The Meadow-Brook Girls in the Hills Part 10

"No, no, no! Nothing like that, Miss."

"Do you know a man named Collins?"

"Collins? Never heard of him. Who is he?"

"I don't know. I will tell you something that you do not know, either.

The night we arrived at Compton a man called on me at the hotel to ask me to discharge you and let him act as our guide instead. He said he needed the money. He also said we would be sorry for having taken you as our guide; that we would get into no end of trouble were we to go with you. He intimated a great deal more than he put into words. It was plain that he disliked you very much. He made a distinctly unfavorable impression upon me. Harriet saw him, too, just as he was taking his leave."

"Well, I swum!" Ja.n.u.s was tugging nervously at his whiskers. There were beads of perspiration on his forehead. His lips moved rapidly, but he uttered no further words for some moments.

"You may go out in the woodth and thay it, if you want to," suggested Tommy, who had been regarding the guide shrewdly.

Every one laughed. It was so plain that Ja.n.u.s _did_ want to say things, yet restrained himself because of his position and the party he was conducting.

"Forget it!" he exploded. "I haven't any enemies. n.o.body but a crazy man would try to interfere with Ja.n.u.s Grubb. They know me. Why, there isn't a man in the state who wouldn't swear by me. If you think I'm not dependable, that----"

"No, Mr. Grubb," hastily interposed Miss Elting. "Please do not misunderstand me. We are quite satisfied with you, but I hope you will be cautious. It is plain that you _have_ an enemy, and, what is more, I am positive that I have talked with that man, and that we had better proceed with caution."

"I'll take care of the rascal, once I set eyes on him," growled the guide. "What-for-looking man was he?"

Miss Elting described her caller, Harriet adding a few words with reference to the peculiar hitch of Collins's shoulders as he walked.

Ja.n.u.s eyed the guardian with a worried look. His fingers opened and closed nervously. He gulped, then turned to her.

"Perhaps I'd better not go on with you. I'll get some one else to take you through the mountains. I----"

"No, Mr. Grubb. You will go on with us," insisted Miss Elting. "We are not afraid. We are quite used to taking care of ourselves, but I wished to impress upon you the advisability of being on your guard. If you have an enemy who intends to do you harm, naturally we shall be likely to suffer with you. For that reason I urge caution. Another thing about which I should like to speak is the burning of the bridge this evening."

Ja.n.u.s braced himself. It was as if he looked for an inquiry on this subject, but had been hoping to avoid it.

"Yes?"

"I wish some one would explain how the bridge happened to catch fire,"

urged the guardian.

"So do I," he admitted, still consulting his abundant whiskers. "What do you think?"

"I think some one set it on fire," declared Jane explosively. "I'd like to meet the villain on the broad highway, some time when I have my car!"

"Yes, it was set on fire," agreed Hazel, nodding reflectively. "I thought so at the time. Since thinking over the matter further I am more positive of it than ever. It was an awful thing to do."

"The person must have known that we could get away," suggested Harriet.

"I believe it was done to spite Mr. Grubb."

"To spite me!" shouted Ja.n.u.s. "What do you mean?"

"I believe the planks were taken up so that you couldn't get across the bridge with your horses and wagon. I think whoever did it wished to make you lose your horses and carry-all as well as our stuff. If it was our mysterious enemy, then he knew that we could escape. But how can you get back with your horses?"

"There's another bridge five miles above here. I'll go that way in the morning. I'll ride one of the horses and lead the other one."

Harriet rose and piled more wood on the campfire. She then began laying out the sections of their tent, which she laced together. Ja.n.u.s stepped over to her.

"You sit down, Miss. We will do that," he insisted. Jim was sent out to cut some poles for the tent, Ja.n.u.s in the meantime smoothing off a s.p.a.ce on the ground on which to pitch the tent. The canvas was still quite wet. Examination of the blankets showed that these had not yet dried out sufficiently to make them fit for use. "I guess you'll have to sit up and wait for the things to dry out," declared the guide. He was troubled over what had happened as well as what had been said that evening. Ja.n.u.s, too, was still thinking of the description given him of Miss Elting's caller. He thought he knew whom that description fitted, all except the beard. It was the beard that spoiled the picture he had in mind. He pondered over this all during the time he was working on the tent, pausing now and then to stroke his own beard.

"Don't worry about it. We are not afraid," said a soothing voice at his side. He glanced around to find Harriet Burrell's brown eyes smiling up at him.

"Eh? What?"

"I said don't worry. We aren't afraid."

"Thank you, Miss. You are the right sort. Yes, we'll take care of the gentleman, if it should prove to be some one trying to do us harm."

"You know who it is?"

Ja.n.u.s shook his head.

"You think you know?"

Again the guide shook his head dubiously.

"I might, but I don't," he replied somewhat ambiguously. "It isn't the party I had in mind. He isn't around these parts now. Jim is going to see the sheriff when he gets back to Compton and have the officer look into this bridge affair. I was a deputy sheriff in the county once.

The present sheriff will do anything for me. Besides, this is a matter he's bound to look into, anyway. Here, Jim, get hold of that end-pole." Harriet sprang to the other end and raised the pole, setting the lower end firmly on the ground, motioning to Jane to make fast the side wall on one side. Hazel also ran around to the other side, Margery to an end, then, for a few moments, the Meadow-Brook Girls gave an exhibition of their skill in pitching a tent, while Ja.n.u.s and Jim stood back in open-mouthed wonder.

"There!" exclaimed Harriet, flushed of face, eyes sparkling, "that is the way we make camp."

"Well, I swum!" muttered Ja.n.u.s. "It beats all."

Jane turned the blankets on the line. By this time the clothing in the packs was fairly well dried, but it looked wrinkled and old. Harriet now began digging a trench around the sides of the tent, so they should not be flooded in case of rain. Ja.n.u.s took the pick from her, completing the job. The Meadow-Brook Girls moved rather rapidly for the slow-going Ja.n.u.s. He was unused to such activity, especially in women.

Margery and Tommy were busy clearing away the supper things. Jim went out to bring the horses in nearer to camp, where he tied them up for the night. At Ja.n.u.s's direction the driver also made a bed for the two men out among the trees some distance from the tent that was to be occupied by Miss Elting and her charges. The preparations for the night went on with rather more confusion than usual, the party having been more or less upset by the occurrences of the evening; beside which, they had not yet become familiar with the routine that marked the well-ordered camp.

"There isn't a dry piece of cloth in the place," complained Margery, after examining the line of blankets and clothing. "What are we going to do?"

"Sit up until the blankets, at least, have dried out," answered Jane.

"They are nearly dry now. See! Harriet is doing something to them.

What are you trying to do, darlin'?"

"Spread out some blankets on the ground and I'll show you," answered Harriet laughingly. "It is an Indian trick I learned a long time ago."

The girl had placed some large, round stones in the fire, heating them to a point that caused them to sizzle when a drop of water came in contact with them. Poking three of these heated stones from the fire Harriet rolled them in one of the gray army blankets. She did the same with other blankets; then, pa.s.sing from one to another, watched closely for the odor of burning cloth. Only one blanket had to be opened to permit the stones to cool off a little. For a full half hour these heated stones were permitted to remain in the blankets. Then, upon unrolling, the blankets were found to be dry and warm and ready for use for the night.

"Well, I swum!" observed the guide, "you've taught me something. Say, what do you young women need of a guide? You know more about camping than any guide in the state."

"Oh, we have plenty to learn," answered Harriet brightly, busying herself in placing the blankets in the tent, Jane, in the meantime, being engaged in fitting the flap to the opening. The other girls were standing about, sleepily rubbing their eyes, for it was now midnight, and they were weary both from the physical exertions of the day and night, as well as because of the many hours that had elapsed since they left their beds shortly after daylight.

"Is there anything more we can do for you?" risked Ja.n.u.s, with added respect.

"Nothing more, thank you," returned Miss Elting. "You two had better turn in now. Good-night."