The Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp

  CHAPTER V

  UNPLEASANT NEWS

  Will was the first to realize the import of the message. He exclaimedbriskly:

  "Gone out; eh? Well, it won't be hard to track him, for there is alight, new covering of snow on the ground and sidewalks. That is, if weget right at it. Come on, Mr. Blackford, and we'll find the littlerascal!"

  "Of course we will!" cried Betty. "Don't cry, Mollie dear. He can't belost for long; everyone in Deepdale knows him and whoever finds him willtake him home."

  "Yes, but he--he may freeze!"

  "Oh, it isn't cold!" declared Grace, though she was even then shivering.Grace was not any too well built to stand cold weather.

  "That's it! Stick to it!" whispered Will in her ear. "Insist that itisn't cold."

  "I'll come with you and help search," suggested Amy, who had beenbidding her callers good-night. "I wonder if we ought to have alantern?"

  "It would be useful," spoke Betty.

  "I have one of those pocket electric flash-lights," remarked Will.

  "And I can get another," said Amy. "I'll be right with you, as soon as Iget my coat and rubbers."

  Soon the six young people were tramping through the storm, which seemedto be increasing in severity, though knowing how Mollie would worryabout her little brother being out in it, the others kept insisting thatit was a mere flurry, that it would amount to nothing, and would soon beover, or turn to rain.

  But the snow did not itself hold out any such mild promises as that, andMollie shivered as she felt the cold and cutting blasts of wind, whichhad a lower temperature than on the ice that afternoon.

  They reached Mollie's house to find a very much excited and tearful Mrs.Billette, the widow being ministered to by some of her neighbors who hadhurriedly come in, on hearing from a servant what had happened.

  "Tell me all about it, Mother!" cried Mollie, partly lapsing into Frenchin her excitement. Mrs. Billette spoke entirely in that language now.

  It appeared that little Paul had been allowed to stay up later thanusual without being undressed, as he had a new picture book to look at.

  Then company had come in, and, in the abstraction of playing hostess,Mrs. Billette had forgotten about Paul until a little while before. Hehad been missed and a hasty search had not disclosed him in the house,but had shown the absence of his little cap, coat and rubbers.

  "And he has gone out! Out into the storm!" cried Mrs. Billette onMollie's shoulder. "Oh, my little Paul!"

  "There, there, Mother, we'll find him!" declared Mollie, more bravelythan she felt. She had dried her own tears under the stress of lookingafter her mother.

  "Of course we shall!" affirmed Will. "Scatter and search now. Get morelights!"

  Fortunately Mollie had some of the pocket torches and soon the littleparty of searchers was going about the house. In the mantle ofnewly-fallen snow it would seem to be an easy, matter to pick out thechild's footprints and at least trace in which direction he went.

  Will was the first to locate them, and a joyful whoop told of hissuccess.

  "Here they are!" he called. "He came out of this side door, and headedfor the river----"

  "The river!" screamed Mrs. Billette, clutching at Mollie's arm.

  "Hush, Mother! It is frozen over, you know. He can come to no harm, I'msure."

  "Oh, Will, hurry! Do! Find my little baby!" cried the frantic mother.

  Will dashed on, followed by the others. They kept their electric torchesaglow, and could easily trace the line of tiny footsteps, since no otherpersons had passed down this way over the Billette property to thefrozen Argono.

  A sound near the boathouse attracted Will, and he turned in thatdirection, seeing instinctively that the steps led there. Then he saw aflash of light in the structure where, in addition to some craft ownedby Mollie, was stored Betty's motor boat, the _Gem_.

  "Are you in there, Paul?" cried Will.

  They all waited anxiously for the answer.

  "Ess," was the childish answer. "What oo want? I goin' way off in boat.I goin' be Robbyson Tuso."

  "Oh, Paul!" reproached his mother. But her voice showed relief.

  They pushed open the side door of the boat house, which had been leftunlocked that day--inadvertently, it seemed--as a man was doing somerepairs to Betty's craft.

  They saw Paul gravely seated in the boat, which he had managed to getinto by means of a chair. He had a lantern with him, taken, itdeveloped, from where Isaac, the furnace man, had left it for a momentin the Billette kitchen. And Paul was gravely playing that he wasRobinson Crusoe, starting off on a voyage.

  "Oh, Paul, how could you frighten mamma so?" asked Mollie, as she caughthim up. "You should be punished!"

  "Pichure in my book about Robbyson Tuso. He got in boat--I go in boat.Betty no care--does oo?"

  "No, dear, not about my boat. But----"

  "You were very, very naughty!" said Mollie, severely, "and sisterdoesn't love you any more. Naughty Paul!"

  The sensitive lip of the toddler began pursing outward, quivering. Hiseyes filled with tears. Then catching sight of Grace, who, with theothers, formed a circle about the recovered lost one, Paul smiledthrough the gathering mist of tears and asked:

  "Oo dot any tandy?"

  And he laughed with them as Grace produced some chocolates in a bag. Andno one remarked on her failing--that time, at least.

  Paul was soon in bed, having made many promises not to offend again.Then Will went back with Amy, Mr. Blackford escorting Betty and Grace,who lived near each other. The girls promised to meet again next day,but this was hardly necessary, since scarcely a day passed that theywere not together--"inseparables," they had been dubbed.

  Of course for the next few days little was talked of except the prospectof going to the winter camp. From the parents of the three, tentativepermission had been wrung, Grace's father and mother being much in favorof her making the trip.

  "Her lungs are none too strong," Mr. Ford had said to his wife, "and thewinter in the pine woods will do her good."

  "If only there is no danger!"

  "Danger! Nonsense!" Mr. Ford had exclaimed.

  But he did not know what was in prospect, or he might not have been sopositive. Even as it was, a few days later brought unpleasant news tohim.

  He had been in correspondence with the old lumberman and his wife, andhad practically arranged for them to take charge of the camp, and lookafter the girls, who would occupy one of the large cabins, if they wentto the woods. Then came a letter from a brother lawyer who was lookingafter some details of the receivership.

  "By Jove! That makes it bad!" exclaimed Mr. Ford on reading thiscommunication.

  "What is it, Daddy?" asked Grace, who happened to be in the library withher father when the mail came in.

  "Why, Travert writes me that Jallow has begun cutting timber on thestrip that is in dispute. Valuable timber, too, that I'm sure belongs tome. This is contrary to the ruling of the court. I must stop this if Ihave to come to an open fight!"

  "Oh, Father, will this stop us going to camp?"

  "No, not necessarily. The strip is far enough away from the camp itself.I don't know but what it will be a good plan to have you on the ground,Grace. You can let me know if anything happens. Now I must see what Ican do about this. If only I could find Paddy Malone, and he couldtestify about the changed boundary lines, I'd have none of thistrouble," and Mr. Ford sighed.

  "Maybe we can find him up there, papa," said Grace, softly.

  "Maybe; but I doubt it. I've been trying for a year to locate him, andcan't. But never mind. Don't let this bad news worry you. You and yourchums can go there all right, and have a good time. Maybe you'll havemore of a time than you want. It looks as though we would have a hardwinter."