CHAPTER II
PETE'S PROLOGUE
Into Lake Hocomo a setting sun was emptying its paint pots of everycolor left over from the day's journey around the world, or theworld's journey around the sun; spilling out into the safe waters itsblazing hues and sending streams of colored fires adrift into thelake's helpless basin, in the final hour's work of a day full ofworlds and worlds of heat and color.
Along the banks of the lake and from many favorably situated cottages,an admiring audience was wont to view "the wonderful sunset," althoughthe season furnished the same sort of spectacle from March to October,varied only in degrees of beauty and more beauty.
The Girl Scouts, they who were already planning a real camp for thesummer, were among those seated out on the landing, a pier thatextended far enough into the water to give depth for the "steamers"that carried passengers up and down the eight mile stretch of water.
These girls looked at the sunset and made remarks somewhatintelligent, but being just normal girls they could hardly have beenexpected to "take a fit" over it, as some others were accused ofdoing.
"There she goes!" exclaimed Grace, irrelevantly. "Just see how sherides!"
The girls turned quickly from their position of facing the lake tothat of facing the road that ran parallel, but in spite of theirpromptness they almost missed seeing a girl dash by on horseback; infact the blue roan pony she rode looked like some wild black animal ofthe forest, as it plunged into the grove of thick trees that skirtedthe lake at this curve; and the rider appeared nothing more than abrown spot on the roan's back as he galloped away.
"I wonder who she can be?" queried Cleo.
"Jealous?" teased Grace, for Cleo was fond of horses and their sports.
"No, indeed," replied the other. "But that girl can ride. I saw her goover the hills this afternoon and her horse stumbled in a hole, butshe just hugged him for it. Bare-back, too."
"I think we may all be jealous of her," added Louise. "The oldboatman, Pete, told me to-day she is regarded as the original Scoutaround here."
"Then she better be jealous of us," commented Corene, "for we aregoing to be the real Scouts now. What's her name?"
"Peg," replied Julia. "I just heard someone say 'there goes Peg.'"
"Nice little name," commented Cleo, "but when Margaret comes she mayalso claim it. I wonder why this Peg wears that outfit? She looks likea cow-boy girl."
"I haven't seen her close by; she is always going like the wind when Ihappen to get a glimpse of her," followed Julia. "But you may be sureshe is someone very interesting. Her mere make-up proclaims that."
"Proclaims!" taunted Grace. "Has your diploma done that to you, Jule?I would say her make-up gives her away."
"Gives what away?" challenged Julia.
"The fact that she's queer."
"How queer?"
"Very queer." Grace was not easily conquered.
"Please don't quarrel over her, girls; she may be nothing of thesort," intervened Louise. "Any girl fond of horses is apt to lookqueer."
This brought Cleo to her feet, but Louise was too quick for her, andthe playful race ended in the usual slumping down on a stump, with aheartily sighed "Oh, dear!" from the breathless Louise.
"There's Pete coming in with the launch now," remarked Julia, pointingto the graceful little bark that brushed so lightly over the waterstoward the dock. "Let's ask him about Peg."
"And sit in his launch while he waits for passengers," suggestedGrace. "Come on, Clee and Weasy!" she called to the racers. "Come overhere!"
Quickly the little flock gathered and swooped down upon Pete's prettylaunch. The boatman was not opposed to entertaining attractivepassengers, even if they didn't "go out." They looked nice in the boatand old Pete had an eye for appearances.
"Oh, say, Pete," began Grace in her direct way. "Who's that girl theycall Peg?"
"Peg?" repeated the captain. "You mean the gallopin' girl that scaresall the chickens and runs down all the auto-mo-beels?"
"Yes, the one that's always on horseback," agreed Grace.
"That's Peg--hasn't got no other name as I know of, but they alluscalls her 'Peg of Tamarack Hills,' 'count o' the place she lives, overin yon hills."
"Is she queer?" put in Julia, making sure of another cushion. (Whatwould summer be without cushions?)
"Depends upon what you mean by queer," returned the boatman, and thegirls laughed at the trouble that little word seemed prone to make.
"She's so fly-away," ventured Louise.
"Yes, she's that, all of it," answered Pete. "But she's a right smartgirl, I'll tell ye. She does many a good turn for us men who have tostick by our boats. Why, I've known the day last winter----"
"Does she stay here all winter?" inquired Cleo.
"Sure does, every day o' the year finds Peg over in them hills. An'she rides away to school like a girl in a picture book," described theman. He was obviously a good friend of Peg's.
"Who does she live with?" put in Grace.
"An aunt; a nice old lady, too. Miss Ramsdell. She takes care of Pegso far as Peg'll let her; but looks like more times than enough, Pegtakes care of Aunt Carrie. I was goin' to tell you about last winter,"he resumed. "Wait a minute till I pull up that canvas. There, we'llhave more light now." He gave a furtive glance about the dock forprospective passengers, and seeing none heading toward his landing hecontinued:
"We was runnin' ice boats last winter, when the boys was cuttin' theice, and folks came out from the city with an idea we had airoplaneson runners out here. Well, one day came a sudden thaw and the icemelted quick. The cutters was all down there along the canal, and thislake is mighty deep, you know. Well, without warning nor nauthin', noteven a crack to give the fellers a signal, the ice split up, and MarxHoppler went under before he could get away."
"Oh, was he drowned?" exclaimed Grace.
"He went under so quick--and you can guess what it would be to slideunder the ice on this lake. Well, finally," Pete touched the buttonthat lighted his headlight, "we got Marx out, and he just seemed to befroze stiff. It happened Peg was along o' the dock. There was lots offolks gathered 'round in a hurry but no wagons, and would you believeit that little Scout had someone lift Marx on her horse, stiff anddead-like, and she got away down to the doctor's with him before therest of us realized what she was about!"
"Good Scouting!" exclaimed Corene.
"You betcha!" agreed Pete; "and the doc said it was just in the nicko' time and saved Marx's life. I tell you, folks around here'll standby Peg, but of course, strangers is apt to be critical," he finished.
"We will have to call on her, we're Scouts too, you know, Pete," saidJulia.
"Yes, I know. You look real smart in them natty little suits, too. Ilike the looks of them first rate," admired Pete. "But as for callin'on Peg, it can't be done."
"Why?" came a chorus.
"She won't have any callers. Her place is barred and locked and prettynear has dynamite planted around it." He chuckled merrily at the idea."Yes, sir-ree! Peg don't want no one to bother her and she won't allowanyone to do it. Too bad, too, a little girl like her had ought tahave girl friends."
"I knew she was queer," insisted Grace.
"Well, you might call it that----" Pete stopped to take an order for aride to the other end of the lake, and the girls hopped out to stayashore.
"There, you see," said Louise, "we can't possibly ask her to join ourtroop."
"Or _get_ her to join it, you mean, Weasy. It seems to me that a girlwho can do as big a thing as carry a half frozen man on her horse hasa good right to be called the original Scout, and I am going to do allI can to find out more about her," declared Corene.
"Look out for the dynamite," cautioned Julia.
"That makes it more interesting," commented Cleo. "Louise, let's gethorses to-morrow and ride over Tamarack Hills?"
"Maybe," replied Louise. "Will you go, Corey?"
"Can't possibly," replied Corene, "and I doubt that you two should. Ithought we all
agreed to get right down to camp work?"
"Oh, all right," and Cleo's voice hinted an apology for her proposedbreaking away from the camp work. "It will be best to get the campsettled before the other temptations tempt us too strongly. But thewater, and the woods and the birds! A ride over the hills with Pegwould be my idea of real fun, Corey, but you're boss--patrol leader Imean--and I am always willing to obey!"
"Yes--you are!" drawled Grace.
"At any rate, I'm crazy about the camp idea, and I am willing to getit going," insisted Cleo.
"Very well, let's see you prove it," retorted Corene, "for the thingsare in the freight station now, and to-morrow we will have to setabout getting them delivered."
Then the strains of uncertain music that floated down from the Innannounced the call of summer time entertainment at the little hotel.
"Come on up and watch them dance, for a while," proposed Grace.
And they ran, even up a hill, for running seemed to be as important asbreathing itself to those jolly little Scout girls.