Part 19 (1/2)

”O dear,” said Grandmamma Graymouse, ”I hope I shan't forget my part.

Tell me, Uncle James, do I look old enough?”

”You look too old to be alive,” he answered; ”fifty years older than I do, certainly! Mrs. Mehitable Whalen, are you my wife or my very great grandmamma?”

”But where's Nate Pollard?” Aunt Vi asked. ”I told him to come early to rehea.r.s.e.”

”He said he'd be here in half an hour,” said Jimmy. ”He's off playing.”

”I hope I shall not have to punish my young grandson,” said Uncle James, solemnly, as he began to peel a sycamore switch.

Uncle James's name was now ”Ichabod Whalen,” and he and ”Mehitable Whalen,” his wife, were such droll objects in their old-fas.h.i.+oned clothes that they could not look at each other without laughing.

Their absent grandson, ”Ezekiel Whalen” (or Nate Pollard), was a fine specimen of a boy of ancient times, and Aunt Vi had been much pleased with the way in which he acted his part. But where was he? Aunt Vi and the grandparents grew impatient. It was now half-past two; people were flocking into the tent; but the curtain could not rise, for nothing was yet to be seen of young Master ”Ezekiel Whalen” and his small clothes and his c.o.c.ked hat. The house was pretty well filled; really there were far more people than had been expected, Jimmy, with pencil and paper in hand, was figuring up the grown people and children, and multiplying these numbers by twenty-five and by fifteen. When he found that the sum amounted to nearly nine dollars he almost whistled for joy.

But all this while the audience was waiting. People looked around in surprise; the Dunlee family grew more and more anxious. Aunt Lucy pinched Bab and Bab pinched Aunt Lucy.

Suddenly there were loud voices at the entrance of the tent. The tent curtain was pushed aside violently, and Mr. Templeton and Mr. Rolfe rushed in exclaiming:--

”Two boys lost! All hands to the rescue!”

The people were on their feet in a moment and there was a grand rush for the outside. The panic, so it was said afterward, was about equal to ”the little schoolma'am's earthquake.”

XIV

JIMMY'S GOOD LUCK

”It's the Pollard and Rolfe boys,” explained Mr. Templeton.

”Ho! I know where _they_ are!” cried Jimmy, ”They're all right. They're only digging a cave in the side of a sand-bank.”

”Show us where! Run as fast as you can!” exclaimed Mr. Rolfe and Mr.

Pollard. Mr. Pollard had been hunting for the last half-hour. He knew Nate was deeply interested in ”Jimmy's play” and would not have kept away from the tent unless something unusual had happened.

Jimmy ran, followed by several men who could not possibly keep up with him. But when they all reached the sand-bank, where were the ”cave-dwellers”? They had burrowed in the sand till completely out of sight!

”h.e.l.lo! Where are you”? screamed Jimmy.

There was no answer. In enlarging the cave they had loosened the very dry earth, and thus caused the roof over their heads to fall in upon them, actually burying them as far as their arm-pits! They tried to scream, but their m.u.f.fled voices could not be heard. The ”cave” looked like a great pile of sand and nothing more. n.o.body would have dreamed that there was any one inside it if it had not been for Jimmy's story.

”Courage, boys, we're after you, we'll soon have you out!” said the men cheerily; though how could they tell whether the boys heard or not?

Indeed, how did they know the boys were still alive?

Two men went for shovels. The other men, not waiting for them to come back thrust their arms into the bank and scooped out the sand with their hands. The sand was loose and they worked very fast. Before the shovels arrived a moan was heard. At any rate one of the boys was alive.

And before long they had unearthed both the young prisoners and dragged them out of the cave.

Not a minute too soon, Joe gasped for breath and looked wildly about; but Nate lay perfectly still; it could hardly be seen at first that he breathed. His father and mother, the doctor and plenty of other people were ready and eager to help; but it was some time before he showed signs of life. When at last he opened his eyes the joy of his parents was something touching to witness.

Jimmy, who had been standing about with the other children, watching and waiting, caught his mother by the sleeve and whispered:--