The in the Woods Part 7 (2/2)
But Bessie knew what she was about. Without paying the slightest attention to his angry cries, she ran straight around to the front of the station, and there she found the fat policeman.
”Won't you help us?” she cried. ”Mr. Norris, the conductor, said you would -- ”
”What's wrong?” said the policeman, starting. He had been dozing. ”Any friend of Tom's is a friend of mine -- here, here, none of that!”
The last remark was addressed to Farmer Weeks, who had come up and seized Zara.
”I've got an order saying I've a right to take her,” exclaimed Weeks.
”But it's not good in this state -- ” interrupted Bessie.
”Let's see it,” said the policeman.
Weeks, storming and protesting, showed him the court order.
”That's no good here. You'll have to get her into the state where it was issued before you can use that,” said the policeman.
”You're a liar! I'll take her now -- ”
The policeman's club was out, and he threatened Weeks with it.
”You touch her and I'll run you in,” he said, angrily. ”We don't stand for men laying their hands on girls and women in this town. Get away with you now! If I catch you hanging around here five minutes from now, I'll take you to the lock-up, and you can spend the night in a cell.”
”But -- ” began Weeks.
”Not a word more -- or I'll do as I say,” said the policeman. He was energetic, if he was fat, and he had put a protective arm about Zara. Weeks looked at him and then he slunk off.
And, as he went, the girls heard a merry chorus, ”Wo-he-lo, Wo-he-lo,” just as another train puffed in.
CHAPTER XI.
THE CALL OF THE FIRE.
”Wo-he-lo!”
How they did thrill at the sound of the watchword of the Camp Fire! How clearly, now, they understood the meaning of the three syllables, that had seemed to them so mysterious, so utterly without meaning, when they had first heard them on the sh.o.r.es of the lake, as, surprised, they peeped out and saw the merry band of girls who had awakened them after their flight from Hedgeville.
For a moment, so overjoyed were they, they couldn't move at all. But then the spell was broken, as the call sounded again, loud and clear, rising above the noises of the engine that was puffing and snorting on the other side of the station. Farmer Weeks, a black look in his eyes as he shot them a parting glance full of malice, was forgotten as he slunk off.
”Thank you, oh, thank you!” cried Bessie to the astonished policeman, who looked as if he were about to begin asking them questions. ”Come on, Zara!”
And, hand in hand, they raced around to the other side of the station again, but blithely, happily this time, and not in terror of their enemy, as they had come. And there, looking about her in all directions, was Eleanor Mercer, and behind her all the girls of the Manasquan Camp Fire.
”Oh, I'm so glad! I was afraid something had happened to you!” cried Eleanor. ”But now it's all right! We're all here, and safe. In this state no one can hurt you -- either of you!”
Laughing and full of questions, the other girls crowded around Zara and Bessie, so happily restored to them.
”We feel as if you were real Camp Fire Girls already!” said Eleanor Mercer, half crying with happiness. ”The girls were wild with anxiety when they found you had gone away, too, Bessie, even though we hadn't told them everything. But they were delighted when I got back and told them you were safe.”
”We were, indeed,” said Minnehaha. ”But it was awful, Bessie, not to know what had become of you, or how to help you! We'd have done anything we could, but we didn't know a single thing to do. So we had just to wait, and that's the hardest thing there is, when someone you love is in trouble.”
Bessie almost broke down at that. Until this wonderful meeting with the Camp Fire Girls no one but Zara had loved her, and the idea that these girls really did love her as they said -- and had so n.o.bly proved -- was almost too much for her. She tried to say so.
”Of course we love one another,” said Eleanor. ”That's one of the laws of the Fire, and it's one of the words we use to make up Wo-he-lo, too. So you see that it's just as important as it can be, Bessie.”
”Yes, indeed, I do see that. I'd be awfully stupid if I didn't, after the splendid way you've helped us, Miss Eleanor. What are we going to do now?”
”We're going to join the big camp not far from here. Three or four Camp Fires are there together, and Mrs. Chester, who is Chief Guardian in the city, wants us to join them. I talked to her about you two over the long-distance telephone before we got on the train, and she's so anxious to see you, and help me decide what is best for you to do. You'll love her, Bessie; you're sure to. She's so good and sweet to everyone. All the girls just wors.h.i.+p her.”
”If she's half as nice as you, we're sure to love her,” said Zara.
Eleanor laughed.
”I'm not half as wonderful as you think I am, Zara. But I'm nicer than I used to be, I think.”
”Oh!”
”Yes, indeed! I used to be selfish and thoughtless, caring only about having a good time myself, and never thinking about other people at all. But Mrs. Chester talked to me.”
”I'll bet she never had a chance to scold you.”
”I'm afraid she did, Zara; but she didn't want to. That's not her way. She never scolds people. She just talks to them in that wonderful, quiet way of hers, and makes them see that they haven't been doing right.”
”But I don't believe you ever did anything that wasn't right.”
”Maybe I didn't mean to, and maybe it wasn't what I did that was wrong. It was more what I didn't do.”
”I don't see what you mean.”
”Well, I was careless and thoughtless, just as I said. I used to dance, and play games, and go to parties all the time.”
”I think that must be fine! Didn't you have to work at home, though?”
”No; and that was just the trouble, you see. My people had plenty of money, and they just wanted me to have a good time. And I did -- but I've had a better one since I started doing things for other people.”
”I bet you always did, really -- ”
”I'm not an angel now, Zara, and I certainly never used to be, nor a bit like one. Just because I've happened to be able to help you two a little, you think altogether too much of me.”
”Oh, no; we couldn't -- ”
”Well, as I was saying, Mrs. Chester saw how things were going, and she started to talk to me. I was horrid to her at first, and wouldn't pay any attention to her at all.”
”I'm going to ask her about that. I don't believe you were ever horrid to anyone.”
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