CHAPTER IV
VISITING A CAMP
Rockwell was soon left far behind, and the Maynards' car flew along thecountry road, now passing through a bit of woods, and now through alittle town, or again crossing a picturesque brook.
The children were delighted with the new experience, and chatted all atonce, about the roadside sights.
Pompton, the English chauffeur, though he said little or nothing, wassecretly amazed at the gaiety and volubility of the young people. Thechildren were allowed to take turns sitting in the front seat, and, aswas their nature, they talked rapidly and steadily to the somewhattaciturn driver.
"What a funny name you have, Pompton," said Marjorie, as she sat besidehim; "at least it seems funny to me, because I never heard it before."
"It's a good old English name, Miss," he returned, a little gruffly, "andnever been dishonored, as I know of."
"Oh, I think it's a very nice name," said Marjorie, quickly, for she hadhad no intention of being unpleasantly critical, "only I think it's afunny name. You see Pompton sounds so much like pumpkin."
"Do you think so, Miss?"
"Oh, well, it doesn't matter about a name, anyway. Tell me about yourpeople. Have you any little boys and girls?"
"No, Miss; I never was married, Miss. And I ain't overly fond ofchildren."
"Really, aren't you, Pompton? Well, you'll have to begin being fond ofthem, because you see, us Maynard children just can't stand anybodyaround who isn't fond of us. Though of course we've never tried, foreverybody who has lived with us has always been terribly fond of us."
"Maybe it'll be a pleasant change then, Miss, to try another sort."Pompton's eyes twinkled good-naturedly as he said this, and Marjorieinstinctively recognized that he was trying to joke.
"Ah, you're fond of us already, Pompton, and you needn't say you're not!It's a funny thing," she went on, confidentially, "but everybody lovesus Maynards,--and yet we're such a bad lot."
"A bad lot, Miss?"
"Well, full of the old scratch, you know; always cutting up jinks. Do youknow what jinks are, Pompton?"
"No, Miss; what are they?"
"Why they're just jinks; something to cut up, you know."
"Cut up, Miss?"
"Oh, Pompton, you're just like a parrot! You just repeat what I say!Don't you know _anything_?"
"Very little, Miss."
But as they rode along, and Marjorie asked her interminable string ofquestions about the car, or about the trees or flowers they were passing,or about sundry roadside matters, she found that Pompton was a verywell-informed man, indeed, as well as being kind and obliging inanswering questions.
As they spun along a bit of straight road, Marjorie saw, some distanceahead, a girl sitting on a large stone by the roadside. The girl's facewas so weary and pained-looking that Marjorie felt a sudden thrill ofpity for her, and as a second glance showed that the girl was lame, sheimpulsively begged Pompton to stop a moment that they might speak to her.
The chauffeur turned around to see if the order were corroborated by theolder people, and Mrs. Maynard said, "Yes, Pompton, let us stop andsee what the poor girl wants."
So the car stopped, and Marjorie impetuously jumped out, and ran to speakto the girl, who seemed ill and suffering. Mr. Maynard joined them atonce, and they listened to the girl's story.
She said her name was Minnie Meyer, and that she had to walk to theneighboring town to buy some provisions for her mother. But being lameshe had become so tired that she sat down to rest by the way.
"How far have you to go, child?" asked Mr. Maynard, kindly.
"I have already walked a mile, sir, and it's two miles more to Pelton,where I must go. I have often walked the distance, but my foot is verybad just now, and it is hard going. I have been ill, and I am not yetvery strong."
"I should think not!" exclaimed King, who had jumped out to see what wasgoing on. "Look here, Father, we're going directly to Pelton; it is astraight road, and I can't miss the way. You let this girl take my placein the car, and I'll walk."
"Now that's good of you, King," said his father with an approving glanceat the boy, "for this poor child is pretty well tired out. How can youget home again, Minnie?"
"Oh, sir, I shall have a ride home. A neighbor of ours will take me; butI have to walk over to Pelton and get my things by the time he's readyto start."
"And what time does he start for home?"
"About two o'clock, sir."
The child's face was very white, and her eyes were large and dark. Thoughprobably no older than Marjorie, she looked careworn and troubled beyondher years.
"You are a good boy, King," his mother called out from the car, "and Ithink, Ed, we had better take the girl with us. Kingdon won't mind a twomiles' walk, I know, when it is in such a good cause."
"I'm going with King," announced Marjorie; "I shan't mind the walk,either, and it will be fun for both of us to be together, while it wouldbe awful lonesome for King all alone."
"Good for you, Mopsy Midget!" cried King, "you're a trump! Come on, we'llget there before the car does." King grasped his sister's hand, and theyset off merrily at a good pace along the straight road to Pelton.
Meantime, Mr. Maynard had assisted the lame girl into the car, and Kittytucked rugs and shawls around her to make her comfortable.
Minnie Meyer was both awestruck and delighted. She had never been in anautomobile before, and it had all happened so quickly she scarcelyrealized her good fortune.
"I think you must all be angels," she said; "and I'm sorry the young ladyand gentleman have to walk so far, and all just for me."
"But they're better able to walk than you are," said practical Kitty.
"That may be, Miss, but it seems queer for the likes of me to be ridingin their place. My! But it goes fast!"
The car passed King and Marjorie, who waved their hands gaily, andwatched it rapidly disappear along the road in front of them.
"I'm glad we're doing a deed of charity, Midget," said her brother, "forif we weren't I shouldn't relish this long walk very much."
"Now, King, don't go and spoil your noble deed by growling about it! Itwas lovely of you to let that girl ride in your place, but if you'regoing to kick about walking, you'll spoil it all."
"I'm not kicking. And anyway, Mops, you were the noble one yourself. Youwalked just so I shouldn't be lonesome."
"'Course I did! What's lots of fun for two is awful poky for one. Comeon, I'll race you to that big sticking-out tree!"
They flew along the road with their heels kicking out behind, and thoughKing reached the tree first, he was only a few steps ahead of Marjorie,who came up panting, and threw herself on the grass by his side.
"We mustn't do that again," she said, "it makes us too much out ofbreath, and we can't walk afterward. Now let's rest a minute, and thenwalk on just middling fast,--because it's a long way yet. What time doyou suppose we'll get there?"
"Pomp said if we'd walk straight along we ought to get to the inn byhalf-past twelve. They won't have lunch till we get there."
"You bet they won't! Do you know where the inn is?"
"Well, I've never been there, but when we get to Pelton I rather guess wecan find the inn! Come on, Mops, if you're rested, we'd better get a moveon!"
Then they trudged on together, finding the way very pleasant, and manythings to interest them as they passed along.
The road was a public highway, and there were many motor cars and muchother traffic.
But as the children kept on a grassy path by the side of the road theywere in no danger, and there was no possibility of losing their way.
"It's just a matter of keeping at it," said King, "but it does seemlonger than I thought. We're not halfway yet."
"How do you know?"
"'Cause Pomp said when we came to the sign-board pointing to Mossvillewe'd be halfway, and we haven't come to that yet."
"What makes you call him Pomp?"
"Oh, just for short; and besides he's kind of
pompous, you know,--sort ofstuffy and English."
"Yes, he is. I like him, though, and I think he's going to like us, buthe doesn't understand us yet. I hope Father will ask that lame girl tolunch with us. I think she looked hungry."
"She looked awful poor, and I s'pose poor folks are always hungry. Itmust be awful to be always hungry, Mops!"
"Well, I'm 'most always hungry myself."
"Oh, that isn't real hunger; that's just wanting something to eat. Hello,here's the Mossville sign now! See it?"
"Yes; so now we must be halfway. I'm not tired, are you?"
"No, not a bit. I'd like a drink of water, though. Perhaps we'll come toa brook."
But they walked on considerably further without seeing any brook, or evena farmhouse where they might stop for a drink of water. But when theywere about half a mile from Pelton, King saw a little bridge off towardthe right, and exclaimed, "That bridge must be over water of some sort.If you want to, Midget, we can go over and see if it's clean enough todrink."
"Come on, then; it won't take long, and I'm 'most choked to death."
They walked across an intervening field, and came to the little bridgewhich did cross a small but clear and sparkling brook.
"What can we drink out of?" asked Midget.
"Have to drink out of our hands, I guess; wish we had a cup or something.Oh, look at that man!"
Midget looked in the direction King pointed, and saw a man seated on theground, busily working at something which seemed to be made of longrushes of reeds.
"He's making a basket," cried King, greatly interested. "Let's go andlook at him."
They trotted over to the man, and King said, politely, "Is that a basketyou're making, sir?"
"Yes," came the answer in a gruff voice, and when the man looked up atthem, they saw he was a strange-looking person indeed. His complexionwas dark, his coarse black hair rather long, and his black eyes had ashrewd expression, but were without kindliness. "What do you want?" hesaid, still in his gruff voice.
"We don't want anything p'ticular," said Marjorie, who did not wish to beintrusive; "we did want a drink of water out of the brook, but we hadnothing to drink from, and then we saw you building a basket, and we justcame over to look at you. You don't mind, do you?"
"No, I don't mind," and the man's voice was a little less gruff as helooked at Marjorie's pretty smiling face. Then he gave her another look,somewhat more scrutinizing, and then he looked again at King. "You want adrink of water, do you?" and the look of interest in his round black eyesseemed to become intensified. "Well, I'll tell you what to do; you goright straight along that little path through the grass, and after a fewsteps, you'll find some people, and they'll give you a drink of waterwith pleasure, and a nice cup to drink it out of."
"Is it far?" asked Marjorie, for she couldn't see any signs ofhabitation, and did not wish to delay too long.
"No; 'tain't a dozen steps. Just behind that clump of trees yonder; youcan't miss it."
"A farmhouse, I suppose," said King.
"Well, not just exactly a farmhouse," said the man, "but you go on, youyoungsters, and whoever you see when you get there, tell 'em Jim sentyou."
"We will; and thank you, Jim," said Marjorie, suddenly remembering hermanners.
"You're welcome," said the man, and again his voice was gruff as atfirst.
"Somehow I don't like it, Mops," said King, who had a troubled look onhis face as they walked swiftly along the path indicated.
"Don't like what?"
"His sending us over here. And I don't like him; he didn't look right."
"I thought he was very kind to tell us about the farmhouse, and if hisvoice is sort of gruff, I s'pose he can't help that."
"It isn't that exactly; but I think he's a,--a--"
"A what?"
"Never mind; here we are at the place. Why, Mops, it isn't a house atall! It's a tent,--a lot of tents."
"So it is! It must be an encampment. Do you think there are soldiershere?"
"Soldiers? No! I only wish they _were_ soldiers."
As King was speaking, a young woman came walking toward them, smilingin an ingratiating way. Like the man, Jim, she was dark-haired anddark-skinned. Her black eyes flashed, and her smiling red lips showedvery white teeth as she spoke kindly to the children.
"Come in," she said, in a wheedling voice; "come in; I love little boysand girls. What do you want?"
Marjorie began to say, "We want a drink of water," when King pinched herelbow as a sign to be quiet, and he spoke to the woman himself. "We don'twant anything," he said, "we're just passing by on our way to Pelton.Good-morning."
Grasping Marjorie's arm he turned to go away, but the woman stopped him,saying, "Oh, don't go so quickly; come in and rest a moment, and I willgive you a drink of milk, and then you can go on to Pelton."
"Yes, let's do that, King," said Marjorie, looking at her brother, amazedat his ungracious actions.
But King persisted in his determination. "No, thank you," he said to thewoman in a decided way; "you're very kind, but we don't care for anymilk, and we must go right on to Pelton."
"And I say you must stay right here," said the woman, in much sternertones than she had used before, and taking the children each by an arm,she pushed them ahead of her inside of the largest tent.