CHAPTER IX
THE FLOATING BRIDGE
Next morning the young Dorrances experienced for the first time the joyof going to market.
Their appointed household tasks were all done first, for Dorothy hadinsisted on that. Then she and Tessie had conferred as to what wasneeded, and she had made out a list.
Grandma Dorrance had decreed against a sailboat for the children alone;but they were at liberty to go in a rowboat.
So down the steps the four ran, and found Mr. Hickox waiting for them atthe dock.
He had put a boat in the water for them. It was a round-bottomed boat,but wide and roomy; easy to row and provided with two pairs of shiningoars.
"Can any of you row?" inquired Mr. Hickox, looking uncertainly at thechildren; "for I can't go along with you this morning. Mrs. Hickox, shewants me to work in the garden,--she says the weeds are higher 'n akite."
"We can row," said Leicester; "but not so very well. We haven't had muchexperience, you know. But we're going to learn."
"I thought we'd each have a boat," said Fairy; "I want to learn to row.I want to be a 'sperinshed boat-lady."
"You can learn to row, baby, but you can't go in a boat all by yourselfuntil you _have_ learned."
"But I 'most know how now."
"Well I'll tell you how we'll fix it; two of us will row going over, andthe other two can row coming back. To divide up evenly, suppose Dorothyand Lilian row over, and Fairy and I will row home." This was a bit ofself-sacrifice on Leicester's part, for he was most eager to handle theoars himself.
Mr. Hickox quite appreciated the boy's attitude, and nodded approvinglyat him but he only said: "All right, sonny, you sit in the stern andsteer, and I make no doubt these young ladies'll row you over in fineshape."
Fairy was safely settled in the bow, with an admonition to sit still foronce in her life; and then Dorothy and Lilian excitedly grasped the oarsand splashed away.
It was not very skilful rowing, but it propelled the boat, and by theaid of Leicester's steering, they made a progressive, if somewhat zigzagcourse.
The morning was perfect. The lake calm and placid, with tiny softripples all over it. The green hills sloped down to its shore on allsides; while here and there, at long intervals, a house or a buildinggleamed white among the trees. The exhilarating air, and the excitementof the occasion roused the Dorrances' spirits far above normal,--whichis saying a great deal.
The arms of the rowers grew very tired; partly because they were sounused to vigorous exercise, and partly because the rowing was far moreenergetic than scientific.
But the girls didn't mind being tired, and pulled away gleefully to anaccompaniment of laughter and song.
Leicester would have relieved them, but they had promised grandma theywould not move around or change places in the boat until they had becomemore accustomed to nautical ways.
But it was only a mile, after all, and they finally landed at Dolan'sPoint, and guided the bow of their boat up on to the beach in a trulyshipshape manner. Fairy sprang out with a bound that landed her on thedry sand; Leicester followed, and then helped the exhausted butvictorious galley-slaves to alight.
"Isn't it glorious!" cried Dorothy, panting for breath, but aglow withhappiness.
"Fine!" agreed Lilian, but she looked a little ruefully at eightblisters on her pink palms.
"That's all right," said Leicester, cheerfully; "you'll get callousedafter a while; blisters always have to come first."
"Oh, pooh, I don't mind them a bit," protested Lilian; for the Dorranceswere all of a plucky disposition.
On they went, following the directions given them by Mr. Hickox, andmaking wonderful explorations at every turn.
Dolan's Point seemed to be occupied principally by a large boathouse.This belonged to a club-house, which was farther up the hill, and whoseturrets and gables shining in the morning sunlight, looked like those ofan old castle.
Their way lay across the point, and then they were to cross a small armof the lake by means of a bridge.
Dorothy had hoped for a rustic bridge, and Leicester had told her thatit would probably be two foot-planks and a hand-rail.
But when they saw the bridge itself, they were really struck speechlesswith wonder and delight. It was a floating bridge, built of logs. It wasperhaps eight feet wide, and was made by logs laid transversely andclose together. They were held in place by immense iron chains whichwent alternately over and under the logs at their ends. Except at thesides of the bridge, the logs were not visible for they were coveredwith a deep layer of soil on which grew luxuriant green grass. The thickgrass had been mowed and cared for until it resembled a soft velvetcarpet.
On either side of the bridge was a hand-rail of rope, supported atintervals by wooden uprights. The rope rails and the uprights were bothcovered with carefully trained vines. Among these were morning-gloryvines, and their pink and purple blossoms made an exquisite floraldecoration.
Evidently the bridge was in charge of somebody who loved to care for it,and who enjoyed keeping it in order.
"Do you suppose we walk on it?" asked Fairy, with a sort of awe in hervoice.
"Yes," said Leicester. "It must be meant for that; but isn't it the mostbeautiful thing you ever saw!"
It certainly was, and the children stepped on to it gently, and walkedslowly as one would walk in a church aisle.
Although suspended at both ends, almost the whole length of the bridgerested on the water, and swayed gently with the rippling of the lake. Itwas a delicious sensation to walk on the unstable turf, and feel it moveslightly under foot.
As they advanced further, it seemed as if they were floating steadilyalong, and Fairy grasped Leicester's hand with a little tremor. Whenthey reached the middle of the bridge they all sat down on the grass,and discussed the wonderful affair.
"I shall spend most of my time here," said Dorothy; "it seems to bepublic property, and I like it better than any park I have ever seen."
"It's lovely," agreed Lilian; "I'd like to bring a book and sit here allday and read."
"But it's so funny," said Fairy; "it's a bridge, and it's a park, andit's a garden, and it's a front yard,--and yet all the time it's abridge."
"Well, let's go on," said Leicester. "I suppose it will keep, and we canwalk back over it. And if we don't get our marketing done, we'll be likethe old woman who didn't get home in time to make her apple-dumplings."
"If she had found this bridge," declared Dorothy, "she never would havegone home at all, and her story would never have been told."
But they all scrambled up and went on merrily towards the grocery store.
The store itself was a delight, as real country stores always are. Mr.Bill Hodges was a storekeeper of the affable type, and expressed greatinterest in his new customers.
He regaled them with ginger-snaps and thin slivers of cheese, which hecut off and proffered on the point of a huge shiny-bladed knife. Thisrefreshment was very acceptable, and when he supplemented it with aglass of milk all around, Dorothy was so grateful that she felt as ifshe ought to buy out his whole stock.
But putting on a most housewifely air, she showed Mr. Hodges her list ofneeds, and inquired if he could supply them.
"Bless your heart, yes," he replied. "Bill Hodges is the man to purvideyou with them things. Shall I send 'em to you?"
"Oh, can you?" said Dorothy. "I didn't know you delivered goods. I'd beglad if you would send the bag of flour and the potatoes, but most ofthe smaller things we can carry ourselves."
"Well I swan!" exclaimed Mr. Bill Hodges; "you're real bright, you air.How did ye come over? Walk?"
"No, sir," said Leicester. "We came in a rowboat; and then walked acrossthe Point and over the bridge. We think that bridge very wonderful."
"And very beautiful," added Lilian. "Who keeps it so nice?"
"And doesn't it ever fall down in the water?" asked Fairy; "or doesn'tthe mud wash off, or don't people fall off of it and get drownded? andhow do you cut the grass, a
nd how do you water the flowers? It's justlike a conservatorory!"
As Mr. Bill Hodges was something of a talker himself, he was surprisedto be outdone in his own line by the golden-haired stranger-child, who,apparently without effort, reeled off such a string of questions. But asthey referred to a subject dear to his heart he was delighted to answerthem.
"That bridge, my young friends, is my joy and delight. Nobody touchesthat bridge, to take care of it, but Bill Hodges,--that's me. I'm proudof that bridge, I am, and I don't know what I'd do, if I didn't have itto care for. I'm glad you like it; I ain't got nary chick nor child torun across it. So whenever you young folks feel like coming over to lookat it, I'll be pleased and proud to have ye; pleased and proud, that'swhat I'll be; so come early and come often, come one and come all."
"We'll bring our grandmother over to see it," said Dorothy, "just assoon as we can manage to do so."
"Do," said Mr. Hodges, heartily. "Bring her along, bring her along. Gladto welcome her, I'm sure. Now I'll go 'long and help you tote yourbundles to your boat. I don't have crowds of customers this time of day,and I can just as well go as not."
The kind-hearted old man filled a basket with their purchases, andtrudged along beside the children.
"Ain't it purty!" he exclaimed as they crossed the bridge. "Oh, _ain't_it purty?"
"It is," said Dorothy. "I don't wonder you love it."
"And there ain't another like it in the whole world," went on theprideful Hodges. "Of course there are floating bridges, but no-wheres isthere one as purty as this."
The children willingly agreed to this statement, and praised the bridgequite to the content of its owner.
"Fish much?" Mr. Hodges inquired casually of Leicester.
"Well, we haven't yet. You see we only arrived yesterday, and we're notfairly settled yet."
"Find plenty of fishin' tackle over to my place. Come along when you'reready, and Bill Hodges'll fit ye out. Pretty big proposition,--you kidsshakin' around in that great empty hotel."
"Yes, but we like it," said Leicester; "it just suits us, and we'regoing to have a fine time all summer."
"Hope ye will, hope ye will. There ain't been nobody livin' there nowfor two summers and I'm right down glad to have somebody into it."
"Why do you suppose they couldn't make it pay as a hotel?" askedDorothy.
"Well, it was most always the proprietor's fault. Yes, it was theproprietor's fault. Nice people would come up there to board, and thenHarding,--he was the last fellow that tried to run it,--he wouldn'ttreat 'em nice. He'd scrimp 'em, and purty nigh starve 'em. Ye can'tkeep boarders that way. And so of course the boarders kept leavin', andso the hotel got a bad name, and so nobody wants to try a hand at itagain."
When they reached the boat, Mr. Hodges stowed their basket away forthem, helped the children in and pushed the boat off.
With gay good-byes and promises to come soon again, the children rowedaway.
Leicester and Fairy took the oars this time, and Fairy's comicalsplashing about made fun for them all. She soon declared she had rowedenough for one day, but Leicester proved himself well able to get theboat across the lake without assistance.
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