CHAPTER XXII
A Twisted Conscience
BY the time Dave returned, Aunty Jane had been separated from TerribleTim and a large number of loose quills. All the others had embarked,but Aunty Jane, breathing dire threats, still lingered to look forMarjory.
"Are you sure," asked Henrietta, sincerely, "that she didn't go aboardwith that last boat-load? I don't think she was here when poor Timothytumbled out of that tree."
"_Did_ he tumble?" snapped Aunty Jane. "_I_ think he jumped."
At this moment, Dave--the only person who knew exactly how Terrible Timhappened to land where he did--joined in the search for Marjory.
"Ah'm smell pooty good," asserted crafty Dave, crawling about onall-fours and making an elaborate pretense of sniffing at the sand,"and Ah'm sure dose gal ees mak' som' track for dose boat."
"Hi there!" shouted Mr. Black, from the beach. "Captain says he can'twait a moment longer--other boat's halfway home by now. Or are yougoing to stay with us, Miss Higgins? There's plenty of room."
"No, I'm _not_," snapped Aunty Jane, fleeing down the bank. "With yourdirty Indians and your flying beasts this is no place for a decentwoman."
It is said that one disagreeable person in camp can spoil the verypleasantest party, and the saying must be true, for with Aunty Janeat Pete's Patch nothing had seemed quite right--the luster was gonefrom everything--even the sky. But, as Captain Berry's delayed launchbegan the determined chug-chugging that soon carried the little boatinto deeper water, everybody on shore breathed a sigh of relief; andoverhead, as Henrietta pointed out, laughingly, a tiny patch of goldglimmered among the clouds.
"They say," mused Mr. Black, "that living close to Nature brings outall your traits more strongly."
"Yes, Peter," laughed Mrs. Crane, "I've noticed that you're lazier herethan you were in town."
"I was thinking," returned Mr. Black, with dignity, "that folks withsharp tongues and twisted tempers ought never to venture into thewoods."
Aunty Jane was a good mile from shore before Dave turned, with hiswickedest grin, toward the castaways.
"Come wit' me," he invited. "Ah'm fool dose aunt lady, Ah'm t'ink."
"What do you mean?" demanded Mr. Black.
"Come wit' me," repeated Dave, with the most complacent of smiles."Ah'm show you som' deer in a trap--Ah'm snare heem just now."
Of course Mr. Black and the girls wanted to see so unusual a sight asa trapped deer; but when they discovered that the deer was a dear,their own beloved Marjory, their astonishment was great. And of coursethey were no less surprised to see Rosa Marie and Mahjigeezigoqua, heralmost unspellable mother.
"Marjory!" gasped Jean. "We thought you were on the boat!"
"Marjory," panted Mabel. "All your clothes _are_ on that boat."
"These aren't," returned Marjory, indicating what she had on. "And myskin isn't--I can wear that, if I have to."
"Granny brought me loads of things," assured Henrietta. "I guess youwon't need to come down to skin."
"Marjory," demanded Mr. Black, rather severely for so mild a man, "doyou mean to say that you were naughty enough to deliberately hide fromAunty Jane?"
Marjory colored, but remained silent. It occurred to her suddenly thattelling the truth would seem a good deal like disloyalty to Dave--Dave,who had been her friend. As Marjory was not in the habit of fibbing,she didn't know what to say.
"Eef dose gal won't ron away on herself," explained Dave, promptlyexonerating Marjory from all blame, "me, Ah'm mus' ron away wit' heem.Ah'm pull heem into de bush and ron, ron lak' de dev' (devil). Hey,li'le gal; Ah'm good frien' to you, hey? An' now dose aunt, w'at smelltoo strong wit' hees nose, ees gone two-t'ree mile, Ah'm t'ink."
"Dave," queried Mr. Black, shaking his head soberly, "is there any wayof discovering what you _do_ think? Are you all rascal or are you partangel--with the angel part very much disguised? I can't make you out."
But this was too deep for Dave.
"Ah'm t'ink," replied Dave, replying to only the first part of Mr.Black's question, "dat dose poor li'le Margy ees don't want to go homewit' hees aunt. Me, Ah'm not care for go home wit' dose aunt maself."
At this the delighted girls shrieked with mirth, for the idea of AuntyJane taking Dave home with her would have amused even Dave's solemndog. Mr. Black, however, still frowned slightly, for Dave puzzled him.
"Dave," said he, "you're altogether too full of tricks. I suppose youdon't know what courtesy toward a woman means; but you've certainlybeen ruder than you should have been to poor Miss Higgins. You'll haveto go to Lakeville to-night and tell that poor woman that Marjory issafe--perhaps I'd better write her a note so she won't blame Marjory."
"Ah'm go right off," agreed Dave, cheerfully. "Maybe Ah'm find som'more queelt on hees line."
"Dave, you incorrigible rascal," stormed Mr. Black, "you let thatlady's clothesline alone. Steal one off _my_ line, if you must have aquilt--I'm better able to spare it."
"Ah'm good frien' to _you_," protested Dave, earnestly, with theoutstretched hand of good-fellowship. "You shake hon dat?"
"I hope you are," returned Mr. Black, shaking the proffered hand. "But,Dave, your conscience is like that river--no one could possibly mapits windings. And after this, my man, you must be a good friend to my_friends_, as well as to me. Now let's go back to camp and see what ourBilly boy is doing."
Dave, evidently somewhat troubled, for he still had an unconfessedmisdeed on his mind, followed the castaways back to the clearing. Theyfound Mrs. Crane sitting disconsolately on the bench outside her tent.
"That boy's so blue," she confided, advancing to meet them, "that I'mstaying outside to give him a chance to cry. I guess he thought thedoctor was going to cure him right off and he's terribly disappointed."
"Couldn't we tell him about Dave and Aunty Jane?" queried Bettie. "Thatought to cheer anybody--just think, Mrs. Crane, Dave hid Marjory in hiswigwam, with Rosa Marie and her mother."
"Rosa Marie! And didn't Marjory go on the boat?"
"No, Marjory's back there with Mabel and Rosa Marie--she's Dave'sniece."
"Dave's niece! Well, well----"
"I guess Dave doesn't like Aunty Jane," interrupted Henrietta. "I can'tbe sure--it was all so exciting just then--but I _think_ Dave slid downthe trunk of one of those big trees just after Terrible Tim landedbetween Aunty Jane and that bundle."
"She might have been badly hurt," said Mrs. Crane, indignantly. "Dave,come here a moment--I want to talk to you. Did you drop that porcupineinto Miss Higgins' lap?"
"Eef som' porkypine ees go for drop," returned Dave, whimsically, "eetees good dat he ees land on som' sof' plass. Som' tam', Ah'm tole,she's rain cat an' dog; som' tam' she's rain porkypine. W'at for? Me,Ah'm can't tole you. De sky she ees made dose way."
"Well," warned Mrs. Crane, "you'd better see to it, Dave, that itdoesn't rain any more porcupines--I don't like such tricks."
"Ah'm not please nobody," sighed Dave, dolefully, "w'en Ah'm try allday to help all dose body."
"But, Dave," remonstrated Mrs. Crane, "you do so many wrong things. Youstole that quilt from Miss Higgins' line, didn't you?"
"Yas," replied Dave. "Dose blanket, too."
"Dave, you poor benighted creature! Don't you know it's wrong to steal?"
"Yas," admitted incorrigible Dave, with an unmistakable twinkle in hiseye. "Ah'm t'ink so, w'en som'body ees eat up all dose venison of me.She's very bad for stole all dose meat--Me, Ah'm have no dinnaire, me.Halso, Ah'm got no suppaire, Ah'm _sop_pose. Mus' break som' more gamelaw----"
"Dave!" cried Mrs. Crane, contritely. "You sit right down at that tableand I'll give you the best meal you ever ate."
"But," mourned the wily half-breed, seating himself, nevertheless,"Rosa Marie, ma sistaire, too, mus' dose two starve?"
"Why--why, no!" gasped Mrs. Crane. "I'll fix something for them, too."
"Som' day," promised Dave, sincerely, "Ah'm geeve you som' good fatmoskrat."
Too polite to say so, Mrs. Crane hoped
fervently that Dave would forgetthat promise; she was quite certain that she wouldn't enjoy eating a"good fat muskrat," or even a very thin one.