Chapter XI. PINE CAMP AT LAST
It was the first shade upon Uncle Henry's character that displeasedNan. He was evidently a passionate man, prone to give way to elementalfeelings, literally, "a man of wrath."
Gedney Raffer, weazened, snakelike, sly, and treacherous, had doubtlesswronged Uncle Henry deeply. But this fact could not excuse the hugelumberman's language on the platform of the Hobart Forks station.
Nan wanted to stop her ears with her fingers and run from the spot.The tough fellows standing around enjoyed the war of words hugely. Mr.Sherwood was too big to strike Gedney Raffer, and of course the latterdared not use his puny fists on the giant.
The blunt club of the lumberman's speech was scarcely a match for thesharp rapier of Raffer's tongue. As the crowd laughed it was evidentthat the fox-faced man was getting the verbal best of the controversy.
Nan's ears burned and tears stood in her eyes. Uncle Henry descended topersonal threats and the smaller man called out:
"You jest put your hand on me, you big, overgrown sawney! That's all I'ma-waitin' for. You 'tack me and I'll have you in the caboose, sure's myname's Gedney Raffer. Try it!"
The quarrel was most distressing. Nan pulled at her uncle's coat sleeve.The rough men eyed her curiously. She had never felt so ashamed in herlife.
"Do come, Uncle Henry," she whispered. "I'm cold."
That statement started the fuming giant at once. Nan's sensitivenessto a rude quarrel did not impress the man; but her sensitiveness to theweather shocked him immediately.
"My goodness, girl! We'll go right up to the hotel," he said, kindly."Any of you fellows seen Rafe or Tom in town this morning with the sledand roans?"
"Hey, Hen!" cried the station master, waving a yellow paper. "Here's atelegraph despatch for you."
It was really for Nan, and from Papa Sherwood filed just before theAfton Castle sailed from New York:
"Momsey and papa send love and kisses. Be cheerful and good. Writeoften. We think of you always. Kind wishes for Henry, Kate and boys.We look forward to fair voyage and safe landing. Will cable from otherside. Expect happy meeting in spring. R. and J. Sherwood."
"They got a good start," commented Uncle Henry, putting all thought ofhis quarrel with Ged Raffer behind him at once. "We'll hope they have asafe voyage. Now! Where are those boys of mine?"
The town of Hobart Forks was by no means a lumber town. Millions of feetof timber was boomed on the river within the limits of the town everyseason, and there were great mills along the banks of the stream, too.But there were other industries, as well as churches, amusement placesand many pleasant dwellings. It was no settlement of "slab shanties"with a few saloons and a general store. Nan had yet to see this latterkind of settlement.
But what she saw about the central market place of Hobart Forks openedher eyes considerably to an appreciation of the rough country she hadcome to, and the rough people to be met therein.
The storekeepers she saw through the frosted windows were dressed likestorekeepers in Tillbury; and there were well dressed women on thestreets, a few, at least.
But most of the men striding through the snow were as roughly dressed asher uncle, and not many were as good looking as Mr. Sherwood. Some whocame out of the swinging doors of saloons staggered, and were very noisyin their speech and rude in their actions. Of course nobody spoke toNan, or troubled her; Henry Sherwood was undoubtedly a man of standingin the settlement and highly respected.
Not far from the market place they came upon a sprawling old tavern,with a fenced yard at one side. As they approached, a sled drawn by awild looking pair of rough, red-roan ponies, dashed out of the yard andstopped at the broad front portico of the hotel.
"Hey, Tom! What's the matter with you?" called Uncle Henry. "Here weare!"
The driver turned a broad, good-humored face to look over his burlyshoulder. Nan saw that Tom Sherwood strongly resembled his father.
"That you, Dad?" he drawled. "I'd about given you up. I didn't want todrive down to the depot with these crazy creatures. And if I'd left 'emstanding they'd have kicked Phil's shed to pieces, I do believe. Thetrain's been in half an hour and more."
"I know," said his father. "I had a mess of words with Ged Raffer. Thatdelayed me."
"You ought to give him the back of your hand, and say no more about it,"declared Tom, in a tone that showed he warmed in his bosom the familygrudge against the fox-faced man.
"Here's your Cousin Nan, Tom," said his father, without making rejoinderto the young man's observation. "She must go into Phil's and get warmand have a cup of hot coffee. I'll take some in a new-fangled bottle Ibought down in Chicago, so we can all have a hot drink on the way home."
"'Twon't keep warm twenty miles," said Tom.
"Yes 'twill. It'll keep HOT for twenty miles and more. They call it athermos bottle. It'll keep coffee hot, or cold, for a day, just as youplease."
"Jehosaphat, Dad! What kind of a swindle's that? How does the bottleknow whether you want your drink hot or cold? Huh! Those city folkscouldn't make me believe any such thing," objected the son.
Nan had to giggle at that, and Uncle Henry demanded: "Did you ever seesuch a gump? Go on down to the station and tell Abe to fling that trunkand the bags into the back of the sled. We'll have our coffee, and getthe thermos bottle filled, too, by the time you come back."
Nan liked tom Sherwood. He was about nineteen and almost as big ashis father. He was gentle with her, and showed himself to be an expertdriver of the roan colts. Otherwise Nan might have been much afraidduring the first mile of the journey to Pine Camp, for certainly she hadnever seen horses behave so before.
"Haven't been out of the stable for a week," explained Tom cooly as theroans plunged and danced, and "cut up didos" generally, as Uncle Henryremarked.
"We had a big fall of snow," Tom went on to say. "Bunged us all up inthe woods; so Rafe and I came in. Marm's all right. So's everybody elsearound the Camp, except Old Man Llewellen. He's down with rheumatism, ortic-douloureux, or something. He's always complaining."
"I know," said Uncle Henry, and then went on to relate for his son'sbenefit the wonderful thing that had happened to his brother and hisbrother's wife, and why Nan had come up into Michigan without herparents.
"We'll be mighty proud to have her," said Tom simply. He was only agreat boy, after all, and he blushed every time he caught Nan looking athim. The girl began to feel very much grown up.
They were glad of the hot coffee, and Tom was shown how and why themysterious bottle kept the drink hot. They only made that single halt(and only for a few minutes for the horses to drink) before reachingPine Camp. They traveled through the snow-covered woods most of the way.There were few farms and no settlements at all until they reached PineCamp.
The road was not well beaten and they could not have got through some ofthe drifts with less spirited ponies than the roans. When they crossedthe long bridge over the river and swept into the village street, Nanwas amazed.
Likewise, her heart sank a little. There was not a building in the placemore than a story and a half in height. Most of them were slab cottages.Few yards were fenced. There were two stores, facing each other on thesingle street of the town, with false-fronts running up as tall as thesecond story would have been had there been a second story.
The roans dashed through the better beaten path of the street, witheverybody along the way hailing Henry Sherwood vociferously. The giantwaved his hand and shouted in reply. Nan cowered between him and Tom,on the seat, shielding her face from the flying snow from the ponies'hoofs, though the tears in her eyes were not brought there only by thesting of the pelting she received.