Part 14 (2/2)

Mr. Steele was a city man, through and through. He had not even lived in the country when he was a boy. His own children knew much more about out-of-doors than he, or his wife.

The host was a very successful business man, had made money of late years, and wished to spend some of his gains now in laying out the finest ”gentleman's farm” in that quarter of the State. To be balked right at the start by what he called ”a cowhide-booted old Rube” was a cross that Mr. Steele could not bear with composure.

The young folks, naturally (save Ruth), were not much interested in the controversy between their hosts and the neighboring farmer. There was too much fun going on for both girls and boys to think of much beside.

That afternoon they overran the house and stables, numbered the sheep, watched the tiny pigs and their mothers in the clover-lot, were delighted with the colts that ran with their mothers in the paddock, played with the calves, and got acquainted in general with the livestock of Sunrise Farm.

”Only we haven't goats,” said Bobbins. ”I've been trying to get father to buy some Angoras. Old Caslon has the best stock anywhere around, and father says he won't try to buy of _him_. I'd like to send off for a good big billy-goat and turn him into Caslon's back pasture. I bet there'd be a fight, for Caslon's got a billy that'll chase you just as soon as he'd wink.”

”We'd better keep out of _that_ pasture, then,” laughed one of the girls.

”Oh, father's forbidden us trespa.s.sing on Caslon's land. We'd like to catch him on _our_ side of the line, that's all!”

”Who-Mr. Caslon, or the billy?” asked Tom, chuckling.

”Either one,” said Bob, shaking his head threateningly.

Everyone was in bed early that night, for all were tired; but the boys had a whispered colloquy before they went to sleep in their own big room at the top of the house, and Bob tied a cord to his big toe and weighted the other end so that it would drop out of the window and hang just about head-high above the gra.s.s.

The first stableman up about the place ran over from the barns and gave Master Bob's cord a yank, according to instructions, and pretty nearly hauled that ingenious chap out of bed before the eastern sky was even streaked with light.

”Gee! have we got to get up now?” demanded Busy Izzy, aroused, as were the other boys, by Bobbins dancing about the floor and rubbing his toe.

”Somebody has been foolin' you-it's nowheres near morning.”

”Bet a dog jumped up and bit that string you hung out of the window,”

chuckled Tom Cameron.

He looked at his watch and saw that it really was after four o'clock.

”Come on, then!” Tom added, rolling Ralph Tingley out of bed. ”We must do as we said, and surprise the girls.”

”s.h.!.+” commanded Bobbins. ”No noise. We want to slide out easy.”

With much m.u.f.fled giggling and wrestling, they dressed and made their way downstairs. The maids were just astir.

The boys had something particular to do, and they went to work at it very promptly, under Tom Cameron's leaders.h.i.+p. Behind one of the farther barns was a sharp, but smooth slope, well sodded, which descended to the line of the farm that adjoined Mr. Caslon's. There, at the bottom, the land sloped up again to the stone wall that divided the two estates.

It was a fine place for a slide in winter, somebody had said; but Tom's quick wit suggested that it would be a good place for a slide in summer, too! And the boys had laid their plans for this early morning job accordingly.

Before breakfast they had built a dozen barrel-stave toboggans-each long enough to hold two persons, if it was so desired.

Tom and Bobbins tried them first and showed the crowd how fine a slide it really was down the long, gra.s.sy bank. The most timid girl in the crowd finally was convinced that it was safe, and for several hours, the shrieks of delight and laughter from that hillside proved that a sport out of season was all the better appreciated because it was novel.

Over the broad stone wall was the pasture in which Caslon kept his flock of goats. Beautiful, long-haired creatures they were, but the solemn old leader of the flock stamped his feet at the curious girls and boys who looked over the wall, and shook his horns.

Somewhere, along by the boundary of the two estates, Bob said there was a spring, and Ruth and Helen slipped off by themselves to find it. A wild bit of brush pasture soon hid them from the view of their friends, and as they went over a small ridge and down into the deeper valley, the laughter and shouting of those at the slide gradually died away behind them.

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