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Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Big Woods, a novel by Laura Lee Hope |
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Chapter 14. The Ragged Boy |
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_ CHAPTER XIV. THE RAGGED BOY "Ding-dong! Ding-ding! Ding-dong!" rang the breakfast bell in Camp Rest-a-While. Bunny Brown and his sister Sue, snug in their cots, heard it, stirred a bit, turned over, and shut their eyes. "It's too early to get up," murmured Bunny. "Yes," muttered Sue. "Much too early. I can sleep more." And off to sleep she promptly went, Bunny doing the same thing. "What's the matter with those children?" asked Uncle Tad, who was ringing the bell. He waved it through the air all the faster so that it seemed to sing out: "Ding-ding-dong! Ding-dong-ding! Ding-ding--dingity-ding-dong ding!" "Maybe that's a fire," said Bunny, wide-awake now. "Oh, maybe it is!" agreed Sue. "What's the matter? Aren't you ever going to get up?" asked Uncle Tad, looking into that part of the tent where Bunny and Sue had their cots. "Where's the fire?" asked Bunny, though, now that he was wide-awake, he knew there was no fire. "And will you take us to it?" asked Sue, making a grab for her clothes which were on a chair near her cot, and still believing in the fire. "There isn't any fire," said Uncle Tad, "except the one out in the stove, and that's getting breakfast. Come on! What makes you so slow?" asked Uncle Tad. "Oh, but they were so tired yesterday, from getting lost, that I let them sleep a little longer this morning," said Mrs. Brown. "It's long past getting up time," went on Uncle Tad. "If Bunny is going to be a soldier, and Sue a trained nurse they'll find they will have to get up much earlier than this." "That's so!" cried Bunny. "I forgot I was going to be a soldier. And as you're to go to nurse me, Sue, you'd better get up, too." "All right, I will, Bunny. But I'm dreadful sleepy." However, now that the two were awake, from the ringing of Uncle Tad's bell and his talk about soldiers and nurses, Bunny and Sue found it was not so very hard to get dressed. Then they fairly danced to the breakfast table, which was set out of doors, as it was a fine day. "Where's daddy?" asked Bunny. "Oh, he had an early meal and said he was going fishing out in the lake," said Mrs. Brown. "He promised to take me the next time he went," said the little boy. "He's coming back in a little while to get you both," said their mother. "He wanted to have some good fishing by himself while it was nice and quiet in the early morning hours. When you children go with him, you laugh and chatter so, and get your lines so tangled up that your father can't fish himself in comfort. "But he likes to take you, and as soon as he has a chance to catch some fish himself, he'll come back and take you out in the boat." "Oh, that'll be great!" cried Bunny. "I'm going to get my fish pole and line ready." "I don't want to catch any fish," said Sue. "I don't like to have 'em bite on the sharp hook. I'll go and get one of my dolls and give her a boat ride. But I wish I had my Teddy bear." "He'd catch fish," said Bunny, winding up his line on the little spool, called a reel, on his pole. "She's a she. And anyway, Teddy bears can't catch fish," said Sue. "No, but _real_ bears can. Our teacher told us. They lean over the edge of a river and pull the fish out with their claws. Bears likes fish." "But my Sallie Malinda isn't a real bear," said Sue. "You could make believe he was," insisted Bunny. "And if you put his paw in the water, and sort of let it dingle-dangle, a fish might bite at it." "She," sighed Sue. "But just as if I'd let a fish bite my nice Teddy bear! Besides, I haven't got her." "No, that's so," agreed Bunny. "Well, I guess you'll have to take a regular doll then." "And don't you let her make believe fall into the water, either, and get her sawdust all wetted up," said Sue. "I won't," promised Bunny. Then the children began to get ready for their father's return with the boat, and when Sue's doll was laid out in a shady place on the grass, and Bunny's pole and line were where he could easily find them, the little boy said: "Let's walk down to the edge of the lake, and maybe we can see daddy quicker." "All right--let's," agreed Sue, and the two were soon walking, hand in hand, down the slope that led to the water. "Where are you going?" called Mother Brown. "Oh, just down to the shore," answered Bunny. "Very well; but don't go into the water, and don't step into any of the boats until daddy comes." "We won't," promised Bunny Brown and his sister Sue. Their mother could always depend on them to keep their promises, though sometimes the things they did were worse than those they promised her not to do. They were just different, that was all. Sue and Bunny went down to the edge of Lake Wanda. They could not see their father's boat, so they walked along the shore. Before they knew it they had gone farther than they had ever gone before, and, all at once, in the side of the hill, that led down to the beach of the lake, they saw a hole that seemed to go away back under the hill. "Oh, what's that?" asked Sue, stepping a little behind Bunny. "It's a cave," answered her brother. "What's a cave?" Sue next asked. "Well, a cave is a hole," explained Bunny. "Then a hole and a cave are the same thing," said Sue. "Yes, I guess they are pretty much," admitted the little boy. "Only in a cave you have adventures, and in a hole you only fall down and get your clothes dirty." "Don't you ever get your clothes dirty in a cave?" Sue demanded. "Oh, yes, but that's different. Nobody minds how dirty your clothes get if you have an adventure in a cave," Bunny said. "And can we go into this one?" Sue asked. "I guess so," answered Bunny. "Mother told us not to get in any boats, and we're not. A cave isn't a boat. Come on." "See, Splash is going in," pointed out Sue. "If he isn't afraid we oughtn't to be." "Who's afraid?" asked Bunny. "I'm not!" And with that he walked into the cave. As he still held Sue's hand he dragged her along with him, and as Sue did not want to be left alone on the beach of the lake, she followed. Bunny saw Splash running ahead. For a little way into the cave it was light, but it soon began to darken, as the sun could not shine in that far. "Oh, I don't want to go any farther," said Sue. "It's dark. If I had my Teddy bear I could make a light with her eyes." "I've got something better than that," said Bunny. "What?" asked Sue. "My pocket flashlight I got for Christmas. That gives a good light. Come on, now we can see." From his pocket Bunny took the little flashlight. It was the same kind, made with the same storage dry battery, that ran his train and lighted the Teddy bear's eyes. "Yes, now I can see!" cried Sue. "I'm not afraid any more." With Bunny holding the light, the two children went farther on into the cave. They were looking about, wondering what they would find, when, all of a sudden, there was a noise farther in. "Oh!" cried Sue. "Did you hear that?" "Yes," answered Bunny, "I did. What was it?" Splash began to bark. "Quiet!" ordered Bunny, and the dog whined. Then the noise sounded again. It was like some one crying. "Oh, I don't want to stay here!" exclaimed Sue, clasping Bunny's hand. "Wait a minute," he said. Then came a voice from out of the darkness, saying: "Please don't run away. I won't hurt you and I'm all alone. I want to get out. I'm lost. I can just see your light. Stand still a minute and I can see you. I'm coming." Bunny and Sue did not know whether or not to wait, but, in the end, they stood still. Splash whined, but did not bark. They could hear some one walking toward them. A moment later there came into the light of the flashlight a slim, ragged boy. He was even more ragged than Mr. Bixby. "Please don't run away," he said. "I won't hurt you. I need some one to help me." Bunny and Sue felt sorry for the boy. _ |
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