V
The next three weeks were busy times for Percy. He wore Tish's blanketfor two days, and then, finding it in the way, he discarded italtogether. Seen in daylight it was easy to understand why littleDorothea was in love with him. He was a handsome young giant, althoughmuch bitten by mosquitoes and scratched with briers.
The arrangement was a good one all round. He knew of things in the woodwe'd never heard of--wild onions and artichokes, and he had found aclump of wild cherry trees. He made snares of the fibers of tree bark,and he brought in turtles and made plates out of the shells. And all thetime he was working on his outfit, curing rabbit skins and sewing themtogether with fibers under my direction.
When he'd made one sleeve of his coat we had a sort of celebration.He'd found an empty bottle somewhere in the woods, and he had made awild-cherry decoction that he declared was cherry brandy, keeping it inthe sun to ferment. Well, he insisted on opening the brandy that day andpassing it round. We had cups made of leaves and we drank to his sleeve,although the stuff was villainous. He had put the sleeve on, and itlooked rather inadequate. "Here's fun," he said joyously. "If my Englishtailor could see this sleeve he'd die of envy. A sleeve's not all of acoat, but what's a coat without a sleeve? Look at it--grace, ease ofline, and beauty of material."
Aggie lifted her leaf.
"To Dorothea!" she said. "And may the sleeve soon be about her."
Tish thought this toast was not delicate, but Percy was enchanted withit.
It was on the evening of the fourth day of Percy's joining our camp thatthe Willoughby person appeared. It happened at a most inauspicious time.We had eaten supper and were gathered round the camp-fire and Tish hadput wet leaves on the blaze to make a smudge that would drive themosquitoes away. We were sitting there, Tish and I coughing and Aggiesneezing in the smoke, when Percy came running through the woods andstopped at the foot of a tree near by.
"Bring a club, somebody," he yelled. "I've treed the back of my coat."
Tish ran with one of the tent poles. A tepee is inconvenient for thatreason. Every time any one wants a fishing-pole or a weapon, the tentloses part of its bony structure and sags like the face of a stout womanwho has reduced. And it turned out that Percy had treed a coon. Heclimbed up after it, taking Tish's pole with him to dislodge it, and itwas at that moment that a man rode into the clearing and practicallyfell off his horse. He was dirty and scratched with brambles, and hisonce immaculate riding-clothes were torn. He was about to take off hishat when he got a good look at us and changed his mind.
"Have you got anything to eat?" he asked. "I've been lost since noonyesterday and I'm about all in."
The leaves caught fire suddenly and sent a glow into Percy's tree. Ishall never forget Aggie's agonized look or the way Tish flung on morewet leaves in a hurry.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but supper's over."
"But surely a starving man--"
"You won't starve inside of a week," Tish snapped. "You've got enoughflesh on you for a month."
He stared at her incredulously.
"But, my good woman," he said, "I can pay for my food. Even youitinerant folk need money now and then, don't you? Come, now, cook me afish; I'll pay for it. My name is Willoughby--J.K. Willoughby. Perhapsyou've heard of me."
Tish cast a swift glance into the tree. It was in shadow again and shedrew a long breath. She said afterward that the whole plan came to herin the instant of that breath.
"We can give you something," she said indifferently. "We have a stewedrabbit, if you care for it."
There was a wild scramble in the tree at that moment, and we thought allwas over. We learned later that Percy had made a move to climb higher,out of the firelight, and the coon had been so startled that he almostfell out. But instead of looking up to investigate, the stranger backedtoward the fire.
"Only a wildcat," said Tish. "They'll not come near the fire."
"Near!" exclaimed Mr. Willoughby. "If they came any nearer, they'd haveto get into it!"
"I think," said Tish, "that if you are afraid of them--although you aresafe enough if you don't get under the trees; they jump down, youknow--that you would better stay by the fire to-night. In the morningwe'll start you toward a road."
All night with Percy in the tree! I gave her a savage glance, but sheignored me.
The Willoughby looked up nervously, and of course there were trees allabout.
"I guess I'll stay," he agreed. "What about that rabbit?"
I did not know Tish's plan at that time, and while Aggie was feeding theWilloughby person and he was grumbling over his food, I took Tish aside.
"Are you crazy?" I demanded. "Just through your idiocy Percy will haveto stay in that tree all night--and he'll go to sleep, likely, and fallout."
Tish eyed me coldly.
"You are a good soul, Lizzie," she observed, "but don't overwork yourmind. Go back and do something easy--let the Willoughby cross your palmwith silver, and tell his fortune. If he asks any questions I'm queen ofthe gypsies, and give him to understand that we're in temporary hidingfrom the law. The worse he thinks of us the better. Remember, we haven'tseen Percy."
"I'm not going to lie," I said sternly.
"Pooh!" Tish sneered. "That wretch came into the woods to gloat over hisrival's misery. The truth's too good for him."
I did my best, and I still have the silver dollar he gave me. I told himI saw a small girl, who loved him but didn't realize it yet, and therewas another man.
"Good gracious," I said, "there must be something wrong with your palm.I see the other man, but he seems to be in trouble. His clothing hasbeen stolen, for he has none, and he is hungry, very hungry."
"Ha!" said Mr. Willoughby, looking startled. "You old gypsies beat thedevil! Hungry, eh? Is that all?"
The light flared up again and I could see clearly the pale spot in thetree, which was Percy. But Mr. Willoughby's eyes were on his palm.
"He has about decided to give up something--I cannot see just what," Isaid loudly. "He seems to be in the air, in a tree, perhaps. If hewishes to be safe he should go higher."
Percy took the hint and moved up, and I said that was all there was inthe palm. Soon after that Mr. Willoughby stretched out on the ground bythe fire, and before long he was asleep.
During the night I heard Tish moving stealthily about in the tepee andshe stepped on my ankle as she went out. I fell asleep again as soon asit stopped aching. Just at dawn Tish came back and touched me on theshoulder.
"Where's the blackberry cordial?" she whispered I sat up instantly.
"Has Percy fallen out of the tree?"
"No. Don't ask any questions, Lizzie. I want it for myself. That drattedhorse fell on me."
She refused to say any more and lay down groaning. But I was too worriedto sleep again. In the morning Percy was gone from the tree. Mr.Willoughby had more rabbit and prepared to leave the forest. He offeredTish a dollar for the two meals and a bed, and Tish, who was movingabout stiffly, said that she and her people took no money for theirhospitality. Telling fortunes was one thing, bread and salt was another.She looked quite haughty, and the Willoughby person apologized and wentinto the woods to get his horse.
The horse was gone!
It was rather disagreeable for a time. He plainly thought we'd taken it,although Tish showed him that the end of the strap had been chewedpartly through and then jerked free.
"If the creature smelled a wildcat," she said, "nothing would hold it.None of my people ever bring a horse into this part of the country."
"Humph!" said Mr. Willoughby. "Well, I'll bet they take a few out!"
He departed on foot shortly after, very disgusted and suspicious. Weshowed him the trail, and the last we saw of him he was striding along,looking up now and then for wildcats.
When he was well on his way, Percy emerged from the bushes. I hadthought that he had helped Tish to take the Willoughby horse, but itseems he had not, and he was much amazed when Tish came through the woodleading the creature by
the broken strap.
"I'll turn it loose," she said to Percy, "and you can capture it. Itwill make a good effect for you to emerge from the forest on horseback,and anyhow, what with the rabbit skin, the tent, and the sundial and theother things, you have a lot to carry. You can say you found it strayingin the woods and captured it."
Percy looked at her with admiration not unmixed with reverence. "MissLetitia," he said solemnly, "if it were not for Dorothea, I should askyou to marry me. I'd like to have you in my family."
* * * * *
I am very nearly to the end of my narrative.
Toward the last Percy was obliged to work far into the night, for ofcourse we could not assist him. He made a full suit of rabbit skinssewed with fibers, and a cap and shoes of coonskin to match. The shoeswere cut from a bedroom-slipper pattern that Tish traced in the sand onthe beach, and the cap had an eagle feather in it. He made a birch-barkknapsack to hold the fish he smoked and a bow and arrow that looked wellbut would not shoot. When he had the outfit completed, he put it on,with the stone hatchet stuck into a grapevine belt and the bow and arrowover his shoulder, and he looked superb.
"The question is," he reflected, trying to view himself in the edge ofthe lake: "Will Dorothea like it? She's very keen about clothes. Andgee, how she hates a beard!"
"You could shave as the Indians do," Tish said.
"How?"
"With a clamshell."
He looked dubious, but Tish assured him it was feasible. So he hunted aclamshell, a double one, Tish requested, and brought it into camp.
"I'd better do it for you," said Tish. "It's likely to be slow, but itis sure."
He was eyeing the clamshell and looking more and more uneasy.
"You're not going to scrape it off?" he asked anxiously. "You know,pumice would be better for that, but somehow I don't like the idea."
"Nothing of the sort," said Tish. "The double clamshell merely forms apair of Indian nippers. I'm going to pull it out."
But he made quite a fuss about it, and said he didn't care whether theIndians did it or not, he wouldn't. I think he saw how disappointed Tishwas and was afraid she would attempt it while he slept, for he threw theIndian nippers into the lake and then went over and kissed her hand.
"Dear Miss Tish," he said; "no one realizes more than I your inherentnobility of soul and steadfastness of purpose. I admire them both. Butif you attempt the Indian nipper business, or to singe me like a chickenwhile I sleep, I shall be--forgive me, but I know my impulsiveness ofdisposition--I shall be really vexed with you."
Toward the last we all became uneasy for fear hard work was telling onhim physically. He used to sit cross-legged on the ground, sewing fordear life and singing Hood's "Song of the Shirt" in a doleful tenor.
"You know," he said, "I've thought once or twice I'd like to dosomething--have a business like other fellows. But somehow dressmakingnever occurred to me. Don't you think the expression of this right pantis good? And shall I make this gore bias or on the selvage?"
He wanted to slash one trouser leg.
"Why not?" he demanded when Tish frowned him down. "It's awfullyfetching, and beauty half-revealed, you know. Do you suppose mybreastbone will ever straighten out again? It's concave from stooping."
It was after this that Tish made him exercise morning and evening andthen take a swim in the lake. By the time he was to start back, he wasin wonderful condition, and even the horse looked saucy and shiny, owingto our rubbing him down each day with dried grasses.
The actual leave-taking was rather sad. We'd grown to think a lot of theboy and I believe he liked us. He kissed each one of us twice, once forhimself and once for Dorothea, and flushed a little over doing it, andAggie's eyes were full of tears.
He rode away down the trail like a mixture of Robinson Crusoe and Indianbrave, his rubbing-fire stick, his sundial with burned figures, and hisbow and arrow jingling, his eagle feather blowing back in the wind, andhis moccasined feet thrust into Mr. Willoughby's stirrups, and left usdesolate. Tish watched him out of sight with set lips and Aggie waswhimpering on a bank.
"Tish," she said brokenly, "does he recall anything to you?"
"Only my age," said Tish rather wearily, "and that I'm an elderlyspinster teaching children to defy their parents and committing larcenyto help them."
"To me," said Aggie softly, "he is young love going out to seek hismate. Oh, Tish, do you remember how Mr. Wiggins used to ride by takinghis work horses to be shod!"
* * * * *
We went home the following day, which was the time the spring-wagon manwas to meet us. We started very early and were properly clothed andhatted when we saw him down the road.
The spring-wagon person came on without hurry and surveyed us as hecame.
"Well, ladies," he said, stopping before us, "I see you pulled it offall right."
"We've had a very nice time, thank you," said Tish, drawing on hergloves. "It's been rather lonely, of course."
The spring-wagon person did not speak again until he had reached theopen road. Then he turned round.
"The horse business was pretty good," he said. "You ought to hev seenthem folks when he rode out of the wood. Flabbergasted ain't the word.They was ding-busted."
Tish whispered to us to show moderate interest and to say as little aspossible, except to protest our ignorance. And we got the story at lastlike this:--
It seems the newspapers had been full of the attempt Percy was to make,and so on the day before quite a crowd had gathered to see him come outof the wood.
"Ten of these here automobiles," said the spring-wagon person, "and ahay-wagon full of newspaper fellows from the city with cameras, andabout half the village back home walked out or druv and brought theirlunches--sort of a picnic. I kep' my eye on the girl and on a Mr.Willoughby.
"The story is that Willoughby who was the father's choice--Willoughbywas pale and twitching and kep' moving about all the time. But the girl,she just kep' her eyes on the trail and waited. Noon was the time set,or as near it as possible.
"The father talked to the newspaper men mostly. 'I don't think he'lldo it, boys!' he said. 'He's as soft as milk and he's surprised me bysticking it out as long as he has. But mark my words, boys,' he said,'he's been living on berries and things he could pick up off the ground,and if his physical condition's bad he loses all bets!"
It seems that, just as he said it, somebody pulled out a watch andannounced "noon." And on the instant Percy was seen riding down thetrail and whistling. At first they did not know it was he, as they hadexpected him to arrive on foot, staggering with fatigue probably. Herode out into the sunlight, still whistling, and threw an unconcernedglance over the crowd.
He looked at the trees, and located north by the moss on the trunks, theS.-W.P. said, and unslinging his Indian clock he held it in front ofhim, pointing north and south. It showed exactly noon. It was then, andnot until then, that Percy addressed the astonished crowd.
"Twelve o'clock, gentlemen," he said. "My watch is quite accurate."
Nobody said anything, being, as the S.-W.P. remarked, struck dumb. Buta moment afterward the hay-wagon started a cheer and the machines tookit up. Even the father "let loose," as we learned, and the little girlsat back in her motor car and smiled through her tears.
But Willoughby was furious. It seems he had recognized the horse."That's my horse," he snarled. "You stole it from me."
"As a matter of fact," Percy retorted, "I found the beast wanderingloose among the trees and I'm perfectly willing to return him to you. Ibrought him out for a purpose."
"To make a Garrison finish!"
"Not entirely. To prove that you violated the contract by going into theforest to see if you could find me and gloat over my misery. Instead youfound--By the way, Willoughby, did you see any wild-cats?"
"Those three hags are in this!" said Willoughby furiously. "Are youwilling to swear you made that silly outfit?"
"I am, b
ut not to you."
"And at that minute, if you'll believe me," said the S.-W.P., "the girlgot out of her machine and walked right up to the Percy fellow. I wasstanding right by and I heard what she said. It was, curious, seeinghe'd had no help and had gone in naked, as you may say, and came outclothed head to foot, with a horse and weapons and a watch, and able tomake fire in thirty-one seconds, and a tent made of about a thousandrabbit skins."
Tish eyed him coldly.
"What did she say?" she demanded severely. "She said: 'Those three dearold things!'" replied the S.-W.P. "And she said: 'I hope you kissedthem for me.'"
"He did indeed," said Aggie dreamily, and only roused when Tish nudgedher in a rage.
* * * * *
Charlie Sands came to have tea with us yesterday at Tish's. He is justback from England and full of the subject.
"But after all," he said, "the Simple Lifers take the palm. Think of it,my three revered and dearly beloved spinster friends; think of thepeace, the holy calm of it! Now, if you three would only drink less teaand once in a while would get back to Nature a bit, it would be good foryou. You're all too civilized."
"Probably," said Tish, pulling down her sleeves to hide her sunburnedhands. "But do you think people have so much time in the--er--woods?"
"Time!" he repeated. "Why, what is there to do?"
Just then the doorbell rang and a huge box was carried in. Tish had awarning and did not wish to open it, but Charlie Sands insisted and cutthe string. Inside were three sets of sable furs, handsomer than any inthe church, Tish says, and I know I've never seen any like them.
Tish and I hid the cards, but Aggie dropped hers and Charlie Sandspounced on it.
"'The sleeve is now about Dorothea,'" he read aloud, and then, turning,eyed us all sternly.
"Now, then," said Charlie Sands, "out with it! What have you been up tothis time?"
Tish returned his gaze calmly. "We have been in the Maine woods in theholy calm," she said. "As for those furs, I suppose a body may buy a setof furs if she likes." This, of course, was not a lie. "As for thatcard, it's a mistake." Which it was indeed.
"But--Dorothea!" persisted Charlie Sands.
"Never in my life knew anybody named Dorothea. Did you, Aggie?"
"Never," said Aggie firmly.
Charlie Sands apologized and looked thoughtful. On Tish's remainingrather injured, he asked us all out to dinner that night, and almost thefirst thing he ordered was frogs' legs. Aggie got rather white about thelips.
"I--I think I'll not take any," she said feebly. "I--I keep thinking ofTish tickling their throats with the hairpin, and how Percy--"
We glared at her, but it was too late. Charlie Sands drew up his chairand rested his elbows on the table.
"So there was a Percy as well as a Dorothea!" he said cheerfully. "Imight have known it. Now we'll have the story!"
Tish: The Chronicle of Her Escapades and Excursions Page 14
