CHAPTER XIV.
TELEMACHUS GOES A-FISHING.
At this point Bubble's narrative was interrupted by the appearance ofMartha, making demand for her peas. Bubble was duly presented to her;and she beamed on him through her spectacles, and was delighted to seehim, and quite sure he must be very hungry.
"I never thought of that!" cried Hildegarde, remorsefully. "When did youhave breakfast, and have you had anything to eat since?"
Bubble had had breakfast at half-past six, and had had nothing since.The girls were horrified.
"Come into the kitchen this minute!" said Martha, imperatively. So hedid; and the next minute he was looking upon cold beef and johnny-cakeand apple-pie, and a pile of doughnuts over which he could hardly seeMartha's anxious face as she asked if he thought that would stay himtill dinner. "For boys are boys!" she added, impressively, turning toHildegarde; "and girls they are not, nor won't be."
When he had eaten all that even a hungry boy could possibly eat, Bubblewas carried off to be introduced to Miss Wealthy. She, too, wasdelighted to see him, and made him more than welcome; and when he spokeof staying a day or two in the neighborhood, and asked if he could get aroom nearer than the village, she was quite severe with him, forbade himto mention the subject again, and sent Martha to show him the littleroom in the ell, where she said he could be comfortable, and the longerhe stayed the better. It was the neatest, cosiest little room, just bigenough for a boy, the girls said with delight, when they went to inspectit. The walls were painted bright blue, which had rather a peculiareffect; but Martha explained that Jeremiah had half a pot of blue paintleft after painting the wheelbarrow and the pails, and thought he mightas well use it up. Apparently the half pot gave out before Jeremiah cameto the chairs, for one of them was yellow, while the other had red legsand a white seat and back. But the whole effect was very cheerful andpleasant, and Bubble was enchanted.
The girls left him to wash his face and hands, and brush the roadsidedust from his clothes. As he was plunging his face into the cool,sparkling water in the blue china basin, he heard a small but decidedvoice addressing him; and looking up, became aware of a person in kiltsstanding in the doorway and surveying him with manifest disapprobation.
"Hello, young un!" said Bubble, cheerily. "How goes the world with you?"
"Vat basin ain't your basin!" responded the person in kilts, with greatseverity.
Bubble looked from him to the basin, and back again, with amusedperplexity. "Oh! it isn't, eh?" he said. "Well, that's a pity, isn'tit?"
"Vis room ain't your room!" continued the new-comer, with increasedsternness; "vis bed ain't your bed! I's ve boy of vis house. Go out ofve back door! _Go_ 'WAY!"
At the last word Benny stamped his foot, and raised his voice to a roarwhich fairly startled his hearer. Bubble regarded him steadfastly for amoment, and then sat down on the bed and began feeling in his pockets."I found something so funny to-day!" he said. "I was walking along theroad--"
"Go out of ve back door!" repeated Benny, in an appalling shout.
"And I came," continued Bubble, in easy, conversational tones,regardless of the vindictive glare of the blue eyes fixed upon him,--"Icame to a great bed of blue clay. Not a bed like this, you know,"--forBenny's glare was now intensified by the expression of scorn andincredulity,--"but just a lot of it in the road and up the side of theditch. So I sat down on the bank to rest a little, and I made somemarbles. See!" he drew from his pocket some very respectable marbles,and dropped them on the quilt, where they rolled about in an enticingmanner. Benny was opening his mouth for another roar; but at sight ofthe marbles he shut it again, and put his hand in his kilt pocketinstinctively. But there were no marbles in his pocket.
"Then," Bubble went on, taking apparently no notice of him, "I thought Iwould make some other things, because I didn't know but I might meetsome boy who liked things." Benny edged a little nearer the bed, butspoke no word. "So I made a pear,"--he took the pear out and laid it onthe bed,--"and a hen,"--the hen lay beside the pear,--"and a bee-hive,and a mouse; only the mouse's tail broke off." He laid the delightfulthings all side by side on the bed, and arranged the marbles round themin a circle. "And look here!" he added, looking up suddenly, as if abright idea had struck him; "if you'll let me stay here a bit, I'll giveyou all these, and teach you to play ring-taw too! Come now!" His brightsmile, combined with the treasures on the bed, was irresistible. Benny'smouth quivered; then the corners went up, up, and the next moment he wassitting on the bed, chuckling over the hen and the marbles, and the twohad known each other for years.
"But look here!" said the person in kilts, breaking off suddenly in ananimated description of the brown crockery cow, "you must carry me abouton your back!"
"Why, of course!" responded Bubble. "What do you suppose I come herefor?"
"And go on all-fours when I want you to!" persisted the small tyrant."'Cause Jeremiah has a bone in his leg, and them girls"--oh, blackingratitude of childhood!--"won't. I don't need you for a pillow, 'causeI has my sweet old fat kyat for a pillow."
"Naturally!" said Bubble. "But if you should want a bolster any time,just let me know."
"Because I's ve boy of ve house, you see!" said Benny, in a tone ofrelief.
"You are that!" responded Bubble, with great heartiness.
By general consent, the second half of Zerubbabel's narrative wasreserved for the evening, when Miss Wealthy could hear and enjoy it.Hildegarde and Rose, of course, found out all about their kind friendsat the Farm; and the former looked very grave when she heard that Mr.and Mrs. Hartley were expecting Rose without fail early in September,and were counting the days till her return. But she resolutely shook offall selfish thoughts, and entered heartily into the pleasure of doingthe honors of the place for the new-comer.
Bubble was delighted with everything. It was the prettiest place he hadever seen. There never was such a garden; there never were suchapple-trees, "except the Red Russet tree at the Farm!" he said. "_That_tree is hard to beat. 'Member it, Miss Hilda,--great big tree, down bythe barn?"
"Indeed I do!" said Hilda. "Those are the best apples in the world, Ithink; and so beautiful,--all golden brown, with the bright scarletpatch on one cheek. Dear apples! I wish I might have some this fall."
Bubble smiled, knowing that Farmer Hartley was counting upon sending hisbest barrel of Russets to his favorite "Huldy;" but preserved a discreetsilence, and they went on down to the boat-house.
When evening came, the group round the parlor-table was a very pleasantone to see. Miss Wealthy's chair was drawn up near the light, and shehad her best cap on, and her evening knitting, which was something assoft and white and light as the steam of the tea-kettle. Near her satHildegarde, wearing a gown of soft white woollen stuff, which set offher clear, fresh beauty well. She was dressing a doll, which she meantto slip into the next box of flowers that went to the hospital, for alittle girl who was just getting well enough to want "something tocuddle;" and her lap was full of rainbow fragments of silk and velvet,the result of Cousin Wealthy's search in one of her numerous piece-bags.On the other side of the table sat Rose, looking very like hername-flower in her pale-pink dress; while Bubble, on a stool beside her,rested his arm on his sister's knee, and looked the very embodiment ofcontent. A tiny fire was crackling on the hearth, even though it wasstill August; for Miss Wealthy thought the evening mist from the riverwas dangerous, and dried her air as carefully as she did her linen. Dr.Johnson was curled on his hassock beside the fire; Benny was safe inbed.
"And now, Bubble," said Hildegarde, with a little sigh of satisfactionas she looked around and thought how cosey and pleasant it all was, "nowyou shall tell us about your fishing excursion."
"Well," said Bubble, nothing loath, "it was this way, you see. When Icame back from the Farm, leaving Jock there, I found the doctor in hisstudy, and the whole room full of rods and lines and reels, and allkinds of truck; and he was playing with the queerest things I ever sawin my life,--bits of feather and wool, and I don't kno
w what not, withhooks in them. When he called me to come and look at his flies I was allup a tree, and didn't know what he was talking about; but he told meabout 'em, and showed me, and then says he, 'I'm going a-fishing,Bubble, and I'm going to take you, if you want to go.' Well, I didn'tleave much doubt in his mind about _that_. Fishing! Well, _you_ know,Pinkie, there's nothing like it, after all. So we started next morning,Doctor and I, and three other fel--I mean gentlemen. Two of 'em wasdoctors, and the third was a funny little man, not much bigger'n me. Iwish 't you could ha' seen us start! Truck? Well, I should--say so!Rods, and baskets, and bait-boxes, and rugs, and pillows, and cannedthings, and camp-stools, and tents, and a cooking-stove, and a barrel ofbeer, and--"
"How much of this are you making up, young man?" inquired Hildegarde,calmly; while Miss Wealthy paused in her knitting, and looked over herspectacles at Bubble in mild amazement.
"Not one word, Miss Hilda!" replied the boy, earnestly. "Sure as you'resitting there, we did start with all them--_those_ things. Doctor, ofcourse, knew 't was all nonsense, and he kept telling the others so; butthey was bound to have 'em; and the little man, he wouldn't be separatedfrom that beer-barrel, not for gold. However, it all turned out right.We were bound for Tapsco stream, you see; and when we came to the endof the railroad, we hired a sledge and a yoke of oxen, and started forthe woods. Seven miles the folks there told us it was, but it took ustwo whole days to do it; and by the time we got to the stream, the citychaps, all 'cept Dr. Flower (and he really ain't half a city chap!) werepretty well tired out, I can tell you. Breaking through the bushes,stumbling over stumps and stones, and h'isting a loaded sledge over theworst places, wasn't exactly what they had expected; for none of 'em butthe doctor had been in the woods before. Well, we got to the stream; andthere was the man who was going to be our guide and cook, and all that.He had two canoes,--a big one and a little one; he was going to paddleone, and one of us the other. Well, the little man--his name wasPackard--said he'd paddle the small canoe, and take the stove and thebeer-barrel, ''cause they'll need careful handling,' says he. The oldguide looked at him, when he said that, pretty sharp, but he didn't saynothing; and the rest of us got into the other canoe with the rest ofthe truck, after we'd put in his load. We started ahead, and Mr. Packardcame after, paddling as proud as could be, with his barrel in the bow,and he and the stove in the stern. I wish't you could ha' seen him, MissHilda! I tell you he was a sight, with his chin up in the air, and hismouth open. Presently we heard him say, 'This position becomes irksome;I think I will change'--but that was all he had time to say; for beforethe guide could holler to him, he had moved, and over he went, boat andbarrel and stove and all. Ha! ha! ha! Oh, _my!_ if that wasn't the mostcomical sight--"
"Oh, but, Bubble," cried Hildegarde, hastily, as a quick glance showedher that Miss Wealthy had turned pale, dropped her knitting, and puther hand up to the pansy brooch, "he wasn't hurt, was he? Poor littleman!"
"Hurt? not a mite!" responded Bubble. "He come up next minute, puffingand blowing like a two-ton grampus, and struck out for our canoe. Wewere all laughing so we could hardly stir to help him in; but the doctorhauled him over the side, and then we paddled over and righted hiscanoe. He was in a great state of mind! 'You ought to be indicted,' hesays to the guide, 'for having such a canoe as that. It's infamous! it'satrocious! I--I--I--how dare you, sir, give me such a rickety eggshelland call it a boat?' Old Marks, the guide, looked at him again, anddidn't say anything for a while, but just kept on paddling. At last hesays, very slow, as he always speaks, 'I--guess--it's all right, Squire.This is a prohibition State, you know; and that's a prohibition boat,that's all.' Well, there was some talk about fishing the things up; butthere was no way of doing it, and Dr. Flower said, anyhow, he didn'tcome to fish for barrels nor yet for cook-stoves; so we went on, andthere they be--_are_ yet, I suppose. Bimeby we came to Marks's camp,where we were to stay. It was a bark lean-to, big enough for us all,with a nice fire burning, and all comfortable. Doctor and I liked itfirst-rate; but the city chaps,--they said they must have their tentsup, so we spent a good part of a day getting the things up."
"And were they more comfortable?" asked Rose. "I suppose the gentlemenwere not used to roughing it."
"Humph!" responded Bubble, with sovereign contempt. "Mr. Packard set hisafire, trying to build what he called a scientific fire, and came nearburning himself up, and the rest of us, let alone the whole woods. Andthe second night it came on to rain,--my! how it did rain! and thesecond tent was wet through, and they were all mighty glad to come intothe lean-to!"
"This seems to have been a severe experience, my lad," said MissWealthy, with gentle sympathy. "I trust that none of the party sufferedin health from all this exposure."
"Oh, no, ma'am!" Bubble hastened to assure her. "It was splendid fun!splendid! I never had such a good time. I could fish for a year withoutstopping, I do believe."
Miss Wealthy's sympathetic look changed to one of mild disapproval, forshe did not like what she called "violent sentiments." "So exaggerated astatement, my boy," she said gently, "is doubtless not meant to be takenliterally. Fishing, or angling, to use a more elegant word, seems to bea sport which gives great pleasure to those who pursue it. Dr. Johnson,it is true, spoke slightingly of it, and described a fishing-rod as astick with a hook at one end, and--ahem! he was probably in jest, mydears--a fool at the other. But Izaak Walton was a meek and devoutperson; and my dear father was fond of angling, and--and--others I haveknown. Go on, my lad, with your lively description."
Poor Bubble was so abashed by this little dissertation that hisliveliness seemed to have deserted him entirely for the moment. He hunghis head, and looked so piteously at Hildegarde that she was obliged totake refuge in a fit of coughing, which made Miss Wealthy exclaimanxiously that she feared she had taken cold.
"Go on, Bubble!" said Hildegarde, as soon as she had recovered herself,nodding imperatively to him. "How many fish did you catch?"
"Oh, a great many!" replied the boy, rather soberly. "Dr. Flower is afirst-rate fisherman, and he caught a lot every day; and the other twodoctors caught some. But Mr. Packard,"--here his eyes began to twinkleagain, and his voice took on its usual cheerful ring,--"poor Mr.Packard, he did have hard luck. The first time he threw a fly it caughtin a tree, and got all tangled up, so 't he was an hour and more gettinghis line free. Then he thought 't would be better on the other side ofthe stream; so he started to cross over, and stepped into a deep hole,and down he sat with a splash, and one of his rubber boots came off, andhe dropped his rod. Of all the unlucky people I ever saw! I tell you, 'twas enough to make a frog laugh to see him fish! Then, of course, he'dgot the water all riled--"
"All--I beg your pardon?--riled?" asked Miss Wealthy, innocently.
"All muddy!" said Bubble, hastily; "so he couldn't fish there no morefor one while. And just then I happened to come along with a string oftrout--ten of 'em, and perfect beauties!--that I'd caught with a stringand a crooked pin; and that seemed to finish Mr. Packard entirely. Nextday he had rheumatism in his joints, and stayed in camp all day,watching Marks making snow-shoes. The day after that he tried again, andfished all the morning, and caught one yellow perch and an eel. The eeldanced right up in his face,--it did, sure as I'm alive, Pink!--andscairt him so, I'm blessed if he didn't sit down again--ho! ho! ho!--ona point o' rock, and slid off into the water, and lost his spectacles.Oh, dear! it don't seem as if it could be true; but it is, every word.The next day he went home. _He_'ll never go a-fishing again."
"Poor man! I should think not!" said Rose, compassionately. "But is Dr.Flower--are all the others still there?"
"Gone home!" said Bubble. "We came out of the woods three days ago, andtook the train yesterday. I never thought of such a thing as stopping;supposed I must go right back to work. But when the brakeman sung out,'Next station Bywood!' Doctor just says quietly, 'Get your bag ready,Bubble! You're going to get out at this station.' And when I looked athim, all struck of a heap, as you may say, he says, 'Shut your mouth!you
look really better with it shut. There is a patient of mine stayingat this place, Miss Chirk by name. I want you to look her up, makeinquiries into her case, and if you can get lodgings in theneighborhood, stay till she is ready to be escorted back to New York. Itis all arranged, and I have a boy engaged to take your place for twoweeks. Now, then! do not leave umbrellas or packages in the train!Good-by!' And there we were at the station; and he just shook hands, anddropped me off on the platform, and off they went again. Isn't he a goodman? I tell you, if they was all like him, there wouldn't be no troublein the world for anybody." And Rose thought so too!