V
ON BANDY LEG MOUNTAIN
And so Joel finally went to the cave alone. But not before agood many weeks, for the two boys didn't get play-day again in along while. There was work to do picking rocks for the neighboringfarmers; and then came potato-planting time when they could helpBen as he worked for Deacon Brown, who always paid them wellin potatoes that kept them through the winter. And, dear me, therewas always wood to pick up and split, Ben doing the heaviest partof the chopping; and errands down to the store for Indian mealand molasses and flour, and to fetch and carry back the coatsand sacks that Mamsie was always sewing up. So at it they keptall the pleasant days. And, of course, on the rainy days no onecould think of getting off to the woods. So presently Joel almostforgot about wanting to go, until one day when Polly broke out,"Now, boys, you can play a good while to-day; your work's all doneup."
Joel twitched Davie's arm and hauled him out to the woodpilebehind the shed. "Now come on, Dave, let's go to old Bandy LegMountain."
"No, I don't want to. I'm never goin' there," said Davie,shrinking back.
"Not after the flowers?" said Joel, aghast at that.
David looked longingly off to the tip of the mountainoverhanging Badgertown.
"N-no," he said slowly.
"You see," said Joel, wheedlingly, "there must be such a verygreat lot up there, and nobody to pick 'em, Dave."
Davie turned his blue eyes full of delight: "I might go a littleway; but I'm not going to the cave; only just after the flowers--thegreen ones and the others."
"All right," said Joel, carelessly, thinking that after Daviegot started he could persuade him to keep on. "Now, you waithere till I get my gun."
Joel's gun was an old willow branch out of which he had knockedthe pith; then he would put in round pebbles, when he wanted touse it, and punch them out suddenly with another stick, screamingout at the same time, "Look out, my gun's going off. _Bang!_"
So he ran off nimbly and got his gun from the corner of thewoodshed, where he had hidden it, and then in to Polly in thekitchen.
"Give us somethin' to eat, Polly, please. Dave an' me."
"You can get some bread in the tin pail in the provision room,Joe," she said, without looking up. She was trying to sew up along seam in one of the coats Mother Pepper was making for Mr.Atkins, and it bothered her dreadfully, for it wouldn't looklike Mamsie's, try as she would. And she had picked it out threetimes, and was just threading her needle to begin again, whenJoel rushed in.
"Why, you've only been through breakfast a little while," shesaid quickly. "Dear me, Joe, seems to me you're always hungry."
"How I wish 'twas gingerbread!" cried Joel, tumbling over therickety steps in a trice. "Polly, why don't we ever have any?"he called back, twitching off the cover of the pail. It fell tothe floor and rattled off, making a great noise.
"Stop banging that pail, Joe," called Polly, in a sharp little voice,and twisting the end of the thread tighter. "Dear me, this hatefulthing won't go in that eye. Go in, you!" with a push that sent thethread way beyond the needle.
"I ain't bangin' the pail," contradicted Joel, in a loud,injured voice; "the old thing fell down. 'Twarn't my fault." Andhe ran noisily across the provision room to pick it up.
"Well, set it on tight," said Polly, "and you're a very naughtyboy, Joel, and always making a fuss over the bread pail."
Joel didn't hear her, as he was busily engaged in cramming thecover on the pail, and in a minute or two he came up with hispockets full of dry bread, and his chubby face beaming withsatisfaction.
Polly tried again, without avail, to thread her needle, and atlast, as he ran out with a good whoop, she laid it down and puther head back against Mamsie's big chair in which she wassitting. "O dear," she sighed, "how I wish I could go off to-dayand play just once! How good it must be in the woods!"
"Don't you suppose you'll go when you are a big woman?" askedPhronsie, laying down Seraphina, where she sat on the floor, andregarding her gravely. "Ever, Polly?"
"O dear me, yes," said Polly, twitching up her head again, andpicking up the needle and thread. "And I'm a bad, naughty girl,Phronsie, to fret," she added, her ill-humor flying. "There, nowyou've concluded to go in, have you?" this to the eye of theneedle.
"You're never bad, Polly," said Phronsie, taking up Seraphinaonce more, feeling that everything was right, as she had seenPolly smile, and beginning to tie on a remarkable bonnet upsidedown.
"Yes I am, Pet, often and often," said Polly, with very redcheeks, "and I ought to be put in the corner."
"Oh, Polly,--put in the corner!" cried Phronsie, in a tone ofhorror. "Why, you couldn't be. You're Polly!"
"Well, I need it," said Polly, shaking her brown head, while theneedle flew in and out merrily. Suddenly she laid it down. "Imust go out and tell Joel I'm sorry. I was cross to him. I'll beback in a minute," and she sped off.
When she came back she looked very sober.
"They've gone down to the brook, I suppose," glancing at theclock. "Well, I'll tell Joe just as soon as he gets home," andslipping into the big chair again, she set to work, andpresently the old kitchen was very quiet, except for the littlesong that Phronsie was crooning to Seraphina. At last thisstopped, and Polly, looking off from her work, saw that Phronsiehad fallen over on the floor, and was fast asleep.
"Poor thing!" exclaimed Polly, "she wants her nap." So she tookher up, and carried her into the bedroom, and laid her on thebig four-poster, and came out and shut the door.
"Now I do believe I'll have time to finish these two seams, if Ifly at 'em," she said joyfully. "Then, says I, this old coat'sdone, and Mamsie can send the bundle back to-night when she getshome"--for Mrs. Pepper was away helping one of the villagehousekeepers to make her supply of soft soap. Many and many suchan odd job did Mother Pepper get, for which she was thankfulenough, as it helped her to eke out her scanty pittance.
Joel and David trotted on as fast as possible, by many a shortcut through the woods, till they reached the foot of "Bandy LegMountain," so called because the hermit who had lived and diedthere had short crooked legs. And at last they began to climb up itsface, David peering on every side for any chance at spying out thewonderful flowers.
"I most b'lieve there aren't any," at last he said, his feetbeginning to drag.
"Come on," cried Joel, way ahead. "Hoh! what you stoppin' downthere for? Of course you won't find any until you get up nearerthe top. Come on!" and he disappeared in a thick clump ofundergrowth.
"Where are you, Joel?" cried Davie. He was now too frightened tomove, and he was sure he heard a lion roar, though it was onlyhis heart beating and thumping; so he sat down on the moss andpine needles, and waited. Joel would surely come back. Meantimea little bird came up and perched on the branch above his head,and sang to him, so he felt less lonely.
Joel, supposing Davie was close behind him, trudged on and on."Hooray, we're most there!" he shouted at last. "Come on, Dave,"and he turned around. "Why--Dave--Dave!"
"I guess he's just back there," and Joel ran on, for there was thebig hole in the rocks, and perhaps he'd really see a bear! and,O dear! he must have his gun ready. And Joel soon stopped thinkingabout David, but bounded ahead as fast as he could, and squirmedin through the narrow slit, and wriggled along down toward the endof the cave.
Suddenly a very funny noise struck his ear; it wasn't a bit likea bear, nor even a wood-chuck, for they couldn't talk. And theresurely were a number of voices. Joel stopped squirming, andstared with wide eyes into the darkness. It smelt dreadfully inthere, so close and hot, and before he could stop it he gave anawful sneeze.
"What's that?" exclaimed one of the voices. Then they whispered,and Joel heard some one say, "We're found out." And another onesaid a bad word, and laughed, saying nobody'd ever find themthere.
"I guess there's lots in there," said Joel, "an' I better go,"so he wriggled back out into the light. And he hadn't been therebut a minute when something came squirming down along after him.Joel flew into the bushe
s and peered out between the branches.
"Why, it's the man who stole Polly's bread!" he almost screamed.The man went past the bush, so near that his long dirty fingerscould have picked him out in a minute, and then went down theother way, looking around carefully, and whistling away softlyto himself, and presently returned to the cave. And as soon ashe had gone in again, Joel hopped out of his bush, and ran at alively pace down the mountain-side, thinking only of meetingDavid, and then to get Ben and Deacon Brown and a lot of men,"and won't we come back and catch every single one of 'em,then!"
There was David fast asleep under his tree, and the little birdsinging to him. "Dave--Dave!" shouted Joel, shaking him hastily,"wake up! The man that stole our bread's up there. The cave'sfull of 'em. I'm goin' to get Ben, an' catch 'em!"
"I'm goin'--to--get--the--flowers," said little Davie, sittingup straight and blinking. Joel seized his hand and spun himalong as fast as he could around the rocks and boulders that nowstood in the way.
Ben was at Deacon Blodgett's, and looked up to see Joel andDavid, hot and panting, rush into the field. "I'm so tired,"said Davie, and sank down; "O dear me, Ben, I'm so tired."
Joel told his story, rattling it off so that Ben had to shakehis jacket many times. "Hold on there, Joe," he said, "youhaven't seen half that. You've been asleep."
"Come up and see," cried Joel, excitedly. "Oh, Ben, come up andsee."
"What's all this?" asked Farmer Blodgett, drawing near. So Bentold it as well as he could for Joel, who wanted to go overevery word again, and at last they made him understand.
"Now that boy," said Mr. Blodgett, shifting his quid of tobaccointo the other cheek, "bein's he's a Pepper, knows what he'sa-talkin' of. I'm of th' opinion pretty strong that I'm a-goin' upBandy Leg."
"Oh, good! Mr. Blodgett," exclaimed Joel, hopping up and down inhis delight. "Do please hurry this minute and come on."
"Bein's I've lost more hens and chickens the last two weeks thanI ever have in my life before, and only yest'day wife had a hullpan o' doughnuts took off from the back steps where she'd set'em to cool, why I'm of the opinion pretty strong that Bandy LegMountain will bear lookin' into. So I'll call Peter an' Jed, an' we'llhoof it up there right away."
"Oh, Mr. Blodgett, do hurry," begged Joel, "and come." And hebegan to dance off impatiently.
"Hold on!" cried the farmer, turning back, "you ain't goin'."
Joel stood absolutely still. "Not going!"
"Th' idee o' takin' a leetle chap like you," laughed DeaconBlodgett. "Why, I couldn't look your Ma in the face, Joel Pepper,ef I sh'd do sech a thing."
Joel scanned Ben's face.
"I'm sorry, Joe," said Ben, "but Mamsie wouldn't like it, youknow."
Joel gave a howl. "They're mine. And he's my man who stole ourbread; an' they all b'long to me, for I found 'em." He keptscreaming on.
"Mercy me!" cried Ben, shaking his arm, "stop screaming so, Joe,you're scaring all Mr. Blodgett's men. They'll think you're halfkilled. See 'em running here."
"I don't have to go after 'em, to call 'em, s'long as you yelllike that," observed Farmer Blodgett, grimly.
"An' they all b'long to me, every single one of 'em," screamedJoel, harder than ever, "so there! an' Mamsie'd let me," headded in a fresh burst.
"Well, I can't let you," declared Ben, decidedly, "without shesays so; and if we wait here much longer, all those fellows willbe slipping off, maybe. They can hear you up there, for all Iknow, you make such a noise."
"See here," cried Deacon Blodgett, sternly, "Joe Pepper, youstop that noise! Ain't you 'shamed, bein' Mrs. Pepper's boy, totake on so? Now I'll tell you what I'll do. You've done a goodthing a-drummin' up those scamps, an' I don't wonder you want togo an' see 'em ketched."
"I want to help catch 'em, and they're mine," said Joel, throughhis tears.
"Well,"--and the farmer smiled grimly,--"I don't wonder, so nowI'll tell you what I'll do. Peter shall go along with you home,an' if your Ma says come, he'll bring you after us. So marchlively."
"Mother isn't home," said Ben. "She's at Miss Perkins' working,to-day." While Joel screamed shrilly, "Oh, dear-dear-dear,p'r'aps she won't let me go!"
"Then you hadn't ought to want to," said Deacon Blodgett,sternly. "Start lively, now, and see."
But Mrs. Pepper, looking into her boy's eyes, and hearing hisstory, stood quite still, and Joel's heart went down to his toes.
"I think a boy who can act as bravely as you have, Joe," shesaid at last, slowly, "ought to go and see the job finished.Mother can trust you. Run along," and Joel's feet twinkled sofast that Peter could hardly see them go.