CHAPTER IV
THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK
Every one was hungry, and when they had gathered about the dining-roomtable, full justice was done the viands served in the restaurant. Whilewaiting for dessert (the children had ice cream every time) Mr. Davisremarked:
"Any one want to go to the theatre to-night? I had some tickets reservedfor a play that is said to be very good."
"Do you mean us, too, when you say 'any one'?" asked Anne.
"Goodness, no! You youngsters are too tired," laughed her father.
"Oh, no, we're not! We're never too tired for fun," replied Jackquickly.
"I think it will be very nice to see a play, Sam," said Mrs. Parke,thanking him for the suggestion.
"Well, then we must hurry and not miss the whole of the first act.Couldn't we leave the children to go to bed alone for this time?" askedMr. Parke.
"I'll ask the chambermaid to see that they are all right and have whatthey want," said Mrs. Parke.
"Mother, if you all are going to have a good time, why can't we have icecream and cake for a treat up in the parlor?" begged Anne.
"Why, you're having ice cream now!" exclaimed Mrs. Davis.
"But this is dessert--upstairs it will be a party!" cried Jack.
The elders laughed, and promised that Maggie, the maid, should be toldto give the children a party as they desired.
After the elders had gone, the five children gathered in the parlorwaiting for Maggie's appearance. She was having her supper, and said shewould be upstairs in a short time.
"Do you know, we haven't played war in the _longest_ time--I've almostforgotten how!" sighed George.
"That's 'cause we had so much other stuff to do," replied Martha.
"I wish we could play Nathan Hale and the British now," ventured Jack.
"You just can't in a place full of furniture--no trees, no grass, nocreek to play with," remonstrated George.
"It's 'most eight o'clock. Maggie should be finished with her supperlong ago," said Martha, getting up to peep out of the door to see ifthere were any signs of the maid in the long hallway.
To her great delight she saw Maggie coming down the soft carpetedcorridor, and soon after, she knocked at the door.
"Is you'se all right in here?" questioned Maggie.
"As right as can be without that ice cream," retorted George.
Maggie grinned. "Yer mudder said you'se were to have it sent up ateight-thirty. I th'ot like as how I'd stop to see if I wuz wanted foranything and if not, I'd run upstairs to get the clean towels for yourrooms."
"Run ahead, and don't be behind time with the cream," agreed Jack,sighing, as he took up a magazine from the center table.
"This is a tiresome life when there's nothing to kill time with," alsosighed George, after Maggie had gone.
"Let's have a pillow fight," suggested Martha.
"Come on, boys, that'll be better than nothing," added Anne, taking themagazine from her brother.
John was spending the night with them, so the five had quite a livelytime in the fight, until the clock on the mantel chimed eight-thirty.
"Time for the cream!" shouted George, picking up the down that hadescaped from the pillows while batting them back and forth.
The children waited fully five minutes for Maggie and the cream, andthen Jack declared he would not stand for such neglect! He took up thetelephone from the wall near the door and asked the clerk to find outwhere Maggie was.
The clerk ascertained that Maggie was the maid for their floor, and saidshe had been sent upstairs to help another maid who was ill thatevening. He would let her know that she was wanted.
Five minutes more passed by, and still no Maggie. Then George had abrilliant idea.
"I'll run and scout for her. I've never been anywhere about this hotel,except down in the dining-room and entrance. I'll have a look around,and find her at the same time."
"I'll go with you," suggested Jack.
"Can't we go, too?" asked the girls.
"No, girls mustn't wander around like this, but John may come if helikes," replied George, going out into the corridor.
Not wishing to let the elevator boy know they were on a tour ofinspection, the three boys walked up to the next floor. A corridorexactly the same as the one they were on, was the only thing to see.Voices were heard--seemingly from the floor above.
"That must be Maggie upstairs," said Jack.
So up another flight they went, and found a couple at the head of thestairs talking loudly to a deaf old lady. Maggie was not to be seen. Thethree strangers got on the elevator, and the three boys walked down thelength of the corridor. Almost at the extreme length of it, a door stoodopen, and the boys were sure Maggie would be in that room, very probablymaking it ready for guests.
"My, this is an awful big house," remarked John.
"Almost like a canyon--these high, dark corridors," said Jack.
"It would be great sport trying to catch a spy running away from us downthese gulleys and mountain-steps," grinned John.
By this time the boys had reached the end of the hallway, and stoodlooking in at the opened door of the room; but it was not a guest-room.It was a store-room of some sort. The door had been left open bymistake, most likely, for no one was about on the entire length of thecorridor.
"It must be a junk room," said George.
"They keep old half-worn stuff in it, I guess," added Jack, glancing atthe shelves on one side, piled up with miscellaneous items.
"Oh! Look at all the bellboys' uniforms! All colors, different from whatsome of them wear now," said John.
"Maybe they're here to be repaired or for extra help," suggested George.
The boys stood looking over the motley assortment of things, whensuddenly Jack exclaimed:
"What do you say to playing war? Let's dress up in the old uniforms andhave some sport!"
"Say!" admired John, looking at Jack with envy.
George said not a word in reply, but looked up and down the corridor tosee if any one was about. It was empty and quiet.
"Let's take one each, and two for the girls," whispered George,tiptoeing into the room and selecting a green cloth suit, trimmed withgold braid and brass buttons. After holding it up against him to gaugethe size, he threw it over his arm, and then selected a similar suit forMartha. John also found a uniform about his size, and Jack took two--onefor himself and one for Anne.
Just as the three raiders reached the head of the stairway, they heardthe elevator coming up to that floor. Quick as a flash, they slid downthe first section of the stairs, to let the elevator continue past thefloor before they ran down the other flights.
Into the parlor bounced the three boys, laughing and bursting with plansfor a campaign. The two girls had grown tired of waiting for the boysand Maggie, and were watching the crowds on the brilliantly-lightedstreet many stories below.
"What do you think? A battle in New York!" cried Jack, throwing theuniforms on the floor.
"Now we can have some fun!" added George.
"Oh, where'd you find them?" asked Martha and Anne in one breath.
"Never mind where--get into them and let's go to war," retorted John,taking his uniform to one of the bedrooms.
The outer door from the parlor to the corridor was well secured againstsurprise, and then the children quickly dressed in the uniforms. Canesleft by the two gentlemen, and umbrellas, were perfectly satisfactoryguns for the soldiers. One after the other they appeared in the parlor,and laughingly admired one another.
"Now what? We're all ready," said John.
"Martha, twist up your curls! Soldiers can't have such hair when theyfight!" scorned George.
So Martha ran to her mother's room and pinned up her hair, keeping it ontop of her head by dragging her father's travelling cap over it.
The boys also got their caps, and then they stood in line while Georgedrilled them.
"This room is too small for any fun," said Jack.
"Can't we parade down
the hallway? If we hear any one coming we canhide," suggested Martha.
The others exchanged looks. That was a tempting idea.
"Might as well. No one is about as early as this," said Jack.
"Come on, then! George, you're general, you know, so you must go first,"advised Anne.
Nothing loath, George opened the door softly and peeped out. "All'squiet on the Brandywine!" reported George, going out on tiptoes.
Once out in the hall, however, the five Yanks seemed to lose theirnerve. First Anne rushed back to the parlor, then Martha followed.Finally, the three boys came tumbling in, for no other cause than thatthey thought they heard footsteps somewhere.
"You're a lot of cowards! If Washington ever had to fight with runawayslike you two, I pity him!" sneered George.
"Well, didn't you run back, too?" exclaimed Martha.
"Only to see what you girls were after! We're going out now and marchproperly!" declared Jack.
"So'll we--this time!" promised Anne.
Again the army sallied forth, George telling them that they had to stormthe heights of Brooklyn and Harlem to hold the forts in New York.
The general marched his army down the whole length of the corridorwithout meeting any one, and then they stormed the stairs at the end ofthe hallway. Up on the next floor they marched again, and not a soul wasthere to watch or applaud, although the uniformed army marched as wellas a squad of bellboys--in fact, they resembled them closely.
"Now, men! Howe and his men are climbing up the ridge and we must fighton the Heights or be captured!" warned the general, waving his cane atthe next flight of stairs.
Up this flight swarmed the five Continentals, and at the top theyturned to shoot down any English that dared to follow; but no one was tobe seen.
The general held a council of war with his army. What was there to do inthis terrible extremity--the East River on one hand, the differentregiments of the British on two sides, and Howe, with his main army,back of them?
"There's only one thing left for us--to cross the river in the fog andgain New York again," declared George.
"How can we cross, when there is nothing to cross?" asked Anne, withgreat lack of imagination.
"Oh, if our creek were only here, wouldn't it be a lark!" sighed Martha.
"Why, this hallway is our river, can't you see? The fog is so thick onecan hardly tell which is land and which is water, but we can cross itall right, if you only follow me!" cried Washington courageously.
Down the whole length of the corridor he tore, eagerly followed by hisfour men, and reaching the stairway at the end he rushed up to the nextfloor.
This happened to be the top floor, and the roof, which was used insummer as a garden dining-room, and was now deserted, except for a fewtubs of greens and some odd chairs standing about, was at the top of thenext flight.
In marching the army from the East River to camp in New York, Georgefound the roof and exulted in the spot.
"Just the place for an engagement! We can hide behind the palm trees andshoot at each other when one of us tries to cross the city. Two of ushave to be British, though."
"John and I will be English, and the girls and you will be Yanks," saidJack, looking around to make sure no one was about.
"If we only had some of those apples for ammunition! Do you remember howsoft and squashy they were when they hit you in the head?" laughed John,at the memory of that conflict on the creek.
"Well, this must be a bayonet fight. No guns or cannon on hand, yousee, and the men at close quarters," said George.
So, making their fortifications of the tables and chairs waiting to beremoved to the storehouse of the hotel, and then taking their places asAmerican and British armies, the two sides opened warfare over thepossession of New York City.
The battle waged furiously in the semi-light of the electric brilliancywhich reflected from the dazzling advertising signs of the city. Bothsides tried to capture each other and make them prisoners, which wouldend the war, but all five were agile and experienced warriors.
While Howe and Washington were engaged on the roof, Maggie had finishedher extra tasks, and suddenly remembered the children. She hastilyordered the ice cream and cake to be sent up, and hurried to the suiteto humbly apologize for her tardiness.
She knocked softly at the door, while framing excuses.
No one answered.
She knocked again--this time much louder, but still no one answered.Quickly then, she opened the door and found all quiet and no one in theparlor. Some odds and ends of clothing--such as George's shoes, andJack's coat, lay on the floor.
"Poor little dears! They waited jest as long as they could an' then theygot tired and went to bed widout that cream!" said Maggie, opening abedroom door softly to bless the little sleeping darlings. But not a bedwas disturbed.
Maggie hurried from one room to the other, to find clothes scatteredabout in each room, but not a sign of the children.
"Oh, oh, oh! What has happened to thim children? Here I was told towatch thim, and now there ain't nothing but clothes to watch!" cried thedistressed Maggie, as she hurried for the door leading to the maincorridor.
Half beside herself with fear of the unknown, Maggie flung the dooropen, and was about to rush out, when she collided with the waiter, whocarried the tray of ice cream and cake. As can be expected from such animpact, the tray crashed to the floor, mixing cake, cream and brokendishes well together.
The waiter shouted and berated Maggie, and she pulled at her hair androlled her eyes upward, crying: "What shall I do? What shall I do? Thimchildren is kidnapped er else they've run away!"
The waiter quickly ran in to inspect the premises, and came back with afearful idea: "Black Hand again! The city's full ov thim, and thesefolks are rich, yo' know, an' kin pay the reward!"
Maggie and the waiter rushed down, down and down, the many flights ofstairs, never stopping to take an elevator, and then ran breathlessly upto the desk to stammer hoarsely:
"Children gone! Clothes laying everywhere, and kidnappers carried themoff!"
It caused a tremendous commotion. Every one within hearing crowded upto the clerk and wanted to know who was gone, where the thieves went,what floor the burglary took place on, and many other excitingquestions.
The proprietor was called out to quell the disturbance, but long beforehe reached the lobby, dozens of guests and callers streamed up theendless flights of steps to examine the vacant suite of rooms.
Some of the guests, who had not heard distinctly on which floor thekidnappers had found the children, climbed to the top flight. Suddenly anervous woman clutched her husband's arm.
"Oh, oh! Those wicked men are on the roof with the dears! Hear themshouting and things bumping about up there?" cried she.
Instantly the man, who had powerful lungs, leaned over the stair-railand bawled down:
"Come up! Come up! The thieves are on the roof ready to throw thechildren down to the street if they don't stop crying!"
That brought the endless line of excited folks up and up the remainingflights of stairs, until all could quite plainly hear the noise on theroof overhead.
Suddenly a voice yelled: "Surrender! I got you cornered."
The words were ominous, but the voice was boyish. Maggie recognized itas the leader of the party of children, and she ran recklessly up tograpple with the fierce kidnappers, should it be necessary to helpMister George capture the rascals.
The guests followed closely after the brave maid, and as the crowdpushed out upon the roof, they beheld a stacked-up rampart of tables andchairs and five bellboys in a close struggle with each other.
"Where are the stolen children?" cried Maggie, rushing over to the boys,with whom she was quite at home, and, in fact, felt she was theirsuperior.
At the unexpected interruption, the contending forces separated andlooked about. To their consternation, scores of wondering people stoodnear the door of the roof, staring at the five boys. The cap andhairpins of one had slipped from h
is (or her) head, and yellow curlsblew about her head in the breeze.
George never lost his presence of mind for an instant, although hefeared this surprise meant the total collapse of both armies. He calledto the four children:
"Attention!"
Instantly the four stood erect and took up their arms.
"Shoulder arms!"
The four obeyed.
"Form line!"
This was also done, to the unbelief of the audience.
"Forward--March!" cried George, taking his place at the head of theline.
They started and marched directly for the door leading to the roof,where crowds of curious guests stood gaping. As the army reached thedoorway, the people fell back on both sides and the victorious generalled his men down the stairs, down, down, down, followed by the throng,now laughing and gesticulating as wildly as any New Yorker can when hehas been well fooled!
Along the corridor of the floor where their own suite was located,George led his army, and once safely inside that friendly door, hequickly slammed and locked it.
The five sank down on the floor, and rocked back and forth in hystericsof fun.
"Oh! That was the best fight we've ever had!" finally cried Martha.
An imperative knock at the door made them all jump, however.
"Run to your rooms and tear off these uniforms! Fire them in the closetsor anywhere and jump in bed. Cover yourselves with the bedclothes beforeMaggie comes in with a pass-key!" ordered George quickly.
A second rap on the door found them all quickly removing the uniforms,and before Maggie could get her pass-key, the five quiet, dear littledarlings were snugly tucked in five beds snoring soundly.
The proprietor stood in the parlor wonderingly, but Maggie crept to thedoors and held up a warning hand for quiet.
"They is all fast asleep, sir!" whispered she.
The dazed man shook his head, and went out thinking deeply over thequeer occurrence. Could five bellboys have played that joke? But no,there was one with curls, and the maid had said the five children werenot in the rooms when she sought for them!
As soon as the crowd had dispersed, Maggie went to the room where thetwo little girls slept in twin beds.
"That ice cream will all be melted to nuthing," said wily Maggie.
Instantly the girls were out of bed. "Where is it?"
"Ha! Tell me the truth and I'll give you the cream!" said Maggiecoaxingly.
The boys heard the word "cream" and they fell into their clothes andappeared at the parlor door about the same time the two girls andMaggie came from the room.
The story was told, and Maggie, finding herself as much at fault as thesoldiers, promised to put the uniforms back in the closet, while thechildren sat down and enjoyed a double portion of ice cream.