A Little Florida Lady Part 9

"Mamma, you keep the eel to show papa. Harvey and I are going back to catch crabs. Come on, Harvey."

Mrs. Davenport detained them a moment. "Harvey, you'll take good care of my little girl, won't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," and back the children scampered to the wharf.

"You see if there is anything on this line, Beth, while I go around to the other lines. If there is, call me, and I'll come with the net, and help you land him."

Away went Harvey. Beth began pulling in the line. There, hanging on the meat with two awful claws, was a great big greenish crab. His eyes bulged out, and altogether he looked so fierce that Beth was somewhat frightened at him, but she wished to surprise Harvey. Therefore she overcame her fear, and continued pulling up the line. For a wonder, the crab hung on all the way from the water to the wharf. Beth was delighted to think she had caught something without Harvey's aid. Mr.

Crab, however, as soon as he felt himself trapped, let go of the meat, and began crawling towards the side of the wharf. Beth saw her prize vanis.h.i.+ng, and made a dive for it. Up went the crab's claws, and caught the child by the fingers. A scream immediately rent the air.

Harvey came running to find the cause of the commotion. He had to laugh, notwithstanding tears were streaming down Beth's face. She looked so ludicrous, dancing up and down with that awful crab hanging on like grim death.

"'Beware of the Jabberwock that bites, my child,'" quoted Harvey.

Beth stopped screaming an instant. "I thought it was a crab."

"So it is. I was just repeating a line from _Alice in Wonderland_."

While Harvey spoke, he was trying to loosen the crab. The harder he pulled, the more angry it grew, and the harder it bit. Finally, he pulled so desperately that the crab came, but a claw was left hanging to poor Beth's finger.

Harvey started to drop the crab. Again Beth ceased her yelling.

"Harvey, don't you dare let my crab go. Put it in the basket and then come and get this awful claw off my finger."

He did as he was bid, secretly admiring his little friend's pluck.

They had a great time getting off the dismembered claw, but, finally, they succeeded. Poor Beth's finger was bitten to the bone. Harvey really felt very sympathetic, but, boy-like, was somewhat bashful about expressing it.

"Beth, does it hurt much?" was all he said.

"Pretty bad," she admitted, forcing back the tears. "Say, Harvey, were there any other crabs?"

"I had time to look at only two of the lines, I got three crabs from the two. There were two on one line, so with yours we have four. But never mind the crabs; we must go up to the house and have your finger dressed."

"No, we must first see if there are any other crabs. Here, tie my handkerchief around my finger. I guess I can stand it awhile."

The handkerchief was tied about the sore finger, and then Beth watched Harvey while he pulled up the lines. There were crabs on every one, and on some of them there were two. Harvey would pull the crabs to the surface of the water and then scoop the net under them. In moving the crabs from the net to the basket, he held them by the hind legs, because, in this position, a crab cannot reach around with its claws to bite.

Altogether, the children caught about fifteen crabs, and they took them up to the house with them. Arriving there, they found that Mrs.

Davenport had driven to town to bring home Mr. Davenport and Marian.

Beth therefore went to Maggie about the finger, and Harvey accompanied her. Maggie proved very sympathetic.

"Yo' precious little honey, yo'. Dat finger jes' am awful, but I knows what'll cure it in no time. Here, yo', Gustus, yo' run and fetch me some tar. Hurry, yo' lazy n.i.g.g.ah yo'. Dar, dar, honey chile, it'll be all right in no time. Tar am jes' fine for a sore."

For a wonder, Gustus did hurry and was back in no time with the tar.

Maggie dressed the wound with it very gently and Beth began to feel easier immediately.

"Now, honey, it'll be all right. If yo'd only known, and jes' held yo'r finger with dat crab out over the watah, it 'd have seen its shadah and gone aftah it."

"Here, Beth," Harvey now said, "you can have all of the crabs; I guess I'd better go."

"Please don't go, Harvey; I want you to stay. Say, Harvey, are crabs good to eat?"

"Of course, they are. You just put them in water and boil them and they are dandy."

"Oh, how I wish we could boil them. Wouldn't papa be surprised?

Maggie, can't we boil them?" and Beth seized the cook's hand and held it, pressing it coaxingly.

"Law, honey, dar ain't no room on de stove. I's gettin' de dinnah."

"Please, Maggie, make room," continued Beth, already having learned her power of persuasion over her new mammy.

"I can't, honey, but I'll tell yo' what. Yo' an' Harvey kin do it if he knows how to boil dem."

"Of course, I know how."

"Well, I'll let yo' take dis big iron kettle into de library. Yo' kin put de kettle on de fire, dar, an' boil dem."

Beth danced up and down for joy. "Oh, won't that be fun. Thank you, Maggie. You're a lovely Maggie."

"Dar ain't no hot watah, but I'll take dis cold watah in fur yo', an'

it'll heat in no time."

Maggie carried the kettle, half-filled with water, and placed it securely, as she thought, on the big open wood-fire in the library.

Then she left the children to their own devices, Fritz alone keeping them company. A watched kettle never boils, and the children did not have the patience to test the truth of this.

"I hate to wait for water to boil," said Beth.

Just then Harvey conceived a brilliant idea.

"Say, Beth, we'll put in the crabs before it begins to boil. Then we can play until they're done."

"And the cold water won't hurt them like hot, will it, Harvey?"

Without answering, he emptied the crabs into the kettle. Beth viewed them critically.

"There's the horrid old thing that bit me. I know him by his one claw."

"He shall be the first one eaten to show how mean he was. What shall we play?"

"Let's play stage."

He accepted the suggestion, and while they played, Fritz snoozed comfortably before the fire.

The water began to get hot, and the crabs became lively. They crawled around so vigorously that a log slipped and upset the kettle. There was a sizzling of water, and, in an instant, fifteen crabs were loose in the Davenport library.

This avalanche of crabs awakened Fritz, who opened his eyes halfway and beheld a crab at his very nose. Perhaps in his sleepiness, he thought it another kind of kitten ready for a frolic. At any rate, he put out his paw towards the crab, which met his advances more than halfway.

With a wild howl, Fritz jumped up on three feet while the crab clung grimly to the fourth.