CHAPTER IV.
HUNGRY FISHES.
IT was about two o'clock when Bessie, basket in hand, started to go onthe nutting excursion which Nelly and Martin had planned for that day.
She scarcely liked to be absent long, for she knew her mother was notquite as well as usual, and then, too, the water-cresses were to begathered and prepared for the next day's market. At all events she madeup her mind to get home early, long before the sun should set.
It was but a short walk of a half mile to Nelly's home; Martin andNelly were ready, so that no time was consumed in waiting.
It was even a more beautiful day than the one on which the previousnutting had taken place. The woods were brighter colored than ever,and the golden autumn mist seemed to cover every thing with beauty. Ithung in wreaths around the tops of the high trees, and swayed softlyback and forth when the breeze stirred it. The boats on the river couldscarcely be discerned through it, and the opposite shores were entirelyhidden.
"This is Dolly's _well_ day," said Bessie, "I asked her father and hetold me so."
"Martin says you are going to sell him some water-cresses," said Nelly;"at least, I suppose he was the one; did you?"
"Yes," said Bessie; "that is, he sold them _for_ me, which is the samething you know. He brought me three _big_ pieces of money for them atnoon, and I put 'em in a nut-shell and shut 'em up."
"A nut-shell?" repeated Martin, "that is a funny bank, I think."
"It's a safe one," said Bessie, "and it will not break and keep themoney like some of those I have heard of in town. Just look at thosebitter-sweets, Nell, aren't they bright?"
"I mean to get some," cried Nelly, as she paused to admire the redsprays of the berries that grew at the side of the short-cut path theywere pursuing. "I will take them home to mother to put in her winterbouquets of dried grasses, that stand on the parlor mantle-shelf. Theywill enliven them and make them much handsomer."
"Why not wait till we return?" said Martin; "you will have all thetrouble of carrying them to the woods and back again, and perhaps losethem by the way."
"I know too much for that," said Nelly, laughing; "we may not comeback by this road, and then I should not get them at all. Last week Ilost some in the same way: I went out walking with Miss Milly over themountains, and we came to some beauties near Mulligan's little shanty.We thought to save ourselves trouble by leaving them till we returned.Something or other tempted us to strike into another path when we cameback, so that our bitter-sweets are on the top of the mountain yet."
"No," said Bessie, "I don't think they are. Did they grow over a bigrock, and were there plenty of sumach bushes between them and the path?"
"Yes," said Nelly, beginning to pull down the rich clusters of thebitter-sweets, and breaking them off, one by one.
"Well," said Bessie, making a deep, mock courtesy, "I have the pleasureof having those berries in my own bedroom at this blessed minute. Iwent to Mulligan's on an errand of mother's, a few days ago, and Ibrought them down the mountain with me."
"Her loss was your gain, wasn't it?" said Martin, as he aided Nelly togather the berries.
"I'll help too," said Bessie, "for I'm in a _dreadful_ hurry to getback, Nelly. I have all my cresses to pick for market," and she toobroke off the bunches and laid them carefully in Nelly's basket.
"What!" said Nelly, "_more_ cresses, Bessie?"
"Yes," said Bessie, giving a joyful hop, and, as her mother called it,cutting a caper; "and that isn't all, for Dolly's father wants lots andlots _and_ lots more of 'em! Come, I guess you have plenty now, let'sgo on."
Nelly consented to do so, but first Martin took out of his pocket ahandful of tangled twine, and with a piece of it tied the bitter-sweetberries together by the stems, and suspended them in a bunch from herapron strings, so that her basket might be ready for the nuts.
Martin was a farm boy who worked at Nelly's father's place. He wasa good, steady lad, and the two girls liked very much to have hiscompany in their excursions. It was not often, however, that he couldbe spared, and the present occasion was, therefore, quite a holiday inhis estimation.
"Martin told the girls that if they would placethemselves with him on an old trunk of a tree, they would probably findit to be a better position from which to throw their lines."--p. 93.]
When the children reached the little house near the wood, they weresurprised to see Dolly standing in the gateway quite equipped for theramble. She had a large basket on her arm, and a long hickory stick inher hands. Nelly introduced Martin, who stood a little aloof when thegirls first met, and then Dolly asked them if they would not all comein and rest, but the children thought that it was best not to do so.Hearing voices, the farmer came to the door of the farm house to seethem off. He looked pleased to find Dolly with the little girls.
"That's right," he said, "I'm glad to have my Dolly tramping about likeother folks' children. It will do her good. But don't stay late: thedamp of the evening is very unwholesome for the nager."
"Oh, we are coming back long before night, sir," said Bessie,cheerfully, "'cause I've got all my cresses to pick for to-morrow.Mother and I are _so_ much obliged to you, I can't really _tell_ howmuch!"
"Quite welcome, quite welcome," said Mr. Dart; "I'll be on the look-outfor another basket to-morrow then."
As the four children walked briskly along the path through the woods,Nelly looked with some curiosity at Dolly's stick. She could notimagine for what purpose it was intended. It was not very stout, norapparently very heavy; at the upper end it was a little curved. Dollyseemed to use it for a staff, and several times helped herself oversome rough and stony places with it. When the walking was good shecarried it carelessly over her shoulder, with her basket swinging atthe crooked end.
A short time brought the party to the place where they had foundso many nuts only a day or two before. Much to their surprise andmortification the trees which were lately so loaded, were nowperfectly bare. Some one had evidently been there during the time thatintervened, and had carried away the prize. There were several largepiles of the outer shells scattered about on the ground, but that wasall.
"What shall we do," asked Bessie, mournfully; "I don't think we canfind another such spot as this was in the whole woods. This clump oftrees was as full as it could be only the day before yesterday."
Dolly took her stick and poked among the branches to see if anyremained. She found about half a dozen, which she knocked down and putin her basket.
"Now I know," said Nelly, "what Dolly brought that pole for,--to knockdown the nuts."
"Yes," said Dolly, surveying the stick in question with some pride,"it is splendid for that. I call it my cherry-tree hook, and I use itin cherry time to pull the branches towards me. But come, we must pushon and seek our fortunes. Haven't an _idee_ of goin' home without mybasket full."
"I give up, for one," said Bessie, despondently, "I don't think we canfind a thick place again."
"Never mind, Bessie," said Martin, with good-nature, "we'll find a_thin_ one then. We'll do the best we can, you may be sure. Come,girls, I'll lead the way. Let us follow this little footpath and seewhere it will take us."
He spoke in an encouraging tone, and suiting the action to the word,walked on ahead. The girls followed him in silence. The underbrushthrough which the path led was very thick and high, and for a shortdistance nothing could be discerned on either side. The thorns caughtinto the clothing of the little party, and they found this by nomeans an added pleasure. It was not long, however, before the trackbroadened into a wide, open space, something similar to the one theyhad just quitted, dotted here and there with trees, but, as fortunewould have it, none of them were nut trees. They were on the point ofpenetrating still further towards the heart of the wood, when a loudrustling among the dead branches and dried leaves of the path made thechildren turn to discover what was the matter.
A joyful barking followed, and a rough-looking dog bounded out, andbegan prancing about and leaping upon Dolly.
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sp; "Oh, it's only our old Tiger," she exclaimed; "down, Tige, down, sir!"
But Tiger was so delighted at having succeeded in finding his youngmistress, that he did not cease indulging in his various uncouthgambols, until Dolly, stamping her foot and assuming an air of greatseverity, bade him _be quiet_, or she would send him immediately home.Tiger seemed to understand the threat, for he stopped barking andinstantly darted several hundred feet in advance of the party.
"He does that so that I cannot make him go back," cried Dolly, laughingat the sagacity of her favorite; "I never tell him I will send himhome, but that he runs ahead so as to make it impossible for me to doas I say."
They continued their wanderings for some distance further, but withvery poor success.
"I'll tell you what we can do," said Martin, with a laugh, asexclamations of vexation and disappointment were heard from the girls;"let's turn our nutting into a fishing excursion. Wouldn't it be niceif we should each go home with a string of fish?"
"Fish!" cried Nelly, "what _do_ you mean, Martin?"
"I never heard of anybody catchin' fish in the woods!" said Dolly."There isn't a drop of water nearer than the pond the other side ofMorrison's hill."
"Well," said Martin, "I know there is not, but that is not so very faroff. I was just thinking of the shortest way to get there."
"I know every inch of the country," said Dolly, firmly, "and I'm _sure_Morrison's pond is at least a good two mile from here."
"Oh, we can't walk _that_, Martin," cried Bessie; "we should all betired, and get home after dark besides."
"Now," said Martin, smiling, "I do not wish to contradict anybody, butI am acquainted with a path, a rather rough one to be sure, that willbring us, in about twenty minutes, to the edge of the pond. You know itis not as far away as people think, the crooked, winding road making itappear a long way off, when in reality it lies in a straight line onlyabout half a mile from the village."
"But if we conclude to go, we can't _fish_," said Dolly.
"Why not?" quietly asked Martin.
"We haven't a line or a hook among us," put forth Nelly, "at least I amsure _I_ haven't."
"Well _I_ have," replied Martin, "provided you will not despise bentpins for hooks, pieces of the twine that is left of that I tied yourbitter-sweet berries with for lines, a hickory stick like Dolly's fora rod, and earth worms for bait. There now, haven't I furnished thewhole party with tackle? Come, don't let us go home without having_something_ to take with us."
Dolly sat down on the stump of a tree and began to laugh.
"The idee," she said, "of going nutting and bringing home _fish_. Well,I'm willing, for one, if it's only to find out the path. I thought Iknew all the ins and outs around here."
"And I'd like to go too," said Nelly.
"I should _like_ to go well enough," added Bessie, "if it wasn't thatI feel sure the extra walk will just bring me home too late for mycresses. Mother is sick, too, and she cannot be left alone very long;and Dolly, you know your father said you must not stay out late."
"Yes," said Dolly, "I know he did, and I don't mean to disobey, but itcan't be very late _yet_; I should think not more than half past three."
Martin looked up at the sun and then down to the shadows on the ground.
"No," said he, "it is not more than half past three. I am in the habitof telling time by the sun, and I know it is not later than that. Come,Bessie, three to one is the way the case stands. I guess you will behome time enough."
Bessie stood irresolute. She wished to go fishing, and she wished toreturn home. It was hard to choose. At last she said,
"It will be four at least when I get back. I must go."
"Then you break up the party," said Nelly, in a dissatisfied tone.
"And you spoil the pleasure," added Dolly, leaning on her stick andlooking at Bessie.
"And you send us all home with empty baskets when we might each have astring of fish," continued Martin. "_Do_ stay!"
The children surrounded Bessie, and tried to persuade her. At lengthshe ceased to resist. She endeavored to assure herself that she wasacting right, but she felt uneasy as she did so, and the picture ofher mother, lying so long alone in her sick room, rose up to her mind.Still the temptation was before her, and she yielded to it. The truthwas, that Bessie had great confidence in Martin, and when he said thathe thought there was plenty of time, she reasoned with herself thathe was a great deal older than she was, and probably knew best; so sheconsented to join the fishing party. The moment she said "yes," Martinexclaimed,
"This way then; follow me, all of you, and we will soon reach theshort-cut track. It is about here somewhere. Let us hurry so as to loseno time."
The path was speedily found as he had said, and the children walked asrapidly after him as the rough stones which lay in the way, and theprojecting branches of blackberry bushes would permit.
When they reached the pond, Martin took out the pocket knife which heusually carried about him, and cut down four slender young trees whichhe found growing between the pond and the public wagon-road at itsside. He gave these to Nelly and asked her if she would tie the stringssecurely fast to the smallest ends, while he and Bessie overturnedstones in search of worms, and Dolly bent the points of the pins so asto resemble hooks.
"Why will not my staff do for a pole?" asked Dolly, as she hammered atthe pins with a large pebble; "you said it would, Martin."
"That was before I saw these little trees," replied Martin. "The momentI came upon them, growing here in a group among the bushes, I knew theywere just the things I wanted. They are thin and tapering, and yourstick is not."
"What difference does that make?" said Dolly; "a pole is only for thepurpose of casting the line out a good distance into the water, isn'tit?"
"That is one use for it," said Martin, "but not all. If a pole isproperly proportioned, that is, if it is the right size at the handle,and tapers gradually to the point, the fisherman can feel the leastnibble, and know the exact moment when to draw up the line. If he couldnot feel the movement, the fish might, in the struggles occasioned byhis pain, carry off bait and hook too."
"In our case that wouldn't be a great loss," laughed Dolly, and sheheld up the pins, neatly bent into shape.
"Martin," said Bessie, in a low voice, as she stooped to raise a stoneat his side, "I guess I don't care to fish, after all."
Martin saw something was amiss. Instead of giving utterance to a rudeexclamation, or calling the attention of the others, he said in a kindtone,
"Why, Bessie, what is the matter now? Don't you feel right?"
Bessie shook her head. Martin saw there were tears in her eyes.
"I am sorry I coaxed you," he said. "I feel now as if I had not behavedas I ought."
"I never _did_ like to go fishing," said Bessie; "it _hurts_ me to seethe poor little things pant and flounder when they are brought up.The moment I heard you speak of their struggling with the pain, I wassorrier than ever that I had come, and that made me think of mother,staying home alone with _her_ pain. I do believe I ought to go back atonce."
"But you cannot find the way," said Martin; "you have never been herebefore."
"That is true," said Bessie, sighing. "Well, I do not wish to be aspoil-pleasure. Don't mind me, then, but you and the others begin yourfishing, and if I see a wagon come by on the road that is going ourway, I can jump in. I need not stop your sport if I do that."
Martin looked perplexed.
"I hardly like you to try it," he said, "and yet I do not wish you tostay against your will."
"Well," said Bessie, "I don't like to act _mean_, Martin. Go on fishingfor a little while, at all events. I can wait half an hour or so, Isuppose."
Nelly now called to Martin that the lines were ready, for Dolly hadjust finished tying on the last pin. He gathered up the bait he hadfound beneath the stones, and went towards the two other girls. Hethought, on consideration, that he might fish for a short time, whilewaiting to see if a wagon approached on the road.
If none did so withinthe allotted half hour, he made up his mind to go home. He blamedhimself now for having changed the destination of the party.
"Here's my line," cried Dolly, holding it out at the end of her pole,"and now all that I and the fishes wait for is a worm."
Martin fastened one on Dolly's pin, one on Nelly's likewise, and one onthe line he intended for himself.
"Come, Bessie," said Nelly, as she flung her line into the water, "cometry _your_ luck."
"Bessie does not care about fishing," said Martin kindly, "do not pressher if she does not wish it."
The pond was well stocked with a variety of small fishes, many ofwhich were considered good eating by the farmers in the neighborhood.As scarcely any one ever took the trouble, however, to go after them,they were hardly acquainted with hooks or lines, and they were,consequently, all the more easily caught. Martin said he had never seensuch hungry fishes before. They snapped at the bait the moment it waslowered to them, oftentimes carrying it entirely off, hook and all.
Once, and the children could scarcely believe it when they saw it, afish called a bull-head leaped at least an inch above the water andtried to swallow the end of Dolly's line, which she was in the act ofraising, to replace the pin and worm which some of his greedy kindredhad just taken away.
Martin told the girls that if they would place themselves with himon an old trunk of a tree that apparently had fallen years beforeinto the edge of the pond, they would probably find it to be a betterposition from which to throw their lines than the shore on which theyhad stood at first. "For," said he, "the larger fish do not like toventure into such shallow water." The trunk, however, was covered withmoist moss, which made it very slippery, and Nelly came so near losingher balance and falling in, as she walked up it, that she concludedto remain where she was. Martin and Dolly did not meet with the samedifficulty, however, and very soon they discovered that the nibbleswere far more frequent than before. Martin kept a twig on which heslipped the fish as soon as caught, and then hung it on a branch ofthe moss-covered trunk. Bessie had begun to look on the proceedingswith interest, feeling almost as sorry as her companions as a ravenousbull-head occasionally carried off the hooks, when she heard a noiseon the road as of wheels. She ran to the bushes which, divided it fromthe pond, and putting her little face through, saw that the miller wholived in the village was passing with three or four large sacks ofmeal in a wagon drawn by a pair of horses. He was going the wrong way,but the thought occurred to her to stop him and ask how long it wouldbe before he should return, and if he should do so by the same road.The miller was a stout, good-natured looking man, with an old hat andcoat as white as his meal bags. He seemed astonished enough at seeingBessie's head pop so suddenly out of the bushes in that lonely place.
"Why, Bessie," said he, laughing, "if I hadn't been as bold as a lion,perhaps I might have mistaken you for a mermaid that had just sprungout of the pond to have a little private conversation with me. Yes,I shall come back by this road. I have got to deliver my meal at thefirst house on the left, and then I turn towards home again. Is thatyour party that I catch a glimpse of on the pond?"
"Yes," said Bessie, "they're fishing. You wouldn't mind giving us aride as far as you go, Mr. Watson, would you?"
Mr. Watson laughed, and said no he wouldn't, and telling her he shouldreturn in fifteen minutes, he drove on. Bessie hurried back to thechildren and related her news. She was careful not to be so selfish asto ask them to leave the pond to go with her, but she told them fortheir own benefit that the miller was willing to take the whole party.Enticing as the fishing was, the two girls were now far too tired todesire to walk home when they could ride very nearly all the way.Martin for his part would have liked to remain longer, but he saw thatit would be ungenerous to refuse to accompany them, even if it had beenearly enough to do so, which it was not, for already the day was onthe wane. So it was decided to leave the pond.
Martin put Dolly's share of the fishes on a separate twig, and veryproud she was of them. She said she should fry them for her father'sbreakfast the next morning, before he started for market. The fishingpoles were left lying near the old tree.
When the miller drove up to the place where Bessie had hailed him, hefound the children awaiting him. Dolly and Martin, fish in hand, Nellycarrying her bitter-sweet berries, and Bessie with an empty basket, buta light heart at the thought that now she should reach home in goodseason to gather the cresses.
Little Bessie, the Careless Girl, or, Squirrels, Nuts, and Water-Cresses Page 4