May Folwell Hoisington

“ Billy signalled in return and soon Uncle Bill came from the fir-woods and crossed the small clearing that lay between the firs and the spruce where the hawk’s nest was located.
“Hurry—come with me and help!” cried Billy, catching hold of his uncle’s hand before anything could be said.
On the way he breathlessly explained what he had seen from the tree-top, and where Fred and Dudley had gone.
“Must be a quicksand. If all you boys are O. K. who can it be? I thought no one was on the island besides ourselves?” cried Uncle Bill. ”

“ Remington came from the float-stage after seeing the guests off in their launch.
“Um—that’s what we all want to know,” added Billy.
“Perhaps it is, I’ll go up and see,” replied Mrs. Remington, but the ringing of the bell just then caused a stampede from the rocks.
The ravenous young folks fell upon the pyramids of hot biscuits and clam-chowder as if there would never be another mouthful of food that summer. After three helpings to the soup and many, many slices of bread, besides the biscuits and crackers, Fred warned them all.
“The flag is up!” ”

“ Teeth and lips were well-stained a beautiful blue-black and the downward track of juicy pie had left telltale spots on the front of shirts and frocks before Billy stood up and sighed. “I don’t see why it is that there is always so little of a good thing! Now, look at that bread-pudding—a great tub of a dish, and such a tiny little pie!”
The others laughed and Mrs. Remington added, “Well, as you had your pie this noon, there will be no dessert to-night!”
“Say, let’s offer Mose a testimonial for that pie and who knows but he may be flattered into baking another for dinner,” suggested Fred. ”

“ Paul and Dudley stared at their chum in amazement.
“Humph! Some folks get good all of a sudden!” sniffed Paul.
Mrs. Remington had to control her face behind her napkin, and to change the subject, she said: “Where have you decided to go on your cruise to-morrow?”
“Up to Castine and back again,” replied Billy.
“We expect to start about seven in the morning,” added Fred.
“Oh, can’t we go with you?” cried Dudley, coaxingly.
“No indeed!” answered Mrs. Remington, decidedly. “You know nothing about sailing, and the dory is too small for a day’s sail for more than two people.” ”

“ A peaceful calm brooded over the members of the party—the lunch at the Belfast tea-room had been supplemented by many extras in the grocery store so that no one missed Mose’s generous midday fare.
“Say, Billy, got any more of them cocoanut jumbles?” asked Dudley, wistfully, after a silence.
“No—I only got a dozen. Ask Edith for some of her ginger-snaps.”
“I’ve got a bag of peanuts—Virginia Jumbos. Want some?” asked Elizabeth.
“Children, do remember your poor weary stomachs! They will be crying for rest if you don’t!” sighed Mrs. Remington. ”

“ The three hits made by Wita-tonkan raised the Black Bear score, first to sixteen, then to twenty-one and finally to thirty-one.
“Scalp! scalp! Let’s dance the scalp-dance!” screamed Billy shrilly, with overwrought nerves.
“How! How!” came from the others as they participated.
“Now pay up your scalps!” ordered Fred.
“But, this is a serious matter. Here! All you Pentagoets and visitors—don’t you know we’re all dead ones!” cried Uncle Bill in a sepulchral tone.
Thereupon, without further warning, he fell to the ground, dragging Edith, Miriam and Paul down with him in the death-struggle. ”

“ By this time, the Pasha, grabbing a large fire-extinguisher, tore down the stairs and went headlong down to the beach. The rest of the maskers were not slow to follow so that before the third explosion sounded they all were near enough to see by the reflection of the flare that a blazing launch was stranded on Isola Bella and already, like a torch, one of the fir trees was burning fiercely.
The danger was evident to all for even the youngest Islander knew that if once the firs caught fire, the entire island was doomed ”

“ What about the very fish we caught to-day?” teased Fred.
“Gee, that’s so! I clean forgot the mola; guess it was too tiny to remember,” grinned Dudley.
27 “And the dogfish, and the skate, too, Dud,” reminded Billy.
“But I haven’t seen them yet—I’ve only known them by their names and the pictures.”
“Say, father, will you help us set the trawl so we can try for the coup? Just think of all the different kinds of fish we always get that way,” suggested Fred.
“All right, boys, any time you say,” agreed Mr. Remington, who was never so happy as when there was something doing. ”

“ With a crowd there is comparative safety, but should one of you straggle away and get into trouble it might be difficult to help,” admonished Uncle Bill.
The very seriousness of the habitually jolly man made an impression on the boys so that Fred promised for all of them. “And we’ll be all right, folks, never fear,” added he.
“I don’t see why we girls can’t go with you,” pouted Trixie.
“That isn’t it, but I really do not approve of the boys going alone, to say nothing of you girls going too!” remonstrated Aunt Miriam. ”

“ Breakfast was a hurried meal that morning as every one was busily engaged in getting everything needed to make the picnic at Spruce Island a success. Elizabeth and Fred were packing the big hamper with good things while Billy and Dudley were helping Mose and Mrs. Remington.
The wheel-barrow had been loaded three times and the picnic stuff transported from the commissary department of the bungalow to the float-stage before all was ready and waiting for the boat. ”

“ The old bear will last longer than if we used the iron spears on him,” added Billy.
As night came on the fog shut in again and Fred called the boys from their spear-making to look after their tents for the night. That evening the bungalow fire made a cheery spot to gather about, for the dampness out-of-doors was chilly and unfriendly.
“Do you think it will be foggy all day to-morrow?” asked Dudley.
“I don’t think so, but we musn’t kick if it is, as we have had fine weather right along,” replied Fred.
“I know of a fine game to play in foggy weather!” hinted Mrs. Remington. ”

“ This truly royal trophy was then solemnly hung on the Black Bear totem-pole back of the Chief’s chair.
In turn, the rest of the scalps were hung beneath it, Uncle Tom and some of the visitors having provided variegated locks: crimson, yellow, green, purple, and blue tassels of horsehair.
“How! How!” sounded amid laughter in the Council Ring.
“Any Honours to be claimed?” questioned the Chief.
Fiji and Bob stood up and presented the signed papers for a canning coup each. ”

“ As the tide was on the flood the Sunset Islanders had started at what would eventually be the southern end of the trawl and they worked up the bay. The northern buoy was anchored as they finished in the sunset glow.
Rowing homeward, somewhat wet but happy and ready as usual to replenish the inner man, they reached the float where Mrs. Remington stood watching for them.
31 “Oo-oh! What a mess the boys are in! And it will be worse too when you ‘under-run’ the trawl. Worse still when you clean the fish. ”

“ Then, as usual, the feminine contingent carried the vote in the interests of charity and Uncle Bill was mulcted a goodly sum.
“But what I want to know is, ‘Where did Aunt Miriam find that sunburst?’” queried Fred.
And amid appreciative smiles, that fair lady told how, amid the excited rush from Fudge Attic the night before, she had found the diamond brooch sparkling on the floor. She had quietly retrieved it but had no thought of playing any joke on the Pasha until she saw his very preoccupied manner and his avoidance of conversation with her. ”

“ The three boys were greatly surprised to see Captain Ed cut the dynamite with his knife as if it were a cheese.
“It looks just like a roll of yellow plasticene!” said Dudley.
“It won’t act like one!” laughed Billy.
“You know last year, Captain and Fred blasted out the boulders for our Council Place and we had to cover the rocks with logs and things to keep them from flying through the air and smashing the windows,” explained Billy, for Paul’s and Dudley’s benefit.
“Oh, did you blast for that Ring?” wondered Paul.
“I should think we did! We have to blast for everything! ”

“ Such as blasting out a big rock in the middle of Treasure Cove, raising a big new flag-pole, and making a pebble walk around the little log-cabin which was Mrs. Remington’s sanctuary when she was driven to retirement from the “madding crowd.”
“She will love that!” exclaimed Elizabeth.
“Oh we intend doing lots of other things, too,” bragged Billy.
“We’re going to cook our own meals over a camp-fire!” declared Dudley.
“That’s to save Mose the work while you girls are away!” added Paul.
“Listen to him! Why, you boys eat twice as much as all of the Islanders together!” scorned Edith. ”

“ So Fred called to Paul, “How do you expect to find an object under water if your eyes are shut?”
“I’m afraid to open them, it feels awful,” said Paul.
“Well, the sooner you learn to do that the better. No swimmer can become expert if he dives or swims under water with closed eyes,” remarked Fred, starting to paddle back to land.
“Oh Fred, while we are here let us try for a test for swimming the breast, overhand, and crawl, in to shore,” cried Paul, and this was done very well although Dudley did it better, having had much more practice at home. ”

“ Anna laughed. “If the heaped-up loads I saw taken by slow freight via the wheel-barrow route a few moments ago are all eatables, I should say we could feed the starving Belgians for a week, at least!”
“Oh, well, Anna, you know how our children eat and then there will be the Rosemary folks and all of the Isola Bella people, too!” reminded Mrs. Remington, seriously.
“Even so, won’t they bring hampers?” returned Anna.
“Well, Aunt Miriam is bringing a large freezer of ice-cream and Aunt Edith said she would bake two large cakes, but I haven’t the slightest idea of what else they may bring.” ”

“ No diver is any good until he can see where he is going or what he really is after under water. Why not get the others to try, too,” replied Elizabeth.
So they were all trying to dive and keep their eyes open. “The one who keeps his eyes open the longest while under water will be given an extra dish of dessert at lunch time,” cried Billy.
“But it feels so funny to have the water biff your eyes,” commented Paul, who had experimented when the others did.
“Why, I don’t know whether I see anything or not! I tried but couldn’t see the white sand-bag,” said Dudley. ”

“ Then the young folks had the gratification of positively knowing by evidence of their own sight, that their guardians were well out of the way for a time.
“Oh, gee! we won’t do a thing while we’re boss!” sighed Billy, with a great sense of the time before him.
“Some fun—I should say!” ejaculated Paul, while Dudley whistled a medley of many tunes and fox-trots and tangos.
“But the Island Chief rules! Remember!” threatened Fred.
While on the way to Rosemary, the Islanders discussed the fact that fine weather broke the hoo-doo of Trixie’s rain jinx. ”

“ Billy continued. “We would have run down the sail and put in the reef out in the open bay but Fred said, ‘Oh, half a minute more will see us in the lee of the island.’ We would have been all right if that nasty little squall hadn’t caught us just half a minute too soon!”
“Boys, you knew you ought to have a reef in the sail, and hereafter, don’t wait that half-minute too late to put it in. The cause of accidents and loss of life is that same excuse—‘oh, we’ll be all right in half a minute!’” warned Mrs. Remington. ”

“ But Fred explained. “You see, Billy and I really172 belong to the Black Bear Tribe when we are home so we are going to challenge all of the members of the Pentagoet Tribe here and the visitors to a Bear Spearing contest. You can join the others if you like and try to beat our score.”
Trixie followed the boys to the shore and waved farewell until they were out of sight in the misty morning. Then she sat on the steps oblivious alike of her damp skirt and the drops of moisture that sparkled on her curls, longing for a camp-life and the simple fun of the Woodcrafters. ”

“ You’re not old,” defended Billy.
“No indeed, he is just as young as any of us!” said Fred.
“About as young as Teddy, for instance,” laughed Mrs. Remington.
“Yes, as young and as foolish,” added Aunt Miriam.
And Uncle Bill quickly diverted every one’s attention to a beautiful schooner ploughing through the waves of the bay.
That day the luncheon was a picnic affair, for all of the Rosemary and Isola Bella relatives brought huge hampers of food. Immediately after the lunch a cleanup brigade got rid of the debris before the final preparations were made for the Grand Council. ”

“ How can we pay up if we have no hirsute adornments similar to the Black Bear scalps?” asked Uncle Bill.
“Every one who enters this contest must agree to forfeit a scalp like this or similar. They can be procured!” sternly answered Wita-tonkan.
A babel of voices then arose and finally it appeared that Wita-tonkan and Shingebis had twenty opponents arrayed against them in the contest.
“Gee! If the Black Bears win we won’t be able to see them—they will be so covered with scalps,” cried Dudley. ”

“ Uncle Bill decided this was the time to calm excitement by refreshing the inner man, particularly as the little tots had to go to bed. So every one trooped down to the well-filled laundry table where Mose was kept busy handing our refreshments. Then once more back in the attic, the fun waxed fast and furious until Uncle Tom called for attention!
“I am now about to distribute slips of paper for each one to write down the name of the costume considered the winner. Whoever receives the most votes will be presented with a prize. ”