CHAPTER XIX
IN THE SMOKE-HOUSE
"What makes Splash act so queer?" asked Bunny again.
"I'm sure I don't know," said his father. "I guess we'll have to go backand get him."
Certainly Splash did not seem to want to keep on to the village with Mr.Brown and the children. The dog was running around and around the smallhouse, barking loudly. Mr. Trimble seemed not to hear the dog's barks,but kept right on hoeing potatoes.
"We'll go back and get Splash!" decided Mr. Brown.
He and the children walked slowly back. Splash kept on barking.
"You seem to have something in that little house which excites our dog,"said Mr. Brown.
"It doesn't take much to get some dogs excited," answered the farmer.He did not seem to care much about it, one way or the other.
"What sort of house is that?" asked Mr. Brown. He looked at it closely.The little house had no windows, and only one door. And there was aqueer smell about it, as though it had once been on fire.
"That's a smoke-house," said Mr. Trimble. "It's where I smoke my hamsand bacon. I hang them up in there, build a fire of corn-cobs andhickory wood chips, and make a thick smoke. The smoke dries the ham andbacon so it will keep all winter."
"What a funny house!" said Sue.
"It hasn't any windows," observed Bunny.
"We have to have smoke-houses tight and without windows," explained Mr.Trimble, "so the smoke won't all get out."
"Are there any hams or bacon in there now?" asked Mr. Brown.
"No, we don't do any smoking until fall, when we kill the pigs."
"Well, there's _something_ in there that bothers our dog," went on thechildren's father. For, all this while, Splash was running around thesmoke-house, barking more loudly than before.
Just then Bunny Brown thought of something. He pulled at his father'scoat and whispered to him:
"Oh, Daddy! Maybe Tom Vine is shut up in there--shut up in thesmoke-house!"
Mr. Brown looked first at Bunny and then at the strange little housewhich had no windows. The door of it was tightly shut.
"That's so, Bunny," said Mr. Brown. "Perhaps Tom is in there. That wouldmake Splash bark, for he knows where Tom is." Mr. Brown thought as Bunnydid, that Mr. Trimble might have caught Tom, and locked him up in thedark smoke-house.
"Oh, Daddy! Do you s'pose Tom's in there?" asked Sue in a whisper, forshe had heard what Bunny had whispered.
Daddy Brown nodded his head. He walked up to Mr. Trimble and said:
"Now look here! There's something in that smoke-house, and I want to seewhat it is. Our dog knows there's something there, and I'm pretty sureof it myself."
"Well, what do you think it is?" asked Mr. Trimble. "If there's anyonein there I don't know it. But I'll open the door, and let you see. Yourdog certainly is making a lot of noise."
"Have you got that poor boy, Tom Vine, locked up in there?" asked Mr.Brown.
The farmer laughed.
"Tom Vine locked up in there? Certainly not!" he cried. "I wish I didhave. I'd like to punish him for running away from me. But I haven'tseem him since he was at your camp. No, sir! He isn't in my smoke-house.I don't believe anything, or anybody, is in there. But I'll open thedoor and let you look inside. Why, the door isn't locked," the farmerwent on, "and I guess I couldn't keep a boy like Tom Vine in asmoke-house without locking the door on him."
Mr. Brown did not know what to think now. As for Bunny and Sue theythought surely their new friend, Tom, was locked in the queer littlehouse.
"Oh, now we'll see him!" cried Sue, and she felt very glad.
Mr. Trimble dropped his hoe across a row of potatoes, and walked towhere Splash was still barking away in front of the smoke-house.
"Will your dog bite?" asked the farmer.
"No, he is very gentle," answered Mr. Brown. "But I'll call him awaywhile you open the door."
"I'll hold him," said Bunny. "I'll hold him by his collar."
By this time Splash seemed to have barked enough, for he grew quiet.Perhaps he knew the door was going to be opened. He came away when Bunnycalled him, and the little boy held tightly to the dog's collar.
"I'll help you hold him," cried Sue, and she, too, took hold.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," said Mr. Trimble, with a sour sort oflaugh, "but you won't see any boy, or anything else, as far as I know,in this smoke-house. I did pile in some bean poles last fall, and Iguess they're there yet, but that's all. Now watch close."
He put his shoulder against the door, and pushed. As it swung open, ananimal, something like a little red dog, with a sharp, pointed nose anda big, bushy tail, sprang out and ran down the little hill, on which thesmoke-house stood.
"Why--why!" cried Mr. Trimble. "There _was_ an animal in there afterall! I didn't know it."
"A fox! It's a fox!" cried Bunny Brown. He had once seen in a book apicture of a fox, and this animal looked just like the picture.
"Yes, that's a fox sure enough, and I guess it's the one that's beentaking my chickens!" cried Mr. Trimble. "I wish I had my gun! I'd shootthe critter!"
He picked up a stone, and threw it at the fox, but did not hit therunning animal. Then something queer happened.
Splash, who was being held by Bunny and Sue, gave a sudden bark. Then hegave a sudden jump. He went so quickly that he pulled Bunny and Sueafter him, and they both fell down in the dirt. But it was soft, so theywere not hurt.
They had to let go of Splash's collar, though, and the dog now began torun after the fox, barking again and again.
"Splash! Splash!" cried Bunny. "Come back. The fox will bite you!"
"Don't worry," said Daddy Brown. "Splash can never catch that fox. Thefox can run too fast, and he has a good head-start. Splash will soon gettired of running, and come back."
"The idea! The idea," exclaimed Mr. Trimble, "of a fox being in mysmoke-house! That's what made your dog all excited."
"Yes, that was it," said Daddy Brown. "But I thought you might have TomVine shut up in there. I'm sorry I made the mistake."
"Oh, well, that's all right," said Mr. Trimble. He did not seem so crossnow. He even smiled at Bunny and Sue.
"Maybe I was too quick with that boy," he said. "But I'm a hard workingman, and them as works for me has to work hard, same as I do. But maybeI was too hard on Tom. I certainly was mad when he ran away and left me,and I made up my mind I'd punish him, if I could get him back. But Ihaven't seen him since he was at your camp. And you thought he was inthe smoke-house?" he asked.
"Yes, I really did," replied Mr. Brown. "But I guess you didn't know afox was in there; did you?"
"No, I didn't," answered the farmer. "He must have gone in during thenight, when the door was open. The place sort of smells of meat, youknow. Then the door blew shut, and the fox couldn't get out.
"And Splash smelled him!" cried Bunny, who had gotten up and wasbrushing the dust off. Sue was doing the same thing.
"Yes, your dog smelled the fox," said Mr. Trimble. "That was what madehim bark and get all excited."
"I'm going to catch a fox in my trap," said Bunny. "I've got a trap setover by our spring. Maybe this is the fox I'm going to catch," he wenton.
"I'm afraid not," said Mr. Brown. "This fox is so scared that he'll runfor miles. He'll never come back this way again. Well, we haven't foundTom Vine yet; have we?" and he looked at Bunny and Sue.
"No, and you never will find him," said Mr. Trimble. "Boys are no good.Tom ran away from you same as he did from me. But maybe I was a littletoo harsh with him. I wouldn't lock him up in a dark smoke-house,though. That's no place for a boy."
Bunny and Sue were glad to hear the farmer say that.
"Well, we'd better be getting on to the village," said Mr. Brown. "Comealong, children."
"Oh, let's wait for Splash to come back," said Bunny. "I don't want himto be lost."