WHEN EMMA SAID TOO MUCH
"Where is he?" bellowed Hippy, charging from his tent, rifle in hand. "Elfreda!" shouted Grace, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them. She could hear the commotion, but was unable to make out the cause of the disturbance.
In the meantime, Miss Briggs was being dragged over the ground at a rate of speed that was neither good for her clothing nor her body. In his blind fright, the animal charged straight into Washington Washington's pup-tent, landing right on the colored boy. The lad threw up his arms, and they closed about the neck of the bear.
A frightful howl instantly woke the mountain silence, as Washington let go and rolled from under. The bear, as much frightened as was Wash, turned and charged across the camp. He met Emma Dean head on, and she went down under the onslaught.
"It's a bear! Shoot him!" screamed Emma.
"No!" shouted Grace. "He is dragging Elfreda. Don't shoot!" Grace's eyes by this time had become adjusted to the uncertain light and her mind instantly comprehended the situation, so far as the fact that her companion was being dragged was concerned, though she did not realize that it was her rope that was around the neck of the frightened animal.
Young Bruin went through Grace's tent, Elfreda following him like a projectile. Both emerged from the ruins on the other side and headed for the bush, with the Overland Riders in full pursuit.
"Throw yourself on the rope and grab it!" panted Grace, as Hippy ran past her.
"Let go!" he shouted to Miss Briggs, but, though Elfreda was willing to do so, she could not. Neither could she summon enough breath to answer.
"Snub the rope around something," urged Grace.
Hippy reached and passed Elfreda and threw himself on the rope, as he thought. The bear, having made a sudden turn to get away from him, caused Hippy to miss the rope by a few feet. The rope tripped Grace who landed flat on the ground.
It was at this juncture that Anne and Nora reached the scene, and the next instant they too were tripped by the rope. The entire Overland party were now floundering about in the bushes, and Washington Washington was up a tree, clinging to it, wide-eyed, as he listened to the uproar below him.
Darting this way and that, the bear finally raced around a tree with Miss Briggs following. The purchase thus given to her served to check the progress of the animal. Hippy took instant advantage. He threw himself on the rope, and, this time, succeeded in grasping it with both hands.
"Get Her Loose."
"Quick! Get her loose," he panted, holding to the lasso with all his strength, but feeling it slowly slipping through his hands, for the bear possessed greater pulling strength than did Hippy.
Grace lost no time in freeing the rope from Elfreda's hands and arm.
"Drag her away. Lively!" she urged.
Anne and Nora gave instant obedience, and the instant Elfreda was free of the rope, Grace quickly snubbed it about the trunk of the tree.
"Let go, Hippy," she called. "I think I can hold him till you get here to help me."
Bruin was snarling and plunging, throwing himself this way and that in his vain efforts to free himself, but the hair rope held. Mere bear strength was not equal to breaking a woven hair rope, and, when Hippy threw his weight on the end of it with Grace, they hauled the animal up towards the tree little by little, Bruin fighting every inch of the way.
"Watch him," warned the lieutenant.
As he neared the tree, the animal showed fight but Grace and Hippy made the rope fast when the bear was a yard or so from the tree, fearing to draw him any closer to themselves.
"How is Elfreda?" called Grace, fanning herself with her hat.
"Sadly mussed," answered Nora.
"Well, now that you have him, what do you propose to do with him?" demanded Grace, walking over and gazing down at Miss Briggs, who lay on the ground breathing hard.
"I—I have done all I ca—an," groaned Elfreda.
"I should say you had. What happened, Elfreda?"
"Mostly myself. You ought to know that by looking at me." Miss Briggs' face was scratched from contact with the bushes; her hair was down and in a tangle, and her clothing was torn. She was a much mussed-up young woman.
"Watch him, Hippy," called Grace. "J. Elfreda, if you are feeling able please tell us what occurred. I know that you roped the animal, but that is all."
Miss Briggs briefly related her experience up to the time the Overlanders appeared on the scene.
"You win the blue ribbon," laughed Grace. "As I asked before, now that you have the beast, what do you propose to do with him?"
"Let him go," replied Elfreda a little petulantly.
"Yes, but how? You roped him. It seems up to you to untie him."
"Oh, cut the rope," suggested Emma.
"Indeed, you will not," objected Grace. "You must think of some better plan."
"Leave it to the bear. He will have the rope gnawed in two very soon at the present rate," called Hippy. "Come, Emma. Get busy and 'con-centrate' on the difficulty."
The animal was on its back when the girls gathered about him, keeping a safe distance from him, however. He was clawing and biting and snarling savagely, and Grace was much concerned for her rope, which was one of her prized possessions.
"What do you suggest, Hippy?" she asked.
"Either cut the rope or shoot him, or else let him liberate himself."
"He will have to be shot. I am sorry, but it seems the only way," decided Grace. "Will you do it, Hippy?"
"Sure I will. Mighty glad for the opportunity. We will have bear steak for breakfast."
"Perhaps we shall have jail to digest it in. I am not certain whether or not we are permitted to shoot bear at this time of the year. Do you know what the Kentucky game laws with reference to bear are?"
Hippy said he did not, and did not care. Having made up his mind to have bear for breakfast, no mere laws should interfere with his appetite he said. The girls, not wishing to witness the operation, returned to the camp and Hippy shot the bear.
Most of the balance of the night was spent by him in dressing the animal and stringing it up by its hocks to let it cool. He was not an expert at this sort of thing, but had Tom Gray been there he would have done the job and been back between his blankets in an hour. However, there was bear steak for breakfast, though Elfreda declared she wouldn't touch a mouthful of it for anything. The others were not suffering from delicate appetites, and did full justice to the meal.
Later in the forenoon, Hippy, who had declared himself too busy to go for the milk the night before, started out for the Thompson cabin, accompanied by Nora and Emma, to purchase a pail of fresh milk.
Upon their arrival there, Julie and the rest of the family, except Mr. Thompson, gathered about the Overland Riders, full of curiosity. Julie explained that "Paw" had gone away the night before and hadn't come back.
"Paw's awful mad 'bout you folks," she announced. "Said as how ye had better git out afore he got too het up 'bout ye."
"We shall be going in a few days," answered Nora. "Tell your 'Paw' not to get excited."
"I'll tell you what," bubbled Emma. "Does he like bear meat?"
"Ah reckon he likes most any kind o' food," answered Mrs. Thompson.
"Good. Listen to me! We got a bear last night and we had part of him for breakfast. For a time it looked like he was going to have us for his breakfast, but we shot him and Lieutenant Wingate dressed him, and he was fine," declared Miss Dean with enthusiasm. "I will send the colored boy over with a fine bear steak for Mr. Thompson, and, if he is anything like Lieutenant Wingate, he will be mad no longer."
The mountain woman smiled at Emma's temperamental enthusiasm.
"I reckon he'll be mighty glad to have it," she nodded.
Before leaving, Hippy Wingate chucked the two little children under the chin and gave each a five-cent piece, promising to give them as much more each time he came for the milk.
"Queer about 'Paw,' ain't it?" mimicked Emma as they were on their way home. "I wonder if he is staying in the cornfield watching our camp. Perhaps he'll come out when he hears there is bear steak at home. My, but aren't those children dirty?"
Grace frowned when Nora told her of Emma's offer to give the Thompsons some of the bear meat.
"Emma, no good ever comes from babbling. I am sorry you did that, but so long as you promised you must make good," directed Grace.
"All right. Don't be so frightfully touchy. I will send Wash over with a hind leg."
"No. You will send or take a steak, as you promised. A bear's leg! The idea!"
"I don't know what you mean. A leg of lamb is considered a real delicacy where I come from, and I should think a leg of bear would be an equally delightful delicacy up here where the beast grows."
Even Miss Briggs joined in the laugh that followed, though it hurt frightfully to exercise her facial muscles.
Hippy said he would cut out a steak, but Nora decided that he must have assistance or he would be sending something that not even the mountaineers could eat. A black chunk of meat that weighed all of twelve pounds was the result of the carving. This Hippy tied up in a roll and gave to Washington to take to the Thompsons.
"Our peace offering to 'Paw,'" observed Hippy as the colored boy, with the bear meat on his shoulder, trudged away playing his harmonica. "That dance that Julie invited us to attend, comes off to-morrow night. She asked me to-day, if we were going. I said I reckoned we'd be over, and asked her if she would trip the light fantastic with me, but Julie shook her head. What about it? Do we go or stay?"
"What will we do about the camp?" wondered Grace.
"Leave it here, of course," urged Emma.
"And find it missing when we return," suggested Elfreda. "I fear that won't do at all."
"We can hide our equipment and ride the ponies over to Coon Hollow, with Laundry along on one of the mules to look after our horses when we get there," planned Lieutenant Wingate.
"What about the other mule?" questioned Anne.
"Let him take care of himself. If any stranger attempts to fool around that mule he will get the everlasting daylights kicked out of him. Nora, you had better shake your feet up to-day and get in practice, for to-morrow night you dance—if—"
"Yes, if," laughed Grace. "It shall be just as you people wish. Personally I am not keen for it, except that it will be a treat to watch the mountain folk at play."
All except Miss Briggs were enthusiastic for the dance.
"With my damaged countenance, I shan't be able to dance," she complained.
"You don't intend to dance on your face, do you!" wondered Emma.
"If I perform the way I did with the bear, I undoubtedly shall. There is no telling what I might do."
"You ought to have a net to perform over, like the circus people do," declared Emma. "Do we go?"
"Yes, let's go," urged Nora.
The others being of the same mind, Grace gave a rather reluctant consent and the matter was settled then and there, greatly adding to the happiness of Emma Dean.
That afternoon Grace made an inspection of the cornfield and discovered the imprints of heavy boots in the soft dirt near the camp. There had been, she believed, four men in the party, and all four evidently had been spying on the Overland camp. She followed their trail until she came to the edge of the cornfield, facing the Thompson cabin. Grace shrugged her shoulders and retraced her steps.
"I have a feeling that our affairs must come to a head soon," she murmured. "The footprints, after leaving the cornfield, appear to lead directly towards the Thompson home. However, we shall see. The night may bring something in the way of a development. I am getting tired of the waiting policy. Girls," called Grace, as she entered the camp. "What do you say if we break camp and get out to-morrow?"
"You forget the dance," reminded Emma, who did not propose to miss such an opportunity as this.
"Day after to-morrow, then?" questioned Grace.
"In spite of warnings and the suggestion of our unseen friend?" asked Anne.
"Yes. We can't stay here forever. Besides, the days are passing and we have some little distance to go before reaching the rendezvous where we are to meet Tom. What we need is action."
"Did I not start something for you last night? What more do you want?" demanded Miss Briggs.
"To keep moving. You started the wrong way. You were headed towards home when you set out behind your bear," laughed Grace. "What do you say, girls?"
"Yes. Let's go," nodded Elfreda. "Nothing much matters after last night, so far as I am concerned." The rest left the decision entirely in Grace Harlowe's hands, and she decided to move as suggested, provided nothing intervened to prevent their doing so.
Bear meat, coffee with real cream and fresh vegetables, procured from the Thompsons, made an unusually appetizing supper that night, and during the meal Washington furnished music to entertain them. He was still playing when Anne warned her companions that a man had just stepped out of the cornfield and was coming into camp.
The Overlanders got up, wondering who their caller might be.
"Evenin', folks," greeted the stranger, who was of the same gaunt, razor-faced type that they had come in contact with on other occasions on this journey.
"Good evening," answered the Overland Riders pleasantly.
"We have just finished supper, but won't you sit down and have a snack?" asked Grace. "There is some meat and coffee left."
The caller sat down, tucked his red handkerchief under his chin, hitched his revolver holster back a little further, leaned over and sniffed at his heaping plate of bear meat, then fell to with a will. "He ate as if he had had nothing to eat for a fortnight," as Emma confided to Anne Nesbit. Washington made a fresh pot of coffee for him.
"Reckon this 'ere's as fine a piece o' beef as Ah ever stowed," observed the guest, rolling his eyes up to the assembled Riders.
"It isn't beef. It's—" began Emma, but quickly subsided as Anne pinched her warningly.
"It's what?" demanded the caller.
"Codfish!" answered Emma lamely.
The stranger shrugged his shoulders and resumed his eating.
"Ahem!" said Hippy by way of clearing his throat. "It is a fine, large evening. Do you ordinarily have such large evenings in the Kentucky mountains?"
"Off an' on, Mister. Wall, Ah reckon Ah'm full clear to the gullet. Who be ye-all?"
"We call ourselves the Overland Riders. May I ask who you are?" questioned Hippy.
"Ah'm the game constable of this 'ere county. Where's the bear?"
"Some—some of it is—is inside of you," gasped Emma Dean a little hysterically.