The Curlytops on Star Island; Or, Camping out with Grandpa

by Howard Roger Garis

  CHAPTER X

  THE GRAPEVINE SWING

  Wondering what had happened to her brother, Jan hurried on toward theplace from which his voice came. It sounded more than ever as if he weredown a cellar.

  "But there can't be any cellars in these woods," thought the littlegirl.

  "Where are you, Teddy?" she called after a bit. "I can't see you!"

  "Here I am, right behind you!" was the answer, and Jan, turning quickly,saw the head of her brother sticking up out of a hole in the ground.

  "Oh! Oh!" exclaimed Ted's sister. "Where's the rest of you? Where's yourlegs and your feet?"

  "Down in the hole," explained Teddy. "I'm in the cave. I fell in. That'show I found it."

  "Is it a real cave?" asked Janet.

  "It is. It goes away back under the ground, only I didn't go in 'causeit's so dark. I'm going to get a light and see what's there."

  "I'm not!" said Jan, very decidedly.

  "Well, then I'll get grandpa. Maybe this is the cave where the trampslive. Come and look where I am. You won't fall in."

  "How did you find it?" asked Janet, as she walked toward the hole, downin which Teddy was standing. It was a little way from the path the twoCurlytops had walked along through the woods--the path leading from thespring.

  "I just fell in it, I told you," Ted answered. "I was walking along,and, all at once, I slipped down through the dried leaves. First Ithought I was going down in a big hole, but it isn't over my head and alot of leaves went down with me, so I didn't get jounced hardly at all."

  Jan went to the edge and looked down in the hole. It seemed to be alarge one in between two big rocks, and Ted showed her where the holeslanted downward and went farther underground. It was dark there, andJan made up her mind she would never go into it, even if Ted did.

  "You'd better come up," she said at last. "Maybe mother wouldn't likeit. Besides, there might be snakes down in there."

  "Oh! I didn't think about them!" exclaimed Ted, and he tried to scrambleup, but it was not so easy as he had hoped. He was a little excited,too, since Janet had spoken of snakes. Teddy did not like them, and theymight be in among the leaves that had fallen down into the hole withhim.

  "Can't you get up?" Jan asked, when her brother had slipped back two orthree times.

  "Maybe I could if you'd let me take hold of your hand," suggested Teddy.

  "Then you'd pull me in, and we'd both be down there."

  Ted saw that this was so. He tried again to get out, but could not, formixed with the leaves were many dry, brown pine needles from the treesgrowing overhead; and if you have ever been in the woods you know howslippery pine needles are when the ground is covered with them. Teddyslipped back again and again.

  "Oh, Ted! can't you _ever_ get up?" asked Janet, almost ready to cry.

  "Oh. I'll get out somehow," he said. Then dangling down from a treebehind his sister, he saw a long wild grapevine, which was almost likea piece of rope.

  "If I had hold of that I could pull myself out," Teddy said. "See if youcan reach it to me, Jan."

  After two or three trials his sister did this. Then, holding to a looseend of the grapevine while the other end was twined fast round a tree,Teddy pulled himself out of the hole. Once on firm ground he made theloose end of the grapevine fast to a stone that lay near the edge of thehole.

  "What made you do that?" asked Janet.

  "So the next time I get down there I can pull myself out," Teddyanswered.

  "Are you going down there again?" Jan queried.

  "Course I am!" declared Ted. "I didn't half look in the cave. It's a bigplace. I could see in only a little way, 'cause it was so dark. I'mgoin' to tell grandpa and have him bring a lantern."

  Grandpa Martin was surprised when Ted and Jan told him what they hadfound in the woods.

  "I didn't suppose there was a cave on the island," said the farmer. "Imust have a look at it."

  "And may I come? And will you take a lantern?" asked Teddy eagerly.

  "Well, yes, I guess so," said grandpa slowly.

  "Oh, Father, do you think it is safe?" asked Mrs. Martin.

  "Yes, I think so. I won't go very far in with the children. It may beonly the den of a fox or some small animal, and not a real cave."

  "I think it's a big cave," declared Ted. "Come on, Grandpa."

  "Me come!" cried Trouble, as the two Curlytops set off with GrandpaMartin through the woods, toward the place where Teddy had fallen downwith the pile of leaves. "Me come!"

  "No, you stay with me," laughed Mother Martin, catching him up in herarms. Trouble did not want to stay behind, not having been with hisbrother and sister of late as much as he wished. "We'll bake apatty-cake!" Mrs. Martin added, and then Trouble laughed, for he likedto help Nora bake. That is, he thought he helped. And at least he helpedto eat what Nora took out of the oven.

  "Now show me where the cave is," said Grandpa Martin to Ted, as theyneared the place. "But be careful not to fall into it again."

  "Oh, I've got a grapevine rope so I can pull myself out," said Jan'sbrother. "Here it is, over this way."

  Teddy Martin was an observing little fellow. He could find his wayaround in the woods very well, once he had been to a place, and he didnot go wrong this time. He led his grandfather right to the entrance ofthe cave.

  And it proved to be a real cave. Grandpa Martin found this out when hejumped down into the place where Teddy had fallen, and when the lanternhad been lighted and flashed into the dark hole.

  "Yes, it's a cave all right," the children's grandfather said. "And tothink the many times I've been on this island I never found it! Well,I'll go in a little way."

  "Can't I come?" asked Ted, as he saw his grandfather start into the darkhole which spread out from the open place into which Ted had fallen.

  "I'm not coming," declared Janet, "and I don't want to stay here allalone."

  "You stay there with your sister, Curlytop," directed Mr. Martin. "If Ifind out it's all right and is safe, I'll come back and take you both ina little way."

  Grandpa Martin walked into the dark hole, his lantern flickering like afirefly at night. The Curlytops watched it until they could no longersee the gleam. Then they waited expectantly.

  "Maybe somethin'll grab grandpa," said Jan, after a bit.

  "What?" asked Ted.

  "A fox--or somethin'!"

  "Pooh, he isn't afraid of a fox!"

  "Well, a bear, maybe!"

  "There isn't any bears here, Janet Martin! I'm not afraid."

  Perhaps Ted said this because, just then, he saw his grandfather comingout of the cave. The farmer had not been gone very long.

  "Is it a cave?" called Ted.

  "A sure-enough one?" added his sister.

  "Yes, it's a sure-enough cave. But there's nothing in it."

  "No wild animals?" Jan demanded.

  "Not even a mouse, as far as I could see," laughed Mr. Martin. "But someone had been in the cave eating his lunch."

  "Maybe there was a picnic, Grandpa," suggested Ted.

  "No, I think only one or two persons were in the big hole," said hisgrandfather. "For it _is_ a big hole, larger than I thought it was. Icould stand up straight once I was inside."

  "Take us in!" begged Ted.

  "Yes, I think it will be all right. Come along, Jan. I'll hold yourhand, and there isn't anything of which to be afraid. Come on!"

  So Janet and Teddy went into the cave. By the light of grandpa's lanternthey could see that it was a large place, a regular underground house--acave just like those of which they had read in fairy stories.

  "And was there somebody here, really?" asked Ted eagerly.

  "Yes," answered his grandfather. "See. Here are bits of bread scatteredabout, and papers in which some one brought his lunch here."

  "Maybe it was the tramps," whispered Janet.

  "Maybe," agreed Mr. Martin. "I must have another look over the island."

  There was not much else in the cave that they could see with the one
lantern. Grandpa Martin wanted to look about more, and back in the farcorners, but he did not like to take the children along, and Jan heldtightly to his hand as if she feared she would lose him.

  "I'll come here alone some other time, and see what I can find," thoughtGrandpa Martin to himself, as they came out.

  "I don't like it in there," said Jan, once they were again out in thesunshine. "I don't like caves."

  "I do," declared Ted. "When Hal Chester comes to visit me, as he said hewould, he and I will look all through this cave."

  "Is Hal coming?" asked Jan, remembering the boy, once lame but nowcured, who had played with them and told them about Princess Blue Eyes.

  "Yes, mother asked him to come and spend a week, and he said he would.We'll have some fun in the cave."

  "What do you suppose the big hole can be?" asked Mrs. Martin, whenGrandpa Martin and the children reached camp after their visit to thestrange place.

  "I don't know," he answered. "It doesn't seem to have been dug withpicks and shovels. It's just a natural cave I guess, and some fishermenmay have eaten their lunch there one day when it rained. But there is noone in it now."

  Ted and Jan talked much about the cave the rest of that day. They wentfor a ride in the wagon drawn by Nicknack, taking Trouble with them. Ontheir way back Jan said:

  "Oh, I wish I had a swing."

  "It would be fun," agreed Ted. "Maybe I can make one."

  "You'll have to get a rope," said his sister. "Grandpa is going to rowover in the boat to-morrow. Ask him to bring us one."

  "No, he don't need to bring us a rope," went on her brother.

  "Why not?"

  "'Cause I can get a rope in the woods."

  "A rope in the woods? Oh, Teddy Martin, you can not! Ropes don't grow ontrees."

  "The kind I mean does," answered Ted with a laugh. "Wait and I'll showyou."

  When Nicknack had been put in the new stable which Grandpa Martin hadbuilt for him, Teddy, followed by Jan and Trouble, walked a little wayinto the woods. Ted carried with him a piece of old carpet.

  "What's that for?" his sister asked.

  "For a swing board," he answered.

  "But where's the swing rope?"

  "Here!" cried Ted suddenly. He pointed to a long wild grapevine, whichhung dangling between two trees, around which it was twined. The vinewas a very long one, and as thick around as the piece Teddy had used topull himself out of the hole near the cave. It did seem like a regularswing.

  "Well--maybe," murmured Jan.

  "Now we can have some fun!" cried Ted. He folded the piece of carpet andlaid it over the grapevine. Then he sat down, gave a push on the groundwith his feet, and away he swung as nicely as though he was in a regularswing, made with a rope from the store.

  "Oh, how nice!" cried Janet. "Let me try it, Teddy."

  "Wait till I see if it's strong enough."

  He swung back and forward several more times and then let his sister tryit. She, too, swayed to and fro in the grapevine swing, which was in ashady place in the woods. Then Trouble, who had seen what was going on,cried:

  "I want to swing, too! I want to swing!"

  "I'll take you on my lap," offered Janet, and this she did.

  "I'll push you," offered Teddy, and he gave his sister and his babybrother a long push in the grapevine swing.

  But, just as they were going nicely and Trouble was laughing in delight,there was a sudden cracking sound and Janet cried:

  "Oh, I'm falling! I'm falling! The swing is coming down!"

  And that is just what happened.