Tish: The Chronicle of Her Escapades and Excursions

by Mary Roberts Rinehart

  III

  It was the day Tish began her diary that we discovered the red-hairedman's signal. Tish was compelled to remain at home most of the day,breaking in another pair of shoes, and she amused herself by watchingthe river and writing down interesting things. She had read somewhere ofthe value of such records of impressions:--

  10 A.M. Gull on rock. Very pretty. Frightened away by the McDonald person, who has just taken up his customary position. Is he reading or watching this camp?

  10.22. Detective is breakfasting--through glasses, he is eating canned corn. Aggie--pickerel, from bank.

  10.40. Aggie's cat, beside her, has caught a small fish. Aggie declares that the cat stole one of her worms and held it in the water. I think she is mistaken.

  11. Most extraordinary thing--Hutchins has asked permission to take pen and ink across to the detective! Have consented.

  11.20. Hutchins is still across the river. If I did not know differently I should say she and the detective are quarreling. He is whittling something. Through glasses, she appears to stamp her foot.

  11.30. Aggie has captured a small sunfish. Hutchins is still across the river. He seems to be appealing to her for something--possibly the underwear. We have none to spare.

  11.40. Hutchins is an extraordinary girl. She hates men, evidently. She has had some sort of quarrel with the detective and has returned flushed with battle. Mr. McDonald called to her as she passed, but she ignored him.

  12, noon. Really, there is something mysterious about all this. The detective was evidently whittling a flagpole. He has erected it now, with a red silk handkerchief at end. It hangs out over the water. Aggie--bass, but under legal size.

  1.15 P.M. The flag puzzles Hutchins. She is covertly watching it. It is evidently a signal--but to whom? Are the secret-service men closing in on McDonald?

  1. Aggie--pike!

  2. On consulting map find unnamed lake only a few miles away. Shall investigate to-morrow.

  3. Steamer has just gone. Detective now has canoe, blue in color. Also food. He sent off his letter.

  4. Fed worms. Lizzie thinks they know me. How kindness is its own reward! Mr. McDonald is drawing in his anchor, which is a large stone fastened to a rope. Shall take bath.

  Tish's notes ended here. She did not take the bath after all, for Mr.McDonald made us a call that afternoon.

  He beached the green canoe and came up the rocks calmly and smilingly.Hutchins gave him a cold glance and went on with what she was doing,which was chopping a plank to cook the fish on. He bowed cheerfully toall of us and laid a string of fish on a rock.

  "I brought a little offering," he said, looking at Hutchins's back."The fishing isn't what I expected but if the young lady with the hatchetwill desist, so I can make myself heard, I've found a place where thereare fish! This biggest fellow is three and a quarter pounds."

  Hutchins chopped harder than ever, and the plank flew up, striking herin the chest; but she refused all assistance, especially from Mr.McDonald, who was really concerned. He hurried to her and took thehatchet out of her hand, but in his excitement he was almost uncivil.

  "You obstinate little idiot!" he said. "You'll kill yourself yet."

  To my surprise, Hutchins, who had been entirely unemotional right along,suddenly burst into tears and went into the tent. Mr. McDonald took ahasty step or two after her, realizing, no doubt, that he had said morethan he should to a complete stranger; but she closed the fly of thetent quite viciously and left him standing, with his arms folded,staring at it.

  It was at that moment he saw the large fish, hanging from a tree. Hestood for a moment staring at it and we could see that he was quitesurprised.

  "It is a fish, isn't it?" he said after a moment. "I--I thought for amoment it was painted on something."

  He sat down suddenly on one of our folding-chairs and looked at thefish, and then at each of us in turn.

  "You know," he said, "I didn't think there were such fish! I--youmustn't mind my surprise." He wiped his forehead with his handkerchief."Just kick those things I brought into the river, will you? I apologizefor them."

  "Forty-nine inches," Tish said. "We expect to do better when we reallyget started. This evening we shall go after its mate, which is probablyhanging round."

  "Its mate?" he said, rather dazed. "Oh, I see. Of course!"

  He still seemed to doubt his senses, for he went over and touched itwith his finger. "Ladies," he said, "I'm not going after the--the mate.I couldn't land it if I did get it. I am going to retire from thegame--except for food; but I wish, for the sake of my reason, you'd tellme what you caught it with."

  Well, you may heartily distrust a person; but that is no reason why youshould not answer a simple question. So I showed him the thing I hadmade--and he did not believe me!

  "You're perfectly right," he said. "Every game has its secrets. I had nobusiness to ask. But you haven't caught me with that feather-dusterthing any more than you caught that fish with it. I don't mind your nottelling me. That's your privilege. But isn't it rather rubbing it in tomake fun of me?"

  "Nothing of the sort!" Aggie said angrily. "If you had caught it--"

  "My dear lady," he said, "I couldn't have caught it. The mere shock ofgetting such a bite would have sent me out of my boat in a swoon." Heturned to Tish. "I have only one disappointment," he said, "that itwasn't one of _our_ worms that did the work."

  Tish said afterward she was positively sorry for him, he looked socrestfallen. So, when he started for his canoe she followed him.

  "Look here," she said; "you're young, and I don't want to see you getinto trouble. Go home, young man! There are plenty of others to takeyour place."

  He looked rather startled. "That's it exactly," he said, after a moment."As well as I can make out there are about a hundred. If you think," hesaid fiercely, raising his voice, "that I'm going to back out and letsomebody else in, I'm not. And that's flat."

  "It's a life-and-death matter," said Tish.

  "You bet it's a life-and-death matter."

  "And--what about the--the red-headed man over there?"

  His reply amazed us all. "He's harmless," he said. "I don't like him,naturally; but I admire the way he holds on. He's making the best of abad business."

  "Do you know why he's here?"

  He looked uneasy for once.

  "Well, I've got a theory," he replied; but, though his voice was calm,he changed color.

  "Then perhaps you'll tell me what that signal means?"

  Tish gave him the glasses and he saw the red flag. I have never seen aman look so unhappy.

  "Holy cats!" he said, and almost dropped the glasses. "Why, he--he mustbe expecting somebody!"

  "So I should imagine," Tish commented dryly. "He sent a letter by theboat to-day."

  "The h--l he did!" And then: "That's ridiculous! You're mistaken. Asa--as a matter of fact, I went over there the other night andcommandeered his fountain pen."

  So it had not fallen out of his pocket!

  "I'll be frank, ladies," he said. "It's my object just now to keep thatchap from writing letters. It doesn't matter why, but it's vital."

  He was horribly cast down when we told him about Hutchins and the penand ink.

  "So that's it!" he said gloomily. "And the flag's a signal, of course.Ladies, you have done it out of the kindness of your hearts, I know; butI think you have wrecked my life."

  He took a gloomy departure and left us all rather wrought up. Who werewe, as Tish said, to imperil a fellow man? And another thing--if therewas a reward on him, why should we give it to a red-haired detective,who was rude to harmless animals and ate canned corn for breakfast?

  With her customary acumen Tish solved the difficulty that very evening.

  "The simplest thing," she said, "of course, would be to go overduring the night and take the flag away; but he may have more redhandkerchiefs. Then, too, he seems to be a light sleeper, and it wouldbe awkward to have him shoot at
us."

  She sat in thought for quite a while. Hutchins was watching the sunset,and seemed depressed and silent. Tish lowered her voice.

  "There's no reason why we shouldn't have a red flag, too," she said. "Itgives us an even chance to get in on whatever is about to happen. We canwarn Mr. McDonald, for one thing, if any one comes here. Personally Ithink he is unjustly suspected."

  [But Tish was to change her mind very soon.]

  We made the flag that night, by lantern light, out of Tish's red silkpetticoat. Hutchins was curious, I am sure; but we explained nothing.And we fastened it obliquely over the river, like the one on the otherside.

  Tish's change of heart, which occurred the next morning, was dueto a most unfortunate accident that happened to her at nine o'clock.Hutchins, who could swim like a duck, was teaching Tish to swim, andshe was learning nicely. Tish had put a life-preserver on, with aclothes-line fastened to it, and Aggie was sitting on the bank holdingthe rope while she went through the various gestures.

  Having completed the lesson Hutchins went into the woods for redraspberries, leaving Tish still practicing in the water with Aggieholding the rope. Happening to sneeze, the line slipped out of her hand,and she had the agonizing experience of seeing Tish carried away by thecurrent.

  I was washing some clothing in the river a few yards down the streamwhen Tish came floating past. I shall never forget her expression or myown sense of absolute helplessness.

  "Get the canoe," said Tish, "and follow. I'm heading for Island Eleven."

  "Get the canoe and follow. I'm heading for Island Eleven"]

  She was quite calm, though pale; but, in her anxiety to keep well abovethe water, she did what was almost a fatal thing--she pushed thelife-preserver lower down round her body. And having shifted thefloating center, so to speak, without warning her head disappeared andher feet rose in the air.

  For a time it looked as though she would drown in that position; butTish rarely loses her presence of mind. She said she knew at once whatwas wrong. So, though somewhat handicapped by the position, she replacedthe cork belt under her arms and emerged at last.

  Aggie had started back into the woods for Hutchins; but, with one thingand another, it was almost ten before they returned together. Tish bythat time was only a dot on the horizon through the binocular, havingmissed Island Eleven, as she explained later, by the rope being caughton a submerged log, which deflected her course.

  We got into the motor boat and followed her, and, except for a mostunjust sense of irritation that I had not drowned myself by followingher in the canoe, she was unharmed. We got her into the motor boat andinto a blanket, and Aggie gave her some blackberry cordial at once. Itwas some time before her teeth ceased chattering so she could speak.When she did it was to announce that she had made a discovery.

  "He's a spy, all right!" she said. "And that Indian is another. Neitherof them saw me as I floated past. They were on Island Eleven. Mr.McDonald wrote something and gave it to the Indian. It wasn't a letteror he'd have sent it by the boat. He didn't even put it in an envelope,so far as I could see. It's probably in cipher."

  Well, we took her home, and she had a boiled egg at dinner.

  The rest of us had fish. It is one of Tish's theories that fish shouldonly be captured for food, and that all fish caught must be eaten. I donot know when I have seen fish come as easy. Perhaps it was the worms,which had grown both long and fat, so that one was too much for a hook;and we cut them with scissors, like tape or ribbon. Aggie and I finallygot so sick of fish that while Tish's head was turned we dropped in ourlines without bait. But, even at that, Aggie, reeling in her line to gohome, caught a three-pound bass through the gills and could not shakeit off.

  We tried to persuade Tish to lie down that afternoon, but she refused.

  "I'm not sick," she said, "even if you two idiots did try to drown me.And I'm on the track of something. If that was a letter, why didn't hesend it by the boat?"

  Just then her eye fell on the flagpole, and we followed her horrifiedgaze. The flag had been neatly cut away!

  Tish's eyes narrowed. She looked positively dangerous; and within fiveminutes she had cut another flag out of the back breadth of thepetticoat and flung it defiantly in the air. Who had cut away thesignal--McDonald or the detective? We had planned to investigate thenameless lake that afternoon, Tish being like Colonel Roosevelt in herthirst for information, as well as in the grim pugnacity that is herdominant characteristic; but at the last minute she decided not to go.

  "You and Aggie go, Lizzie," she said. "I've got something on hand."

  "Tish!" Aggie wailed. "You'll drown yourself or something."

  "Don't be a fool!" Tish snapped. "There's a portage, but you and Lizziecan carry the canoe across on your heads. I've seen pictures of it. It'seasy. And keep your eyes open for a wireless outfit. There's one about,that's sure!"

  "Lots of good it will do to keep our eyes open," I said with somebitterness, "with our heads inside the canoe!"

  We finally started and Hutchins went with us. It was Hutchins, too, whovoiced the way we all felt when we had crossed the river and werepreparing for what she called the portage.

  "She wants to get us out of the way, Miss Lizzie," she said. "Can youimagine what mischief she's up to?"

  "That is not a polite way to speak of Miss Tish, Hutchins," I saidcoldly. Nevertheless, my heart sank.

  Hutchins and I carried the canoe. It was a hot day and there was nopath. Aggie, who likes a cup of hot tea at five o'clock, had broughtalong a bottle filled with tea, and a small basket containing sugar andcups.

  Personally I never had less curiosity about a lake. As a matter of factI wished there was no lake. Twice--being obliged, as it were, to walkblindly and the canoe being excessively heavy--I, who led the way, ranthe front end of the thing against the trunk of a tree, and bothHutchins and I sat down violently, under the canoe as a result of theimpact.

  To add to the discomfort of the situation Aggie declared that we werebeing followed by a bear, and at the same instant stepped into a swampup to her knees. She became calm at once, with the calmness of despair.

  "Go and leave me, Lizzie!" she said. "He is just behind those bushes. Imay sink before he gets me--that's one comfort."

  Hutchins found a log and, standing on it, tried to pull her up; but sheseemed firmly fastened. Aggie went quite white; and, almost besidemyself, I poured her a cup of hot tea, which she drank. I remember shemurmured Mr. Wiggins's name, and immediately after she yelled that thebear was coming.

  It was, however, the detective who emerged from the bushes. He got Aggieout with one good heave, leaving both her shoes gone forever; and whileshe collapsed, whimpering, he folded his arms and stared at all of usangrily.

  "What sort of damnable idiocy is this?" he demanded in a most unpleasanttone.

  Aggie revived and sat upright.

  "That's our affair, isn't it?" said Hutchins curtly.

  "Not by a blamed sight!" was his astonishing reply.

  "The next time I am sinking in a morass, let me sink," Aggie said, withsimple dignity.

  He did not speak another word, but gave each of us a glance of the mostdeadly contempt, and finished up with Hutchins.

  "What I don't understand," he said furiously, "is why you have to lendyourself to this senile idiocy. Because some old women choose to sinkthemselves in a swamp is no reason why you should commit suicide!"

  Aggie said afterward only the recollection that he had saved her lifeprevented her emptying the tea on him. I should hardly have knownHutchins.

  "Naturally," she said in a voice thick with fury, "you are in a positionto insult these ladies, and you do. But I warn you, if you intend tokeep on, this swamp is nothing. We like it here. We may stay for months.I hope you have your life insured."

  Perhaps we should have understood it all then. Of course Charlie Sands,for whom I am writing this, will by this time, with his keen mind,comprehend it all; but I assure you we suspected nothing.

  How
simple, when you line it up: The country house and the garden hose;the detective, with no camp equipment; Mr. McDonald and the greencanoe; the letter on the train; the red flag; the girl in the pinktam-o'-shanter--who has not yet appeared, but will shortly; Mr.McDonald's incriminating list--also not yet, but soon.

  How inevitably they led to what Charlie Sands has called our crime!

  The detective, who was evidently very strong, only glared at her. Thenhe swung the canoe up on his head and, turning about, started back theway we had come. Though Hutchins and Aggie were raging, I was resigned.My neck was stiff and my shoulders ached. We finished our tea in silenceand then made our way back to the river.

  I have now reached Tish's adventure. It is not my intention in thisrecord to defend Tish. She thought her conclusions were correct. CharlieSands says she is like Shaw--she has got a crooked point of view, butshe believes she is seeing straight. And, after a while, if you look herway long enough you get a sort of mental astigmatism.

  So I shall confess at once that, at the time, I saw nothing immoral inwhat she did that afternoon while we were having our adventure in theswamp.

  I was putting cloths wrung out of arnica and hot water on my neck whenshe came home, and Hutchins was baking biscuit--she was a marvelouscook, though Aggie, who washed the dishes, objected to the number ofpans she used.

  Tish ignored both my neck and the biscuits, and, marching up the bank,got her shotgun from the tent and loaded it.

  "We may be attacked at any time," she said briefly; and, getting thebinocular, she searched the river with a splendid sweeping glance. "Atany time. Hutchins, take these glasses, please, and watch that we arenot disturbed."

  "I'm baking biscuit, Miss Letitia."

  "Biscuit!" said Tish scornfully. "Biscuit in times like these?"

  She walked up to the camp stove and threw the oven door open; but,though I believe she had meant to fling them into the river, she changedher mind when she saw them.

  "Open a jar of honey, Hutchins," she said, and closed the oven; buther voice was abstracted. "You can watch the river from the stove,Hutchins," she went on. "Miss Aggie and Miss Lizzie and I must confertogether."

  So we went into the tent, and Tish closed and fastened it.

  "Now," she said, "I've got the papers."

  "Papers?"

  "The ones Mr. McDonald gave that Indian this morning. I had an idea he'dstill have them. You can't hurry an Indian. I waited in the bushes untilhe went in swimming. Then I went through his pockets."

  "Tish Carberry!" cried Aggie.

  "These are not times to be squeamish," Tish said loftily. "I'm neutral;of course; but Great Britain has had this war forced on her and I'mgoing to see that she has a fair show. I've ordered all my stockingsfrom the same shop in London, for twenty years, and squarer people neverlived. Look at these--how innocent they look, until one knows!"

  She produced two papers from inside her waist. I must confess that, atfirst glance, I saw nothing remarkable.

  "The first one looks," said Tish, "like a grocery order. It's meant tolook like that. It's relieved my mind of one thing--McDonald's got nowireless or he wouldn't be sending cipher messages by an Indian."

  It was written on a page torn out of a pocket notebook and the page wasruled with an inch margin at the left. This was the document:--

  1 Dozen eggs. 20 Yards fishing-line. 1 pkg. Needles--anything to sew a button on. 1 doz. A B C bass hooks. 3 lbs. Meat--anything so it isn't fish. 1 bot. Ink for fountain pen. 3 Tins sardines. 1 Extractor.

  Well, I could not make anything of it; but, of course, I have not Tish'smind. Aggie was almost as bad.

  "What's an extractor?" she asked.

  "Exactly!" said Tish. "What is an extractor? Is the fellow going to pullteeth? No! He needed an _e_; so he made up a word."

  She ran her finger down the first letters of the second column."D-y-n-a-m-i-t-e!" she said triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you?"