“And when they broke the bar, he put his own arm through and kept them out. We’ll take turns being the bars if we have to, Miss Murray.”
“Then good-night all, and sleep well, and be sure and remember what you dream. Dreams in a new place are sure to come true, they say.” Jean kissed each sweet, upturned, girlish face, and went back to the house.
“Well, girls!” exclaimed Polly, once they were alone. She raised the lamp from the table, and looked about.
The cabin consisted of two long, low ceiled rooms, and yet, no ceilings of plaster, but only the natural wood for an interior; and soft and rich in tone it looked too. The foundation of the cabin was of rocks, and the roof projected far over in front, forming the top of the porch. Over-shadowing it were some spruces. So much they had seen as they had entered it. But the interior was best of all. There was a huge rock fireplace, screened with great spruce boughs. Above it was a hanging shelf of wood. Before each of the four windows was a rough wooden seat, covered over with Indian blankets, and on the floor were a few rugs.
“Girls, what a fine idea this is,” exclaimed Sue, standing where she could take in the whole interior. “Do you know this furniture is mostly homemade of just rough, barked wood. Look at this lovely big center table, and the chairs to match.”
“Maybe this is the first wedding outfit,” Polly suggested. “Wasn’t it Daniel Boone who set the style in honeymoon settler furniture?”
“How, Polly?” asked Ruth.
“He just went out and took the wood as he found it, and made furniture out of it, that’s all, and put pelts around for rugs. How pungent and sweet those spruce boughs do smell. Ruth, you be monitor of the light, won’t you, please, dear? I’m going to bed this minute. I just can’t keep awake. Do you feel the motion of the train even now? I do. Just as if we were going and going all the time.”
So Ruth put out the lamp, and they all went to bed, tired from the long journey overland, and happy in their new quarters.
“It is just as if we were real settlers, and had finally reached a resting place,” Isabel said sleepily.