Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm; Or, What Became of the Raby Orphans
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CHAPTER XXII--THE TERRIBLE TWINS ON THE RAMPAGE
The girls who had come to Sunrise Farm to visit at Madge Steele'sinvitation, felt no little responsibility when it came to theentertainment for the fresh air orphans. As The Fox said, with her usualdecision:
"Now that we've put Madge and her folks into this business, we'll justhave to back up their play, and make sure that the fresh airs don't tearthe place down. And that Sadie will have to keep an eye on the 'terribletwins.' Is that right?"
"I've spoken to poor Sadie," said Ruth, with a sigh. "I am afraid thatMrs. Steele is very much worried over what may occur to-night, while thechildren are here. We'll have to be on the watch all the time."
"I should say!" exclaimed Heavy Stone. "Let's suggest to Mr. Steele thathe rope off a place out front where he is going to have the fireworks.Some of those little rascals will want to help celebrate, the way Willieand Dickie did," and the plump girl giggled ecstatically.
"'Twas no laughing matter, Jennie," complained Ruth, shaking her head.
"Well, that's all right," Lluella broke in. "If Tom hadn't bought thefire-crackers--and that was right against Mr. Steele's advice----"
"Oh, here now!" interrupted Helen, loyal to her twin. "Tom wasn't anymore to blame than Bobbins. They were just bought for a joke."
"It was a joke all right," Belle said, laughing. "Who's going to pay forthe damage to the cart?"
"Now, let's not get to bickering," urged Ruth. "What's done, is done. Wemust plan now to make the celebration this afternoon and evening as easyfor Mrs. Steele as possible."
This conversation went on after luncheon, while Bob and Tom had drivendown the hill with a big wagon to bring up the ten remaining orphansfrom Mr. Caslon's place.
The gaily decorated wagon came in sight just about this time.Fortunately the decorations Tom and Ruth had purchased that forenoon inDarrowtown had not been destroyed when the fireworks went off in thecart.
The girls from Briarwood Hall welcomed the fresh airs cheerfully andtook entire charge of the six little girls. The little boys did not wishto play "girls' games" on the lawn, and therefore Bob and his chumsagreed to keep an eye on the youngsters, including the "terrible twins."
Sadie had been drafted to assist Madge and her mother, and some of themaids, in preparing for the evening collation. Therefore the visitorswere divided for the time into two bands.
The girls from the orphanage were quiet enough and well behaved whenseparated from their boy friends. Indeed, on the lawn and under the bigtent Mr. Steele had had erected, the celebration of a "safe and sane"Fourth went on in a most commendable way.
It was a very hot afternoon, and after indulging in a ball game in thefield behind the stables, Bobbins, in a thoughtless moment, suggested aswim. Half a mile away there was a pond in a hollow. The boys had beenthere almost every day for a dip, and Bob's suggestion was hailed--evenby the usually thoughtful Tom Cameron--with satisfaction.
"What about the kids?" demanded Ralph Tingley.
"Let them come along," said Bobbins.
"Sure," urged Busy Izzy. "What harm can come to them? We'll keep oureyes on them."
The twins and their small chums from the orphanage were eager to go tothe pond, too, and so expressed themselves. The half-mile walk throughthe hot sun did not make them quail. They were proud to be allowed toaccompany the bigger boys to the swimming hole.
The little fellows raced along in their bare feet behind the bigger boysand were pleased enough, until they reached the pond and learned thatthey would only be allowed to go in wading, while the others slippedinto their bathing trunks and "went in all over."
"No! you can't go in," declared Bobbins, who put his foot down withdecision, having his own small brothers in mind. (They had been leftbehind, by the way, to be dressed for the evening.)
"Say! the water won't wet us no more'n it does you--will it, Dickie?"demanded the talkative twin.
"Nope," agreed his brother.
"Now, you kids keep your clothes on," said Bob, threateningly. "Anddon't wade more than to your knees. If you get your overalls wet, you'llhear about it. You know Mrs. Caslon fixed you all up for the afternoonand told you to keep clean."
The smaller chaps were unhappy. That was plain. They paddled their dustyfeet in the water for a while, but the sight of the older lads divingand swimming and having such a good time in the pond was a continualtemptation. The active minds of the terrible twins were soon at work.Willie began to whisper to Dickie, and the latter nodded his headsolemnly.
"Say!" blurted out Willie, finally, as Bob and Tom were racing past themin a boisterous game of "tag." "We wanter go back. This ain't no fun--isit, Dickie?"
"Nope," said his twin.
"Go on back, if you want to. You know the path," said Bobbins,breathlessly.
"We're goin', too," said one of the other fresh airs.
"We'd rather play with the girls than stay here. Hadn't we, Dickie?"proposed Willie Raby.
"Yep," agreed Master Dickie, with due solemnity.
"Go on!" cried Bob. "And see you go straight back to the house. My!" headded to Tom, "but those kids are a nuisance."
"Think we ought to let them go alone?" queried Tom, with some faintdoubt on the subject. "You reckon they'll be all right, Bobbins?"
"Great Scott! they sure know the way to the house," said Bob. "It's astraight path."
But, as it happened, the twins had no idea of going straight to thehouse. The pond was fed by a stream that ran in from the east. Thelittle fellows had seen this, and Willie's idea was to circle aroundthrough the woods and find that stream. There they could go in bathinglike the bigger boys, "and nobody would ever know."
"Our heads will be wet," objected one of the orphans.
"Gee!" said Willie Raby, "don't let's wet our heads. We ain't gotto--have we?"
"Nope," said his brother, promptly.
There was some doubt, still, in the minds of the other boys.
"What you goin' to say to those folks up to the big house?" demanded oneof the fresh airs.
"Ain't goin' to say nothin'," declared the bold Willie. "Cause why? theyain't goin' to know--'nless you fellers snitch."
"Aw, who's goin' to snitch?" cried the objector, angered at once by theaccusation of the worst crime in all the category of boyhood. "We ain'tno tattle-tales--are we, Jim?"
"Naw. We're as safe to hold our tongues as you an' yer brother are,Willie Raby--so now!"
"Sure we are!" agreed the other orphans.
"Then come along," urged the talkative twin. "Nobody's got to know."
"Suppose yer sister finds it out?" sneered one.
"Aw--well--she jes' ain't go'n' ter," cried Willie, exasperated. "An' whatif she does? She runned away herself--didn't she?"
The spirit of restlessness was strong in the Raby nature, it wasevident. Willie was a born leader. The others trailed after him when heleft the pathway that led directly back to Sunrise Farm, and pushed intothe thicker wood in the direction he believed the stream lay.
The juvenile leader of the party did not know (how should he?) that justabove the pond the stream which fed it made a sharp turn. Its waterscame out of a deep gorge, lying in an entirely different direction fromthat toward which the "terrible twins" and their chums were aiming.
The little fellows plodded on for a long time, and the sun droppedsuddenly behind the hills to the westward, and there they were--quitesurprisingly to themselves--in a strange and fast-darkening forest.