CHAPTER XV--Other Neighbors
Uncle Elk declined the invitation of Scout Master Hall to stay overnight at the bungalow, and bidding his friends good bye, with thepromise soon to see them again, he went forth staff in hand into the dimwoods on his tramp to his lonely home to the eastward.
It cannot be said of any portion of our country that it enjoys a perfectclimate, though some sections are highly favored in that respect. Maineis an ideal summer resort, with its crystal waters, its cool breezes andits pure air. When people were panting with intolerable heat in manycities, I have never known an uncomfortable night or oppressive middayin the southern part of the Pine Tree State.
All the same, the weather at times on the seacoast is about asdisagreeable as it can well be. Drizzling rain and mists, dank,impenetrable fogs and chilling winds make a roaring fire attractive, andcause many a person to long for his city home, where every convenienceand luxury are at command. I make no reference to the winter season,except to say that there is no better State in the Union to avoid unlessyou have a fondness for arctic exploration.
The morning succeeding Uncle Elk's last call brought lowering skies. Thechill in the air presaged an unwelcome change, when the bungalow wouldprove far more inviting than the open woods, even though the Boy Scoutswere provided with tents and all the protection possible againstclimatic severity. Since, however, the dismal shift was not likely tocome for several hours, our young friends determined to make the bestuse possible of the hours at their command. So, as they had done before,they separated into small groups, most of which took differentdirections in the woods. Scout Master Hall went with Chase his leaderand Robe his corporal on a hunt for birds, or rather to study theirpeculiarities. Nearly all the scouts were amateur ornithologists, andthere was no little rivalry among them as to who could discover thegreater variety of feathered songsters.
I am sure you will agree with me that this field is one of the mostfascinating in natural history. I should like to copy the report whichPatrol Leader Chase and three of the other boys read at the followingbusiness meeting of the troop, but I think we have dipped far enoughinto scientific matters for the present, and shall defer the treat toanother season. If you feel like making an effort to learn about our"little brothers of the air," I commend the following table from theofficial Handbook of the Boy Scouts:
1. Description. (Size, form, color, and markings.)
2. Haunts. (Upland, lowland, lakes, rivers, woods, fields, etc.)
3. Movements. (Slow or active, hops, walks, creeps, swims, tail wagged, etc.)
4. Appearance. (Alert, listless, crest erect, tail dropped, etc.)
5. Disposition. (Solitary, flocking, wary, unsuspicious, etc.)
6. Flight. (Slow, rapid, direct, undulating, soaring, sailing, flapping, etc.)
7. Song. (Pleasing, unattractive, long, short, loud, faint, sung from the ground, from a perch, in the air, etc. Season of song.)
8. Call notes. (Of surprise, alarm, protest, warning, signaling, etc,) 9. Season. (Spring, fall, summer, winter, with times of arrival and departure and variations in numbers.)
10. Food. (Berries, insects, seeds, etc.; how secured.)
11. Mating. (Habits during courtship.)
12. Nesting. (Choice of site, material, construction, eggs, incubation, etc.)
13. The young. (Food and care of, time in the nest, notes, actions, flight, etc.)
Alvin Landon, Chester Haynes and Mike Murphy decided to borrow one ofthe canoes belonging to the clubhouse, paddle across the lake and callupon Doctor Spellman, who had dropped into the home of Uncle Elk the daybefore. The weather was favorable for fishing, the game being abundantin Gosling Lake, but such sport could wait, and the lads agreed thatnothing ought to divert them from their social obligations.
The three had gained more or less experience in the management of canoesduring their stay on Southport Island. Alvin was the most and Mike theleast expert, though the latter was not as awkward as would be supposed.Two paddles belonged to each craft, the third being taken from thesecond boat, so that all the youths were provided. These implements wereabout four feet long and were broadened at one end into a thin but toughblade and at the other into a comfortable hand grip. Seated on thewicker seats and facing forward, the task of driving the canoe may becontinued a long while before it becomes tiresome.
An axiom is that no person should ever enter a canoe when it is notafloat, on account of its frailty. Grasping the curving bow with onehand, Alvin drew the craft alongside the bank where the water wasseveral feet deep, and held it steady while his friends steppedcarefully in and seated themselves, Alvin at the stern, which was acounterpart of the bow, while Chester located himself on the forwardseat and Mike in the middle.
"I'm to sarve as a balance wheel," he said as they moved gingerly outfrom shore; "the same being what me mither's cousin Tom remarked whin hewas bouncing over the cobble stones with his fut fast in the stirrup ofthe donkey he had fell from; I'll hev an eye on both of ye and don'tforgit I'm still first mate."
"You were first mate of the _Deerfoot_, not of a canoe," said Alvin.
"The _Deerfut_ gave me the training fur the harder work of managing thisship."
Our friends would have had to search for the camp which they intended tovisit, but for the guidance given by a thin wavering column of smokewhich filtered upwards from among the trees a short distance back fromthe shore of the lake, where the camp itself was hidden by the foliage.The distance to be passed was a little less than a mile and the youthsrippled smoothly forward with their eyes fixed on their destination. Asthey drew near, they observed a smaller canoe than their own drawn alittle way up the shingle. It was the craft used by Doctor Spellman whenfishing or exploring the sheet of water. Since the owner was not insight, it was fair to suppose he was at home unless perhaps he wasabsent on an excursion in the woods.
In due time the canoe was driven alongside the other and drawn farenough up the shore to be secure against drifting away. The threestepped ashore, and followed a faintly worn path up the slight inclineamong the trees and undergrowth with Alvin in the lead. Less than ahundred yards took them to a pleasant scene, all of whose points theylearned a short time afterward.
It may be said that Doctor Spellman used the last thing in the way of animproved dwelling in the wilderness. This was a portable house, andconsisted of two rooms, the side walls formed of screen cloth protectedinside when necessary by canvas drops, pierced with small windows of aflexible transparent material. Outside were canvas drops which could belowered if the occupants wished to shut up the house and which whenraised formed projecting awnings where one was well protected by theshade thus provided. There were two windows at either end of the houseand a front door.
Should you ever indulge in a few weeks' outing in the woods, take nofurniture with you that will not fold and no article that is notindispensable. Folding cots, a table, and the same kind of camp chairscan be packed in a small space and cost little to move. The doctor hadsets of three folding canvas shelves fastened to wooden slats whichcould be stowed in a few inches of space, water proof canvas bucketsholding three gallons each which folded compactly; waterproof canvasfolding basins and folding rubber bathtubs, while a packing box with theaddition of a shelf made a fine dresser. Extra shelves were put up bythe doctor when he laid the floor of his dwelling and hooked thedifferent parts together. Finally he provided himself with a hammockwhich was hung between two sturdy saplings, and brought with him onlyunbreakable dishes.
Most people in such situations bring a cheap wood or oil stove, butDoctor Spellman used the primitive contrivance already described, whichconsisted of big properly arranged stones.
On one of the camp chairs sat Doctor Spellman smoking one of theexpensive cigars to which Uncle Elk had alluded. He wore white flannelsturned up at the bottom, high tan shoes and a soft Panama hat. The boysnoticed his full, grizzled beard and recalled the decl
aration of theirInstructor concerning his age. He had a newspaper which he was readingwhen he heard the approaching footsteps, but laid it on his knee andremoving his eye-glasses faced his callers.
Nearby sat Mrs. Spellman, a charming and strikingly beautiful woman of adecided brunette type. Her dark eyes were set in a face of Grecianregularity of feature, softened by her olive skin and crowned by duskyhair filled with lights and shadows. She was clad in sensible woodscostume of blouse and short skirt which revealed her small feet encasedin hunting boots.
The moment the boys appeared, the host and hostess rose to greet them.Each lad removed his hat and respectfully bowed, Alvin acting asspokesman:
"Good morning; I hope we are not intruding."
"Visitors are too few in this part of the world," replied the doctor,"for them to be otherwise than welcome. I am Doctor Spellman fromBoston; this is Mrs. Spellman; we have a third member of our family, butshe seems to be invisible at this moment. Pray be seated."
Of course the boys declined the chairs offered since it would leave thehost and hostess without any support of that nature. The callers satdown on a log, in the butt was an axe of which the blade had been buriedwith the handle sloping upward.
Alvin in turn introduced himself and companions and all were at ease.
"You are with the party stopping at the clubhouse on the other side ofthe lake? I judge from the display of flags and a glimpse of you throughmy binoculars that you are a troop of Boy Scouts on a vacation."
"Yes; we expect to stay there through the month of August."
"Since you came last it was my duty to call upon you and I should havedone so to-day had not the weather been threatening a little while ago."
"We can afford to waive ceremony while in the woods," replied Alvin; "weshall count upon seeing you both quite often."
"You certainly shall. To-morrow is Sunday, and if it clears up you mayexpect me and possibly Mrs. Spellman and our little one."
In answer to the inquiring look of her husband the wife nodded.
"Don't fancy that you can do your visiting without taking me along. Youleft me home yesterday."
"That, my dear, was unintentional; I had no thought of stopping at thecabin of the hermit until I had been out some time in the canoe andnoticed the path leading to his cabin."
Alvin related the particulars of the call of himself and friends uponUncle Elk and the clever manner in which he penetrated the personalityof Doctor Spellman.
"Are you acquainted with him?" asked Chester Haynes of their host.
"Only by reputation. He is known as Elkanah Sisum, though I have asuspicion--perhaps not well founded--that that is not his right name. Ihave been told that he is a man of superior culture. In fact, a glanceat his book shelves proves that. It is said that a great sorrow drovehim into the wilderness and made an exile of him. I have no knowledge ofits nature, but of course," added the doctor with a wink, "some womanwas at the bottom of it."
"An unnecessary remark," replied the wife, "since that is rarely true."
Alvin and Chester glanced significantly at each other and the formersaid:
"Isn't it singular that he should have told us last night the story of aman who more than a hundred years ago became an exile and wandererbecause the woman whom he loved rejected him for another? There musthave been a resemblance between the case and his own."
"You are alluding to Johnny Appleseed, and it is another coincidencethat wife and I were talking about that strange character last evening,probably at the very time you were listening to the old man's account. Ibelieve there was a remote relationship between wife's ancestors andJonathan Chapman's, which explains why we are familiar with a story thatis not generally known."
"It was certainly new to all of us and Uncle Elk, as he likes to becalled, related it with rare skill."
"He has never hinted anything of the facts of his own case?"
"No, and of course we cannot question him."
"The truth will become known sooner or later. There are several oldpersons in Portland who can clear up the mystery, which, however, maywait. While I think of it, I wish to tender you my professional servicesshould they be needed, which I sincerely hope they will not. I havebrought my case of instruments and a few simple remedies with me, moreas a matter of prudence regarding my own family."
"That is very kind of you, and your offer is appreciated."
"I believe the Boy Scouts are pretty well instructed as to first aid tothe injured, but accidents are always liable to happen. I wish you andyour friends to feel free to call upon me at any time, with theunderstanding that no fee is involved. I did not come into the Mainewoods to earn a living."
"But to benefit his city patients," remarked his wife; "when we returnhome we shall find them nearly all recovered."
"Hardly possible, since I have turned them over to my brotherpractitioners."
"Which makes the probability the greater."
The boys joined in the laugh at the physician's expense, and he, risingfrom his camp stool, bowed profoundly to his better half.
"The team which brought our stuff over the new road through the woods isthe same that I understand brings your supplies. I expected from the waywe were hauled and flung about in the plunging of the horses that Ishould have several cases of broken necks to look after, but we gotthrough better than I expected."
"Docther, don't ye think _I_ look pale?"