CHAPTER XXI
MRS. BOBSTER'S MYSTERIOUS FRIEND
Rosa Wildwood quickly showed improvement after her arrival at PleasantCove. Under the ministrations of the little old woman who lived in ashoe the Southern girl could not help feeling a measure ofcontentment, if nothing else.
Her hostess was such a cheerful body! And, as Agnes had promised, Rosawas supplied with good, hearty food--and plenty of it.
There was a glass of warm milk, fresh from the cow, on the standbeside the head of her little chintz-hung bed every morning when Rosaawoke. For Mrs. Bobster was up and about by daybreak.
When Rosa came down to the sunlit kitchen, breakfast was ready and thelittle old woman who lived in a shoe declared she had all her"outside" chores done, saving her regular work in her garden.
Rosa sometimes helped about the housework. The doctor had told herthat certain forms of housework would be good for her. But she had tobe very exact and careful in doing the work about the shoe-house, forMrs. Bobster was a New England housekeeper of the old school and wasas methodical as Grandfather's Clock.
The girls from Milton did not neglect Rosa Wildwood. At least, theCorner House girls and their friends did not. Pearl Harrod and thegirls at Spoondrift Bungalow came with a wagonette and took herdriving. The repairs had been made upon the bungalow and Pearl's partywas there again--all but the Corner House girls.
Ruth had decided to stick to the tent for the remainder of their stayat Pleasant Cove. And Willowbend Camp was becoming the liveliest spotalong the entire beach-front.
Ruth and her sisters came after Rosa and took her out in their boat.The boys who were living at Willowbend, too, took an interest in thefrail Southern girl. For Rosa Wildwood, with the color stealing backinto her cheeks and lips, and her eyes bright again, was a veryattractive girl indeed!
Dot Kenway's birthday came at this time, and that was the date set forthe Frankfurter Party. Dot's guesses about the origin and nature ofthe hearty and inviting, if not delicate, frankfurter, had delightedthe campers who heard the story; and Dot's sisters and Neale spentsome time and a good deal of ingenuity in preparing for the festiveoccasion.
Rosa came over to the tent colony and helped the girls prepare for theparty. Moreover, she had a secret to impart to Ruth.
"Don't let the other girls hear, Ruth Kenway," she said, with muchmystery. "But Mrs. Bobster is the oddest thing!"
"Well! I guess she is," laughed Ruth. "But she's _good_."
"Good as gold," agreed Rosa. "But she has some funny ways. Of course Igo to bed early. The doctor told me I should."
"Well?"
"You'd think she'd go to bed early, too, when she's up so soon in themorning?"
"Well----I suppose that's a matter of taste," Ruth observed.
"Anyway, you know how lonesome it is over there?"
"I guess there are not many people about--after dark."
"That's just it!" cried Rosa. "Mrs. Bobster scurries around and doesall her out of doors chores before dark. And she locks and bolts allthe doors. She is really afraid after dark."
Ruth nodded. She remembered how once the little old woman who lived ina shoe had spoken to her about being afraid.
"Well, she locks and bolts the doors," said Rosa, "and then we havesupper and I go to bed. Sometimes, like a good child, I go right tosleep. Sometimes, like a bad child, I _don't_."
"Well--what then?"
"Then I hear Mrs. Bobster talking. She has company. I never hear thecompany come in, or go out; but she has it every night."
"And never says anything about it?"
"Not a word," said Rosa. "I hinted once or twice that she must havecompany every night, and all she said was that she didn't like sittingalone."
"Is it a man or a woman?" asked Ruth.
"I don't know," laughed Rosa. "That's one of the funny things aboutit. Although I hear Mrs. Bobster sometimes chattering like a magpie, Inever hear an answer."
"What?" gasped Ruth, in amazement.
"That's right," said Rosa, nodding confidently. "Whoever it is talksso low that I haven't heard his, or her, voice yet!"
"A dumb person?" suggested Ruth.
"Maybe. At any rate, I couldn't tell you for the life of me whether itis a man or a woman that comes to see the little old woman who livesin a shoe. Isn't it odd, Ruth?"
"I should say it was," admitted Ruth.
"But she treats me well," sighed Rosa. "I wouldn't do her any harm forthe world. But I _am_ awfully curious!"
It was this day, too--the day of Dot's party--that the wooden-leggedclam-digger came along through the Willowbend tent colony again. Healways came to the tent of the Corner House girls when he appeared;Ruth was a regular customer, for she and her sisters were fond ofshellfish.
"I'll have fifty to-day, Mr. Kuk," she said to the saltish individualwhen he hailed her from outside the tent. Ruth had learned that hisname was Habakuk Somes; everybody along the beach called him "Kuk,"and Ruth, to be polite, tagged him with "Mister" in addition.
Tom Jonah appeared and showed his disapproval of the clam man by athroaty growl. "That thar dawg don't like me none too well," said theclam man. "What d'yeou call him?"
"Tom Jonah."
"Thet's enough to sink him," said the man with a grin. "How'd ye cometer call him that?"
"It's his name," said Ruth. "It was engraved on his collar when hecame to our house in Milton."
"Oh! then he ain't allus been your dawg, shipmet?" demanded the man.
"No. He came to us. We don't know where from. But he is a gentleman,and he is going to stay with us as long as he will."
The clam man blinked, and said nothing more. But he cast more than oneglance at Tom Jonah before he went away.
The preparations made for the birthday party included the purchase ofa good many pounds of first quality frankfurters. And when they weredelivered to the Corner House girls' tent, the fun began.
Tess and Dot were sent away for the morning to play with some of thechildren at Enterprise Camp. Then Ruth and Agnes and Rosa and Nealeset to work to make frankfurters into the very funniest looking thingsthat you could imagine!
With bits of tinsel and colored paper and pins and other small wares,the young folks set to work. They made frankfurters look likecaricatures of all kinds of beasts and birds, and insects as well. Onewas the body of a huge, gaily-winged butterfly. Another was stripedand horned like a worm of ferocious aspect.
They were made into fishes, with tails and fins. Neale made a nestwith several "young" frankfurters poking their heads out for food,while the mother frankfurter was just poised upon the edge of thenest, her wings spread to balance her.
There were short-legged frankfurters, with long, flapping ears, likedachshunds, and long, stiff-legged frankfurters, with abbreviatedtails, and appearing to gambol like lambs. There were several linkedtogether and apparently creeping about like a species of jointed,horrid caterpillar.
Then they actually _were_ bunched like bananas! while some grew,husked, like sweetcorn, and some had the green, fluffy tops of carrotscunningly fastened to them and were tied together as carrots arebunched in the market.
Neale's ingenuity, however, rose to its height when he stretched aslanting wire across the tent, higher than the partition, and madeseveral "aeroplanes" with bodies of the succulent sausage, which hecould start at one end of the wire to "fly" to the other end.
The young folks came to Willowbend Camp about five o'clock to enjoythe festivities. The older Corner House girls, with the help of someof their friends, served the crowd a hearty supper, the main course ofwhich was hot frankfurters, prepared by the "frankfurter man" whoseacquaintance Tess and Dot had made.
When the fun was over the guests took the fancy-dressed sausages homeas souvenirs.
Neale and Agnes and Ruth went home with Rosa, for it was a long walk,and part of the way it was lonely. One of the ladies who hadchaperoned the party remained with Tess and Dot while their sisterswere absent.
The young folk had a pl
easant walk, for there was a moon. Comingfinally in sight of the home of the little old woman who lived in ashoe, Ruth said to Rosa, who walked with her:
"It is a lonely spot, isn't it?"
"But I never feel afraid. Only I'm curious about Mrs. Bobster'sfriend----There! See it?" she cried, suddenly, but under her breath.
"See what?" Ruth asked.
"The shadow on the curtain," said Rosa.
At the same moment Agnes said: "Hello! Mrs. Bobster has company."
There was a lamp lit in the tiny front room of the cottage. Plainlysilhouetted upon the white shade was a man sitting in a chair.
"What! With his hat on?" exclaimed Ruth. "Who can it be?"
"He isn't very polite, whoever he is," said Neale.
"Let's see about it," suggested Agnes. "Do you know anything abouthim, Rosa?"
"I only know she has had a visitor sometimes--after I'm in bed," saidthe Southern girl.
"Come on! let's go in the side door," said Agnes, in a low voice.
But when they had tiptoed to the door they found it locked. Rosalaughed. "I tell you she never leaves a door or window unfastenedafter dark," she said.
They heard the little old woman who lived in a shoe coming to the doorto let them in. But Rosa had to assure her who it was before Mrs.Bobster unlocked the door.
"But you had company?" said Agnes, rather pertly.
"Eh?" returned Mrs. Bobster, setting the broom behind the hall door."Oh, yes! I don't never kalkerlate ter be alone many evenings."
"Is he here now?" demanded Neale, laughing.
"Who? _Him?_ No," said the widow, calmly. "He's bashful. He went outjest as you young folks come in. Sit right down, children, an' I'llfind a pitcher of milk an' some cookies."
The Corner House girls and Rosa--to say nothing of Neale O'Neil--wereamazed. They looked at each other wonderingly as the widow bustled outto the pantry.
"I'd give a penny," murmured Rosa Wildwood, "to know who hermysterious friend is."