Dorothy Dale's Camping Days Read online

  CHAPTER VIII

  THE WILD ANIMAL

  "Perfectly delicious," Tavia was exclaiming, in her reckless way,"never believed a barn could be thus converted into a home." Shetossed aside her traveling things. "And so sweet of you, Cologne, toask poor me. The old joke, as if Rose-Mary-Cologne-Lavender could beother than sweet!"

  "And so dear of you to get here," said Dorothy, with mocking voice."We really thought----"

  "Doro, dear, if you only would get over that abominable thinkinghabit! See what happened to me when I thought I was was going to belocked up for the night in the little railroad station! Why, alongwhisked an auto, and the lady with the scared-to-death-hair looked atme. Seeing me was believing. The chaufferine (it was a lady and myFrench is packed up) asked me in. That was what I got for thinking onthe wrong stoop. And weren't they dears? Did you mind the veils?First I thought they were hoisted for rain clouds, and again, when Isaw the blues and pinks, I decided for fair weather. There were enoughcolors to make a rainbow look like the milky way. And they asked me tocome see them! Asked me! Why they begged me and made me give across-my-heart yes."

  "But you won't go?" asked Cologne. "You know the Lambertsare--well--they are a troup of theatrical folks, and no one knows muchabout them."

  "The only profession that hides the ego," broke in Tavia. "Now that iswhat I call cozy, to get away from the dear old nosey public. I wonderthe whole world does not go in for the stage, and get a chance to walkthrough the streets, and have folks say, 'Isn't she perfectly sweet!'All the while one could be sticking out her tongue, and otherwiseenjoying herself--"

  "Tavia!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Do talk something akin to common sense ifyou cannot do better. And don't mix up your pronouns. You keep onebobbing through tenses and pronouns as if the thinker were ajack-in-the-box."

  "All the same I would love to go over to that big white house in thecherry trees, and see a dress rehearsal. They play Shakespeare."

  "You must not think of such a thing," declared Dorothy. "Since Colognedoes not wish you to go in the strange set, you will surely comply,but I do not have to tell you that I am sure you will," and she turnedaway in evident distress.

  The next morning the three girls started to camp in earnest. Taviainsisted that it was her share of work to fetch one pail of water fromthe spring, because, she said, she had to stoop down so low, and walkso far the effort was equal to Dorothy's dish-washing or Cologne'smuffin-making.

  "While you do the rest," she said, "I'll just run up, and look overthe loft, the boys are out now, and Dorothy won't be afraid I'llforget my manners."

  "You come here directly, and set this table for lunch," orderedDorothy. "We are going out for trout, and will not be in until eatingtime, so we will get everything ready now."

  "All right," answered Tavia, at the same time climbing up the ladder,and making her way to the loft.

  "Oh, let her explore," said Cologne. "Then when she gets enough of itshe will be satisfied."

  "Don't touch any of the old guns up there," called Dorothy, "Jack saysthere are dangerous."

  "All righty!" yelled Tavia from above. "But say wouldn't this be ahandsome place to drop from?"

  She was in the opening of the hay loft, lying on the floor with herhead over the edge.

  "Oh don't" begged Cologne. "Tavia, that is dangerous!"

  Her voice was rather strained, Cologne was annoyed. Tavia jumped up,and, with a most unladylike "whoop," ran from one end of the loft tothe other, exclaiming at every new found article of interest. Suddenlyshe stopped.

  "Now what do you suppose she is at?" asked Dorothy, as she and Colognelistened.

  "Maybe Jack's pipes. I am sure she would be interested in them. He hasquite a collection."

  "Oh! G-i-r-l-s!" came a shout from the loft. "Come quick! A wildanimal!"

  The voice left no room for doubt. Tavia did see something.

  Cologne and Dorothy dropped their work and scrambled up the ladder.

  "Over here!"

  Tavia was on all fours, peering behind an old door that lay close tothe side timbers of the barn. "Just look! His hair stands up like aporcupine, and his eyes! Oh, my! such eyes!"

  Cologne and Dorothy looked.

  "There certainly is something," admitted Cologne.

  "It has straight black hair," exclaimed Dorothy, "and it does lookfierce!"

  "What shall we do?" asked Cologne. "Jack will not be back untilnight."

  "And if we take our eyes off it we run the risk of having it under thebed to-night," said Tavia. "Now if only we could shoot a gun," and shelooked at the line of weapons that decorated the side of the loft.

  "I can load and fire a gun," declared Dorothy. "Wasn't my father asoldier?"

  "Wasn't her father a soldier!" repeated Tavia. "Cologne you hump downthere, and keep your eye on the bear, while we get a gun, and load it.Then if it's all the same to you, I'll do down stairs, and out in theback yard until it is all over. I hate murder close by."

  "I'll choose my own gun, if you please," said Dorothy, as Tavia wasabout to hand her an old musket. "I like the vintage of the lastcentury at least."

  "Are you sure you won't hurt yourself?" asked Cologne anxiously. "Ithink perhaps we had best try to box the thing in here. Shooting israther risky."

  "Not if I can get a gun I happen to know," said Dorothy. "You may bothgo out in the back yard if you choose. I must try the rifle first--oh,here is one just like father gave Joe his last birthday. I had a mindto borrow it to come out here to Maine woods, but I never dreamed ofgetting game right in camp."

  "Don't shoot dis niggah!" pleaded Tavia, actually making for theladder.

  Dorothy went over to the open window and put the rifle to hershoulder. She pulled the trigger. There was no discharge. Notsatisfied with one trial she worked the rifle until there waspositively no possibility of any load being in the weapon.

  "There, that's clean," she said. "Now for the cartridge."

  Over on the wall hung Jack's ammunition box. Cologne was watching at asafe distance. Tavia had gone downstairs by way of a rope that JackMarkin used for descending. Dorothy put the load in, made sure it wasall right, then went over to the beast's hiding place. She croucheddown and took aim.

  "Do--be--careful, Dorothy."

  Crack!

  "There! That fetched him!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I saw him roll over."

  "Make sure he is dead before you pull the door away," again cautionedCologne.

  "Dead as a carpet tack," declared Dorothy. "Let's call Tavia and gether to pull him out. She ought to do something in this, our firsthunt."

  Tavia was called, and being assured that the thing had rolled thedeath roll, she came up the ladder, and with the aid of a long handledhay rake, she just ventured to touch the strange thing.

  "It's dead!"

  This was the signal for a series of antics such as Tavia might imagineto be popular in the Figi Islands when some real dainty morsel fellinto the camp kettle.

  "Oh, let us see what it is!" ordered Cologne. "Maybe we won't have togo trout fishing, it may do for dinner."

  "It may, then again it may not," replied Tavia. "But May or Mamie,let's haul her out."

  Dorothy put her shoulder to the frame door, back of which the thingwas hidden.

  "One, two, three!" she shoved it over. "Are you ready?"

  "Let her go!" called Cologne, springing up on an old trunk.

  But it didn't go, neither did it come.

  The girls waited breathlessly.

  "Pull him out, Tavia! What's the use standing there with a rake inyour hand," said Dorothy.

  "I want to make sure he does not revive," she replied, gingerly pokingthe rake handle a little further under the hidden corner.

  "Oh, here," exclaimed Dorothy impatiently. "Let me take that implementand you hold this door. We ought to get the animal out in time forlunch."

  They shifted positions. Dorothy jabbed the rake recklessly into thecorner. Tavia moaned, and Cologne groaned.

  Drag--drag--It
was coming out.

  "Mercy!" exclaimed Tavia.

  "Goodness me!" gasped Cologne.

  But Dorothy, who was the only one near the thing, simply dropped therake and stood aghast--too dumbfounded to utter a syllable!

  "What is it?" begged Cologne.

  "_A WINDOW BRUSH!_" she gasped, at the same moment stooping to pick upthe beast--the thing with the straight, long black hair that stoodup in fierce bristles!

  "A WINDOW BRUSH!" SHE GASPED. _Dorothy Dale's CampingDays Page 84_]

  "But the eyes!" asked Tavia. "I saw terrible eyes!"

  "Might have been imported fire flies," answered Dorothy. "I believeJack has a penchant for odd bugs!"

  "Oh, isn't that too mean!"

  "And Jack's good cartridges!"

  "But the brush is all right," declared Cologne. "We just needed awindow brush to make the camp outfit complete. But don't let's tellthe boys," she pleaded hastily.

  "Oh, no!" chimed Tavia and Dorothy. Then all three in turn took therope route down to the lower floor.