CHAPTER XIV
A TELEPHONE CHASE
The excited screaming of the other girls brought Mrs. Murchiston tothe hall in a hurry. When she heard what had caused the excitementshe called the maids, intending to send one of them for Mr. Cameron.
But just then the woman--a farmer's wife along the road--begantalking to Ruth again, and the maids learned from her answers intothe 'phone the cause of the excitement. Go out into the open when thecatamount might be within a couple of miles of the lodge? No, indeed!
Mary threw her apron over her head and sank down on the floor,threatening hysterics. Janey was scared both dumb and motionless.These women who had lived all their lives in towns, or near towns,were not fit to cope with the startling incidents of the backwoods.
The woman on the wire explained to Ruth that she was telephoning allalong the line toward Scarboro, warning each farmer of the big cat'sapproach.
"But if it keeps on in the same direction it was going when we sawit last, the creature will strike Snow Camp first," declared theexcited lady. "You must get your men out with guns and dogs to stopthe beast if you can. It's mad with hunger and it will do somedreadful damage if it is not killed."
Ruth repeated this to her friends, and asked Mrs. Murchiston whatthey should do.
"If the baste comes here," cried Mary, the maid, "he can jump rightinto these low winders. We'll be clawed to pieces."
"There are heavy shutters for these windows," Mrs. Murchiston said,faintly. "But they are to heavy for us to handle--and I suppose theyare stored in one of the outbuildings, anyway."
"Why, I wouldn't go out of doors for a fortune!" cried LluellaFairfax.
"But the creature isn't here yet," Ruth said, doubtfully.
"How do you know how fast he's traveling?" returned Helen, quickly.
"But think of the boys down there skating," said her chum.
"Oh, oh!" gasped Jennie. "If that panther eats them up they'll bemore than well paid for spoiling our taffy."
"Hush, Jennie!" commanded Madge. "This is no time for joking. Howare we going to warn them--and the men in the woods?"
"And father?" cried Helen Cameron.
"Oh, I wouldn't _dare_ go out!" gasped Belle Tingley.
But Ruth ran out into the big kitchen and opened the door. Theoutbuildings were not far away, but not a soul appeared about them.There seemed to be a brooding silence over the whole place. The menwere so deep in the woods that she could not hear a sound from them;nor was the ring of skates on the pond apparent to her ear.
"Come back, Ruth! come back!" begged her chum, who had followed her."Suppose that beast should be hiding near?"
"I don't suppose he's within a mile of the camp," said Ruth, hervoice unshaken. "There are all the guns in the hall--even the littleshotguns. I don't suppose the men have a gun with them, and of coursethe boys have not. And both parties should be warned. I'm going----"
"Oh, Ruth! you're mad!" cried Helen. "You mustn't go."
"Who'll go, then?" demanded her friend. "I guess we're all equallyscared--Mrs. Murchiston and all."
"Nobody will go----"
"I'm going!" declared Ruth, firmly. "If the panther is coming fromthat woman's house--the woman who telephoned--then the pond is in thevery opposite direction. I'll take Tom's rifle and some cartridges."
"But you don't know how to shoot!" cried Helen.
"We ought to know. It's a shame that girls don't learn to handleguns just like boys. I'm going to get Long Jerry Todd to show me how."
While she spoke she had run into the hall and caught up Tom's lightrifle. She knew where his ammunition was, too. And she secured half adozen cartridges and put them into the magazine, having seen Tom loadthe gun the day before.
"You'll shoot yourself!" murmured Helen.
"I hope not," returned Ruth, shaking her head. "But I hope I won'thave a chance to shoot the panther. I don't want to see that awfulbeast again."
"I don't see how you dare, Ruth Fielding!" cried Helen.
"Huh! It isn't because I'm not afraid," admitted her chum. "Butsomebody must tell those boys, dear."
Ruth had already seized her coat and cap. She shrugged herself intothe former, pulled the other down upon her ears, and catching up theloaded gun ran out of the kitchen just before Mrs. Murchiston, whohad suddenly suspected what she was about, came to forbid theventure. Ruth, however, was out of the house and winging her way downthe cleared path toward the pond, before the governess could call toher.
"Oh, she will be killed, Mrs. Murchiston!" cried Helen, in tears.
"Not likely," declared that lady. "But she should not have gone outwithout my permission."
Nor was Ruth altogether as courageous as she appeared. She did notsuppose that the huge cat that had so frightened her and the strangeboy that Mr. Cameron had brought up from Cheslow, was very near SnowCamp as yet. Yet she glanced aside as she ran with expectation in hereyes, and when of a sudden something jumped in the bushes, she almostshrieked and ran the faster.
There was a crash beside the path, the bushes parted, and a great,fawn-colored body leaped out into the path.
"Oh, Reno!" Ruth cried. "I never _was_ so frightened! You baddog--I thought you were the cat-o'-mountain."
But immediately she felt that her fear was gone. Here was Tom'sfaithful mastiff, whose tried courage she knew, and which she knewwould not fail her if they came face to face with the panther.
She hurried on, nevertheless, to the pond, to warn the boys; but toher surprise, as she approached the ice, she heard nothing of thetruants. There was no ring of steel on the ice, nor were their voicesaudible. When Ruth Fielding reached the ice, the pond was deserted.
"Now what could have happened to them? Where have they gone?"thought the girl.
She hesitated, not alone staring about the open pond, but lookingsharply on either side into the snow-mantled woods. Reno remained byher and she had a hand upon his collar. Should she shout? Should shecall for Tom Cameron and his mates? If she called, and the terriblecat was within earshot, it might be attracted to her by the sound.
"Baby!" she finally apostrophized herself. "I don't suppose thatbeast is anywhere near. Here goes!" and she raised her clear voice ina lusty shout.
There came, however, no reply. She shouted again and again, with alike result.
"Where under the sun could those boys have gone?" was her unspokenquestion. "Could they have returned to the house by some other path?"
But she did not believe this was so. Rather, she was inclined tothink Tom and his comrades had gone farther than the pond. There wasa good-sized stream through which the waters of this pond emptiedinto Rolling River. That outlet was frozen over, too, and it would bejust like the three boys to explore the frozen stream.
Ruth wished that she had brought her skates instead of the gun withher. She felt now that the boys should indeed be warned of theroaming panther, as they had gone so far from the lodge. Here wasReno, too. If she told the mastiff to find Tom, he would doubtless doso. She could even send some written word to the boys by the dog--hadshe a pencil and paper. It would not be the first time that Reno hadplayed message-bearer.
But the warn Tom and his companions would not be all Ruth hadstarted out to do. Tom was a good shot and a steady hand, she knew.With this loaded rifle in his hand the party might feel fit to meetthe panther, if it so fell out. Without any weapon even the noblemastiff might prove an insufficient protection.