CHAPTER XI
GATHERING EVERGREENS
"I have it all planned," announced Mrs. White the next morning. "The boysare to go for evergreens, and the girls are to assist me here. It israther early, but it is best to have the greens on time."
Ned and Nat groaned. It would be dull enough to go for evergreens, butwith the possibility of "a scare in the woods" for Dorothy and Tavia itmight be bearable, whereas, if the girls would be obliged to remain athome--
But Mrs. White's sons did not object. She had "planned the day," and thatsettled it.
Joe and Roger were delighted. They felt that girls often proved unequal toall "the bear hunts and wild beast chasing," so dear to the hearts ofhealthy, young boys.
"We might build a campfire," suggested Roger enthusiastically when Joetold him he was to go to the woods.
"Too cold for camping," Joe reminded his small brother. But the fact ofit being very cold seemed to Roger all the more reason why a campfireshould be built, and he said so.
"Well, I'll ask Ned," agreed Joe, "and if he says so we'll take bacon andthings to roast."
Ned and Nat thought seriously over the prospect of hunting evergreens withtwo "kids." They liked their little cousins--in fact, were very fond ofthem--but it did seem to the larger boys that there would not be much funin scouring the woods for greens, and answering small boys' questions,unlimited.
"Let's ask Roland Scott and Tom Jennings," suggested Nat. "They came homeyesterday, and likely would enjoy a fly in the Fire Bird."
"Good idea," agreed Ned. "Just run over, and do the asking. I saw Tomcross the lawn a short time ago. He is sure to stick close to Roland."
One hour later the Fire Bird was "on the wing," and in the car were theboys from The Cedars and their guests, two young men just home fromcollege for the holidays.
"Whew!" whistled the handsome Roland as soon as the party got away fromThe Cedars. "What a stunner your blonde cousin is, Ned! Seems to me youmight have prepared a fellow. I almost had a spell when she came to greetme."
Now, Ned White never relished hearing other fellows admire Dorothy. It wasa strange fact that while he knew Dorothy to be pretty he was neverprepared to hear others say so. Nat picked up the end of Roland's remark.He knew Ned would not say anything very agreeable to it.
"But what do you think of the other?" asked Nat. "Now, I prefer theburnished type."
"A tomboy, isn't she?" ventured Tom, referring to Tavia.
"Oh, just a good fellow," answered Nat. "Always ready for a lark, ifthat's what you mean."
"Jolly! I thought so," responded Tom. "Well, I do like a girl with some goin her, if she doesn't happen to put all the go in my direction."
"In other words," assumed Nat, "you like the tomboy type--in theabstract."
"Guess that's it," answered Tom. "But certainly those two girls are equalto putting you through a lively holiday. Wish we had a pair like them downto The Elms for this spell. Gee--I just dread this Christmas stuff. Auntsand uncles have my bedroom lined with 'secret packages' already. I went onthe 'collar button crawl' this morning, and nearly fainted when I saw thestuff under my bed. Aunt Molly runs some kind of a charity jinks, youknow, and she has picked out my room as the safest place to hide hertrash."
"Oh, yes," remarked Ned, "I heard Dorothy say something about ityesterday. Seems to me she said she was going to help."
"Oh, then the stuff may remain under my bed," quickly spoke Tom. "If MissDorothy is interested--so am I."
"I had her first," objected Roland, joking. "I may buy a couple of ragdolls myself. Does Miss Dorothy prefer the rag variety?"
Ned seemed all attention to the car. Occasionally he turned to speak toJoe and Roger, but otherwise he took little part in his friends' badinage.
"Where are you bound for?" asked Tom as Ned guided the Fire Bird into anarrow lane.
"We'll try old Hemlock Grove first. There should be plenty of green stuffthere," replied Ned.
"Yes, and if I mistake not," added Nat, "there is in those woods acabin--old Hume's place. We may be able to lay out there for dinner."
"Goody!" exclaimed Roger, whose eyes had been continually on the bigbasket of stuff which Norah, the good-natured cook at The Cedars, had putup for the boys.
"Right," concluded Ned; "there's a chimney and all. Just the place for alayout. Let me see, where did that shanty used to stand?"
"I see something like a cabin over there," said Joe, pointing to a cornerin the woods where great oak trees towered above all others in the grove.Even in December some brown leaves clung to these giants of the forest,that now rustled a gentle welcome to the boys in the Fire Bird.
Ned swung up as close as the wagon road would allow, and presently theparty had "disembarked," and were scampering through the woods toward theabandoned hut of an old woodchopper.
"Great catch!" exclaimed Tom. "If there is one thing I like it is anoutdoor hut with an indoor place on a cold day."
"We've got a bag of charcoal, you know," Roger reminded them, for Norahhad secretly given that part of the equipment to Roger personally.
"That's right," assented Ned, "Then run over to the car and fetch it.Norah is an all-right girl, isn't she?"
"I would call her a peach, whoever she may be," added Roland as hegathered up some dry bits of wood on his way to the cabin.
"Norah's our cook," declared Roger with an implied rebuke in his voice,for it did seem to him every one should have been aware of that importantfact.
"Beg your pardon," said Roland. "I have a profound respect for such a cookas your refreshing Norah--I say refreshing advisedly," making a grab atthe basket Joe and Nat were carrying.
"Here we are," called Tom, who was somewhat in advance. "And the door isnot barred."
Roger was back with the bag of charcoal, and now they all entered the oldhut. The place had evidently been long ago left to the squirrels and woodbirds, but it was clean, save for the refuse of dry leaves and bits ofbark, remnants of other winters, when the broken windows accepted what thewinds chose to hurl in and scatter about the old woodchopper's cabin.
"Hurrah!" shouted Roger, inadvertently spilling his prized bag ofcharcoal.
"We don't light the fire there," said Nat "Better pick that up and dump iton the fireplace. Isn't this great, though? Glad I came! Fellows, helpyourselves," and he stretched out on a rude board bench that lined oneside of the place.
"Get up!" insisted Tom. "Do you suppose for one instant that you do nothave to work? I assign you to the task of striking the matches."
It occurred to Roger that some boys, big ones at that, might be just assilly as girls--in fact, more silly than most girls, for when they saidfoolish things they invariably took the trouble to laugh at their ownattempts. Now, thought Roger, girls never do that. Close upon the heels ofthat thought sprang into the little fellow's heart the wish that Dorothymight have been along. She would know just how to arrange the dinner sothat the big fellows did not get the best pieces.
Nat had already begun at his task--he was striking matches furiously bythe old stone fireplace, watching the dry leaves blaze up and then die outquickly.
"Here, quit!" called Roland. "Do you think we fellows are lined withmatches? We really might want one for the fire, you know."
"Oh, certainly," assented Nat, discontinuing his pastime. "I was justtrying the flue."
"But I say, fellows," remarked Tom seriously, "isn't this great? What doyou suppose the place stands for?"
"A woodchopper's cabin," Ned replied. "There was fine wood in these partssome years ago, before the telephone company bought up all the tall trees.Uncle Frank--Major Dale, you know--was telling us only the other nightabout it. Some ten years ago a telephone inspector came out here andbargained for the whole grove--that is, all the good, sound trees. Thenthe woodchoppers went back to Canada."
"Glad they left their hut, at any rate," remarked Tom, tossing an armfulof dry wood on to the stone hearth. "What do we cook?"
"Bacon, potatoes, cheese to t
oast, and--let me see. What else?" queriedNat, rummaging through the basket of supplies.
"Bread and butter, pepper and salt, and a whole cake," announced Rogerwith unconcealed glee.
"I guess that'll do," drawled Tom. "Sorry we didn't think to fetchsomething ourselves."
"Oh, this is my treat," replied Nat.
"It was I who thought about the lunch," Roger reminded him.
"That's right, kid, you did. But then, you are always hungry, which may,in a measure, account for your wonderful forethought."
The blazing fire had by this time warmed the place comfortably, and it wasjolly, indeed, to prepare the meal over the strong embers of good solidoak.
An old grate had been found about the place, and upon this the slicedbacon was spread, while the potatoes were dropped directly into theembers. Norah had thought of everything, even paper napkins and picnicknives and forks. There was, too, a bottle of olives and some cold ham inthe very bottom of the basket.
"What's to drink?" asked Ned, his tone implying that anything to drink hadbeen forgotten.
"Oh, the jug of coffee!" exclaimed Joe. "That's in the car. I'll run andfetch it."
The jug of coffee had been placed in a deep, enameled pan, which was toserve as coffee-pot in the warming process.
"Well, I say!" exclaimed Roland. "Think I'll change quarters. I would likefirst rate to meet your Norah."
"I'm first there," put in Tom. "I met her at the kitchen door as I wentaround for the oil can. And I must say I rather like that shade of hair.Our shortstop had it, and he claimed it was classic--called it mahogany,too."
The bacon sizzled merrily, the potatoes smelled "brown," and soon all wasready.
It was a queer sort of picnic--a "smoker," Tom insisted, for somethinghappened with the fire that caused the smoke to flare back into the cabininstead of going peaceably out of the little chimney. But the boys did notmind that--they were too interested in the meal. Even Norah's good naturecould scarcely estimate on a dinner of this kind. Eating seemed to causehunger, instead of allaying the sensation.
But when everything was really gone, and each boy knew it was not possibleto get another crumb, each declared he had had plenty.
Certainly it was jolly, but when Ned glanced at his watch and discoveredthat the noon hour had long since passed, he hurried his companions along.
"Look here," he reminded them, "we are out for evergreens. This is not afood-grabbing affair. Let's get back to the car. I don't see a blade ofgreen around here."
"Nary a sprig," declared Tom, looking over the woodland. "Well, I supposewe will have to leave this retreat. But I hope we find it next summer.Wouldn't it be a great place to camp?"
All agreed the spot would be ideal for a summer camp, and when they hadentered the Fire Bird and swung again out upon the wagon road, some of theparty rather blamed the kind of holiday that required greens, when such afine day might have been spent in the woodchopper's cabin.