CHAPTER XII
IN A BIG STORM
"How do you do?" asked Kittie sweetly--too sweetly, the other girlsmentally decided as the three rivals approached the boundary line. "Wehear you are camping up in these woods."
"Yes," remarked Betty a bit coldly. Really they had no quarrel withKittie, though she was the chum of Alice, and always siding with her.Kittie had never said anything actually mean. "Yes, we are here. Are youcamping too?"
"We are," said Mrs. Jallow, taking up the conversation. Evidently shedid not propose to do as her daughter did, and not speak, for Alice,with a supercilious air, had not so much as addressed a word to theoutdoor girls and their boy friends. "We are in one of Mr. Jallow'scabins. We like it very much."
"Yes, it is nice," agreed Grace. Amy had taken no part in the talk, andWill, sensing her feelings, took her arm and led her along the path,pretending to show her some curious moss formation on the trees.
"Where are you staying?" went on Mrs. Jallow. She must have known of thefeeling between her daughter and the other girls, but she was creditedwith being a very curious person, and she may have been willing, for thesake of acquiring information, to sink her personal feelings. Naturallyshe would side with Alice.
"Oh, we are in one of the cabins my father owns," said Grace.
"Going to stay long?"
"We don't know."
"That is the way with us," went on Mrs. Jallow. "Jim--that's Mr. Jallow,you know--has quite a lot of timber to get out of that new tract, and hewants to finish before Spring. So as I was sort of run down I thoughtI'd take a rest and come up with him and the girls and boys. Your folksall well?"
"Yes," went on Grace, who seemed to have had the office of spokesmanthrust upon her.
"I'm sorry about the trouble you had with Hank Smither," went on Alice'smother.
"Hank Smither?" questioned Mollie.
"Yes. He's one of Mr. Jallow's men, you know. He ordered you off, theother day. But you must excuse him. He was only carrying out our orders,and I've no doubt Mr. Jallow will be glad to let you come over and seeus."
"Oh, Mr. Smither didn't annoy us," said Grace easily. "We realized thatthe poor man was only carrying out his orders. Thank you for theinvitation, but I don't know as we will have much time for calling. Weare up here to get as much fresh air as we can."
"Humph!" sneered Alice audibly.
"Well, we mustn't let business quarrels interfere with we women folksbeing friendly," said Mrs. Jallow in what she probably meant for aconciliatory tone, but which she only succeeded in making patronizing.
"No, indeed, we don't intend to," said Betty, calmly. "We hope you willenjoy it here."
"Well, the young folks do, if I don't," said Mrs. Jallow. "I like moreconveniences than you have in a log cabin. But then it may do my nervesgood to get a rest."
There was a little pause--rather an awkward one--and then Grace said:
"Well, girls, we had better be getting on. It's late."
"Yes, and I must see about supper," said Mrs. Jallow. "I wish you'd comeover." She did not heed the eye-telegraphic signals her daughter wasflashing at her. But the other girls understood.
"Thank you," said Grace again, non-committally.
"Well--good-bye!" said Mrs. Jallow, a farewell in which Kittie joinedfaintly, but Alice, without a word, turned her back and marched towardthe cabin, where the two boys still were.
"She tried to find out all she could," said Mollie when the outdoorgirls had gotten out of sight in the woods. "That's all she talked for."
"Yes, and I believe they just came up here camping because they heard wewere here," went on Betty. "Oh, I do hope we don't get into any troublewith them."
"It will have to be of their making," said Grace firmly. "I'll never setfoot on that land Mr. Jallow claims if I can help it. It mightcomplicate legal matters."
"That is a wise decision," said Allen, viewing it from a lawyer'sstandpoint. "Let the trespass come from them, if there is to be any."
They talked over the unexpected meeting with their rivals, andspeculated as to when they had come, and the motive that brought them,also, to a winter camp.
"I believe it's just to spy on us!" declared Mollie. "We have evidentlyfrightened them, Grace."
"Then they must have something to be frightened about," said Will. "I dowish we could get on the track of something, or somebody, who could letus know how to prove that the boundary is wrong; for wrong father surelythinks it is."
"We'll do the best we can," suggested Allen. "I am going to send forcopies of the deeds, and then we'll look along the present boundarymarks. I may be able to see if they have been changed. I once studiedsurveying."
"I want you boys to promise something," said Grace, as they neared theircabin.
"What is it?" asked Frank.
"Not to have any quarrels with those girls--Alice and Kittie."
"We never quarrel with girls," said Will.
"Well, then, with those boys, either."
"We won't do anything to provoke a quarrel if they don't, Sis," Willpromised. "But we're not going to let them walk over us; eh, fellows?"
"Of course not!" cried Frank.
"Oh, but please don't get into a--a fight!" begged Grace, and she meantit.
"All right, little one; here is a chocolate for thou!" laughed Will, ashe crowded one into her mouth.
For a few days our friends saw nothing of Alice and the rival campers.They did not go toward the part of the wood where the Jallow cabin waslocated, and Mrs. Jallow did not bring her charges toward the placewhere our boys and girls held forth.
There was little for Ted Franklin, Mr. Ford's man, to do, save to keep awatch over the camp, visiting the distant points on different days. Inhis trips he was often accompanied by some of the young people, who muchenjoyed his company, for Mr. Franklin was an old woodsman, and many aninteresting bit of information, or lore, he gave out, to the profit ofthe boys and girls.
"Hurray!" exclaimed Will one day, when a belated mail had come in."Here's a letter from Mr. Blackford. He says he's coming up to pay us avisit soon."
"That will be nice," spoke Mollie. She had taken quite a liking to theyoung business man, and he seemed fond of her.
"We'll have some fun," said Frank. "We'll show him the woods, allright."
"Oh, he is no tenderfoot," declared Allen.
It was several days after this that Will proposed an ice boat trip. Theriver was in fine condition, and the wind was just right.
"The only thing is that it looks like a storm," said Betty. "We don'twant to go too far."
"We won't," promised Will.
They got an early start, and took some food with them, intending tostay until afternoon. Though they did not plan to sail far, it was soglorious, once they started to glide along, that there was a temptationto continue, and when, by consulting her watch, Mollie discovered it tobe some minutes after noon, they were many miles from camp.
"Oh, we must stop!" she exclaimed. "The wind may die out and we can'tget back!"
"All right--let's have the eats then," proposed Will. A halt was made,and on the bank, under the shelter of some big trees, they built a fire,made chocolate and partook of the sandwiches they had brought.
"This is all right!" exclaimed Frank, munching on some bread andchicken, a sentiment with which they all agreed.
Betty was nervously glancing at the sky now and then.
"Do hurry!" she urged her chums.
"Oh, don't fuss so," advised Mollie. "You won't enjoy your food if youdo."
"But I'm sure it's going to storm."
"Let it!" said Will recklessly.
Five minutes later the first flakes began falling. This brought evenWill to a sense of possible danger. The things were hurriedly collected,the young people got into the _Spider_ and the sail was hoisted. Offthey glided down the river toward their camp.
"We'll beat the storm there!" boasted Will.
"I don't know about that," said Allen slowly, as he cast a glance
aloft."It looks to me as though it was going to come down hard soon. And thewind is freshening."
The white flakes did increase in volume a little later and the windsighed mournfully through the pine trees on shore, and through therigging of the ice boat.
Then, with a suddenness that was almost terrifying, the storm broke overthem in a fury so often witnessed in wintry outbursts. The snow wasblinding, and was whipped into their faces by an ever-increasing wind.
"Why--why, we can't see ten feet ahead!" cried Frank.
"Oh, slow down--don't run into anything!" begged Betty.
"I guess I had better lay to a while, until we see what it's going todo," decided Allen, as he lowered the sail. "It's too much of a risk.There may be open water, or an air hole, or another boat on the river."
And then, as the craft came slowly to a stop, they gazed out at the bigstorm which enveloped them, hiding the shores from sight.