CHAPTER VII
_In which the strange tale of Dora, another victim of the Bright-eyed Goddess, is told to Clarence._
When Clarence awoke the next morning, it dawned upon him very slowlythat he was in the firm grasp of a stronger hand, and, without anyeffort on his part, walking up and down the greensward at a pace notunworthy of a professional walker. A further survey brought to hisnotice the gypsies grouped together and eyeing him with interest. At hertent door, Dora, fresh as a dew-washed rose, stood laughing at himheartily. It was Ben, he also realized, who, holding him by arm andcollar, was causing him to walk with such tremendous strides.
“I say, Ben, drop it. Let me go. What’s the matter?”
“I’ve been trying to wake you for five minutes,” said Ben smiling andpuffing. “I rolled you over first where you were lying in the wagon, andshouted and pounded you; and when you didn’t show any signs of life, Ithought you were dead.”
“Well, I’m alive all right,” said Clarence, and, as Ben freed him froman iron grasp, proceeded to rub his eyes.
Pete, who had just brought the horses to the wagon, where his two oldersons took them in charge, came running over, snarling like a wildcat,and seizing the boy by both shoulders shook him without mercy. How longthe punishment would have lasted, had it depended upon Pete, isproblematic; for Clarence, now thoroughly awakened, cleverly slippeddown to the ground and sprang between the Gypsy leader’s legs. As he didso, he thoughtfully humped himself in transit, with the result that Petemeasured his length on the earth.
“I wish,” gasped Clarence, “that you’d _tell_ me what you want. I’m nota deaf mute.”
Pete sprang for a stick in the bushes; but before he had quite made uphis mind which to choose, Ben whispered remonstratingly in his ear. Benwas angry and determined. Bestowing a look of strong disfavor onClarence, Pete gave an order of some kind to his company, who at onceproceeded to break up camp.
“You go and help Dora,” said Ben.
“Good morning, Clarence. How do you feel?” asked the child with a smileand the extended hand of welcome. The roses of dawn were upon hercheeks.
“Feel! I’m sleepy. Why, it is hardly daylight.”
“We always travel early in the morning; it is cooler, and there are notso many people about. Towards noon we camp in some quiet place,generally by the river side; and then about four we go on, again, andkeep on going sometimes till it’s too dark to see. Come on now,Clarence; we’ve got to work fast, or Pete will be down on us.”
Under Dora’s direction, Clarence made himself quite useful. He was quickand intelligent. The two had their share of the work finished severalminutes before the others.
“Where are we going?” asked Clarence.
“We’re going to zigzag, I suppose,” laughed Dora. “We’ll strike into thecountry for four or five miles, and then we’ll strike back again, and bythe time we’ve pitched our camp tonight at the riverside we may be sixor seven miles—at the most ten—further up the river than we are now.”
“Do we ride or walk, Dora?”
“It’s this way: the women and the children stay in the wagon. Pete takesthe wagon too, now and then. The men walk and keep a lookout all thetime. I generally walk myself; but sometimes I ride. Ben told me that Icould walk with you any time I wanted.”
“Ben’s all right,” said Clarence.
In the splendor of a roseate dawn, the party set out. For an hour theypushed into the interior, when, reaching a deeply wooded grove, theyhalted for breakfast. Within half an hour they were upon their wayagain; Pete and one of his sons in the advance, then the wagon, behindit Clarence and Dora with Ben and the other gypsies bringing up therear. The road they were pursuing was overgrown with weeds andneglected—a road, evidently, where few ventured.
“Say, I never enjoyed a breakfast more in my life than that one. Baconand eggs! I kept on eating them till I saw Pete looking at me prettyhard; and then I just had to quit. You must know, Dora, I’m a verybashful youth.”
“You took five eggs and lots of bacon,” said the candid girl, “and Idon’t know how much bread. This morning before you got up, two of thegypsies traded your boat for over fifteen dollars’ worth of provisions.You say you are a bashful youth. I’m glad you told me, for I’m very sureI would never have found it out myself.”
“I manage to conceal all my virtues,” returned the affable lad, smilingbroadly. “And now, Dora, if it is all the same to you, I wish you’d begood enough to tell me how you came to be here.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, we’ve plenty of time, and if you can stand telling it, I reckon Ican stand listening. Were you kidnapped?”
“That’s a hard question to answer, Clarence. The best way will be for meto begin at the beginning.”
“Go ahead.”
“Well, when I was seven years old I made my first Holy Communion. Youknow what that means, don’t you?”
“I know what you people believe,” answered Clarence. “I’ve read a lotabout it. But, say, do you really believe that Christ is present, andthat what looks like bread is really His body?”
“Of course I do!” cried Dora resolutely.
“But why?”
“Because Our Lord told us so. That is faith, we believe on the word ofGod.”
“Well, go on, Miss Theology.”
“After making my first Communion, I started to go every day and I nevermissed once for over two years. We lived just a little outside ofDayton, Ohio, and I had to walk a mile to the church.”
“You did—and fasting?”
“Of course, and I just loved to go. Last April it was raining almost allthe time. It was often hard to get even to church, and the rivers andstreams around Dayton kept rising higher and higher. People said that ifthe rain didn’t stop, there would be a terrible flood. Well, the raindidn’t stop, and one day in May after three days of terrible rain I wentto church, received Communion and started home.”
“Were you alone?”
“I was that morning. Generally some one of the family came with me; butthe ground was so muddy that morning that my big sister who had intendedcoming with me backed out.”
“If I’d been there, I’d have gone with you,” volunteered her gallantcompanion.
“Anyhow, I had hardly got more than half a mile towards my home, when aman and two women came running past me. They were very scared-lookingand out of breath. As they passed me the man said, ‘The dam! the dam!It’s broken! Run for your life!’ Just then a lot of other people camerunning, and I turned around, and do you know what I saw?”
“What?” cried Clarence.
“Men and women and children all running towards me, and furtherback—maybe it was two or three miles—a sort of a wall of water, and itwas moving towards me.”
“Good gracious!” exclaimed Clarence. “What did you do?”
“I started to run and I did run. After a while, I got so out of breaththat I began to stagger. I looked behind and it seemed to me that thewall of water was getting closer, and I started to run again. Somehow Ihit my foot against a log and fell, rolling over to one side of theroad, and when I tried to get up I couldn’t use my foot. I had turned myankle.”
“Oh, I say,” exclaimed Clarence, “What did you do then?”
“I was scared, and I began to cry.”
“I’d have done that myself,” commented the boy.
“Then I got on my knees and, while the people in crowds were hurryingpast me on the road—you see I was to one side where I had fallen—Icried ‘Oh, my dear Mother Mary, be my mother now and save me.’”
“And she did it?” asked the boy.
“I was still kneeling when there came dashing towards me a man onhorseback. He saw me and checked the horse, and as he passed me heleaned over like a circus man and caught me up, and then set the horseat breakneck speed, and then I fainted.”
“Gee!” said Clarence.
“The next thing I knew I op
ened my eyes to find myself in a gypsy camp.It was Ben who had saved me. He had just paid Pete’s fine and got himout of the workhouse. They were all in a hurry to get away, because theywere afraid Pete might be arrested for something else he had done. Sothey started off. Ben told me he would send me back to my parents justas soon as they had pitched camp for the evening. And he meant it too.But when evening came, and he started to get his horse ready, Pete madea fuss, and Pete’s wife stood by him. They all got very angry. ThenPete’s boys took their father’s side. Indeed I thought there was goingto be a fight. In the long run, Pete had it all his own way, and Bencame to me and told me to wait a little longer on account of the flood.And I’ve been waiting ever since.”
“Four months?” said Clarence.
“Yes; and never a word from my mother or father. I don’t know whetherthey are living or dead. Often I cry at night; but then I think of myBlessed Mother and I stop.”
“I don’t blame you for crying,” said Clarence. “And I’ll bet yourparents think you’re drowned.”
“There were ever so many people drowned in that flood, I have heard,”said Dora. “Anyhow I ought to be grateful to God for sparing my life.”
“I say, Dora. We’re both in the same boat. You know when I was shovedout into the river in my swimming suit, my clothes were lying on theshore. I’ll bet my ma is crying now.” And Clarence rubbed his shirtsleeves over his eyes.
“I miss my brothers and sisters so much,” continued the girl. “Ben andhis wife are good and kind, but I do get so homesick. Sometimes I am solonely.”
“I haven’t got any sisters to miss me,” pursued the boy. “I had two, butboth of them were travelling with pa once in Mexico and they drank somepolluted water and died of typhoid fever within two days of each other.And my little brother died when he was five. And now my father andmother will think I am dead, too.”
Again Clarence used his shirt sleeves to wipe his brimming eyes.
“Sometimes Clarence, I dream that I’m home again and that mama isholding me in her arms and kissing me, and then I’m so happy till Iwake; and then sometimes I dream that I’m receiving Holy Communion, andI’m as happy as can be.”
“You are?” said Clarence.
“Of course. Why, I have not received Our Lord for months, and I’m—I’mjust hungry for Him.”
“Dora, you are a good fellow.”
“You told me that last night.”
“Do you know that I’m thinking seriously of adopting you?”
“What?” cried the girl.
“Adopting you. I’m short on sisters, and you could help to fill thesupply.”
“Oh, thank you; you think I’ll do, do you?”
“You’ll do first rate,” answered Clarence tranquilly and failing todetect the mischief in Dora’s glance. “First chance we get to see alawyer, we’ll have it fixed up. Say, is there no way for us to escape?”
“I’m afraid not; you’ll see for yourself as we go on.”
At this point of the conversation, Pete came running towards them, andcatching Dora’s eye, held up his hand.
“What does he want?” Clarence inquired.
“That’s his sign to tell us to get in the wagon.”
“What for?”
“Probably there are some people on the road. Here now, jump in. We haveto stay till he tells that we are free to go out.”
For half an hour they remained hidden. They could hear outside strangevoices and the passing of some vehicle.
“This is funny,” observed Clarence.
“Do you know, Clarence, that since I joined the gypsies I have neverseen a stranger’s face till you came yesterday?”
Clarence meditated for a moment.
“Oh!” he said presently, and with his most engaging smile. “It was worthyour while waiting, wasn’t it?”