CHAPTER VIII.--ALL KINDS OF WEATHER.
The days went dreamily on. Edwin Green lengthened his stay in Kentuckyuntil he really became touchy on the subject, and one day when some onespoke of the old Virginia gentleman who came in out of the rain andstayed six years, he told Mrs. Brown that he felt very like that oldman. She was hospitality itself, and made him understand that he wasmore than welcome, and, every time he set a date for his departure, someform of entertainment was immediately on foot where his presence seemedboth desirable and necessary, and his going away was postponed again.Once it was a coon hunt with Ernest and John and Lewis, the coloredgardener; once it was a moonlight picnic at a wonderful spot calledBlack Rock.
On that occasion they drove in a hay wagon over a road that was adisgrace to Kentucky, and then up a dry creek bed until they came to thegreat black boulder that stood at least twenty feet in the air; therethey made their temporary camp. Kent confided to Professor Green thatthey never dared to come up that creek bed unless they were sure ofclear weather, as it had been known to fill so quickly with a big rainthat it drowned a man and horse. It was innocent enough then, with onlya thin stream of water trickling along the rocks, sometimes forming apool where the horses would go in almost to their knees; but, as a rule,they went dry shod along the bed. It was rough riding, but no oneminded. There was plenty of hay in the wagon for young bones, and Mrs.Brown, who was chaperoning, had a pillow to sit on and one to leanagainst. When they got to the sylvan spot every one agreed it was worththe bumping they had undergone.
"Oh, it looks like the Doone Valley," said Judy.
And so it did, except that the stream of water was not quite so big asthe one John Ridd had to climb up.
There were sixteen in the party, which filled the big wagon comfortablyso that no one had room to bounce out. Paul and Ernest had invited twogirls from Louisville, who turned out to be very pleasant and attractiveand in for a good time. The only person who was not very agreeable wasJohn's friend, the girl visiting Aunt Clay, a Miss Hunt from Tennessee.She was fussy and particular and afraid of spoiling her dress, a chiffonthing, entirely inappropriate for a hay ride. She complained of aheadache, and, besides, as Molly said, "she didn't sit fair." That is avery important thing to do on a hay ride. One person doubling up orlolling can upset the comfort of a whole wagon load. You must sit withyour feet stretched out, making what quilt makers call "the every otherone pattern."
"I am glad she acts this way," whispered Mrs. Brown to Molly. "I knownow why I can't abide her. I couldn't tell before."
Miss Hunt's selfishness did not seem to worry her admirers any. John wasall devotion, as were the two other young men who came along in hertrain. They were sorry about her headache and wanted to make room in thewagon for her to lie down; but Mrs. Brown was firm there and said it wasa pity for her to suffer, but she thought it might injure her backunless she sat up going over the rough road. That lady had no patiencewith the headache, and thought the girl would much better have stayed athome if she were too ill to sit up. She did not much believe in theheadache, anyhow, and was irritated to see poor Molly with her long legsdoubled up under her trying to make room for the lolling little beauty.
"She is pretty, no doubt of that," said Edwin Green to Mrs. Brown, whomhe had elected to sit by and look after for the ride, "as pretty as abrunette can be. I like a blonde as a rule. But it looks to me as thoughMiss Molly is getting the hot end of it, as far as comfort goes."
He would have offered to change places with Molly, but had a big reasonfor refraining. That was that no other than Jimmy Lufton, Molly's NewYork newspaper friend, was occupying the seat next to Molly, andProfessor Green was determined to do nothing to show his misery at thatyoung man's proximity. Jimmy had arrived quite unexpectedly thatafternoon and seemed to be as intimate with the whole Brown family intwo hours as he, Edwin Green, was after weeks of close companionship. Hetried not to feel bitter, and, next to sitting by Molly, he was sure hewould rather sit by her mother than any one in the world, certainly thananyone in the wagon.
Jimmy was easily the life of the party. He had a good tenor voice andknew all the new songs "hot off of the bat" from New York. He told thefunniest stories, and at the same time was so good-natured and kindlyand modest withal that you had to like him. He was not the typical funnyman. Edwin Green felt that he could not have stood Molly's preferring atypical funny man to him. She did prefer Jimmy, he felt almost sure, andnow he was trying to steel himself to take his medicine like a man. Hewas determined not to whine and not to make Molly unhappy. He had seenthe meeting between Molly and Jimmy, and it was the flood of color thathad suffused Molly's face and her almost painful agitation that hadconvinced him of her regard for that brilliant young journalist. Had heheard the conversation as well as seen the meeting, he might have beenspared some of his unhappiness. Jimmy had said, "Where's my lemon?" andMolly had answered, "Done et up."
They piled out of the wagon. John, the woodsman of the crowd, busiedhimself making a fire, demanding that the two "extra men" should comeand chop wood, determined that they should not get in too many wordswith the beautiful Miss Hunt while he was working. Miss Hunt thenexercised her fascinations on Jimmy Lufton, on whom she had had her eyeever since they left Chatsworth. Jimmy was polite, but had a"nothing-doing" expression which quite baffled the practiced flirt. PoorMolly's foot had gone so fast asleep that she was forced to hop aroundfor at least five minutes before she could get out of the wagon andbegin to make herself useful. Kent, who had driven, with Judy on thefront seat with him, was busy taking out the four horses to let themrest for the heavy pull home. The other young men were occupied invarious ways, lifting the hampers out of the wagon and getting waterfrom the beautiful spring at the foot of the huge black rock. ProfessorGreen came to Molly's assistance.
"I was afraid your foot would go to sleep. You are too good to let thatgirl crowd you so. She was the most deliberately selfish person I eversaw."
"Oh, there is always somebody like that on a hay ride. I have never beenon one yet that there wasn't some girl along with a headache who took upmore than her share of room. I am too long to double up; but it is allright now. The tingle has stopped, and I can bear my weight on it, Isee."
"Did you ever see anything more beautiful than this valley? How cleverMiss Kean is in hitting off a description! I haven't thought of theDoone Valley for years, and now I can't get it out of my head; theseoverhanging cliffs and this green grass, green even by moonlight; andthe sensation of being in an impenetrable fortress! And the great blackrock might be Carver Doone petrified and very much magnified, left hereforever for his sins. It must be a magnificent sight when the creek isfull."
"So it is; but I hope we shall not see that sight to-night. Lorna Doonein the big snow was in a safe place to what we would be in a big freshetup this valley with no way to get back but by the creek bed," saidMolly, jumping out of the hay wagon and beginning to make ready thesupper.
Such a supper it was, with appetites to match after the long ride andgood jolting! Mrs. Brown was an old hand at picnic suppers and knewexactly what to put in and how to pack the baskets in the mostappetizing way. There were different kinds of sandwiches, thin bread andbutter, all kinds of pickles, apple turnovers and cheese cakes; but thecrowning success of one of these camp picnics was always the hot coffeeand bacon cooked on John's fire. The Browns kept a skillet and bigcoffee pot to use only on such occasions. The cloth was soon spread andthe cold lunch arranged on it, and then in an incredibly short time thecoffee was boiling and the bacon sizzling.
"Oh, what a smell is this?" said Jimmy Lufton, emerging from behindBlack Rock, where Miss Hunt had been doing her best to captivate him.(Kent said he bet on Jimmy to give her as good as he got.) "Mark Twainsays, 'Bacon would improve the flavor of an angel,' and so it would."
"Well, I'm no angel, but I certainly do smell like bacon," said Mollywith flushed face and rumpled hair as she knelt over the fire with along stick turning the luscious morsels. "Sue and Cyrus are responsi
blefor the coffee and the bacon is my affair."
"As Todger's boy says, 'Wittles is up,'" called Jimmy to the strollingcouples, who lost no time in hurrying to the feast. Mrs. Brown wasinstalled at the head of the cloth, but not allowed to wait on any one."For once, you shall be a guest at your own table," said Kent, takingthe coffee pot out of her hands. "Miss Judy, don't you think we canserve this?"
"Mostly cream for me and very little coffee," drawled Miss Hunt.
"If you have such a bad headache you had better take it black," saidJudy, who was aware of that young lady's selfish behavior on the trip."The people who want a great deal of cream will have to wait until therest are served, as some of the cream got spilled; and, while there isenough for reasonable helps, there is not enough for exorbitantdemands."
John and the two "extras" offered their shares to the spoiled beauty,but Judy was adamant.
"Those sandwiches with olives and mayonnaise are very rich for any onewith a liver," said Judy later on as Miss Hunt was preparing to helpherself plentifully to the delectable food; "these plainbread-and-butter ones would be much more wholesome for you, my dear.What, cheese cakes for any one who is too ill to sit up straight!Goodness gracious, Miss Hunt, do be careful! Your demise would grieve somany it is really selfish of you not to take better care of yourself."
"You seem to be very much concerned about my health, Miss Kean. I wonderthat you knew I did not feel well; you seemed to be fully occupied onthe journey with Mr. Kent Brown," snapped Miss Hunt.
"So I was," answered Judy, nothing daunted. "But whenever Kent had toturn his attentions to the four horses when we came to rough spots inthe road and he was trying not to jolt the ambulance too much, then Icould turn around and get a good bird's-eye view of the passengers, andyou always seemed to be on the point of fainting."
"I know you are better now," said Molly, who could not bear for evenMiss Hunt, who was certainly not her style of girl, to be teased. "Iknow these apple turnovers won't hurt you, and Aunt Mary makes such goodones. Do have one, and here is some more cream if you want it in yourcoffee."
"What a sweet girl your sister is," said Miss Hunt in an audiblewhisper. "I can't see what she finds in that Miss Kean to want her tomake her such an interminable visit."
The ill-natured remark was heard by every one. For did you ever noticethat the way to make yourself heard in a crowd of noisy talkers is towhisper? Molly looked ready for tears, and Kent bit his lips in rage,but Judy, as spunky as usual, and feeling that she deserved a rebukefrom Miss Hunt, but rather shocked at the ill-bred way of delivering it,spoke out: "Mrs. Brown, when we were laughing the other day over yourstory of the old Virginia gentleman who came in out of the rain andstayed six years, I had another one to tell, but something happened tointerrupt me. Might I tell it now?"
Mrs. Brown gave a smiling consent. She was not so tender-hearted asMolly and, while she felt it a mistake to wrangle, she was rathercurious to see who would get ahead in this trial of wits.
"I bet my bottom dollar on Miss Judy, don't you, mother?" said Kent inan undertone.
"I certainly do," whispered his mother.
"A little Southern girl we knew at college, Madeline Pettit, told in allseriousness about a neighbor of hers who was invited to go on a visit.She accepted, but they had to sell the cow for her to go on, and thenshe had to prolong her visit for the calf to get big enough for her tocome home on. I am afraid our calf is almost big enough and papa maycome riding in on it any day and carry me off." There was a general roarof laughter, and then the picnickers, having eaten all that theyuncomfortably could, made a general movement toward adjournment.
"Where is the moon?" they all exclaimed at once. While they were eatingand drinking and making themselves generally merry, the proverbialcloud, no bigger than a man's hand, had grown and spread and now themoon was put out of business. The cliffs were so high that a storm hadcome up out of the west without any one dreaming of it.
"This creek can fill in such a hurry when a big rain comes we had betterstart," said Kent.
"Oh, don't be such a croaker, Kent. It can't rain. The sky was as clearas a bell when we left home," said Mrs. Brown, as eager as any of theyoung people to prolong the good times.
"All right, mother, just as you think best, but I am going to get thehorses hitched up in case you change your mind."
Change her mind she did in a very few minutes, as large drops of rainbegan to fall. The crowd came pell-mell and scrambled into the wagon.Mrs. Brown noticed in the confusion that she had lost her cavalier andthat Professor Green had attached himself to Molly. She was pleased tosee it, as she had felt sorry for the young man. He was evidently somiserable, and yet at the same time so determined to make himselfagreeable to her that he had been really very charming. She loved totalk about books, and, as she said, seldom had the chance, for thepeople who knew about books and cared for them never seemed to realizethat a busy mother and housekeeper could have similar tastes.
"I get so tired of swapping recipes for pickles and talking about how toraise children. Aunt Mary makes the pickle and my children are allraised," she had confided to Edwin Green. "We had a very interestingguest on one occasion, a woman who had done a great many delightfulthings and knew many delightful literary people, and I hoped to have areal good talk with her about books; but she seemed to feel she muststick to the obvious when she conversed with me. I often laugh when Ithink of Aunt Mary's retort courteous to this same lady. She wasconstantly asking me how we made this and what we did to have that somuch better than other people, and I would always refer her to AuntMary.
"Once it was bread that was under discussion. You know how difficult itis to get a recipe from a darkey, as they never really know how they dothe things they do best. Aunt Mary told her to the best of her abilitywhat she did, but the woman was not satisfied. 'Now, tell me exactly howmany cups of flour you use.' 'Why, bless you, we done stop dolin' outflour with a cup long ago an' uses a ole broken pitcher.' Another timeit was coffee. 'Now, you have told me about the freshly roasted andground coffee, please tell me how much water.' Aunt Mary gave a scornfulsniff. 'You mus' think we are stingy folks ef you think we measurewater!' At another time she said, 'Aunt Mary, you must have told mewrong, because I did exactly what you said and my popovers were completefailures.' 'Laws a mussy, I did fergit to tell you one thing, an' thatis that you mus' stir in some gumption wif ev'y aig.'"
"De rain kep' a-drappin' in draps so mighty heavy; De ribber kep' a-risin' an' bus'ed froo de levvy, Ring, ring de banjo, how I lub dat good ole song, Come, come, my true love, oh, whar you been so long?"
It was Jimmy who broke into this rollicking song, and when all of theBrown boys, who had had an experience with this old dry creek bed onceon a 'possum hunt, heard him, they felt that the song was singularlyappropriate. They also thanked their stars that they had with them someone who would "whoop things up" and keep the crowd cheerful, and perhapsthe ladies would not realize the danger they were in. This wet-weathercreek was fed by innumerable small branches, all of them dry now fromsomething of a drought that had been prevalent, and John, the woodsman,noticed that before they had much rainfall in the valley those smallbranches had begun to flow, showing that there had already been a greatstorm to the west of them.
"If the rain were merely local, old Stony Creek could not do much damagein itself, but it is the help of all of these wet-weather springs andbranches that makes it play such havoc," whispered John to Jimmy Lufton."I have known it in two hours' time to rise four feet, which soundsincredible; and then in two hours more subside two feet, and in a day bealmost dry again. I spent four hours up on top of Black Rock once in asudden freshet. I would have scaled the hills, but I had some young dogshunting, and they were so panic-stricken and I was so afraid they wouldfall down the cliffs in the creek, that I just took them up on top ofthe rock; and there we sat huddled up in the driving rain until thewater subsided enough for us to wade home. Swimming is out of thequestion for more than a few strokes, the current is
so swift; and asfor keeping your feet and walking, you simply can't do it."
"We have a creek up near Lexington that goes on just such unexpectedsprees," said Jimmy. "It will be a perfectly respectable citizen andevery one will forget its bad behavior, when suddenly it will breakloose and get so full it disgraces itself and brings shame on its familyof branches."
By this time the whole crowd was fairly damp, but they made a joke ofit, with the exception of Miss Hunt, who was much irritated at thedamage done her pretty dress. Although she was covered up with threecoats, she clamored for more, but no more were offered her. ProfessorGreen took off his coat and, folding it carefully, put it under the seatin the lunch hamper.
"I fancy you think this is a funny thing to do, but I have seen a wetcrowd almost freeze after a storm like this, and it is a great mistaketo get all of the wraps wet. It is much better to take the rain and getwet yourself, and keep the coats dry; and then, when the rain is over,have something warm and comfortable to put on."
"That is a fine scheme," said Paul, and all of the men followed EdwinGreen's example, and Molly and Judy, who had prudently brought theircollege sweaters, did the same.
"I think it is rather fun to get wet when you have on clothes that won'tget ruined," said Judy.
"I am glad you like it," answered Miss Hunt, still sore over her boutwith Judy, "but I must say it is hard on me with this chiffon dress.What will it look like after this?"
"Well, you know, chiffon is French for rag so I fancy it will look likea Paris creation," called back Judy from the front seat, where she wasstill installed by Kent. "I'll bet anything her hair will come out ofcurl," she whispered to her companion, "and I should not be astonishedto see some of her beauty wash off."
"Eany, meany," laughed Kent. "You are already way ahead of her, MissJudy. Do leave her her hair and complexion."
"Well, I'll try to be good," said penitent Judy. "You and Molly are soalike, it is right amusing. And the worst of it is your goodness rubsoff on everybody you come in contact with. Do you realize I have been inKentucky for weeks and that Miss Hunt is the first person I have had ascrap with, and so far I have not got myself in a single 'Julia Kean'scrape? I have been in so many, that the girls at college have named theparticular kind of scrape I get in after me, just as though I were afamous physician who had discovered a disease."
"Just what kind of scrape do you usually get in?"
"The kind of scrape I get in is always one I can get out of, and usuallyone that I fall in from not looking ahead enough at the consequences."
"Well, I pray God that this will be a 'Julia Kean' scrape we are into-night. Certainly, lack of foresight got us in. I'd like to get thatweather man and throw him in this creek. 'Generally fair and variablewinds,' much!" said Kent with such a serious expression that Judy beganto realize that this was not simply a case of a good wetting, but mightmean something more.
The horses were knee deep in water now, but splashing bravely on. Mollynoticed that in hitching up for the homeward trip Kent had put Presidentin the lead.
"That is because old President has so much sense and will know how topick his way and keep his feet when the other horses would get scaredand begin to struggle and pull down the whole team," said Molly toProfessor Green. Molly was fully aware of the danger they were in, butwas keeping her knowledge to herself for fear of starting a panic amongthe girls. "There is no real danger of drowning," she whispered to hercompanion, "so long as we stay in the wagon. But the banks are so steepthat if we should get out we might slip into the creek and then it wouldbe about impossible to keep our feet. Look at the water now, up to thehubs of the wheels! I am sorry for the horses, and what an awfulresponsibility for Kent! But he is equal to it. Do you know, I reallybelieve Kent is equal to anything!"
It was, of course, pitch dark now, except for frequent flashes oflightning that illuminated the raging torrents, so all were forced torealize the grave situation.
"The horses are behaving wonderfully well, and so far all the passengersare. I hope it will keep up," muttered Kent. "It is awfully hard to keepyour head when you are driving if any one screams."
"The water is in the wagon bed now. I can tell by my feet. Don't youthink your mother ought to come on the front seat, where she can be outof it somewhat?" suggested Judy.
"You are right. Mother, come on up here and help me drive. There isplenty of room for three of us, and I believe you would be morecomfortable."
Mrs. Brown got up, glad to change her position. She was more frightenedthan she cared to own, and was anxious to find out just how Kent feltabout the matter.
"I am going on the front seat, too," said the bedraggled Miss Hunt. "Itseems to me Miss Julia Kean has had the best of everything long enough.I see no reason why she should sit high and dry during the whole drive,while here I am absolutely and actually sitting in the water."
Kent bit his lips in fury, but held his horses and his tongue while thechange was being made. Judy showed her breeding in a way that made Mollyproud.
"High I may be, but not dry," said Judy, playfully shaking herself onthe already drenched Molly as she sank by her side on the soggy hay. "Iam going to see how long our fair friend will stay up there. It isreally the scariest place I ever got in. Down here you feel the waterwithout seeing it, but up there every flash of lightning reveals terrorsthat down here are undreamed of."
"Sit in the middle, mother, and Miss Hunt and I can take better care ofyou."
"Oh, I am afraid to sit on the outside! Mrs. Brown is much larger than Iam and could hold me in better than I could her," said the selfish girl.
She squeezed in between mother and son, as Kent said afterward, takingup more room then any little person that he ever saw.
"Noah he did build an ark, one wide river to cross. Built it out of hickory bark, one wide river to cross. One wide river, and that wide river was Jordan, One wide river, and that wide river to cross."
"All join in the chorus," demanded Jimmy.
There were many verses to the time-honored song, and before they got allthe animals in the ark the moon suddenly came out from behind a veryblack cloud, and the rain was over, but not the flood.
"It took many days and nights for the water to subside for old Noah, andwe may expect the same delay in our case," said the happy andirrepressible Jimmy.
Kent was glad indeed for the light of the moon. He had really had toleave it to President to take the proper road, or, rather, channel. Thatbrave old horse had gone sturdily on, and, when one of the youngerhorses had begun to struggle and pull back, he had turned solemnlyaround and given him a soft little bite.
"Mother, did you see that? And look at that off horse now! I bet he willbehave after this."
Sure enough, the admonished animal was pulling as steadily as Presidenthimself, and they had no more trouble with him.
There were many large holes in the creek bed, and, of course, the wheelsoften went into them. Once it looked for a moment as though they mighthave a turnover to add to their disasters. The wagon toppled, butrighted itself in a moment. Miss Hunt, as Judy had said, on the frontseat was able to see the danger as she could not down in the wagon, andwhen the wheels went down that particularly deep hole she let out apiercing scream and tried to seize the reins from Kent.
Kent pulled up his horses as soon as the wagon was on a level and calledto John, "John, will you please help Miss Hunt back into the seat shehas just vacated? She finds she is not comfortable here."
At that Miss Hunt very humbly crawled back, and, like the HeathenChinee, "subsequent proceedings interested her no more."
As dawn was breaking they drove into the avenue at Chatsworth, notreally very much the worse for wear. The warm, dry wraps produced fromunder the seat after the moon came out had been wonderfully comforting.Edwin Green had made Mrs. Brown take his coat, and as he folded itaround her he had whispered, "Kentucky women are very remarkable. Theymeet danger as though it were a partner at a ball."
"Yes," said Kent, who ha
d overheard him, "I could never have comethrough the deep waters if it had not been for the brave women. You sawhow the one scream unnerved me, to say nothing of that little vixengrabbing my reins. Here, Ernest, we are on the pike at last, and I amjust about all in. I wouldn't give up until we got through, but take thereins. Maybe Miss Hunt would like to drive," he had slyly added, but alow moan from under the wet coats was all the proud beauty could utter.
Aunt Mary greeted them at Chatsworth with much delight.
"The sto'm here been somethin' turrible. I ain't seed sich a wind sencethe chilluns' castle blowed down. All of yer had better come back to thekitchen whar it's warm and eat somethin'. I got a big pot er hot coffeeand pitchers er hot milk an' a pan er quick yeast biscuit. I done noticeef you eat somethin' when you is cold an' wet, somehow you fergits tercatch cold."
They all came trooping back to the warm old kitchen, "ev'y spot in it asclean as a bisc'it board," and there they ate the hot buttered biscuitand drank the coffee and milk. It was noticed that John let the "extras"take care of Miss Hunt, and he devoted himself to his mother. Just asthey were separating for the morning he hugged his mother and whisperedto her, "You need not have any more uneasiness about me, mumsy. I don'tbelieve there is a Brown living who could go on loving a woman who hasno more sense than to grab the reins."