CHAPTER X--THE CAVE
The next minute Billie was sorry for what she had said. Teddy's faceclouded over and he looked at her unhappily.
"You ought to know that I didn't get you into this on purpose," hemuttered.
"Oh, Teddy, d-dear, I didn't mean it, you know I d-didn't," shestammered, trying hard to control the chattering of her teeth. "I'm abad, mean, horrid girl. T-truly I didn't mean it," and she put her coldlittle hand penitently over his great big one.
"I know you didn't," said Teddy, his face clearing instantly. "You'recold and tired and all upset. Poor little kid, I wish I could do all the_feeling_."
"Well, I'm glad you can't," said Billie, snuggling up close to him forwarmth. "For you have troubles enough of your own. Teddy!" She drew upsuddenly and stared at an object that caught her eye. "What is thatthing over there that looks like a tangle of twigs and leaves? No, notthat way. Over there--to the left."
Teddy followed the direction of her pointing finger and his face lightedup with excitement. The "tangle of twigs and branches," as Billie haddescribed it, was close to the side of the fifteen-foot "precipice" overwhich he and Billie had plunged a little while before.
The fact that the branches were not covered with snow certainly lookedas if they had been put there rather recently in a crude effort to hidethe entrance to something--perhaps a cave.
"That's worth having a look at," he said, jerking the sled up to him andtightening his hold on Billie's arm. "Can you make it, Billie? The snowseems to be deeper over this way."
"Oh, I can make it all right," answered Billie, stoutly, as she clenchedher teeth and shut her eyes and floundered on through the clinging snow."I guess I've got to make it!" she added, to herself.
They had almost reached their goal when suddenly they stepped into ahole hidden by the snow and sank down in the icy whiteness until Billiewas almost up to her neck.
"Gosh," cried Teddy, as he struggled out to higher ground, pulling histhoroughly frightened companion after him, "I hope there aren't manymore places like that around here. We'll make it all right, Billie. Say!you're not crying, are you?" he broke off, with a boy's utter terror oftears, as Billie dug two mittened and numbed hands into her smartingeyes.
"No, I'm not crying," she answered, giving him a rather watery smile."I'm laughing. Can't you see I am?"
"Poor little kid," said Teddy for the second time that afternoon, andthe sympathy in his voice pretty nearly did send Billie into a downpourof tears. She was so thoroughly miserable that it was all she could doto keep from wailing her grief aloud. But Teddy had put one bigprotecting arm around her now and was half carrying her over to thatstrange object that looked so dark against the gleaming bank of snow.
Then he let Billie go, and while she shivered by herself he laid hold ofthe branches and pulled with all his might.
"Ooh, look out!" called Billie. "There might be a bomb or something atthe other end. Oh-h!" The queer doorway gave so easily before the boy'sstrength that he was sent staggering back against the snowdrift and satdown in it most uncomfortably.
The next minute he was up again, had swept the branches and twigs aside,and was examining the exposed opening with all a boy's eager curiosity.Billie peered eagerly over his shoulder.
"What is it?" she asked, breathlessly.
"It's what I thought it was--a cave," answered Teddy, joyfully. "Comeinside, Billie. It will get you out of the wind anyway, and give you achance to warm up." He had put an arm about her again and was pushingher forward with his usual impetuosity, but Billie hung back.
"We don't know what's in there," she protested, but Teddy refused tolisten to her.
"We don't know and we don't care," he informed her, masterfully, addingas she still hung back: "We'll freeze to death out there, anyway."
"But, Ted, suppose some wild animal should be in there? You know thatbears hide in hollow trees and caves----"
"Bears sleep most of the winter. Besides, I don't think there are anybears around here."
"But there might be a--a fox, or a wildcat."
"I'll take a chance on that. You must remember, the average wild beastwill get out of your way if you give it half a chance. Come on. As Isaid before, if you stay out here, in this icy wind, you'll surelyfreeze to death."
This argument appealed to her, and, with a shivering look over hershoulder at the desert of whiteness behind, she stepped gingerly intothe blackness of the cave.
Then with a little nervous giggle she ran back again, got behind Teddyand pushed him before her.
"Gentlemen first!" she said. "Anyway you're bigger than I am, Ted."
So Teddy, feeling as important as a boy always feels when he isprotecting a girl that he likes, walked boldly into the cave, stretchinga hand behind him for Billie to cling to.
"Come on, it's all right," he assured her. "You'll get used to thedarkness in a minute. The snow blinds you. Ouch! What was that?"
Billie gave a little choked scream and would have run out into the openagain, had not Teddy's grip on her hand prevented.
"Don't get scared," the boy said, and bent over to examine whatever itwas he had stubbed his toe against. "I didn't mean to yell like that,but, gosh, that thing did give my toe an awful wallop! I say, look atthis!" and he held up an object that shone wanly white against theblackness of the cave.
Billie, whose eyes had become a little accustomed to the darkness, sawthat what Teddy held looked like an old, broken water pitcher.
"A pitcher," she said, adding disgustedly: "And that was what I wasafraid of."
At the entrance, this queer hole in the mountain had been so low thatthe two had been forced to stoop down to avoid knocking their heads onthe roof of it. But now, as they felt their way cautiously, they foundto their surprise that they could stand upright. The walls also seemedto have widened out and they realized with a thrill of excitement thatthey were in a real cave, dug into the side of the mountain.
In here it was darker than it had been at the entrance, and they had tofeel their way about cautiously to avoid colliding with each other orthe walls of the cave.
It was surprisingly warm and snug in there also, for the thick snowwrapped them in the warmest and fleeciest of blankets, and the onlyplace for old Jack Frost to come in was the narrow entrance of the cave.
And once assured that the owner of the cave, whether man or animal, wasat that moment not at home, Billie began to feel a sense of exquisitecomfort. Her teeth had ceased to chatter, they were safe from the bitternorth wind, and she had Teddy to take care of her. What more could anygirl want?
As for Teddy, he had evidently found something over in one corner of thecave that interested him immensely. He had stumbled by accident overwhat seemed to be a pile of old junk, and now he was down on his handsand knees trying to satisfy his curiosity by the sense of touch.
"Now aren't I the idiot!" he exclaimed suddenly, and Billie started atthe sudden sound of his voice in the darkness. "Here I go feeling aroundlike a blind man when I have some perfectly good matches in my pocket.Come on over, Billie, and see what I've found."
Guided by the flare of a match, Billie made her way across the cave andkneeled down beside the boy. Then they both stared in utter amazement atwhat they saw.
Heaped up carelessly in the corner was a mass of so many and suchqueerly assorted articles that it is no wonder the boy and girl werepuzzled.
There was an old alarm clock, rusty with age and disuse, a mirror,several gaudy articles of jewelry that looked as if they might have beenfound in ten-cent prize packages, a telephone receiver, a broken fishingrod that stood lamely against the wall as though ashamed of its owndecrepit state, a sawdust doll, an empty tin can that evidently had oncecontained bait, a talcum powder box full of scented violet talc--Billiesmelled it--and--but it would take too long to name all the strangethings that Billie and Teddy found there in the corner of the funnylittle cave.
"Teddy," murmured Billie as the boy's match burnt out and he struckanother one, "what do you
think these things are for? Who do you supposeowns them?"
"How should I know?" asked Teddy, getting to his feet and lookingeagerly about the place, illumined fitfully by the flare of the match."Somebody comes here often, that's a sure thing. And judging by thosethings," he waved toward the conglomeration of junk in the corner, "hemust be pretty simple."
"Oh, Teddy!" breathed Billie, moving closer to him. "Suppose he shouldcome and find us here?"
Teddy looked down at her with a grin.
"Why worry?" he asked. "Haven't you got your Uncle Ted?"
He had scarcely spoken when there came a terrifying sound. It was asnarl of rage, half-animal, half-human.
The half-burned match dropped from Teddy's fingers. They were in thedark.