Part 2 (2/2)

”'Course we'll be careful not to bunk right into him,” she conceded.

”We'll dig very slowly when we get pretty near there. Come on, Helen.

Want to come, Billy?”

”Sho, now!” said Billy, looking very unhappy over this unexpected result of his little moral tale. Once, long ago, a mischievous boy-visitor had taken and eaten all Billy's peppermints, and he never forgot it. He always took occasion to tell it as a story to every little newcomer, to ensure the safety of his valued peppermints, but no one had ever thus applied the story before.

”Seems as if I wouldn't try, children,” he repeated, anxiously. ”You might tumble in.”

But when Zaidee's mind was once set on an enterprise, nothing could turn her. She ran away for the shovels and dragged reluctant Helen with her.

They selected a nice hollow place in the sand, and began to dig furiously. In a few minutes they had a hole a foot deep. Zaidee balanced herself on the edge, on her knees, and put her hands down on the bottom of the hole.

”I do think it's getting hotter, Helen, just feel.”

Helen put her hand down, rather fearfully.

”It's getting _very_ hot, Zaidee, and don't let's dig any more.”

”Don't be a 'fraid cat,” responded Zaidee, promptly. ”It's only a little bit hot. We must dig until it's ever so much hotter yet,” and Zaidee went on throwing up the sand, energetically.

”Oh, dear! how it all slides down the sides. I'll have to get in it and dig,” she said, presently.

”Don't! don't!” cried Helen, in great terror, clutching Zaidee with both hands. ”Don't go down there. You might tumble right through any time right on Mr. Satam's head!”

But Zaidee, unheeding, jumped into the hole, and went on digging, st.u.r.dily, while Helen, frightened and apprehensive, watched her from above. Suddenly she shrieked in new terror:

”Oh, Zaidee! come out! please come out! I see the feathers on his cap sticking right up there! oh, you'll hit him in a minute, and he'll jump up!” for ”Mr. Satam,” and Indian chiefs, with waving plumes, and tomahawks, formed a very confused picture in her mind.

Zaidee scrambled up in a flash.

”Where? Where?” she cried, peering down when safe above. Truly, at the bottom of the hole was seen the top of a feather dropped from a sea-gull's wing, and buried under the drifting sand, but the startled children never doubted that it was growing fast on the top of ”Mr.

Satam's” head, and they waited in terrified silence for that head to rise and confront them.

Meanwhile, Billy was wandering around in great anguish of soul, not knowing what dreadful thing might happen any moment. He started back to the house at last. Cricket came skipping down the piazza steps.

”See here, young 'un,” Billy began, eagerly,--he seldom called the children by their names. ”I'm afraid suthin' dretful's goin' to happen.”

”What's the matter, Billy? Why, how your hands shake!”

”Perhaps you can stop 'em,” went on Billy, hurriedly; ”them ere little tikes is a-doin' a dretful thing. They're over by the sand-bank, a-diggin' fur--h.e.l.l.” He brought out this last word in a deep, half-frightened whisper.

”Digging for _what_? Oh, Billy!” and Cricket's laugh rang out. ”You know better than that. Where are they? I'm going to dig a little myself, and they might help me.”

Billy looked a little shamefaced at Cricket's laugh.

”Don't you think they could get there, then?” he asked, looking relieved. ”I don't really know just where 'tis, myself. Didn't want them little tikes to come to no harm, that's all.”

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