay such a sum as would provide for the child's actual
+necessities. No more. I listened and the notion falling in somewhat with
+my own conviction--you behold the result.
+
+"Dorothy is what she is; to me the loveliest little maid in God's good
+world. Save what nature implanted in her, all that makes her adorable to
+me and others is due to her foster-parents, the most unselfish and
+self-devoted pair of mortals it has ever been my lot to know in my long
+life. She belongs to them more than to me; but it shall be as she and
+they elect. Even yet I will try to say it justly.
+
+"My homes are many and ample. There is room in every one of them for a
+little household of four. Johnnie, Martha, my own Dorothy, shall we not
+make at last, one unbroken, happy family?"
+
+It was a long speech and it had sorely tried the speaker. One by one her
+guests withdrew, leaving only the "four" of whom she spoke with that
+faithful friend of all, the radiant Seth, remaining in that firelit
+room.
+
+Then cried Dorothy, running to draw her foster-parents to her
+great-aunt's side:
+
+"Yes, father, yes mother! Come and be--_us!_ I have a name at last and
+it still must be yours with 'Calvert' at the end, a hyphen between! Say
+yes, dear ones, who've loved me all my life. We want you, 'Godmother'
+and I, and don't you dare--don't either of you dare to be proud and
+independent now, when your little girl's so happy--_so happy!_"
+
+Who could withstand her? Or the sincere affection which beamed upon them
+from Mrs. Cecil's fine old eyes? Not "whistling Johnnie" of the big
+heart, himself; nor faithful Martha, radiant now in the doing away of
+"mysteries" and the happiness of the girl who had been found a
+"squalling baby" on her doorstep.
+
+So the night fell on Dorothy Calvert's homecoming and home-finding. Once
+more she stood on the threshold of a new life. What befell her in it and
+what use she made of some of the great gifts which had come to her
+cannot be told here. That telling must be left for other pages and
+other hours; perhaps the reader will like to go with us to "Dorothy's
+House party," until then let us bid happy Dorothy a glad
+
+Good night!
+
+                         THE END
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
+
+Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors and ensure
+consistent usage of punctuation in this e-text; otherwise, every effort
+has been made to be faithful to the author's words and intent.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, by Evelyn Raymond
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