no pastime was so popular at camp as canoeing. to send the light, graceful barks over the smooth waters of the lake to some favorite shadowy nook where glimpses of the mountains appeared between the waving branches of the trees, to spend an hour then with a book, or to watch the birds, or perhaps only to lie at full length on the grass and dream, and then to take up the paddles again, all this was exactly the kind of thing which appealed to every one of the girls.
“i think you might sometimes let me go with you,” said jack one morning to her eldest sister. “you never seem to think i ever want to be with any one but jean. of course i am fond of jean, but i am just as fond of you, and half the time she wants to do something i don’t want to do, so i think you might take me out in your canoe.”
“how do you know but that i shall want to do something you don’t want to do?” returned nan.
[104]“well, i’d be no worse off,” maintained jack. nan laughed and jack felt that her case was won, but she added, “besides, you promised to teach me how to paddle and you never have done it. i never have a chance to paddle because the older girls always want to do it. everybody says you are a fine paddler, nan.”
“and you are a fine tease as well as a flatterer,” responded nan. “all right, kitten, i’ll take you, and may i not live to regret it.”
the final clause had no effect upon jack who, having gained her point, went off well satisfied and was waiting at the lake when her sister appeared, paddles over her shoulder and book under her arm.
“are you going to read to me?” asked jack.
“no, sir,” returned nan with emphasis. “one would think you were an infant in arms. you can provide your own entertainment. i didn’t invite you on this expedition, you may remember. if i waste my energies showing you how to paddle i am fulfilling all my part of the bargain. get in, and don’t tumble all over yourself or you will upset.”
they started off in fine style, nan really becoming interested in giving instructions to her apt pupil who tried hard to heed her warnings of “not that way. don’t use your paddle[105] like that. don’t you see you only turn around and around and will never get on? take care. bear on more weight. that’s it; now,” and so on till jack finally caught the swing and kept steadily at it in unison with nan’s “one, two, three.”
at last the canoe swung around into a sheltered inlet where overhanging boughs fairly touched the water and a little stream emptied itself into the lake. here nan announced she would go ashore. “now,” she said to jack, “you can do anything you choose except fool with the canoe. i forbid that. you can go berrying, or fish, or study birds or do anything reasonable like that. i am going to read.” she settled herself comfortably in a small depression between the roots of a far-reaching tree and left jack to her own devices.
jack’s devices, be it said, were seldom like other people’s, and on this occasion her inclination was to follow up the tinkling stream till she came to a rotten log fallen across the water. upon this, it struck her, she would experiment to see how far she could venture without the log’s giving way. “even if it should break and i went in,” she said to herself, “i couldn’t get very wet, for the stream isn’t at all deep.” the log proving stronger than she anticipated,[106] the excitement of the enterprise soon faded away and she sought out other employment. she tried to catch in her hands the little silvery minnows which darted through the clear water, but they were too fleet and too wary. she listened to the birds and recognized the notes of several. then she climbed the bank and went afield for berries. she discovered a clump of bushes from which she garnered quite a treasure. these she carried in her hat to share with nan, but before she reached the tree where nan was sitting she decided to pin some leaves together in the form of a basket to be filled with the berries she had gathered. this occupied some time. nan accepted the offering very graciously, but was too absorbed in her book to notice more than that jack had found entertainment and to feel satisfaction in the fact.
“i wish i had brought a book,” murmured jack, as she consumed her last berry and perceived that nan was not to be inveigled into a protracted conversation.
she tried climbing a tree, getting very warm, and sticky from the gum, as it happened to be a spruce-tree, and not feeling much ambition to try a second climb, she went down to the lake where the canoe lay and regarded it thoughtfully. she looked up to where her sister sat some distance away. “she didn’t say i[107] wasn’t to get into it; she only told me not to fool with it. it won’t do any harm just to sit in it,” she said to herself. she drew the canoe in and stepped over the side, then tried to push off, but to do this she found she must use a paddle. this she did, and presently found herself afloat. it was a delightful sensation, and she decided that since she had gone thus far she would make use of her opportunities and would practice paddling for a little while. “i don’t see why i shouldn’t,” she told herself. “i don’t have to obey nan; she isn’t my mother, and i will never learn if i don’t practice. the big girls want the canoes all the time, and it’s so seldom i get such a chance.” she stood up and was soon sending the canoe jerkily through the water.
meanwhile the sun had found its way through the boughs of the tree to nan’s book, falling directly on its pages. she looked up. “it must be nearly noon,” she said; “the sun is almost directly overhead. we must get back if we are to be in time for dinner. jack!” she called, rising to her feet.
there was no answer, and she turned toward the little stream which ran through the field where she knew jack had gathered the berries, but no jack responded to her repeated calls. “where in the world can the child have gone?”[108] murmured nan. she went toward the lake, following its brink till she came to the spot where the canoe had been left. there was not even the canoe. lifting her eyes she saw at some distance away, jack paddling lustily, though rather ineffectually. curving her hands each side her mouth, nan gave the long call which the campers used for their signal. jack heard and gave answer. nan beckoned vigorously. jack evidently was making an effort to return, but in her anxiety to do so she lost the little skill she had acquired and could only turn the canoe helplessly around.
“oh, dear,” said nan, “if i could only swim i’d try to get out to her, for she never can bring the thing in that way; she might try all day.” she looked up and down the lake to see if other canoes were in sight, but it so happened that those who had been out had already returned that they might not miss the noon meal, it being later than nan realized. there was only one of two things to be done; either walk back to camp or wait till some one appeared. after a moment’s thought nan decided to wait, for she did not want to desert jack. “if anything were to happen to her i’d never forgive myself,” she said. “no doubt some one will be coming along after a while.” she sat down where she could see jack’s manœuvres. she was still too[109] far away to give any orders which might be heard as the wind was in the wrong direction to bear her voice distinctly, and it was after repeated efforts to make jack hear and understand that she gave up trying.
jack struggled for a while and then sat forlornly and let the canoe drift. nan watched anxiously. if it should strike a snag or if jack should move unwarily and upset the canoe what could nan do? her anger at jack’s disobedience was lost in apprehension. further, further on the little boat drifted, very slowly, for there was not a strong current. nan arose and walked along the bank that she might keep opposite her sister, feeling that she must be as near as possible, at the same time realizing that she would be powerless in case of any accident. she registered a vow that she would learn to swim forthwith that she might be ready for such emergencies.
after what seemed an unconscionable time she heard the faint sound of voices coming nearer and nearer, and around the bend she saw a canoe coming with two girls in it. again nan gave the call, which was answered promptly, and presently she could distinguish jo and daniella, who directly made their way to where nan stood.
“hallo!” was jo’s greeting. “what are[110] you doing up here by yourself, and why didn’t you come back to dinner? i thought jack was with you.”
“jack was,” replied nan, “but there’s where she is now,” and she pointed to where the canoe was drifting.
“the little monkey! do you mean to say she took your canoe off and left you no way of getting back?”
“oh, i could have walked, but i didn’t want to leave her up here alone. you see she’s lost her head and can’t do a thing with the canoe, so she is just letting it drift. she managed all right at first, but when she tried to get back she became so scared that she forgot all i had told her. i couldn’t get to her nor she to me, but i didn’t want to leave her absolutely in the lurch. is dinner over?”
“yes, long ago. we came away just after. we all came to the conclusion that you two had taken something with you and had preferred to picnic. it’s a burning shame.”
“i do feel the pangs of hunger,” acknowledged nan, “although we had some berries a while ago, but they are not very satisfying. could you girls go out there and bring that little sinner back, do you think?”
“why, of course. come, daniella,” and jo turned the canoe in jack’s direction. so before[111] very long jack was rescued from her unpleasant situation, and was brought back a repentant culprit to her sister.
now that her sister was out of danger nan felt her anger returning, and after giving one withering look at the offender, she turned to her friends and said: “we’ll not keep you, girls, for i know you are out for a good time. we’ll go back and see if we can find anything to eat. i am almost starved.”
“i am afraid you will get no dinner,” jo said. “you know the rule is ‘no meals after hours,’ and you know how cross old hetty is if she is disturbed when she has cleared away.”
“i’ll risk her crossness,” returned nan lightly. “she can’t do more than refuse me. thanks, girls, for coming to the rescue.”
she stepped into the canoe and pushed off, not deigning to give jack a word.
very meekly sat jack. “won’t you forgive me, nan?” she asked after a while. but she might have spoken to a graven image for all nan gave sign of hearing, and jack lapsed into silence, though at intervals she repeated her question plaintively.
once arrived at camp, nan shouldered the paddles and marched directly to her tent, jack meekly following. the place seemed deserted.[112] both girls knew that this was the time for their mother’s afternoon nap. most of the girls were off on some expedition, and upon inquiry they learned that even ’lish had gone away with the wagon. hetty was not to be found, so there seemed nothing to do but “grin and bear it.”
in her various excursions hither and thither about the camp grounds, nan had kept up the same stony attitude toward jack who followed closely at her heels, but at the conclusion of the unprofitable search she at last broke forth into speech. “as if it weren’t enough for you to worry me nearly to death by being out there alone.” she began turning her vials of wrath upon jack. “those canoes are the most ticklish things, and if you had happened to upset nothing could have saved you. you couldn’t swim, neither could i. you would have been drowned before my very eyes.”
“i wish i had been, if you are going to talk to me that way,” replied jack tearfully. “i was just going to practice a little, and got along beautifully at first till i got scared about getting back.”
“practice! i wish you’d not take it into your head to practice quite so near dinner time. i suppose i shall be laid up with a headache from going without food for so long.”
[113]“oh, nan, i am sorry,” answered jack wofully. “i’m hungry, too.”
“well, you ought to be.” and nan turned scornfully away, going within her tent and forbidding jack to follow her.
left alone jack took counsel with herself. what could she do to propitiate nan? it was a very rare occasion when nan turned upon her in this way. usually it was this sister who screened her and acted as a buffer when others were making attacks, so it was all the more terrible to have nan so very, very angry. it was because she was hungry, no doubt. all persons were cross when they were hungry. if she could find something to eat, she might perhaps gain forgiveness. she took her courage in her hand and invaded the kitchen, but all was clean and orderly, not even a crust of bread to be seen. jack wondered if it would be wrong to pursue her investigations as far as the pantry, but even if her conscience had allowed her she found the door closed and locked between this place and the kitchen. next she thought of hunting up miss lloyd or miss marshall, but miss lloyd had gone away, she learned from florence yardley who had declined to join the expedition which miss lloyd had headed. miss marshall was lying down. some of the girls were still on hand, florence informed her, and[114] one or two of the ladies, not miss helen; she had gone with the others, so had mary lee and jean.
rather than explain why she and nan had not had dinner, jack moved off to continue her consideration of the situation and at last determined upon a course which she proceeded to carry out.
three hours later, nan, having somewhat recovered her equanimity, appeared at her mother’s cabin. “where is jack?” she asked.
“i’m sure i don’t know,” replied mrs. corner. “i thought she was with you.”
“so she was, but——” nan told her tale.
“i am so thankful she wasn’t drowned,” said mrs. corner sighing, “that i can’t think of anything else just now, but poor nan, had you no dinner?”
“not a mouthful. oh well, it is only an hour to supper time. i can stand it, i reckon. i’ll go see what has become of jack. one cannot yet trust her out of sight, you see. i’ll tether her to a tree next time i take her canoeing, that is, if we land anywhere, otherwise it won’t be necessary.”
“i really think jack is old enough to stop such tricks,” said mrs. corner. “we could excuse it when she was younger, but she ought to be gaining some discretion at her age.”
[115]“she has lots more than she used to have; she seldom gets into any awful scrape, and it used to be a daily occurrence.” for all her morning’s experience nan was ready as usual to take up the cudgels in jack’s defense. “where are the others?” she asked.
“gone off to pine knob, at least some of them have.”
“we met danny and jo going up the lake; but for them i suppose jack would still have been drifting.”
“don’t speak of it, nan; it makes me shudder to think what might have happened. i shall forbid jack’s ever going out without some older and more experienced person.”
“that is just what you’d better do. there is one thing to be said for jack; she always minds what you tell her, even though she doesn’t have the same respect for my orders. the girls will be back soon. i will go hunt up jack and send her to you.”
she went out, searched the camp from one end to the other, but no jack. florence yardley had seen her and reported the conversation. hetty had returned to her duties but had seen no jack. nan went along the path and entered the country road leading to the village. jack might have gone to meet the wagon which would return that way. looking[116] down the road she did see, not the wagon, but some one coming along slowly, a figure which she presently recognized as jack’s. in a few minutes she came up, hot, dusty, travel worn. her hands were full of packages. at sight of nan she set down one of her paper bags and wiped her perspiring face.
“oh, nan,” she cried joyfully, “i hoped i’d meet you before i did any one else. come right over here under these trees. i’ve brought you something to eat.”
“brought me something to eat?” cried nan in astonishment. “where did you get it?”
“at the village. there’s a right nice store there, you know.”
“at the village? why that is three miles away. you don’t mean to say you have walked there and back, six miles? i should think you would be dead beat, this warm afternoon.”
jack’s lip trembled. “it was right far,” she acknowledged, “but i knew i’d made you miss your dinner and i didn’t want you to have a headache; besides i wanted to punish myself.”
“you poor little midget,” exclaimed nan, gathering the culprit to her and kissing the flushed cheek.
the tears sprang to jack’s eyes, and she turned away saying, “i’m so glad you forgive me. please eat something,” she added earnestly[117] as she opened her packages to display a nondescript collection of stale cakes, hard candies and uncertain fruit.
whatever nan may have thought of the quality of the feast provided, she gave no sign, but did her best by it, and if jo was surprised to see how small an appetite nan had for her supper, there was no reason given for it then, but it was explained later and at the same time jo and daniella were begged not to tell the others of the morning’s misadventure.
so peace was restored. jack had punished herself, and if tired in body, was at least serene in mind when she went to bed that night.
