CHAPTER VIII
AT WINDMILL FARM
Both Wyn and Mrs. Havel--the bravest of the seven gathered in the bigtent--were frightened by this awful shock. The other girls clung tothem, Mina and Grace sobbing aloud.
"I--I feel as though that bolt fairly seared my eyeballs," groaned FrankCameron. "Oh, dear! Here's another!"
But this flash was not so severe. The girls peered out of the slit inthe front of the tent and screamed again in alarm. The rain had passedfor the moment. There, not many rods away, stood an old, half-dead oakwith its top all ablaze.
"That is where the lightning struck," cried Wyn.
"It is fortunate our tent was no nearer to that side of the plateau,"observed Mrs. Havel.
Then the rain commenced again, and the thudding on the canvas drownedout their voices for a time.
Somehow Wyn managed to get supper. The thunder and lightning graduallysubsided; but for an hour the rain came in intermittent dashes and itwas nine o'clock before they could venture forth into the cool, dampair.
They had eaten their simple meal and set up the sleeping cots (whichwere likewise of canvas) before that. There was a flooring of matchedplanks to be laid, too; but the rain had wet them and the girls wouldhave to wait for to-morrow's sun to dry them.
"Oh! I don't believe living under canvas is going to be half so nice aswe thought," complained Mina. "I never _did_ think about itsstorming."
"A bad beginning makes a good ending," quoted Mrs. Havel, brightly."This is only for one night."
"Excuse me! I don't want another like it, Auntie," declared her niece.
They could have no lamp to see to go to bed by, save Wyn's pocketelectric flash.
"And it's so plaguey awkward!" cried Frankie. "Here one of us has tohold the snapper shut so the others can see. Here, Mina! I've playedGoddess of Liberty long enough; _you_ hold the lamp awhile."
Wyn slung a line from one end of the tent to the other, and on this theyhung their clothes. All the girls were provided with warm pajamas asbeing safer night garments under canvas than the muslin robes they woreat home.
"I _do_ feel so funny," cried Percy, hopping into her own nest. "Ican't curl my toes up in my nightgown--they stick right out at thebottom of these trousers!"
"And doesn't the grass tickle your feet?" cried Frank, dancing aboutbetween the cots. "My, my! this _is_ camping out in real earnest.O-o-o! Here's a trickle of water running under the side of the tent,Wyn."
"You can thank your stars it isn't running through a hole in the tentright upon your heads," responded the captain. "Do get into bed, Frank."
Even Frank was quiet at last. The day had been a strenuous one. Themuttering thunder in the distance lulled them to sleep. Soon the bigwhite tent upon the knoll by the lake was silent save for the softbreathing of the girls and their chaperone.
And--odd as it may seem, considering the strangeness of theirsurroundings--all the girls slept soundly through the night. It was WynMallory herself who first opened her eyes and knew, by the lightoutside, that it must be near sunrise.
Up she popped, stepping lightly over the cold grass so as not to arouseher mates and Mrs. Havel, and reached the opening. She peered through.To the east the horizon was aglow with melting shades of pink, amber,turquoise and rose. The sun was coming!
Wyn snapped open the flap and ran out to welcome His Majesty. Then,however, she remembered that she was in pajamas, and glanced aroundswiftly to see if she was observed.
Not a soul was in sight. At that moment the first chorus of thefeathered choir that welcomes the day in the wilds, had ceased. Silencehad fallen upon the forest and upon the lake.
Only the lap, lap, lap of the little waves upon the shore was audible.The wind did not stir the tree branches. There was a little chill in theair after the storm, and the ground was saturated.
Wyn was doubtful about that "early morning plunge" in the lake that shehad heard the boys talk about, and which she had secretly determined toemulate. But the boys' camp was at the far end of Gannet Island and shecould not see it at all. She wondered if Dave and his friends wouldplunge into that awfully cold-looking water on this chilly morning?
To assure herself that the water _was_ cold she ran down to wherethe canoes lay and poked one big toe into the edge of the pool. Ouch! itwas just like ice!
"No, no!" whispered Wyn, and scuttled up the bank again, hugging herselftight in both arms to counteract the chill.
But she couldn't go back to bed. It was too beautiful a morning. And allthe others were sleeping soundly.
Wyn decided that she would not awaken them. But she slipped inside,selected her own clothing, and in ten minutes was dressed. Then she randown to the pool again, palmed the water all over her face, rubbing hercheeks and forehead and ears till they tingled, and then wiped dry uponthe towel she had brought with her.
Another five minutes and her hair was braided Indian fashion, and tiedneatly. Then the sun popped up--broadly agrin and with the promise inhis red countenance of a very warm day.
"Good-morning, Mr. Sun!" quoth Wyn, dancing a little dance of her owninvention upon the summit of the green knoll that overhung the lakebefore the tent. "I hope you give us a fine day, and that we all enjoyit."
With a final pirouette she ran back to the tent. Still Mrs. Havel andthe others slept.
"What lazy folk!" she told them, in a whisper, and then caught up asix-quart pail and ran back through the open place and found the woodroad that Polly had written her about.
She knew that to her left lay the way to the landing where Mr. Jarleykept his boats, and where their stores were under cover in a shed. Butbreakfast was the first consideration, and in the other direction layWindmill Farm, at which Polly told her she had arranged for theGo-Aheads to get milk, fresh eggs, and garden vegetables.
So Wyn tripped along this right hand extension of the wood path and,within half an hour, came out of the forest upon the edge of the clearedfarm. Before her lay sloping fields up, up, up to a high knoll, on thetop of which stood a windmill, painted red.
The long arms of the mill, canvas-covered, rose much higher in the airthan the gilt vane that glistened on the very peak of the roof. Therising sun shone full upon the windmill and made it a brilliant spot ofcolor against the blue sky; but the wind was still and the sails did notcause the arms to revolve.
Just below the mill, upon the leisurely slope of the knoll, was set thewhite-painted farmhouse, with well-kept stables and out-buildings andpoultry yards and piggery at the rear.
"What a pretty spot!" cried Wyn, aloud. "And the woods are so thickbetween it and the lake that one would never know it was here."
She hurried on, for she knew by the smoke rising from the house chimneyand the bustle of sound from the barnyard that the farmer and his familywere astir.
Before she reached the side porch a number of cows, one with a bell onher neck leading the herd, filed out through the side yard and took alane for the distant pasture. Horses neighed for their breakfasts, thepigs squealed in their sties and there was a pretty young woman singingat the well curb as she drew a great, splashing bucket of water.
"Oh! you're one of the girls Polly Jarley told us were coming to thelake to camp?" said the farmer's wife, graciously. "And did you get herein the storm last night? How do you all like it?"
"I can only answer for myself," declared Wyn, laughing. "They were allasleep when I came away. But I guess if we have nothing worse to troubleus than that shower we shall get along all right."
"You're a plucky girl--for a city one," said the woman. "Now, do youwant milk and eggs?"
Wyn told her what she wanted, and paid for the things. Then she startedback to camp, laden with the brimming milk pail and a basket which thefarmer's wife had let her have.
The sun was now mounting swiftly in his course across the sky. Faintlyshe heard the sawmill at the Forge blowing a whistle to call the hands,and knew that it was six o'clock. She hurried her steps and reached theopening where the tent was pitched just
as the first sleepy Go-Ahead wascreeping out to see what manner of day it might be.
"For goodness' sake, Wyn Mallory!" cried this yawning nymph in bluepajamas. "Have you been up all night?"
"Aren't you cute in those things, Percy?" returned Wyn. "You look justlike a doll in a store window. Come on and dress. It's time you were allup. Why! the day will be gone before you know it."
"Oh--ow--ouch!" yawned Percy, and then jumped quickly through theopening of the tent because Grace Hedges pushed her.
"Why! the sun's up!" cried the big girl. "Why! and there's Wyn withmilk--and eggs--and pretty red radishes--and _peas_. Mercy me! Lookat all the things in this basket. Whose garden have you been robbing,Wyn?"
"Come on!" commanded the captain of the Go-Ahead Club. "I brought a bagof meal in _my_ canoe. And there is salt, and aluminum bowls, andspoons. We can make a good breakfast of eggs and mush. Hurry up, all youlazy folk, and help get breakfast."
"O-o-o! isn't the grass cold!" exclaimed one girl who had just steppedout from between woolen blankets.
"I--I feel as though I were dressing outdoors," gasped another, withchattering teeth. "D-don't you suppose anybody can see through thistent?"
"Nonsense, goosey!" ejaculated Frank. "Hurry up and get into yourclothes. You take up more room than an elephant."
"Did you ever share a dressing room with an elephant, Frank?" demandedBess.
"Not before," returned the thin girl, grimly. "But I am preparing forthat experience when I try to dress in the same tent with Gracie."
But they were all eager to get outside when they sniffed the smoke ofthe campfire, and, a little later, the odor of eggs "frying in the pan."Despite the saturated condition of most of the underbrush Wyn knew whereto get dry wood for fuel, Dave had long ago taught her that bit ofwoodcraft.
With a small camp hatchet she had attacked the under branches of thespruce and low pine trees, and soon had a good heap of these dead sticksnear the tent. She turned over a flat stone that lay near by for ahearth. Before the other girls and Mrs. Havel were dressed and hadwashed their faces at the lakeside, Captain Wyn was stirring mush in akettle and frying eggs in pork fat in a big aluminum pan.
"Sunny side up; or with a veil of brown drawn over their beautifulfaces, Frankie?" asked Wyn, referring to the sizzling eggs. "How do youlike 'em?"
"I like 'em on toast--'Adam and Eve on a raft' Brother Ed calls 'em. Andwhen he wants 'em scrambled he says, 'Wreck 'em!'"
"You'll get no toast this morning," declared Wyn. "You'll be satisfiedwith crackers--or go without."
"Cruel lady!" quoth Frank. "I expect I'll have to accept my yoke ofeggs----"
"Only the _yolk_ of the eggs, Frank?"
"No, I mean the pair I want," laughed Frankie. "And I'll take 'emwithout the toast and--'sunny side up.'"
"Good! I can't turn an egg without breaking it--never could. Now, girls!bring your plates. I'll flop a pair of eggs onto each plate. There'scrackers in the box. Hand around your bowls. The cornmeal mush is nice,and there is lovely milk and sugar if you want it. For 'them that likes'there is coffee."
"M-m-m! Doesn't it smell good?" cried Grace, as the party came troopingto the fire with their kits.
"I--I thought I'd miss the sweet butter," said Bess, sitting downcross-legged on the already dry grass. "But somehow I've got _such_an appetite."
"I hope the boys are having as good a time," sighed Wyn, sitting backupon her heels and spooning up her mush, flooded with the new milk."Isn't this just scrumptious, Mrs. Havel?"
"It is the simple life," replied that lady, smiling. "Plenty of freshair, no frills, plain food--that ought to do much for you girls thissummer. I am sure if you can endure plain food and simple living forthese several weeks before us, you will all be improved in both healthand mind."
Wyn's Camping Days; Or, The Outing of the Go-Ahead Club Page 8
