Alice B. Emerson

“ Ruth kept an eye on him from the doorway. Mr. Cameron seemed to understand their position when he came up the walk, and asked Ruth:
"So, he wants to leave; does he?"
Ruth merely nodded; but Fred Hatfield scowled at the dry-goods merchant and turned away his head.
"Now, young man," said Mr. Cameron, standing in front of the sullen boy, with his legs wide apart and a smile upon his ruddy face, "now, young man, let's get to the bottom of this. You confide in me, and I will not betray your confidence. Why don't you want to live at home?" ”

“ The wind wheezed above them, the darkness fell with the snow. Beyond the glow of the pile of coals on the rocky ledge, the curtain of snow looked gray—then drab—then actually black. Moon and stars were far, far away; none of their light percolated through the mass of clouds and falling snow that mantled these big wastes of the backwoods.
"Oh! I never realized anything could be so lonely," whispered Helen in Ruth's ear. ”

“ One moment the outspread jacket lay far before them, across the path. The next instant—or so it seemed—they were right upon it.
"Hang on!" yelled Isadore, and shot his boot-heel into the icy surface of the slide.
The toboggan swerved. Jennie uttered a cry. The sled went up the left hand dyke like a bolting horse climbing a roadside wall or a side hill.
In Ruth's ears rang the shouts of their friends, who were coming hastily up the hillside. They could do nothing to help the endangered crew, nor could the latter help themselves. ”

“ The girls' voices drew nearer and finally, at the foot of the slope leading up to the camp, she was forced to halt and drop her burden.
"Come down and help me, Madge!" she cried. "It's a boy—a boy! He can't help himself. Come quick!"
The girls were only a few yards away, but so fiercely did the wind blow that Ruth had to repeat her call for help before Madge Steele understood. Then the big girl dropped down off the ledge and plowed her way toward Ruth and her burden. ”

“ Meanwhile, the hermit took from the walls three pairs of great, awkward-looking snowshoes and tightened the lacings and fitted thongs to them. The pair he selected for Ruth looked to the girl to be so big that she never could take a step in them; but he seemed to expect her to try.
They went out of the cabin as the moon was rising. It came up as red and fiery as the sun had gone down. Long shadows of the tall trees were flung across the snow. The hermit commanded Rose, the setter, to guard the hut, while he allowed the hound to follow at heel. He carried his rifle, and Ruth was glad of this. ”

“ It seemed as though a live tree could scarcely have stood upright against that charge, let alone this rotten stump.
Crash!
The rotten roots gave way. They were torn out of the frozen ground, the stump toppled over, and, carrying a great ball of earth with it, plunged down the bank of the creek.
Tom had clutched the girls by their hands again and the three were running along the narrow shore under shelter of the bank. The bull no longer saw them. ”

“ Especially in this snow," returned Ruth, calmly. "If we get very cold, and are delayed for long, we can break the dry branches off underneath this tree—and others like it—and get a fire very easily. Tom told us how to do it."
"So he did!" cried Helen. "I do believe Ruth never forgets anything she is told. And we may be glad of those matches."
"Goodness me!" whined Lluella. "Don't talk so dreadfully."
"How do you mean? " queried Helen.
"As though we'd have to stay here under this old tree so long! It's got to stop snowing soon. Or else the men will come after us." ”

“ It was a most anxious night for everybody at Snow Camp. The thought of the six girls adrift in the blizzard kept most of the household awake. Long Jerry Todd, the guide, remained in the kitchen, on the watch for the first break in the storm. The others retired, all but Mr. Cameron and Tom, who sat before the fire in the living hall.
"I couldn't sleep anyway," said Tom, "with Helen and Ruth out in the cold. It's dreadful, Dad. I feel that we boys are partly to blame, too." ”

“ They raised their voices in a ragged chorus of cries. "Again!" cried Ruth, and that time they sent their halloo out into the storm with more vigor and unanimity. Once more, after they had waited a full minute, they could plainly distinguish the word "Help!"
"This won't do," said Ruth, briskly. "Whoever it is cannot get to us."
"And we can't get to him!" cried Lluella.
"I am going to try. I'll go alone. You girls keep hollering. I won't go out of earshot," promised Ruth. ”

“ She peered into the kitchen and saw the grove of drying clothing, so knew that her trick of the night before had kept Fred Hatfield from running away.
Therefore she merely dropped the boy's nether garments inside the kitchen door and scurried back to her own room to dress by candle-light. She heard Aunt Alvirah stumbling about her room and groaning her old, old tune, "Oh, my back, and oh, my bones!" As soon as Ruth was dressed she ran in to see if she could do anything for the old woman.
"Ah, deary! what a precious pretty you be," said the old woman, hugging her. ”

“ I can stand it."
"If you girls had been right smart," drawled Bob Steele, "when you were lost the other day, you'd have scooped you out a hole like this in a snowbank and hived up as snug as a bug in a rug till the storm was over."
"Oh, yes! we all know lots of things to do when we are lost again," returned Helen. "But I hope that our next vacation won't have any such unpleasant experience in store for us." ”

“ Busy Izzy, however—that arch schemer—had not forgiven the girls for laughing at his overset on the toboggan slide the night before. And as he sat whistling "Good Night, Ladies" in a dreadful minor, he evolved such a plan for reprisal in his fertile mind that his eyes began to snap and he could hardly whistle for the grin that wreathed his lips.
"Keep at it, Mr. Isadore Phelps!" cried Ruth, first to detect Izzy's defection. "We're watching you."
"Come! aren't we going to have a chance to eat a single kernel?" ”

“ The occupant of this cabin in the wilderness carried a rifle in one hand.
"Hullo!" he said again. "That's Sim Rogers's team—I know those mules. Are you there, Sim? What's happened ye?"
"Who is it?" whispered Ruth, again, still clinging to Fred's jacket.
"It's—it's the Rattlesnake Man," returned the boy, in a shaking voice.
"Who is he?" asked Ruth, in surprise.
"He lives here alone on the hill. He's a hermit. They say he's crazy. And I guess he is," added Fred, with a shudder.
"Why do you think he's crazy?"
But before Fred could reply—if he intended to—the hermit reached the road. ”

“ And suppose that bull comes back?"
"That bull won't get us down here, Nell," returned her brother, laying hold of the roots of the hollow tree and trying to turn it over.
But although he and Ruth both exerted themselves to the utmost, they could barely stir the stump. Suddenly they heard a struggle going on inside the hollow shell; as well, a thumping on the thin partition of wood and a muffled sound of shouting.
"He's alive—the water hasn't filled the hollow," cried Ruth. "Oh, Tom! we must do something." ”

“ Ruth will forgive, of course," said Helen, sharply. "But I won't. They ought to be paid back."
"Wouldn't it be best to just cut them right out of our good times?" suggested Belle.
"But won't that cut us out of their good times?' urged Heavy. "And boys always do think up better fun than girls."
"I never would admit it!" cried Madge.
"You always have been a regular Tom-boy, Jennie," said Lluella. ”

“ A few trees of good size grew along its edge.
"We can't cross the creek, Ruthie!' shrieked Helen. "He will get us, sure."
"But we can get below the bank—out of sight!" panted her chum. "Come, Tom! that beast will kill you if you delay."
"It's our caps he sees," declared Master Tom. "That old red cap of Nell's is what is exciting him so."
In a flash Ruth Fielding snatched the red cap from her chum's head and ran on with it toward the bank of the creek. The others followed her while the big bull, swerving in his course, came bellowing on behind. ”

“ The men were so deep in the woods that she could not hear a sound from them; nor was the ring of skates on the pond apparent to her ear.
"Come back, Ruth! come back!" begged her chum, who had followed her. "Suppose that beast should be hiding near?"
"I don't suppose he's within a mile of the camp," said Ruth, her voice unshaken. "There are all the guns in the hall—even the little shotguns. I don't suppose the men have a gun with them, and of course the boys have not. And both parties should be warned. ”

“ Lluella began to sob, and the most cheerful of the party could not keep up her spirits indefinitely.
"Oh, but we'll be all right, I am sure!" quoth Madge. "Don't get down-hearted, girls."
Helen broke down next and declared that she could not remain idle any longer. "We must move out of this," she said. "We must find our way back. Why, they might come this way hunting for us and never find us—go right by the tree. We ought to get outside and shout, at least."
"Don't let's leave this warm shelter," begged Ruth. ”

“ Let's beat it to the house."
"Oh, it can't last long this way," said Isadore Phelps. "My goodness! did you ever see it snow harder in your life?"
"That I never did," admitted Tom. "I wonder if the girls have come back?"
"If they haven't," said Bob, "they'd better wait where they are until this flurry is over."
"I hope they have returned," muttered Tom, as they made their way toward the rear of Snow Camp.
The snow came faster and faster, and thicker and thicker. Bob bumped square into the side of one of the out-sheds, and roared because he found blood flowing from his nose. ”

“ Belle cried. "They never should have been trusted to crack the nuts."
"Oh, girls!" gasped Ruth, who had quickly examined the candy in the pan.
Her voice was tragic, and the others looked at her (all but Madge) in surprise. "What have those horrid boys done?" demanded Jennie Stone.
"They've spoiled it all!" Ruth cried "There's nothing but shells in the candy. They've ruined it!" ”

“ The only person who was seriously troubled by the adventure was the strange boy. He had suffered severely in the storm and now he could scarcely move for pains in his back and legs. Otherwise it is doubtful if he would not have run when he heard Long Jerry's voice among the rescuers.
"Great turtle soup!" roared the guide, when he beheld the shrinking, cowering boy. "How did you get here? Do you mean to say you are alive, Fred Hatfield? Why, they buried you——"
"No, they didn't!" snarled the boy. "They only thought they did." ”

“ To tell the truth, Bob and Tom were laughing at him. He had been the last to get away each time from the starting platform, and he could not catch up with the others. Perhaps that was the stout girl's fault; but Ruth would climb the hill no faster than Jennie, and so the third toboggan continued far behind the others. As they panted up the hill Tom and his two companions shot past and waved their hands at them; then followed Bob Steele's crew and Helen shouted some laughing gibe at them. Isadore's face grew black.
"I declare! I wish you girls would stir yourselves. Hurry up!" ”

“ You'll be lost," cried Helen. "Then whatever should we do?"
"I won't get lost—not if you girls continue to shout," returned her chum.
She had buttoned her coat about her and pulled the skating cap she wore down over her ears, yet not too low to muffle them. Again the cry came wandering through the storm. Ruth started down the bank of the gully; the cry came from the other side of the hollow, she was sure—almost directly opposite the ledge on which they had taken shelter.
When she plunged off the ledge she at once entered the wall of driving, smothering snow. ”

“ Tom, with Madge and Belle, had already shot down the icy chute. Bob Steele, with Lluella and Helen before him, dropped over the verge of the platform and their toboggan began to whiz down the pathway, as Jennie plumped down upon the remaining toboggan.
"Come on, Ruthie! You're a good little thing to wait for me—and I guess Tom Cameron didn't like it much, either? He wanted you."
"Nonsense, Jennie," returned Ruth, with a laugh. "What does it matter? As long as we all get a slide——'
"Hurry up, now," cried Busy Izzy, troubled because he was behind his comrades, if the girls were not. ”

“ Mr. Cameron read his papers or wrote letters in one compartment; Mrs. Murchiston was the girls' companion most of the time, while Tom and his two chums had a gay time by themselves. They tried to get Fred Hatfield into their company, but the runaway boy would not respond to their overtures.
At the dinner table, when the fun became fast and furious, Fred Hatfield did not even smile. Heavy whispered to Ruth that she never did see a boy before who was so dreadfully solemn. "And he grows solemner and solemner every mile we travel!" added Heavy. ”