CHAPTER XI
THE COON HUNT
"Ere in the northern gale The summer tresses of the trees are gone, The woods of autumn all around our vale Have put their glory on."
chanted Ralph bowing low to Barbara, as she joined him in the clearing infront of their house before breakfast next morning. "See, mademoiselle,what a fine poem I have thought out for you! Behold in me the poet of theBerkshires!"
Barbara laughed. "You are a second-hand poet, I am afraid, Ralph. Ihappen to know that those lines were written by William Cullen Bryant.But come into breakfast and stop your poetizing. We have a busy day aheadof us."
Ralph and Barbara found Ruth with a big sheet of paper in her hand andher brow wrinkled into a serious frown.
"We must decide at once what to have to eat at our supper party to-night.Naki is in a hurry to get off to the village, so as to be back in time tohelp with the preparations. Listen, chilluns, while I read you my menu,"commanded Ruth solemnly. "I am going to have a regular, old-fashionedsupper party with everything on the table at once. Naki and Ceally can'tserve so many people in any other style. Besides, if we have to eatsupper at eight and start off on our coon hunt at nine, there won't betime for many courses. So here goes: Roast chicken, 'ole Virginy' ham,sent by Mr. Robert Stuart for just such a special occasion, roast pig andapple sauce, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, jellies, pies, doughnuts----"
"Cease, and give me breakfast ere I perish at the thought of overeating,"remonstrated Hugh. While Miss Sallie protested, as she sat down to herbreakfast, "My dear Ruth, are you planning to feed an army, or toentertain a few guests at supper?"
"What shall we do to help with the preparations, Miss Sallie?" queriedGrace.
"Just keep out of the way as much as possible, child," Miss Stuartanswered.
But this suggestion did not agree with Ruth's ideas. "At least, AuntSallie," she expostulated, "we may be allowed to decorate the hut as welike."
"Certainly, child. Spend the day bringing the woods into the house, andto-morrow in throwing the trash out again, if you like. Only don'tinterrupt Ceally and Naki."
At half-past seven everything was ready for supper. As for the coon hunt,no one of "The Automobile Girls" had the faintest conception of what itwould be like, and Miss Sallie was as ignorant as the rest of them.
"It is only an excuse for a midnight frolic among the young people," shethought, indulgently. "I presume no mischief will come of it."
A barking of dogs announced the approach of the guests. Four lean hounds,brown and yellow, baying and straining at their leashes, tore up thehill. Already the keen mountain air stirred them. Br'er Possum and Br'erCoon were even now placidly eating their suppers. The dogs longed to beat the night's business.
While the young people feasted inside the cabin, the men who were toconduct the hunt prepared the pine torches to light them on their way.
"You feel sure this is a proper expedition, Mr. Latham?" asked AuntSallie nervously. She was standing at the door, waiting to see the partystart off. "Hugh," she called at the last minute, "promise me to lookafter Ruth and Grace. Don't get separated from them, or I shall neverforgive you. Ralph, I trust you to take care of Mollie and Bab."
But Reginald Latham was standing near Miss Stuart and overheard herinstructions to the two boys.
"Oh, I say, Miss Stuart," he quizzed in the affected fashion that soangered Mollie, "can't you trust me to look after Miss Thurston? I have ascore to pay back to her for her rescue of me in my airship."
Mollie put her arm in Ralph's as they walked out the door together."Don't mind that Latham man," she whispered. "I can't see why Bab likeshim. See, they are starting off together."
The great horn blew; the dogs barked violently.
Twenty people, each carrying a pine torch, lit up the shadows of thequiet woods.
"When I count three," said Mr. Latham to the keepers, "you can let thedogs go."
One! two! three! and the hounds were off, their noses pointed along theground, their tails standing out straight behind them.
"Is coon hunting a cruel sport, Ralph?" Mollie inquired. "If it is, Iwould rather stay home."
"I don't know; this is my first experience," Ralph replied. "But hurryalong, little girl!"
"Hurrah! The dogs have a coon on the run!" shouted some one in front. Apoor old coon had been driven from his comfortable hollow tree, and wasrunning for his life over the hard ground, pursued by excited dogs. Closebehind followed the hunters with their horns. And, tumbling over oneanother rushing pell-mell after them, came the crowd of heedless youngpeople. The party separated. Two of the dogs tracked another coon.
"I half hope Mr. Coon will win this race!" panted Barbara, close behindReginald Latham. "Remember Uncle Remus says, 'Br'er Coon, he was wunnerdeze here natchul pacers.' Certainly he has me outclassed as a runner. Dowait for me, Mr. Latham!"
Reginald Latham had run ahead of the rest of the party, and was tearingdown a steep hill with no light except from his pine torch. The moon hadgone behind a cloud.
Barbara, farther up the hill, could see the reflection of a sheet ofwater. Into it the poor little hunted coon jumped, swimming for dear lifeto the opposite shore. The dogs hesitated a minute, then went into thewater after it. But Reginald Latham was now going so rapidly he could notstop himself.
With a rush he was in the water, just as Bab's warning cry rang out.
"Help me! I am drowning!" he shouted. For the minute he and Barbara werealone. The rest of the party had followed the two dogs, whose bayingsounded some distance across through the woods.
Barbara was down the bank, and out in the stream in a second. To herdisgust she found the water only up to her waist. They were at the edgeof a small pond, but Reginald Latham clutched at Barbara, panic-stricken.
"Why, Mr. Latham," cried Bab in disgust, "you are not drowning. Thiswater is not three feet deep. We have only to walk out."
At this instant, Ralph Ewing and Mollie came rushing down the hill.
"What on earth's the matter, Bab?" asked Mollie.
"Oh, nothing," said Bab loyally, "except that Mr. Coon has led us into anice mud bath. I expect Mr. Latham and I had better return home. I don'tbelieve I am a first-class hunter. My sympathies are too much on the sideof the coon."
"Can I help either of you?" asked Ralph Ewing courteously. But when Babsaid "no," he and Mollie were off through the woods again.
"It was good of you, Miss Thurston," Reginald Latham apologized, as heand Bab made their way up the hill again, "to take part of theresponsibility for our plunge into the pond on yourself. I am an awfulcoward about the water. I would take my share of the blame, except thatmy uncle would be so angry."
"But you are not afraid of your uncle, are you?" Bab inquiredimpetuously. "You seem grown up to me, and I don't see why you should beafraid. Mr. Latham is awfully nice anyhow."
"Oh, you don't understand, Miss Thurston," declared Reginald Lathampeevishly. "Everything in the world depends on my keeping on the goodside of my uncle. My mother has talked of nothing else to me since I wasa child. You see, uncle has all the money in the family now. He doesn'thave to leave me a red cent unless he chooses."
"Well, I would rather be independent than rich," protested Bab. "Oh, Ibeg your pardon," she said blushing. "I am sure I don't know you wellenough to say a thing like that to you. But do let's hurry back to camp."
On their way back they met Gwendolin Morton and the young Germansecretary, Franz Heller. Gwendolin had sprained her ankle in getting overa log, and had given up her part in the hunt.
By midnight nearly all the coon hunters had returned to the log cabin forrepairs before making their way down the hill again. Reginald Latham satbefore the fire drying his wet clothes.
"What is the matter with you, Reginald?" asked his uncle, sharply. "We'vebagged three coons, Miss Stuart, but I am afraid we have had moredisasters than good luck. Now, we must be off home again. Look here,young ladies," said Mr. Lat
ham, turning to Ruth and Mollie, who weresaying good-bye to their guests, "is there a wood nymph, who livesanywhere about in these woods? Several times to-night I thought I spied alittle figure flying between the trees."
"Nonsense, Mr. Latham," laughed Ruth. "Our woods are not haunted."
But Mollie answered never a word.
"Miss Thurston," called Reginald Latham, as Barbara, who had gone out tochange her wet clothes came into the room to say good night to herguests, "may I come up and see you and your friends in the morning?"
Barbara hesitated. She did not object to Reginald Latham as the othergirls did; she even thought Ruth, Grace and Mollie were prejudicedagainst him, but she had an idea that something disagreeable might growout of a further intimacy.
"I am sorry, Mr. Latham," she exclaimed politely, "but we have planned todo some target practice in the morning? We are going to stay but a shorttime up here in the woods, and Mr. Stuart, Ruth's father, is anxious thatwe should learn to shoot."
"But I am a fairly good shot myself," protested Reginald Latham. "Whycan't I come up and help with the teaching? May I, Miss Stuart?" heasked, turning to Ruth, who much against her will, was obliged toconsent.
"Never again shall I allow you to engage in such an unladylike and cruelsport as a coon hunt!" announced Miss Sallie, when the last guest hadgone. The girls agreed with her, as the baying of the hounds and thenoise from the hunters' horns at last died away in the distance.