Part 39 (1/2)

One by one all the children's small possessions lay before the jaws of the Jabberwock.

”Oh, Eunice! children! let's have a fire, and burn up all these sacrifices to the Jabberwock. Think what a lovely thing he'd think that is! Idols always love to have scenes of devastination and ruin all about.”

”I'm afraid that wouldn't be safe,” said Eunice, hesitating. ”Would auntie like it?”

”Oh, she wouldn't care. What harm? Nothing could get on fire out here on the sands, could there? Of course, we wouldn't if it was near the house anywhere. I'll go and get the matches,” and off she darted like a flash.

”Oh, are we going to have a fire, and burn up the shrime?” cried Zaidee.

”Goody! goody! what fun! they're going to burn up the shrime!”

Cricket flew back with a match-box in her hand.

”Now, get lots of dry seaweed, children,” she ordered, ”and we'll heap it around the pile, and tuck it under the pile of sacrifices, so they'll burn better. Oh, won't that make a blaze!” and Cricket danced about in antic.i.p.ation. ”There, Jabberwock! I hope you'll be 'tentified,' as Zaidee says. Stand back, children. Come, Eunice, and we'll march up singing, and lay our offering of a lighted match down before him,” and Cricket, chanting another verse of the ”Jabberwock,” pranced up and struck a match.

The dry seaweed was instantly aflame, curling and leaping like a live thing, around the pile of stone. The children, dancing around and clapping their hands, screamed in ecstasy at the sight.

”Bring more seaweed,” called Cricket, piling on all she had, to keep up the darting flames. The fire went springing up, licking the white bones of the Jabberwock. In their excitement the younger children scarcely noticed that their treasures were actually burning up, also, till Kenneth suddenly caught sight of his ”Dacob,” writhing, and curling, and jumping about in the most uncanny way, as if in mortal agony. The poor baby darted forward to rescue it.

”It's hurted Dacob! He's all wiggly!” he cried, and he tried to s.n.a.t.c.h his best beloved doll from the flames. Eunice caught him back.

”Don't touch, baby. It will burn you. Jacob can't feel it, and I'll buy you another.”

”He _does_ feel it. It's hurted him,” cried Kenneth, struggling to get away. With the sudden spring he made, Eunice lost hold of him, and he made a s.n.a.t.c.h at the burning sacrifice. A long tongue of flame leaped up, caught like a live thing the baby's linen dress, and in an instant he was enveloped in flames.

For one horrible moment the other children stood paralyzed with fright.

Not to the longest day she lives will Cricket forget the awful terror of that moment, as the thought surged up that, whatever happened, it was all her fault. Then, with a wild scream, to which all her previous ones had been as whispers, she darted forward. Kenneth, blind with terror and pain, beat at the flames with his tiny hands, and ran shrieking down the beach, fanning the fire to a brighter blaze.

Cricket was upon him in a moment. She flung both her arms closely around him, stopping his struggles, but the eager flames caught her own light dress as she did so. Then away she dashed, down over the few steps of beach between herself and the incoming tide, and, with him in her arms, threw herself forward in the water. As she rolled over and over, the sullen flames hissed and died.

Eunice was close behind her, shrieking for help. It was nearly high tide, and the beach sloped a little more abruptly there than in most places. Cricket rose to her knees with Kenneth in her arms, stumbled and fell forward again, face downward, limp with the excitement and the strain. Eunice, knee-deep in water, dragged them both up, and, between pulling and half carrying, got them to the water's edge, just as Auntie Jean, and Eliza, and Luke, came running from different directions. The flames, still fitfully shooting up from the smouldering seaweed, told the story.

”Run for the doctor, Luke,” cried Auntie Jean, wasting no time in questions, as she lifted little drenched, burned Kenneth tenderly in her arms, and flew with him towards the house, leaving Eliza to help Cricket. Kenneth's clothes were so badly burned that they fell off from him when she laid him down. He was a dreadful sight, with his golden curls all gone, his face blackened with smoke and soot, which the water had only washed off in streaks. It was impossible for her to tell, at first, how much he was injured. Fortunately, the doctor came almost immediately.

It was an anxious hour that followed. Kenneth's most serious burns were on his arms and body, for, while the golden curls were nearly gone, his poor little face was, by some fortunate chance, only slightly burned, since, as he ran forward, his curls had blown back. Cricket was burned quite severely on her arms and hands, where she had clasped and held him.

After their wounds were dressed and bandaged, and Kenneth, a little mummy-like bundle of old white linen, lay asleep, worn out with pain and excitement, Auntie Jean found Cricket sobbing quietly under the sheet.

”What is the matter, dear?” asked auntie, tenderly. ”Are you in such pain?” for she knew that Cricket was a little Spartan in respect to suffering.

”Yes, no-o,” sobbed Cricket. ”The pain is bad, but I don't care for that. My--conscience--aches--so--_here_. I--can't--stand--it, auntie. I ought to have been all burned up myself. I oughtn't to have had a fire.

I knew better, only I just thought what fun it would be. To think the baby is burned, and all through my horrid badness!”

”My poor little girl!” said Auntie Jean, pitifully. ”That is the hardest of all for you to bear, I well know. But after all, dear, you can comfort yourself by thinking that, but for your quickness, the little fellow must have burned to death. You saved his life, after all. You did what should have been done, so quickly.”

”That isn't much comfort,” sobbed Cricket. ”He oughtn't to be burned at all. _Any_body would have thought to throw him in the water.”

”I'm not sure of that. In excitement people do not always use their wits--especially children. Even Eunice, thoughtful as she usually is, was behind you.”