CHAPTER XII.
HANTS.
"Help! Help!" The call was followed by a blood-curdling shriek thatdrowned the noise of tree frogs and whip-poor-wills.
Douglas and Nan both awoke with a start and Helen stirred in her sleep.Lewis, over at the men's tent, made a mental note that he must go outwith a gun early in the morning and try to shoot that screech owl.Bill, whose passion next to soldiering was base ball, muttered anunintelligible something about: "Ball two! Strike one! Rotten umpire!"
Oscar heard it, and remembering the terrible tales Josh had beentelling, drew his blanket up close over his wool. "Walls don't keephants out no better'n canvas, but all the same I'd like to know they wassomethin' more substantiated around this nigger than jist a dog tent.I's gonter git some cotton to stuff in my years 'ginst anudder night,"he said to himself.
"Help! Help!" again rang out. "The debble is got me! Gawd in Hebben helpme!"
"Susan!" gasped the three older girls. They were out of their cots andinto kimonos by the help of a flash light Helen had under her pillow,before the call came again. The three-quarter moon had set but the starsgave light enough for them to see the two young men in full tilt, comingto their assistance, rifles in hand and striped bath gowns flappingaround bare legs.
"Help! My sweet Gawd, help!"
Miss Somerville had more fear of germs than anything else, so sleptwith her door wide open. Being a very thorough person in anything sheundertook whether it was solitaire, knitting scarves, chaperoning orsleeping, Miss Somerville was now sleeping with all her might. She hadpitched her--what would be called a snore in a plebeian person, but wewill call it her breathing,--she had pitched her breathing in harmonywith the tree frogs and katydids and was now hitting off a very prettytune.
Up the chicken steps the young folks trooped, Lewis in front with theflash light, Miss Somerville still sleeping the sleep of the virtuousand just. Poor Susan was lying on her shelf-like bed, her head coveredup, having emerged only for yelling purposes and then quickly coveringherself again. Her great feet were sticking out at the bottom and onthem were perched three large hornets, stinging at their ease. Akerosene lamp, turned down too low and smelling at an unseemly rate,was on the box that served as a table. The windows were tightly closedbecause of her weak lungs and the air could almost have been cut withits combination of odors, cheap-scented soap, musk and just plain Susan.
"Susan, Susan! What is the matter?" demanded Douglas.
"Oh, little Mistis! That English hant has got me by the toe. I wasexpecting him after what that there po' white boy done tol' me, but Ithought maybe he would be held off by Miss Lizzie Somerville. Hantsain't likely to worry the quality."
"Nonsense, Susan, nothing has you by the toe," said Helen sternly. "Youmust have had nightmare."
"But look at the hornets!" exclaimed Nan. "Why, the room is full ofthem."
Then such an opening of windows and tumbling down that trap door asensued! Susan had bounced out of bed to join them, regardless of theyoung men, but since she was enveloped in a high-necked, very thick pinkouting flannel gown she was really more clothed than any of them.
"I'd fight 'em if I had on more clothes," declared Bill, as he landed onthe floor below.
"Ouch! One got me on the shin then," from Lewis.
"One's down my neck!" squealed Helen.
"Shut the trap door so they won't disturb Cousin Lizzie," commandedDouglas.
They got out of doors without Miss Somerville's even dropping a stitchfrom the raveled sleeve of care she was so industriously knitting. "Youcould almost two-step to it," drawled Nan, nursing a stung finger.
Bill went off into one of his uncontrollable bursts of laughter and thepeaceful sleeper stirred.
"Shh! Bill, you must dry up," warned Lewis. "I'll get out another cotand Susan can finish the night in Aunt Lizzie's room."
"Oh, Mr. Lewis, please don't make me go back in yonder. The debble willgit me sho next time. I's safter out under the ferment of the stars."
"You can come into our tent, Susan," said Helen kindly. "We are notgoing to have you scared to death." So the extra cot was brought androom was made for the poor, trembling vision in pink outing flannel.
"Tell us what it was that got you scared," asked Nan when they had oncemore settled themselves and the young men had gone back to theirquarters, much relieved at the way things had turned out.
"Well, that there low-flung Josh was tellin' me 'bout a English hantwhat had suffered with a buzzin' an' roarin' in his haid ter thatextent he done los' his reason an' one dark night he up'n kilt hissef.An' they do say that the po' man still ain't got no rest from thebuzzin' an' he hants these parts, and sometimes them what is 'dicted terhants kin hear de buzzin' and roarin', 'cause even though the hant islaid the buzzin' an' roarin' roams the mountings lak a lost soul. Whin Igits in the baid, I was plum tuckered out so I didn' wase no time butwas soon sleepin' the sleep that falls alike on the jest an' the onjest.I wuck up with a smotherin' feelin'."
"I should think you would, with not a bit of air in your room!"
"I wuck up, as I say, kinder smotherin' like an' then I hears theEnglish hant as plain as day. Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Brrrr! Brrrr! 'My Gawd,'says I, 'pertect me.' I tun over in the baid an' then the buzzin'sounded lak the rushin' of mighty water. 'Mebbe he will pass on by mean' go to Uncle Oscar,' thinks I. 'He was the one what scoffed at Josh'stellin' of the tale.' I kivered my haid an' then that hant got me by thetoe."
"But, Susan," laughed Douglas, "of course you know it was a hornet thathad you by the toe."
"You mought think it, Miss Douglas, but hants is powerful slick the waythey kin change theysefs ter natural things. That debble jes' changedter hornesses ter mysterfy all of you white folks. He was a debble hantup ter the physological moment all of you appeared. I knows lots abouthants from my books."
"Well, I know a lot about hornets from experience," said Helen, tryingto reach the stung place between her shoulders.
"Me, too," drawled Nan. "My finger is twice its natural size."
"Well, let's all of us go to sleep now," said Douglas. "You are notafraid in here, are you, Susan?"
"No'm----" and the girl was off asleep in less time than it had takenher to arouse most of the campers.
"Helen," whispered Douglas, "I am afraid Josh is responsible for thehornets. It sounds as though he had prepared his way to scare Susan bytelling the ghost story first."
"I am afraid it is so. We will have to see to that youngster."
"I think Lewis can handle him. I'll ask him in the morning. In themeantime, I will tell Susan not to mention the 'hants' and maybe Joshwill give himself away with curiosity."
It was a hard task her young mistresses had set Susan.
"Thain't nothin' 'tall ter hants if you cyarn't tell about 'em," shegrumbled.
"Well, just wait a day, Susan, and then you can tell all you've a mindto."
At breakfast that morning Miss Somerville complained that her rest hadbeen very much broken but that she had slept much better than she hadever expected to.
"I am at best a light sleeper," she remarked. "The smallest thingdisturbs me. Now I distinctly heard Mr. Tinsley laugh, although he musthave been in his own tent."
This was too much for poor Bill, who went off into one of hisspecialties.
"I'd ruther to laugh like that than sing like Robinson Crusoe in thevictrola," said Bobby. "I kin holler real loud but I ain't nothin' of abig laugher. Josh, he don't make no noise 'tall when he laughs. He jistshakes his innards. He was shakin' em this morning 'cause Susan said shehad a bee sting on her toe, the reason she is a-limpin' so."
Helen and Douglas exchanged glances with the young men, whom they hadinformed of their suspicions regarding the humorous Josh.
"Douglas," said Miss Somerville, "I can't see why Bobby should use thelanguage of a negro. He is quite old enough to begin to speak properly."
"Well, you see, Cousin Lizzie, he is really nothing but a baby, andMother and Father have never corrected him
because Father said he woulddrop it soon enough and he thinks it is so amusing."
"Baby, your grandmother! I am 'most a man an' Josh is goin' ter learnme how to say we uns an' you uns like he does. He says his teacher an'Gwen is tryin' to make him talk properer, but he ain't goin' to talk noway but what his four bears talks. I wish I had four bears what couldtalk. I forgot to ask Josh to tell me about them bears but I will, sometime."