CHAPTER XXII
OFF ON A TRIP
"Are you sure this tramp lumberman who took the old coat with yourfather's papers in it, had red hair?" asked Mr. Hurd as Zip came to a stopnear the carriage, and lay down in the shade, for, not being a big horse,the dog could do almost as he pleased when harnessed up.
"Yes, he had red hair," said Russ. "But he really didn't mean to take thepapers. I heard my father say. It was just a mistake."
"Yes, I guess that was it," agreed Mr. Hurd. "Well, your father would liketo get those papers back, wouldn't he?"
"Indeed he would!" exclaimed Russ. "He and mother were talking about 'emonly last night. Daddy would like to get 'em very much."
"Well," went on Mr. Hurd. "I'll tell you the news I spoke about. Do youknow where Mr. Barker's place is?"
"Yes," answered Russ. Laddie let his brother do most of the talking thistime. "It's over on the road to Green Pond, isn't it?" and Russ, sittingin the dog-cart beside Laddie, pointed in the direction of the place hespoke of. It was about three miles from where Grandma Bell lived. Russ hadheard his father, mother and grandmother speak of Mr. Barker's place. Hewas a man who owned many fields and woodlands.
"That's right, Russ," said Mr. Hurd. "Mr. Barker's place is over by GreenPond. I see you know it all right. Well, now I heard yesterday that thereis a red-haired lumberman working for Mr. Barker, cutting down trees forhim, and getting ready to build an ice-house on the shore of Green Pond."
"Is he a tramp lumberman?" asked Russ.
"As to that I don't know," answered Mr. Hurd. "That's what your fatherwill have to find out for himself. But he can easily do that. All he'llhave to do will be to go over to Mr. Barker's place--it isn't far--and askfor the red-haired lumberman. Mr. Barker has a big place, and hires agood many men, but almost anybody would know a red-haired lumber-jack.There aren't so many of 'em in these parts."
"And if he's the tramp that got daddy's old coat then he must have thepapers," said Russ.
"Well, yes, I suppose so. Unless he's lost 'em or sold 'em," went on Mr.Hurd. "Your father said those real estate papers were worth money, somaybe the tramp that found them in the pocket of the old coat sold them."
Russ and Laddie looked sad on hearing this. Suppose, after all, DaddyBunker should not get his papers back? That would be too bad!
"As I say," went on Mr. Hurd, "I know only what some one told me. It wasanother man who works for Mr. Barker. He said a red-haired lumberman cameone day last week, and Mr. Barker hired him. I wouldn't be surprised if hewas a tramp, for regular lumbermen wouldn't be down here this time ofyear. They'd be up in the woods. But, boys, you tell your father to gohave a look at this red-haired man over at Mr. Barker's place."
"We'll tell him," said Russ. "And thank you."
"Gid-dap!" called Mr. Hurd to his horse, and down the road it went, thecarriage soon being out of sight. Zip, the dog harnessed to the cart whichRuss and Laddie had helped make, still lay in the shade. He was taking agood rest.
"Oh, wouldn't it be fine if this is the lumberman daddy wants, and hecould get back his papers?" said Laddie.
"Very fine," agreed Russ. "We'd better go back and tell him right away.Maybe he'll take us to Mr. Barker's place with him!"
"Oh, maybe!" cried Laddie. "Let's hurry home."
But you can not always tell what is going to happen in this world. If,just then, a white rabbit had not scooted out of the bushes and runthrough the woods right in front of Zip, perhaps this part of the storywould never have been written. It is certain that if there had been norabbit to chase, Zip wouldn't have run as fast as he did. For he ran veryfast.
And, just as I told you, it was because the white rabbit popped out of thebushes right in front of the dog.
"Bow-wow!" barked Zip, as he saw the bunny. "Bow-wow!" and that meant: "Iguess I'd better chase you!"
And that's what Zip did. Up he sprang from the grass, and after the whiterabbit he ran. The dog started off so quickly that Russ and Laddie werealmost thrown out of the cart. If they had not held to the sides of thebox very hard they would have fallen out. As it was they were jerked andtossed about as Zip ran after the rabbit.
"Oh, what's the matter?" asked Laddie, who had not seen the bunny. "Did abee sting Zip?" This had happened once, and the dog had run around yelpingand barking, no one knowing what was the matter with him for a while.
"No, I don't believe it was a bee," answered Russ. "It was a rabbit. Whoa,Zip! Whoa!" called the little boy, pulling on the leather lines.
But Zip did not stop. Very few dogs would, when once they had started torun after a rabbit.
"BOW-WOW!" BARKED ZIP, AND ON HE RAN, FASTER AND FASTER.
_Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's_]
"Bow-wow! Bow-wow!" barked Zip, and on he ran, faster and faster. Heseemed to enjoy it very much.
It was a good thing the woods were not of the roughest kind just at thisplace, for otherwise the dog-cart would have been smashed to pieces. As itwas it bumped and swayed from side to side, and Laddie and Russ had allthey could do to keep from bouncing out.
"Whoa! Whoa!" called Russ, but Zip paid no attention. Nor did he care howmuch the little boy driver pulled on the lines. As Zip had no bit in hismouth to hurt him when it was pulled on hard, he was not going to stop.The leather muzzle around his nose did not hurt him as a bit would havedone.
I don't know just how far Zip would have run after the white rabbit, ifsomething had not happened to put an end to the chase. The rabbit,probably getting tired of being run after, suddenly darted down inside ahole. This was his burrow, or underground house, and once down in that,the rabbit knew no dog could get him.
So into his hole, as if he were going down cellar, went the bunny. AndZip, with a howl of disappointment, saw the rabbit disappear. The dogstopped at the outside edge of the hole, and barked as loudly as he could.Perhaps he thought he was giving the bunny an invitation to come up.
But the bunny never answered. They don't bark, but they can make a funnylittle squeaking sound at times. This one didn't do even that.
"He's gone, Zip! You can't get him," said Russ.
"Bow-wow," answered the dog, almost as if he understood what Russ said,and as though he answered:
"Yes, he's gone, but I'll get him the next time."
"He gave us a good ride, anyhow, didn't he, Russ?" asked Laddie. "I guesshe rode us 'most a mile."
"Half a mile, anyhow," answered Russ. "And oh, look, Laddie! We can seeGreen Pond!"
They were up on top of a hill, and, looking through the trees, they couldsee, sparkling in the sun, the waters of Green Pond, about two miles away.
"That's where Mr. Barker lives," said Laddie.
"And maybe the red-haired lumberman is there with daddy's papers," saidRuss. "Oh, Laddie! I know what let's do!"
"What?"
"Let's go down to Mr. Barker's place and ask the lumberman if he's atramp, and if he is the one that took the old coat. Let's do that!"
"All right," agreed Laddie. "It isn't far and Zip will ride us there andhome again, so we won't get tired. If we get the papers won't daddy beglad?"
"Terrible glad! Come on, we'll go!"
And, calling to Zip to come away from the rabbit hole, Russ and Laddie intheir dog-cart started on a trip which was to have a strange ending.