Dorothy Dale's Camping Days Page 8

  CHAPTER VII

  CAMP C.C.

  "There is not another train out this evening," Cologne was tellingDorothy. "Wasn't it perfectly dreadful for her to leave you!"

  "I expected something like that to happen from the start," Dorothyreplied. "Tavia has a faculty for missing trains. I wonder what shewill do?"

  "There is just a chance that she may be able to make the way train,and switch off at the Junction, then, if she is lucky, she may flagthe shore train and get to this spot about midnight. But what wouldshe do then? Better stay out in civilization until daylight."

  "I feel dreadfully, Rose-Mary, that she should give you so muchtrouble. I sometimes think Tavia ought to be----"

  "Spanked," finished the girl, with a smile. "Well, with all her faultswe love her still," and she tightened her hands on the horse reins."Let us hope she will be more fortunate than we anticipate."

  "Isn't this lovely!" exclaimed Dorothy, as they started over the hillin the depot wagon. "These are real Maine woods, aren't they?"

  "Not the big-game kind. Those are farther out. But wait until you seeour camp. Then you may say lovely!"

  "And your camping suit," went on Dorothy. "Surely I may say lovely tothat. It is perfectly splendid, and your cap is so becoming!"

  "Think so? Yes, I like the cap, and it's handy. I've got one for youand one for Tavia--if she ever gets here to claim it," and Colognehanded the cap to Dorothy for close inspection. It was a jaunty blueaffair with the letters "C.C." in gilt. These, Cologne explained,might stand for anything, but they mostly stood for Camp Cologne, orCamp Cozy, or Camp Clamor, although some of the members wanted it CampCapital, Cologne said.

  "We will end up by making it 'See See,'" declared Dorothy, "for itdoes seem one or other of us is constantly calling upon some one elseto see something--there is lots to see."

  A party of other campers came trooping along the shady roadway.Cologne knew them, and hailed them pleasantly.

  "They are our neighbors," she said, "and they have the nicestbrothers! I just want you to meet Teddy--he is too funny!"

  "Don't you think that variety would suit Tavia better than me?" askedDorothy. "I thought you always picked out the real good kind for me,the sort that wear collars all summer," and Dorothy laughed at theidea, for the day was warm, and the thought of a stiff collar wasrather incongruous.

  "Well, he must be nice, at any rate," replied Cologne, as they turnedinto a lane, a short cut over the woodland. "But, say, Dorothy, do youknow I believe that fellow--the one who rode the farmer's horse--isout this way? I saw some one who had that same queer gait, and whowore his hat on the side of his head, and I am almost sure it was he.I was not near enough to see his face, but there is something socharacteristic about his swing, I am sure I could not be mistaken. DidTavia tell you anything about the letter?"

  "No," replied Dorothy slowly, "but I do hope he is not going to spoilour camping days. I should never feel safe with him loitering aboutthe woods. What could fetch him away out here?"

  "Well, this is a great rendezvous for swell invalids and naturelovers," Cologne told her, "and of course, it may be a merecoincidence. I even might be mistaken."

  "Let us hope you are," said Dorothy fervently. "I would not mind somuch--but Tavia--Oh well, you know how queer she is."

  "Yes, indeed I do, but never mind, Doro, we are going to have the timeof our lives this summer, and we must not go into the missionarybusiness for it's awfully wearing."

  "It's quite a long drive out here, isn't it? I shouldn't think youwould often take it after dark?"

  "Oh, we never do, unless we have a whole party and go merry-making.But this evening I fear we will have to go for Tavia. Isn't it tooprovoking? It spoils my plans for to-night."

  "I wonder what ever could have kept her? She had five minutes, and Iwarned her."

  "Likely she saw something interesting, and determined to make thosefive minutes grow into ten. She has no respect for time, I know that,and as for the railroads, why it would tickle her to miss a train andmake trouble for the next one."

  "Oh, there are the tents! I see the white specks over that way. Andthere is the little lake!" exclaimed Dorothy.

  "Yes, we are getting there. Come on, hurry up Jeff" (this to thehorse), "we must get home by five and we have only three minutes. Ipromised mother to be back at five, and punctuality is an unbreakablerule of our camp. We made it so because we have always found thattardiness is the ruination of all good summers; even camp life musthave rules," and Cologne urged the steed to a little faster gait.

  "Is this your own horse?" asked Dorothy.

  "No, but we have him for the summer. Mother insisted on us having areal old timer--safer, she thinks."

  "And he knows all the roads, that's something," added Dorothy. "If weshould get lost he could find our way home for us."

  "Indeed, he could. I often give him the lines, and he goes along tothe post office, and back again, without the slightest prompting. Herewe are!"

  Cologne drew up, not in front of a canvas tent, but beside a fine oldbarn.

  "Is that the--tent--the camp?" asked Dorothy.

  "Yes, but just wait until you see how we have it settled. There'smother," as Mrs. Markin appeared at the door and extended the mostcordial welcome to Dorothy.

  Swinging aside the great old-fashioned door, that opened in two parts,Cologne ushered Dorothy into the camp.

  "Oh, how perfectly splendid!"

  It was like a picture from an art magazine. The real rafters--noboxed-shaped beams set up like an uncovered porch roof--but rafters,that hung down low, fragrant with the scent of hickory, soft in tint,and brown with the polish and glow of years. Then the big field stonefire-place, with the "side walk" all around it, and the pieces of ragcarpet!

  "I have never seen anything so perfectly splendid!" chimed Dorothy,"how ever did you find such a camp?"

  "The mater's idea," replied Cologne, enthused with Dorothy's delight."There used to be a big house on this farm, but it was burned down.Mother knew the place and we got it. Isn't it a perfect mansion? Materwould not hear of us sleeping in the open--says tents fly away in thenight. Let me show you the whole house."

  The first floor--for there was a loft--was laid out in a living room,with many luxuries even to a hired, old-fashioned, square piano; thechairs, Cologne explained, had been bought at a second-hand shop alongthe mountain road; and the man who kept the shop was so surprised tohave a call for such odd chairs and tables that Mrs. Markin was ableto pick up some splendid pieces for a mere trifle. Then the sleepingrooms, Mrs. Markin's and her daughter's, besides the guest room, wereon the first floor, while Jack, the big boy of the family, had his"bunk" on the loft, and up there also was a "bunk" for any of Jack'sfriends who might pay him a visit.

  The first floor rooms were divided by cretonne partitions, orcurtains, made secure top and bottom, and the coloring of thesescreens gave the place an ideal tone in color. The kitchen was outsideunder a lean-to tent.

  And the dining room! A broad porch with an uncovered roof. A canvasflap was hung over the roof to be used, or thrown aside, just as theweather ordained. The table was a matter of two "horses" and threeplanks, and the seats were of the same brand, only in a lower grade.The cover was of oilcloth, and the dishes were some wooden and somewhite enamel.

  "You see," said Cologne, "Mother did not want us to be working always,so she made the table service a la Indian. We burn most of the disheswhen we've used them, and they keep our camp fire going, or rather,they only start it. Then the metal plates are so easy to wash, and sohard to break. Oh, we have camping down to a system! I hope you willlike the system."

  "How could I help liking it! Why it's just ideal. It makes ourpretentious homes look like cheap bric-a-brac," Dorothy declared.

  "Well, come now and have tea--we are to have it alone, you and I, formother is busy helping Jennie can berries, and Jack is never homeuntil the cows come--we can see herds of them troup over that hillevery night."

  Cologne put
a match to the small oil stove, and then when the kettleboiled she made tea in the proper way, pouring the water over theleaves as they nestled in the blue Delft pot on the table. The edibleswere produced from an improvised cupboard, and in a remarkably shorttime Dorothy and her friend were seated at the long table, enjoying ameal, the like of which the visitor declared she had never beforefallen heir to.

  "It must be the air," she remarked, helping herself to a sandwich,"for I have never felt so alarmingly hungry."

  "Jack says they are 'standwiches,'" remarked Cologne, "for he nevergets a chance to eat one while sitting down."

  "That's true," replied Dorothy, "for at the places where one getsthem one is never supposed to sit down. 'Standwiches' they really are.I am anxious to see Jack. He gave me such a nice time when I visitedyou at Buffalo."

  "Oh, he's a perfect giant," Cologne told her. "He grows while youwait. He's off fishing to-day. Promised to fetch home some nice fishfor to-morrow's dinner. We get trout for breakfast in the stream overthere. It's jolly to fish. I know you will like it up here, Dorothy."

  "_Will_ like it! I _do_ like it! There is no future tense on thatscore. I have always longed for a visit 'way down east.' And howstrange people talk! Just as soon as we passed Connecticut it was likegoing into a new country, the accent is so different. Tavia declaredit was nothing but a left-over brogue of the Mayflower vintage. Ofcourse, that's what it really is. But Tavia! I had almost forgottenher. Could we go out anywhere and look for her?"

  "Hardly," replied Cologne. "But we could drive out to the stationagain, and send a message to the Junction. I wish Jack was here. Hewould know best what to do. It is too provoking!"

  "And she is so apt to fall in with a 'friend,'" mused Dorothy. "Inever saw her equal for picking up friends."

  "There's an automobile," exclaimed Cologne, listening to the rippingof the atmosphere as a machine tore down the road. "We don't have manycars around here, it's too hilly."

  "They're coming in the lane! It's Tavia!"

  Both girls jumped up, and ran to the lane that wound around the camp.

  Tavia was standing up waving her hand bag.

  "She made friends this time," declared Dorothy. "Just like her to fallinto something easy."