Bessie among the Mountains, Page 2

  II.

  _THE SQUIRRELS AND THE ICE GLEN._

  MAGGIE would have liked very well to run about a little on thatfirst evening of their arrival at Chalecoo; but Bessie was so tiredthat her mother wished her to keep quiet; and as Maggie would not goout without her sister, they both contented themselves with makingacquaintance with the house and the people who belonged there. And adelightful house it was to make acquaintance with,--full of all kindsof odd nooks and corners, with two or three steps here leading upto one room, two or three there going down to another; queer littlepantries and cupboards and crooked passages, and altogether unlikeany other house the children had ever seen. Through the centre was awide, cool hall with a green blind door at either end, a capital placefor a play-room on a rainy day; and around three sides ran a broadpiazza, well shaded with vines and the noble old trees among which thehouse stood.

  From the front, one looked out upon the lake and rocks; from the back,far away over hill and valley, mountain and river. Green fields andmeadows lay below, with here and there an orchard or a lovely piece ofwoods. Then the rooms were so large and pleasant, with so many doorsand windows that not a breath of air could stir but a breeze mustsweep through them, while nothing could be more neat, clean and fresh.Not a speck or spot was to be seen anywhere, not a thing was out ofplace, and Bessie looking gravely about her as she noticed these signsof care, said anxiously to Mrs. Porter,

  "Are you very particular about your nice house, ma'am?"

  "Well, yes," answered Mrs. Porter, looking around with an air of somepride and satisfaction, "don't it suit you?"

  "Oh! yes, ma'am," said Bessie, "it suits me very much, but you knowsometimes children make a little disorder when they play, and I onlymeant would you mind if we mussed up your nice house just a verylittle bit?"

  "Not I," said Mrs. Porter, "there's plenty of hands to set to rightsany disorder you may make. Just you play away and don't trouble yourhead about that."

  The measure of Maggie's content was full when she followed the oldlady up stairs and saw the two neat, small, white beds intended forBessie and herself.

  "Bessie," she said, a little later, "don't you think this place isnicer than Quam Beach?"

  They were standing together in the lower hall, looking out upon thelake, while the rays of the setting sun came flickering through thevine leaves, and dancing over the two little figures standing in thedoorway, as if it were bidding them a friendly good night, and givingthem a promise of a fair day for tomorrow's rambles.

  "I think it is very nice," answered Bessie.

  "But don't you think it _nicer_ than Quam, Bessie?"

  "No, Maggie, for the sea is not here."

  "But the lake is," said Maggie.

  "But the lake is not the sea," said Bessie.

  Maggie could not contradict this, but she did not feel satisfied thatBessie should not be as well pleased as she was herself, and she saidwistfully,--

  "But don't you think you could be a little contented here, Bessie?"

  "I can be much contented here, Maggie," answered the little girl."Why, dear, do you think I would be so ungrateful of this very niceplace, and the kind people that are here as not to be contented? Oh! Ilike the mountains very much, but not quite so very much as the sea."

  "Oh, ho!" said Mr. Porter, who had just come up behind them and heardwhat Bessie had said last, "so you do not like the mountains as wellas the sea? Well, I shall make you change that tune. Why, you don'tknow all the things there are to see here. Before you've been herea week you'll tell me you like the mountains a heap better than theocean."

  But Mr. Porter was mistaken. He never heard Bessie say that. Shespent a very happy summer, and was well satisfied with all the newpleasures she found among the mountains, but they never could make herforget her beloved sea, nor could the old gentleman persuade her toacknowledge that she liked the one as well as the other.

  Bessie might well say they were nice people in this house. Besides Mr.and Mrs. Porter, who have already been introduced, were their fivesons, "the boys," Mr. Porter called them. Queer "boys," Maggie andBessie thought them; all, save the youngest, great, sturdy men withsunburned faces and toil-hardened hands. But though their hands werehard, their hearts were not, and seemed to have a particularly softspot for all these little ones. Mr. Porter's family were all fond ofchildren, and never seemed to think anything too much trouble whichcould possibly give them pleasure. Next to these grown up "boys," cameFanny and Dolly, two lively, good natured young women; and last ofall, Bob, a boy about fourteen, quite ready to make friends with thechildren, and to show them all the wonders of the place.

  The first thing to be thought of after breakfast the next morning wasthe squirrels. Bob was as anxious to show them to the little strangersas they were to see them; and followed by the whole troop, he led theway to their haunt. This was a great black-walnut tree, which stood ata short distance from the house, and threw its green branches far andwide, casting a delightful shade below, and furnishing a cosy home andleafy play-ground for the squirrels. About half way up the trunk was ahole which was the entrance to their nest. At this hour of the day,Mr. and Mrs. Bunny and their family were generally to be seen friskingabout all over and among the boughs, waiting for the nice breakfastwhich was sure to be provided for them by the kind young master whohad chosen them for his pets. If the squirrels could have reasonedabout it, they would probably have said that Bob Porter was a capitalmaster to belong to. He fed them and played with them, never shuttingthem up or asking any work in return; their love was all he wanted,and that he had gained in a way curious to see.

  They were usually ready enough to welcome his approach; but now,startled by the unaccustomed sight of so many strangers, everymother's son and daughter of them scampered away to hide themselvesin the nest. In half a moment not the end of a tail or the tip of anose was to be seen, and the children feared that they were to bedisappointed.

  But telling them to stand at a little distance from him, yet not sofar but that they could see all that passed, Bob sat down upon theend of a log and began calling gently, "Bunny, Bunny."

  Presently a black nose, two cute little ears, and a pair of sharp,bright eyes appeared at the opening in the tree. The nose sniffedabout in a very suspicious manner, and the eyes wandered from Bob tothe group beyond, and then back again to Bob, as if they would ask,"Who are all these strange people? Are they friends or foes? and whyhave you brought them here?"

  But at last, as if satisfied that the new faces were friendly ones,Papa Squirrel, for it was he, put forth his whole head, next his graybody appeared, and then his beautiful, feathery tail. Running alonga branch he curved his tail over his head, and sitting down, gavea cheerful, chirruping call, which perhaps meant that there was nodanger; for in a moment the whole tree seemed to be alive with therest of the family. Eleven squirrels in all, large and small, werecounted by the delighted children. But although they watched theiryoung visitors from among the branches, they still seemed too timid tocome nearer and take the tempting breakfast which Bob had provided forthem; till Mrs. Bunny, either more hungry or less cautious than hermate and children, came whisking down the trunk of the walnut-tree,and in another moment was seated upon Bob's shoulder, holding in herfore-paws the almond he had given her, and opening it with her sharp,pointed teeth. This was too much for the others, and one after anotherthey descended the tree and received their breakfast. There sat Bob, asquirrel upon each shoulder, one on his head, others on his knees andhands, while one little fellow perched upon the toe of his boot, and,with a very contented air cracked and ate his almond.

  It was a pretty sight, and a proud boy was Bob, as he sat thussurrounded by his pets, and listened to the exclamations of delightand wonder uttered by the other children in a low tone, lest theyshould again startle the little creatures. They were particularlyamused by the antics of one saucy rogue, who, not satisfied with theshare which had fallen to him, crept under Bob's arm, and actuallybegan thrusting his nose into his pocket in sea
rch of more almonds.Not finding any, he became indignant, and raced off to the tree, wherehe seated himself on the end of a bough, and chattered away as thoughhe were scolding at Bob for not having provided more.

  "He is the greedy one of the lot," said Bob, "and I have to watch him,or he eats his own share and then robs those that are weaker thanhimself, if he gets the chance."

  "But how did you do it, Bob?" asked Harry. "How did you tame them sowhen they were not in a cage?"

  "Oh! it's not so hard," said Bob, a little boastfully. "You see fatherwill never let me shut up any animal or any bird that is used to beingfree; and I was set upon having a tame squirrel. This old fellowhere," and Bob pointed to the largest of the squirrels which sat uponhis shoulder; "this old fellow and his mate lived in the walnut, and Iwas wild to catch them. But, as father said no, I thought I would hitupon a plan by which they would learn to know me, and come at my call.So one day I left two nuts here on the log, and went away. When I cameback some time after, the nuts were gone. This I did the next day andthe next, always keeping about for a while first. Then I put down thenuts and went off yonder to that maple, where I waited. It's not sofar but that the squirrels could see me, but after watching me fora few moments as if they thought I might be laying a trap for them,they whisked down after the nuts, and then whisked back again in aterrible hurry. Every day I came a little nearer than the day before,and they soon learned to know me; I could even see that they watchedfor me. At last one day I laid a couple of almonds on one end of thelog, and sat down on the other. It was a good while before they wouldcome down that day, but at last they did, and after that I had no moretrouble. When they found I did not try to touch them, they came nearerand nearer, till at last they took the nuts from my hand, and now asyou see, they are as tame as squirrels could be, and have taught theiryoung ones to have no fear of me. It is two years this summer since Itamed the old pair, and now the rest all know me as well as they do."

  "It's jolly fun to see them," said Fred.

  "And it's a great deal jolly funnier than if you caught them and shutthem up in a cage, is it not?" said Bessie.

  The boys laughed.

  "Yes, indeed," answered Bob. "Hi, hi! what ails the fellows?" as allthe squirrels sprang from him and whisked up the walnut tree. What"ailed the fellows," was soon seen, for even as he spoke, Flossy,who had been left shut up in the house lest he should frighten thebunnies, came tearing round a great rock, and rushed to the foot ofthe tree, where he commenced a great barking. But the squirrels wereall safe in their green house, and as if they knew this, peeped downfrom among the leaves at Flossy with the greatest unconcern.

  Flossy was followed by papa, Uncle Ruthven and the Colonel; and UncleRuthven confessed himself the guilty person who had let Flossy escapeout of his prison.

  "The poor fellow thought it hard he should not have his share of fun,and was making a pitiful whining and whimpering," said Mr. Stanton,"so I let him out on the promise that he should be good."

  "But how could he promise when he can't speak?" said Bessie.

  "I asked him if he would be quiet and good like a well brought uppuppy if I let him out, and he said 'wow,' which in dog language meansyes, does it not?" asked Uncle Ruthven.

  "And it means no, and thank you, and if you please, and I love you,and everything else he wants to say," said Maggie, catching up herfrisky pet in her arms and giving him a hug, which he returned byputting his cold nose in her face, after which he struggled to be putdown again, for so glad was he to be free this pleasant morning thathe wished to show it by frolicking about on his own four feet.

  And now papa proposed they should visit the Ice Glen, to which thechildren, who had had enough of the squirrels for the present, readilyagreed. This Ice Glen was a very wonderful place, interesting even togrown people, and the whole party were anxious to visit it; so theystopped at the house that mamma and the other ladies might join them.The last part of the walk was rather rough, and it was as much as theColonel, with the help of his cane and Mr. Bradford's arm, could doto make his way over the rocks and fallen trees. Uncle Ruthven helpedthe ladies, and lifted the little girls over such places as were toohard for them. But Maggie would not have much help, and scrambled andclimbed almost as if she had been a squirrel herself. As for Flossy,if he had made that promise of which Uncle Ruthven spoke, he certainlydid not keep it.

  Bessie said she thought that "wow" had meant no, not yes.

  First, the mischievous puppy started a little black and white rabbit,and sent it scampering away as fast as its feet could carry it,rushing after it among all the underbrush and briars, and neverheeding the coaxing calls of his little mistresses or the louder andsterner voices of their brothers; then coming back he rushed into abrook which ran by the way, and after rolling himself in it till thewater was dripping from his silky coat, he shook himself and sent ashower of drops over the clean white dresses of the little girls; andthen finding the hole of a wood-chuck, he began scratching and buryinghimself in the earth in a frenzy to find the poor creature; so that,his hair being wet, he was a sight to behold when Harry pulled himout, covered with mud from head to foot, and had to be sent behind indisgrace.

  The Ice Glen was truly a curious spot. A narrow pathway led throughit, on one side of which was a wall of rock, so steep that not evennimble Fred could have climbed it; on the other was a shelving bankcovered with tall pines and firs. It was a gloomy place where the sunnever shone, and our party felt the chill from it before they entered,so that mamma said she was half afraid to have Bessie go in, so greatwas the change from the warm summer air without. But Mr. Bradford saidthere was no danger if they did not stay too long, or sit down in theglen. At the foot of the wall of rock lay great stones piled one overanother; and looking through the spaces between these, the littlegirls saw masses of ice hard as the rock above, which lay there allthe year round. How far below the surface they reached, no one knew;but there must have been a great quantity of ice there, since summeror winter, it never disappeared. Little rills and springs, cold as theice itself, and delicious to drink, slowly trickled from each end ofthe glen, but though they ran all summer long, they never seemed tomake any difference in the great mass which lay within. The childrenthought it wonderful, as indeed it was, and were very unwilling tocome away when mamma said they had stayed there as long as she thoughtsafe. They were forbidden to go there without some grown person, butthis command was scarcely needed by the little girls, since Bessiecould not have made her way alone without the help of some strongerhand; and though Maggie thought the glen a great curiosity, she didnot like the chill and gloom of the place, and was glad to come outonce more into the bright sunshine which met them at the entrance.

  And here there was another thing which interested her and Bessie verymuch. Directly over the little stream which ran from the glen, was asmall, neat, wooden building, carefully closed. The children had askedwhat it was when they passed it the first time, but papa said he didnot know; it had been put up since he had been there last. But nowthey saw Fanny Porter unlocking the door, and Maggie and Bessie raneagerly forward to ask the use of the little house.

  "I'll show you," said Fanny, good-naturedly, and she threw open thedoor and window shutters, letting in the light and air. "This is ournew dairy, Mrs. Bradford," she continued, as the older people camenearer. "Will you not walk in with the other ladies and gentlemen?"

  The whole party were well pleased to enter the neat, pleasant-lookingdairy. The floor was paved with large flat stones, sloping from thefront and back of the building towards the middle, and through thechannel thus formed was led the clear, cold stream which ran from theglen. In the icy water stood several great earthen pots, carefullycovered. Around the room ran a broad shelf, also of stone, and on thiswere placed the bright tin pans, most of them now full of milk, and inone corner were two or three churns. The whole dairy was as neat ashands could make it, so it was quite a pleasure to think of milk andbutter which should come from such a place.

  "Father thoug
ht he would make the Ice Glen useful as well as curious,"said Fanny Porter. "See, Mrs. Bradford, what this cold water does forour butter;" and taking the cover from one of the stone pots, shehanded a wooden spaddle to the lady. Mrs. Bradford pressed it upon thebutter, which she found almost as firm and hard as the rock.

  "Do you make butter here?" asked Bessie.

  "Indeed we do," said Fanny. "I am going to churn now, and if yourmother will let you stay, you may see how I do it."

  Permission was given, and the grown people went away, leaving Maggieand Bessie with the good-natured Fanny.

  "Could you let us help you a little?" asked Bessie.

  "Help me?" repeated Fanny, looking with a smile at the tiny figure shewas just lifting upon a high stool, the only seat the dairy contained."I guess you do not know what hard work churning is, do you?"

  "Oh, we are accustomed to it," said Bessie. "We have a little churn athome, and we churn water, only it never makes butter."

  "No, I suppose not," said Fanny. "And now would you like a drink afteryour walk?"

  The children said they would, and taking down a dipper from the wall,Fanny gave them a drink of the rich, cold milk. After this she pouredinto the churn a quantity of thick, yellow cream, and putting on thecover, she told Bessie to stand upon the stool and go to work.

  But Bessie found churning water in her own little churn at home, wasa very different thing from trying to make the butter come with thatheavy dasher; she could scarcely stir it, and in a moment she wasquite satisfied. Maggie being stronger, pulled the dasher up and downa few times, and did not give up until she was red in the face, andher little hands were smarting with the hard work they were not usedto.

  The butter did not come by any means as quickly as the childrenexpected, even when Fanny took hold; and, tired of waiting for it,they presently began to amuse themselves with sailing the acorn cupswhich they had picked up in their walk, in the stream which ranthrough the dairy. It was great fun to launch them at the upper end,and watch them as they floated down, now driven against a butter pot,now passing round it, and at last carried out at the farther end ofthe dairy.

  By the time they had had enough of this amusement, the kind Fannysaid the butter had come, and taking off the cover of the churn, shedashed in a quantity of cold water from that convenient little stream,having first lifted Maggie and Bessie upon the shelf, so that theymight be high enough to look down into the churn. The butter whichwas floating about in tiny lumps, instantly collected together, andbringing a dish, Fanny scooped it out with a wooden ladle, and laid itin a rich, creamy mass. Then she threw in a little salt, and havingworked and pressed it till it was free from every drop of water, shepacked it away in a stone pot, and set that with the others in therunning water. The children watched her with great interest until allwas done, and were still standing by while she skimmed the cream fromsome of the many pans of milk, when Jane came to tell them their mammawished them to come back to the house.