Old Bob made a small Fire and broiled them]
BUDDY JIM GOES CAMPING
_The wild geese all were flying south, Because 'twas time to go; And the Thistle Fairies all in white Were dancing to and fro; The Bittersweet hung crimson beads Upon the brown old oak; "To leave all this" said Buddy Jim "Is cert'nly not a joke."_
For Buddy was going home tomorrow! Back to the city! He just had tolaugh when he thought how he had not wanted to come to the country; andwhat a perfectly splendid time he had been having all summer in spiteof that. Old Bob the gardener was _such_ a good chum! And then therewere all the Little Neighbors. He wondered if when he got back homethat he would see Reddy Bat again. He hoped so; he wanted to thank him.He was glad he was going to have his happy summer to remember, and hewas more glad that he was coming back next year. While he was thinkingabout all these things, there came, around the corner, Old Bob thegardener. He had on his high boots and an old sheepskin-lined, shortcoat. "_Hello_, Buddy," he called. "Want to go camping?" "O, Bob, doyou mean it?" asked the little boy in delight. "Of course I mean it,"said Old Bob the gardener, "You've got just time to get ready. Put onyour warmest clothes, and your thickest boots. I'm going to harnessold Maud. We are going down-stream after pickerel, and we are going tostay all night, so we'll need Mrs. Mare to carry enough blankets andfood."
Buddy was sure that there never had before been such a ride as thatwas; across smooth meadows, through bumpy wood roads, over littlerunning brooks, under tall trees, and low-hanging firs and spruces,with Old Dog Sandy trotting along behind, barking at everything he saw.Once, in the woods, Buddy heard a noise he thought must be thunder.But Old Bob the gardener had said, "No, it was just old Mr. Partridgedrumming, just to let Mrs. Partridge know that he was not far away."Old Bob the gardener always seemed to know everything. And pretty soon,sure enough they came upon the Partridge family eating their lunch ofbirch buds, and when old Dog Sandy barked at them, as you might be surehe would, they all flew away with a great whirring of wings.
When they got to the camping ground it was great fun to cut the firbranches for their beds. "Shall we use the hunting cabin, Buddy?" askedOld Bob the gardener, "or shall we sleep out of doors?"
"O, please, Bob, out of doors," said the little boy. "I have neverreally slept out of doors." So they brought up lots of dry wood for acamp-fire, and made their beds near it. They were going to light itwhen they got their supper. When everything was ready they went fishingin the boat that was always kept there. And they soon had plenty offish for lunch and old Bob made a small fire and broiled them. My! butthey were good!
After lunch Old Bob said he was going to have a nap, so as Buddy Jimwas not sleepy he went down stream to find what he could. He wantedto get some spruce gum to take to the boys, so he stopped at everybig tree to dig off what he could reach. He got some fine clearlumps! Presently Buddy heard voices. He knew that it was some LittleNeighbor, because it was that kind of a voice.
So he told Old Dog Sandy to keep quiet. "Always the way," mutteredthe old dog, as he dropped on the ground, "Just as soon as anythinginteresting comes along I'm supposed to be deaf and dumb; no fun inbeing a dog anyway, woof!" Buddy crept along the edge of the stream andpeeped through the undergrowth. It was a very busy sight that met hiseyes. There were actually dozens of Little Neighbors busily at work.
Some were cutting down trees and some were pushing rafts through thewater, and some were pounding clay with their flat tails to mend a holein a dam they were making, and some were working on huts.
There was one larger than the others who seemed to be the MasterWorkman. Buddy was so much interested that he forgot to be quiet, andsnapped a twig that he was holding, and immediately every one of theLittle Neighbors dropped out of sight in the stream.
Pretty soon the Master Workman came out. "Hello, Little Neighbor," saidBuddy. "I'm sorry that I interrupted your work. You were all workinglike Beavers, weren't you?"
"Of course we were," said the Little Neighbor, a bit crossly, Buddythought, "what else could we work like?"
"Are you Beavers?" asked Buddy, "I never saw one before."
"Then what made you say we worked like Beavers?" asked the MasterWorkman. "Why, that's what folks always say about people who are very'ndus'trous," said Buddy, stumbling a bit over the big word. "Why didyour crew jump in the water as soon as they saw me?"
"Wouldn't you get out of sight if you saw an enemy coming?" asked theMaster Workman. "'Course I would," answered Buddy, "but I'm not yourenemy." "Well," said the Master Workman, "you _are_ very small, but ofcourse you've got somebody grown up with you. What are you doing downhere if you did not come to hunt us?"
"Old Bob the gardener brought me down, to camp out all night," saidBuddy. "And you need not be afraid of us at all. My father owns allthis land around here, and he never allows any Little Neighbor to bedisturbed."
"That's good news," said the Master Workman, and just then Buddy heardOld Bob the gardener calling him. So he said goodbye, and ran back tocamp. "What are you trying to do, Buddy?" asked the old chap, laughing,"lose yourself in the woods?" "I couldn't get lost just following thestream," said Buddy. "I could always follow it back. I found old Mr.Beaver and his crew working down there fixing up their houses forwinter."
"Well, let's have supper now and get to bed," said Old Bob the gardener.
Buddy meant to stay awake all night. He wanted to tell the boys at homehow it felt to sleep outdoors. He saw the stars come out one by one,and the slender new moon began sailing in the sky like a little silverboat almost before the sun had gone to bed.
In a tree top near by, a big old owl wanted to know "who, who, who?"and he could hear the sleepy twitter of the chick-a-dee birds.
He was _glad_ he was there. Then he snuggled closer under the blankets,and the Little Neighbors came softly and tiptoed up and looked at him,and then tiptoed softly away again. They were sorry too, that he wasgoing back to the city tomorrow! But they were sure he would returnwith the springtime, and then how glad would they all be to welcome himback.
For Buddy Jim was the _right_ kind of a boy! And they appreciated him!And were glad to be his Little Neighbors.