CHAPTER VIII
TROUBLE FALLS IN
Janet Martin thought it must have been all of five minutes that shestood staring at the ragged man and he at her, though, very likely, itwas only a few seconds. A little while seems very long sometimes; forinstance, waiting for a train, or for the day of the party to come.
"Are you looking for anything?" the man asked of Janet after a while.
"He doesn't speak like a tramp," thought the little girl, who hadoccasionally heard them asking Nora, at the back door at home, forsomething to eat. "I guess I'll answer him."
So she replied:
"I'm looking for flowers."
"Well, there are some pretty ones here in the woods," went on the raggedman. "I saw some fine red ones a little while ago. If I had known Ishould meet you I would have picked them for you."
"I wonder if he _can_ be a tramp," thought Janet. "Do tramps pickflowers, or want to pick them?"
What she said was:
"Thank you, but I think I have enough now."
"Yes, you have a nice bouquet," went on the ragged man, still smiling.
He was dressed like a tramp, that was certain. But, somehow or other,Janet did not feel as afraid as she expected she would be when shethought of meeting a tramp.
"Do you live around here?" the man continued.
"Yes, we're camping in a tent," Jan replied. "My grandfather owns partof this island and we're with him--my mother and my brothers. We like ithere."
"Yes, it's fine," said the ragged man, who Janet thought must be atramp, even if he did not talk like most of them. "So you live in atent? Does the professor stay here all the while?"
"The professor?" repeated Janet, and she wondered what the longword meant. She was sure she had heard it before. Pretty soon sheremembered. At school she had heard some of the teachers speak ofthe principal as "Professor."
"My grandpa isn't a professor," explained Janet with a smile. "He's afarmer."
"Well, some farmers are scientists. Maybe he is a scientist," went onthe tramp. "I was wondering if some one else was on this island lookingfor the same thing I'm looking for. Can you tell me, little girl----?"
But just then, from somewhere back in the woods, a voice called. Theragged man listened a moment, and then he cried:
"All right! I'm coming!"
Janet saw him stoop and pick up off the ground a canvas bag, through theopening of which she saw stones, such as might be picked up on the shoreof the lake or almost anywhere on the island.
"I hope I shall see you again, little girl," went on the tramp, as Janetcalled him afterward when telling the story. "And when I do, I hope I'llhave some red flowers for you. Good-bye!"
Janet was so surprised by the quick way in which the man ran off throughthe woods with his bag of stones that she did not answer or saygood-bye. She just stood looking at the quivering bushes which closed upbehind him and showed which way the man had gone. Janet could not seehim any longer.
A moment later she heard the bushes behind her crackling, and, turningquickly, she saw Ted and Trouble coming toward her.
"What's the matter?" called her older brother. "Did you see anotherbear--I mean a fox?"
"No. But I saw a tramp man," replied Janet. "Oh, but he was awfulragged!"
"A tramp!" cried Ted. "Then we'd better get away from here. We'd bettergo and tell grandpa!"
Janet thought the same thing, and, after telling Ted all that hadhappened and what she and the man had said, the Curlytops hurried backthrough the woods to the camp.
"A ragged man on the island; is that it?" asked Grandpa Martin, when Jantold him what had happened. "It must be as Mr. Crittendon said, thatthere are tramps here. Though what they are doing I don't know. Thereisn't anything to eat here, except what we brought. And you haven'tmissed anything, have you, Nora? Has anybody been taking your strawberryshortcake or apple dumplings from the tent kitchen?"
"No, Mr. Martin, they haven't," Nora answered.
"Well, maybe it was a tramp and perhaps it wasn't," said Grandpa Martin."Still it will be a good thing to have a look about the island. I don'twant strange men roaming where they please, scaring the children."
"Oh, he didn't scare me, except at first," Janet hastened to say. "Hespoke real nice to me, but his clothes were old and awful ragged. Hewanted to know if you were a professor."
"Well, I guess I'm professor enough to drive away tramps that won'twork, and only want to eat what other people get," returned the farmer."I'll have a look around this island to-morrow, and drive away thetramps."
"And until then, don't you Curlytops go far away. Stay where I can watchyou," went on Mrs. Martin, shaking her finger at them, half in fun, buta great deal in earnest.
"We'll stay near the tent," promised Jan.
"I'm going to help grandpa hunt the tramps," declared Ted.
"No, Curlytop, you'd better stay with your sister and mother," said thefarmer. "I don't really believe there are any tramps here."
"But I saw him!" insisted Janet.
"I know you saw some one, Curly Girl," and grandpa smiled at her. "Ofcourse there may be a strange man--maybe two, for you say you heard onecall to the other. But they may have just stopped for a little while onthis island. I'll have to ask them to go away, though, for we want to beby ourselves while camping. So, as there might be strangers around herewho would not be pleasant, you'd better stay here, too, Teddy."
"All right, I'll stay," Teddy promised, and he tried to be happy andcontented about it, though he did want to go with his grandfather on the"tramp-hunt" as he called it. But, though Teddy was quite a good-sizedboy for his age, there were some things that it was not wise for him todo. This was one of them.
The next day Grandpa Martin, rowing over to the mainland, brought backwith him one of his hired men. The two walked all over the island, onlystopping for their lunch, and at night they had found no trace ofanyone.
"If tramps were here they have gone," said Grandpa Martin. "I can'tthink why that man who talked to Janet should speak of a professor,though."
"It _is_ queer," said Mrs. Martin. "Never mind, I'm glad it is safe forthe children to run about now. It has been hard work to keep them aboutthe tents all this day."
"I guess it has been," laughed Grandpa Martin. "Well, to-morrow they canrun as much as they like."
Ted and Janet had lots of fun, playing on the shores of Clover Lake.They took off their shoes and stockings, and went wading. Trouble didthe same, splashing about in his bare feet until he saw a littlecrawfish, darting from one stone to another under water to hide away.
"Trouble 'fraid of dem big water-bugs," he said, as he ran out on thegrassy bank. "Don't want to wade any more," and Ted and Jan could notget him to come in again that day.
By this time the camp was well settled. They had stored away in thecooking tent many good things to eat, and whenever they wanted anythingmore Grandpa Martin would row over to the store on the mainland for it.
Daddy Martin wrote from Cresco, where he was looking after his store,that he would soon be back at Cherry Farm, and then he would come out tothe camp and spend a week.
The Curlytops played all the games they knew. They took long rides withNicknack, and often Trouble went with them. But it was not all play.Mrs. Martin thought it wise for Ted and Jan to have some work to do; so,each day, she gave them little tasks. They had to bring a small pail ofwater from the spring, gather wood for the evening campfire, and alsosome for Nora to use when she made the fire in the cook-stove. For Norawas a good cook, and many a fine pie or cake came out of the oven.Sometimes Ted and Jan helped around the kitchen by drying the dishes orhelping set the table or clear it off.
One afternoon, when it was almost time to get supper, Mrs. Martin sentTed to the spring for a pail of water. She wanted one so they could allhave a fresh drink, as it was rather warm that day.
"I'll go with you," offered Janet.
"Me come too," added Trouble.
"Yes, take him," said his mother to Janet. "
He hasn't been out muchto-day." So Trouble toddled off with his brother and sister.
Ted filled the pail at the bubbling spring, which was a large one, outof sight of the tents of the camp. Then he heard a strange birdwhistling in a tree overhead, and, setting down the pail, he ran to seewhat it was.
"Oh, Jan," called her brother a moment later, "it's a big red and blackbird. Awful pretty! Come and see him!"
Jan ran to get a look at the scarlet tanager, as grandpa said later itwas, and, without thinking, she left Trouble alone.
Well, you can well imagine what Trouble did!
For a long while--ever since he had been in camp, in fact--Baby Williamhad wanted to dip a pail of water out of the spring. But of course hecould not be allowed to do this, for he might fall in. Now, however, hesaw his chance.
"Trouble bring de water," he said, talking to himself while Teddy andJanet were looking at the pretty bird.
The little fellow carefully emptied the pail his brother had filled.Then with it in his hand he went slowly toward the spring. He leanedover, but longer arms than his were needed to reach the pail down intothe bubbling water.
Trouble reached and stretched and reached again, and then----
"Splash!"
Baby William had fallen in!