by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XII.
LOUIS'S ADVENTURE.
On this evening, immediately after supper had been eaten and the disheswashed, Aunt Nancy announced that it would be necessary for her to callupon Mr. Daniel Chick.
"If I wait until morning his team may not be at home, and, besides, Iwant him to be ready to make an early start. We must be back by noon atthe latest."
"Why not let me go and tell him what you want?" Jack asked.
"Because you don't know where he lives, and then again it is necessaryto pass Mr. Dean's in order to reach his house. William might be athome, and who knows what would happen?"
Then Aunt Nancy made a hurried toilet, clothing herself in one of thosequaint costumes which Jack did not think at all becoming, and said, asshe entered the kitchen again,--
"You must promise not to step your foot out of doors while I am gone.Keep everything well locked, and if any one should happen to call don'tshow yourself without first learning who they are."
Jack agreed, and while the little woman was absent he rocked Louis tosleep, swept the floor until one would have said a broom ought to beashamed for going over such a cleanly surface with any idea ofcollecting dirt, and was in the "fore-room" with a lighted candleadmiring the crockery rooster when Aunt Nancy returned.
"It's me, Jack dear!" she cried as she knocked softly on the door, andwhen it was opened, entered with the air of one who has been successful.
"I got there just in time. He was going over to Henry Mitchell's to tellhim he'd haul gravel to-morrow; but of course he had rather go toTreat's, for the work isn't so hard on either himself or his horse. Nowwe must get to bed early, for I told him I wanted to start by sunrise atthe very latest."
"But, Aunt Nancy, you don't mean that I am to stay in the house with thedoors locked all the forenoon, do you? There are lots of things I coulddo; but it would be pretty warm if there wasn't any chance for air."
"I suppose you might have the doors open, provided you kept a sharpwatch on the road, and closed them again in case that Dean boy or hisassociates should come," the little woman replied thoughtfully.
"What shall I do?"
"You could clean the knives and forks, and wash all the best dishesthrough two waters. Be careful when you wipe them, Jack dear, for itwould be terrible if any should be broken."
After these arrangements had been made, Aunt Nancy remained silent ashort time to free her mind from worldly thoughts, and then came theevening devotions, when the little woman prayed earnestly for the "wearyand heavy laden," which Jack thought was a reference to herself and theexpected company.
It was yet dark next morning when a noise from the kitchen aroused thehunchback, and hurrying down he found Aunt Nancy busily engagedpreparing breakfast.
"Why, you must have stayed awake all night!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Indeed I wasn't so foolish as to do anything of the kind; but when Ihave work on hand I like to be about it, and goodness knows there'splenty for me to do between now and to-morrow night."
"Did you wake Louis?"
"No; let him sleep as long as he chooses. You can dress and give himsome bread and milk?"
"That part of it will be all right," Jack replied confidently, and thenhe prepared to astonish old crumple-horn by appearing before her whileit was yet so dark that she could hardly see the lunch of clover towhich she was accustomed during milking time.
Breakfast had been cooked, eaten, and the dishes washed before Mr.Daniel Chick and his venerable horse came up the lane.
Aunt Nancy was not only ready for the journey, but had begun to growimpatient because of the delay, when he reined up in front of the broadstone step as he said in a cheery tone, calculated to soothe any angryfeelings,--
"Well, I must say you're a master hand at gettin' up, Aunt Nancy. 'Pearslike as if you was allers on foot like a sparrer."
"I try to do what I have on hand in good season," was the rather sharpreply. "There would be less poor folks in this world if people didn'tdally round in such a shiftless manner."
Mr. Chick knew full well that this remark was aimed especially at him;but like a wise man he made no reply lest worse should follow, andturned the wheels of the wagon that the little woman might have notrouble in clambering on board.
Aunt Nancy stopped only long enough to give some parting advice to Jack.
"Be sure to keep a sharp watch on the road if you have the doors open,"she whispered, "and don't go out, even into the yard, unless it isabsolutely necessary, for nobody knows what may happen. When you washthe best dishes be careful, Jack dear, for I should feel very badly incase any were broken."
"I'll attend to it in great shape, Aunt Nancy."
"Don't give Louis too much milk at a time, the weather is so hot that itmight curdle on his stomach; and if I don't succeed in getting homeuntil afternoon, there is some cold meat and cake on the hanging shelfin the cellar. Don't go without a lunch; it is very unhealthy to workwhile you are hungry."
"Who's dallying now, Aunt Nancy?" Mr. Chick cried as he tried to preventhis horse from nibbling at the honeysuckle-bush.
"If you had come as you agreed I should have had plenty of time toattend to matters," was the sharp reply; and then with many injunctionsfor him to keep a firm hold on the reins, the little woman succeeded ingaining the rather shaky seat.
"Take good care of Louis!" she cried as the horse ambled slowly down thelane; and Jack re-entered the house feeling decidedly lonely at theprospect of being without Aunt Nancy for several hours.
In order to occupy his mind he set about the work laid out, and was soindustrious that before the baby made known the fact of being awake, theknives and forks had been cleaned.
Fully an hour was spent dressing and feeding Louis, after which he wasallowed to play on the kitchen floor while his crooked guardian washedthe "best dishes."
This was a task which required considerable time, and at eleven o'clockit was hardly more than half finished.
Then again Louis wanted milk, and when it had been given him he insistedupon being allowed to go out on the doorstep.
At first Jack was disposed to keep him in the house; but when he becamefretful, gave him his own way, as he said half to himself,--
"I don't s'pose there can be any harm in lettin' you stay here; but ifanything _should_ happen, Aunt Nancy would think I had been careless."
After that he kept a strict watch over the baby, going to the door everyfew moments, and on each occasion finding Louis playing contentedlywith a string of buttons the little woman had prepared for him.
The fact that he showed no disposition to leave the broad stone causedJack to have less care than usual, and this, coupled with the idea ofcleaning the most elaborate dishes, rendered him oblivious to the flightof time.
He was brought to a realization of what was passing around by hearingthe rumble of a carriage in the lane, and almost before he could reachthe door, Aunt Nancy was in the house, while Mr. Chick had driven awayat the full speed of his very slow horse.
"Did you get along all right, Jack dear?" the little woman asked, as shedeposited an armful of bundles on the table.
"Yes, indeed. You see there has been plenty of work, and it doesn't seemany time since you left."
"Where is the baby?"
"On the doorstep. He fussed to go out, an' I thought the fresh airwouldn't do him any harm."
"Which doorstep?"
"Why here, of course"; and Jack stepped forward only to give vent to acry of alarm an instant later. "He isn't here at all! Where do yousuppose he could have gone?"
Aunt Nancy was at the door before he ceased speaking, and gazed up anddown the yard in bewilderment, but without seeing any signs of themissing baby.
For an instant the two stood gazing at each other in perplexity, andthen Aunt Nancy asked sharply,--
"How long since you saw him?"
"It didn't seem many minutes before you came; but I s'pose it must havebeen, else he'd be 'round here now."
"Run
up to the barn and see if he is there!"
As she spoke the little woman went down the lane, returning just as Jackcame back.
"He isn't there," the latter said.
"Nor on the road. Of course he must be somewhere near, for childrencan't disappear entirely in such a mysterious fashion. Go up the laneand I'll look back of the barn."
"But then we shall be leaving the barn alone You stay here an' I'll dothe searchin'."
"It wouldn't make any difference if we left the house wide open for amonth, I couldn't stand still while that dear little baby is wanderingaround nobody knows where."
Jack understood that it would be useless to remonstrate, and started offat full speed.
Up to the entire length of the lane he ran without finding that forwhich he sought, and then back to the house where he was met by AuntNancy on whose wrinkled face was written fear and anguish.
She did not wait for him to tell her that the search had been in vain,but cried,--
"Go up through the field from the shed. There is a place where he mighthave gotten through the fence, and it would lead directly to the duckpond if he kept on in a straight line!"
There was a tone in her voice which told of the fear she had regardingthe possible ending of his adventures; and Jack, with a mental prayerthat he would find the little fellow before it was too late, ran acrossthe enclosure, Aunt Nancy going in the same direction, but at a slightangle.
The little woman's anxiety gave fleetness to her feet, and she travelledeven faster than Jack could.
Both called loudly from time to time, but without receiving any answer,and Jack's heart grew heavy as he thought of what might have happenedwhile he was in the house all unconscious of impending trouble.
As the two neared the pond the figure of a boy could be distinguishedamong the foliage of alders running at full speed toward the main road,and Jack shouted to Aunt Nancy,--
"There goes one of Bill Dean's gang. They know where Louis is."
This caused the little woman to redouble her cries, and a few secondslater two more boys could be dimly seen as they hurried away, keepingwell within the shelter of the bushes to avoid recognition.
There was no longer any question in Jack's mind but that he would soonfind the baby, nor was he mistaken.
On arriving in view of the pond both saw a rudely constructed raft offence rails at least ten yards from the shore, and on it, crowing andlaughing as if he was having the jolliest possible time sat Louis.
"How can we reach him?" Aunt Nancy cried, as she stood wringing herhands, while the big tears ran down her cheeks. "He will surely bedrowned, Jack! What is to be done?"
The hunchback had no thought of his own safety or discomfort as comparedwith that of rescuing the baby.
Without hesitation he ran into the pond, continuing on at risk of beingmired, until the water was above his waist, and the baby held out hishands to be taken.
Jack ran into the pond, until the water was above hiswaist, and the baby held out his hands to be taken.--Page 147.]
"Sit still Louis, sit still an' Jack will come to you!"
It was impossible to run very fast through the water; and to Aunt Nancy,who stood on the bank in helpless grief, it seemed as if the deformedlad hardly moved, so slow was his progress.
More than once did it appear as if the baby would attempt to leave theraft in order to meet his crooked guardian; but by dint of coaxing, Jacksucceeded in persuading him to remain seated until he gained his side.
Then he lifted the child in his arms, staggering ashore to where thelittle woman stood waiting to receive him, and the rescue wasaccomplished.
Aunt Nancy alternately laughed and cried as she pressed Louis closely toher bosom, and Jack stood silently by, wondering whether he was to bescolded for having so grossly neglected his charge.
It was several moments before she paid any attention to the older boy,and then it was to exclaim,--
"Mercy on us, Jack! I had entirely forgotten you! Run home as soon aspossible, or you will catch your death a cold!"
"A wettin' won't hurt me on a warm day like this. I'm used to suchthings."
"But you must change your clothes at once, and there's no other way butto put on one of my dresses again."
Jack gave no heed to this suggestion, or command, whichever it might becalled. He was trying to understand how the baby could have come so farwithout assistance, when Aunt Nancy said suddenly,--
"It doesn't take one loner to realize how the dear little fellow camehere. Those wicked boys must have found him near the shed, and broughthim to this place."
Several poles lying near by told how the raft was forced toward thecentre of the pond, and the fact that three fellows had been seenrunning through the bushes was sufficient proof, at least to Aunt Nancyand Jack, that Bill Dean and his friends had done the mischief.
"I should forget everything I ought to remember if I had that Dean boyhere this minute!" the little woman said angrily as she surveyed theevidences of the cruel work. "It is a burning shame that such as heshould be allowed among decent people!"
"We don't know for certain that it was Bill Dean," Jack suggested.
"Yes, we do, for there is no other boy in this town who does suchthings. I shall see his father again, and when I do it will be very hardwork to rule my spirit."
"It only makes them worse to complain."
"Then I will have him arrested!" And now Aunt Nancy spoke in such anangry tone that Jack did not venture to reply; but he knew from pastexperience that she would soon be sorry for having given way to hertemper.
Again the little woman spoke of Jack's condition as if she had notnoticed it before, and insisted on his coming home at once, although shecould not have supposed he wished to go anywhere else.
Louis apparently had no idea he had been exposed to danger, but laughedand pulled at the tiny ringlets either side Aunt Nancy's face until heranger vanished, and she said in a tone of penitence,--
"Really, Jack dear, I get frightened sometimes when I realize how wickedI am growing. I can't seem to control my temper in anything whichconcerns the baby, and goodness knows how it is all going to end. Ibegan by telling a lie, and now say terrible things on the slightestprovocation, though goodness knows this would have stirred up almostany one. You see I took the first step, which is the hardest, and nowfall before the least temptation."
"You oughtent talk that way, Aunt Nancy. If everybody was as good as youare, this would be an awful nice place to live in."
The little woman shook her head as if reproaching him for his words ofpraise, but did not continue the subject, because by this time they hadarrived at the house, and it was necessary she should get the garmentsJack had worn once before.
Again the hunchback received a ducking under the pump, and then went outto the barn to make his toilet.
"Come back as soon as you can, for I want to show you what I bought, andbetween us we must decide what we shall have for supper to-morrow."
When Jack returned to the house, Aunt Nancy had her purchases arrangedon the table that he might see them to the best advantage, and then camethe discussion of what was a very important matter in the little woman'smind.
"I bought citron so as to make that kind of cake if you think it wouldbe nicer than sponge, though I have always been very fortunate in makingsponge cake, and that is a good deal more than most people can say."
"Why not have both kinds?"
"I declare I never thought of that. It is the very thing, and I'll beginat once while you finish the dishes. This time we'll see if between bothof us we can't keep Louis away from those wicked boys. I got a nice ham,for that is always good cold, and I engaged two chickens from DanielChick. Had we better have them roasted or boiled?"
"I thought this was to be only a supper."
"That's what it is; but it would never do to have but one kind of coldmeat. Why, if you'll believe me, Mrs. Souders had chicken, ham, andtongue, to say nothing of soused pig's feet."
"Your
supper'll be better'n hers if you make plenty of hot biscuit."
"I shall surely do that, and have loaf bread besides. I wonder if youcouldn't wait on the table?"
"Of course I can. That was what I did on board the 'Atlanta.'"
"Then we shall get along famously. Now help me clear off one end of thistable, and I'll begin work."
The little woman at once set about the task of preparing food for themembers of the sewing circle, and nothing was done without first askingJack's advice.