THE CANDY COUNTRY BY LOUISA M. ALCOTT AUTHOR OF "LITTLE WOMEN, " "LITTLE MEN, " "AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL, " "AUNT JO'S SCRAP-BAG, " "LULU'S LIBRARY, " ETC. Illustrated BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY _Copyright, 1885, _ BY LOUISA M. ALCOTT _Copyright, 1900, _ BY JOHN S. P. ALCOTT University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. * * * * * [Illustration: "Hollo, what do you want?" he asked, staring at her. PAGE 10. ] THE CANDY COUNTRY "I shall take mamma's red sun umbrella, it is so warm, and none of thechildren at school will have one like it, " said Lily, one day, as shewent through the hall. "The wind is very high; I'm afraid you'll be blown away if you carrythat big thing, " called Nurse from the window, as the red umbrella wentbobbing down the garden walk with a small girl under it. "I wish it would; I always wanted to go up in a balloon, " answered Lily, as she struggled out of the gate. She got on very well till she came to the bridge and stopped to lookover the railing at the water running by so fast, and the turtlessunning themselves on the rocks. Lily was fond of throwing stones atthem; it was so funny to watch them tumble, heels over head, splash intothe water. Now, when she saw three big fellows close by, she stooped fora stone, and just at that minute a gale of wind nearly took the umbrellaout of her hand. She clutched it fast; and away she went like athistle-down, right up in the air, over river and hill, houses andtrees, faster and faster, till her head spun round, her breath was allgone, and she had to let go. The dear red umbrella flew away like aleaf; and Lily fell down, down, till she went crash into a tree whichgrew in such a curious place that she forgot her fright as she satlooking about her, wondering what part of the world it could be. The tree looked as if made of glass or colored sugar; for she could seethrough the red cherries, the green leaves, and the brown branches. Anagreeable smell met her nose; and she said at once, as any child would, "I smell candy!" She picked a cherry and ate it. Oh, how good itwas!--all sugar and no stone. The next discovery was such a delightfulone that she nearly fell off her perch; for by touching her tongue hereand there, she found that the whole tree was made of candy. Think whatfun to sit and break off twigs of barley sugar, candied cherries, andleaves that tasted like peppermint and sassafras! Lily rocked and ate till she finished the top of the little tree;then she climbed down and strolled along, making more surprising andagreeable discoveries as she went. What looked like snow under her feet was white sugar; the rocks werelumps of chocolate, the flowers of all colors and tastes; and every sortof fruit grew on these delightful trees. Little white houses soonappeared; and here lived the dainty candy-people, all made of the bestsugar, and painted to look like real people. Dear little men and women, looking as if they had stepped off of wedding cakes and bonbons, wentabout in their gay sugar clothes, laughing and talking in the sweetestvoices. Bits of babies rocked in open-work cradles, and sugar boys andgirls played with sugar toys in the most natural way. Carriages rolledalong the jujube streets, drawn by the red and yellow barley horses weall love so well; cows fed in the green fields, and sugar birds sang inthe trees. Lily listened, and in a moment she understood what the song said, -- "Sweet! Sweet! Come, come and eat, Dear little girls With yellow curls; For here you'll find Sweets to your mind. On every tree Sugar-plums you'll see; In every dell Grows the caramel. Over every wall Gum-drops fall; Molasses flows Where our river goes. Under your feet Lies sugar sweet; Over your head Grow almonds red. Our lily and rose Are not for the nose; Our flowers we pluck To eat or suck. And, oh! what bliss When two friends kiss, For they honey sip From lip to lip! And all you meet, In house or street, At work or play, Sweethearts are they. So, little dear, Pray feel no fear; Go where you will; Eat, eat your fill. Here is a feast From west to east; And you can say, Ere you go away, 'At last I stand In dear Candy-land, And no more can stuff; For once I've enough. ' Sweet! Sweet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweedle-dee! Tweedle-dee!" "That is the most interesting song I ever heard, " said Lily, clappingher sticky hands and dancing along toward a fine palace of white creamcandy, with pillars of striped peppermint stick, and a roof of frostingthat made it look like the Milan Cathedral. "I'll live here, and eat candy all day long, with no tiresome school orpatchwork to spoil my fun, " said Lily. So she ran up the chocolate steps into the pretty rooms, where all thechairs and tables were of different colored candies, and the beds ofspun sugar. A fountain of lemonade supplied drink; and floors ofice-cream that never melted kept people and things from stickingtogether, as they would have done had it been warm. For a long while Lily was quite happy, going about tasting so manydifferent kinds of sweeties, talking to the little people, who were veryamiable, and finding out curious things about them and their country. The babies were made of plain sugar, but the grown people had differentflavors. The young ladies were flavored with violet, rose, and orange;the gentlemen were apt to have cordials of some sort inside of them, asshe found when she ate one now and then slyly, and got her tongue bittenby the hot, strong taste as a punishment. The old people tasted ofpeppermint, clove, and such comfortable things, good for pain; but theold maids had lemon, hoar-hound, flag-root, and all sorts of sour, bitter things in them, and did not get eaten much. Lily soon learned toknow the characters of her new friends by a single taste, and some shenever touched but once. The dear babies melted in her mouth, and thedelicately flavored young ladies she was very fond of. Dr. Ginger wascalled to her more than once when so much candy made her teeth ache, andshe found him a very hot-tempered little man; but he stopped the pain, so she was glad to see him. A lime-drop boy and a little pink checkerberry girl were her favoriteplaymates; and they had fine times making mud-pies by scraping thechocolate rocks and mixing this dust with honey from the wells near by. These they could eat; and Lily thought this much better than throwingaway the pies, as she had to do at home. They had candy-pulls veryoften, and made swings of long loops of molasses candy, and bird's-nestswith almond eggs, out of which came birds who sang sweetly. They playedfoot-ball with big bull's-eyes, sailed in sugar boats on lakes of syrup, fished in rivers of molasses, and rode the barley horses all over thecountry. Lily discovered that it never rained, but snowed white sugar. There wasno sun, as it would have been too hot; but a large yellow lozenge madea nice moon, and red and white comfits were the stars. The people all lived on sugar, and never quarrelled. No one was ill; andif any got broken, as sometimes happened with such brittle creatures, they just stuck the parts together and were all right again. The waythey grew old was to get thinner and thinner till there was danger oftheir vanishing. Then the friends of the old person put him in a neatcoffin, and carried him to the great golden urn which stood in theirlargest temple, always full of a certain fine syrup; and here he wasdipped and dipped till he was stout and strong again, and went home toenjoy himself for a long time as good as new. This was very interesting to Lily, and she went to many funerals. Butthe weddings were better still; for the lovely white brides were sosweet Lily longed to eat them. The feasts were delicious; and everybodywent in their best clothes, and danced at the ball till they got so warmhalf-a-dozen would stick together and have to be taken to the ice-creamroom to cool off. Then the little pair would drive away in a finecarriage with white horses to a new palace in some other part of thecountry, and Lily would have another pleasant place to visit. But by and by, when she had seen everything, and eaten so much sweetstuff that at last she longed for plain bread and butter, she began toget cross, as children always do when they live on candy; and the littlepeople wished she would go away, for they were afraid of her. No wonder, when she would catch up a dear sugar baby and eat him, or break somerespectable old grandmamma all into bits because she reproved her fornaughty ways. Lily calmly sat down on the biggest church, crushing itflat, and even tried to poke the moon out of the sky in a pet one day. The king ordered her to go home; but she said, "I won't!" and bit hishead off, crown and all. Such a wail went up at this awful deed that she ran away out of thecity, fearing some one would put poison in her candy, since she had noother food. "I suppose I shall get somewhere if I keep walking; and I can't starve, though I hate the sight of this horrid stuff, " she said to herself, asshe hurried over the mountains of Gibraltar Rock that divided the cityof Saccharissa from the great desert of brown sugar that lay beyond. Lily marched bravely on for a long time, and saw at last a great smokein the sky, smelt a spicy smell, and felt a hot wind blowing toward her. "I wonder if there are sugar savages here, roasting and eating some poortraveller like me, " she said, thinking of Robinson Crusoe and otherwanderers in strange lands. She crept carefully along till she saw a settlement of little huts verylike mushrooms, for they were made of cookies set on lumps of the brownsugar; and queer people, looking as if made of gingerbread, were workingvery busily round several stoves which seemed to bake at a great rate. "I'll creep nearer and see what sort of people they are before I showmyself, " said Lily, going into a grove of spice-trees, and sitting downon a stone which proved to be the plummy sort of cake we used to callBrighton Rock. Presently one of the tallest men came striding toward the trees with apan, evidently after spice; and before she could run, he saw Lily. "Hollo, what do you want?" he asked, staring at her with his blackcurrant eyes, while he briskly picked the bark off a cinnamon-tree. "I'm travelling, and would like to know what place this is, if youplease, " answered Lily, very politely, being a little frightened. "Cake-land. Where do you come from?" asked the gingerbread man, in acrisp tone of voice. "I was blown into the Candy country, and have been there a long time;but I got tired of it, and ran away to find something better. " "Sensible child!" and the man smiled till Lily thought his cheeks wouldcrumble. "You'll get on better here with us Brownies than with the lazyBonbons, who never work and are all for show. They won't own us, thoughwe are all related through our grandparents Sugar and Molasses. We arebusy folks; so they turn up their noses and don't speak when we meet atparties. Poor creatures, silly and sweet and unsubstantial! I pity 'em. " "Could I make you a visit? I'd like to see how you live, and what youdo. I'm sure it must be interesting, " said Lily, picking herself upafter a tumble, having eaten nearly all the stone, she was so hungry. "I know you will. Come on! I can talk while I work. " And the funnygingerbread man trotted off toward his kitchen, full of pans, rolling-pins, and molasses jugs. "Sit down. I shall be at leisure as soon as this batch is baked. Thereare still some wise people down below who like gingerbread, and I havemy hands full, " he said, dashing about, stirring, rolling out, andslapping the brown dough into pans, which he whisked into the oven andout again so fast that Lily knew there must be magic about it somewhere. Every now and then he threw her a delicious cooky warm from the oven. She liked the queer fellow, and presently began to talk, being verycurious about this country. "What is your name, sir?" "Ginger Snap. " Lily thought it a good one; for he was very quick, and she fancied hecould be short and sharp if he liked. "Where does all this cake go to?" she asked, after watching the otherkitchens full of workers, who were all of different kinds of cake, andeach set of cooks made its own sort. "I'll show you by and by, " answered Snap, beginning to pile up the heapsof gingerbread on a little car that ran along a track leading to someunknown storeroom, Lily thought. "Don't you get tired of doing this all the time?" "Yes; but I want to be promoted, and I never shall be till I've done mybest, and won the prize here. " "Oh, tell me about it! What is the prize, and how are you promoted? Isthis a cooking-school?" "Yes; the prize for best gingerbread is a cake of condensed yeast. Thatputs a soul into me, and I begin to rise till I am able to go over thehills yonder into the blessed land of bread, and be one of the happycreatures who are always wholesome, always needed, and without which theworld below would be in a bad way. " "Bless me! that is the queerest thing I've heard yet. But I don't wonderyou want to go; I'm tired of sweets myself, and long for a good piece ofbread, though I used to want cake and candy at home. " "Ah, my dear, you'll learn a good deal here; and you are lucky not tohave got into the clutches of Giant Dyspepsia, who always gets people ifthey eat too much of such rubbish and scorn wholesome bread. I leave myginger behind when I go, and get white and round and beautiful, as youwill see. The Gingerbread family have never been as foolish as some ofthe other cakes. Wedding is the worst; such extravagance in the way ofwine and spice and fruit I never saw, and such a mess to eat when it'sdone! I don't wonder people get sick; serves 'em right. " And Snap flungdown a pan with such a bang that it made Lily jump. "Sponge cake isn't bad, is it? Mamma lets me eat it, but I like frostedpound better, " she said, looking over to the next kitchen, where pilesof that sort of cake were being iced. "Poor stuff. No substance. Ladies' fingers will do for babies, but poundhas too much butter ever to be healthy. Let it alone, and eat cookies orseed-cakes, my dear. Now, come along; I'm ready. " And Snap trundled awayhis car-load at a great pace. Lily ran behind to pick up whatever fell, and looked about her as shewent, for this was certainly a very queer country. Lakes of eggs allbeaten up, and hot springs of saleratus foamed here and there ready foruse. The earth was brown sugar or ground spice; and the only fruits wereraisins, dried currants, citron, and lemon peel. It was a very busyplace; for every one cooked all the time, and never failed and neverseemed tired, though they got so hot that they only wore sheets of paperfor clothes. There were piles of it to put over the cake, so that itshouldn't burn; and they made cook's white caps and aprons of it, andlooked very nice. A large clock made of a flat pancake, with cloves tomark the hours and two toothpicks for hands, showed them how long tobake things; and in one place an ice wall was built round a lake ofbutter, which they cut in lumps as they wanted it. "Here we are. Now, stand away while I pitch 'em down, " said Snap, stopping at last before a hole in the ground where a dumb-waiter hungready, with a name over it. There were many holes all round, and many waiters, each with its name;and Lily was amazed when she read "Weber, " "Copeland, " "Dooling, " andothers, which she knew very well. Over Snap's place was the name "Newmarch;" and Lily said, "Why, that'swhere mamma gets her hard gingerbread, and Weber's is where we go forice-cream. Do _you_ make cake for them?" "Yes, but no one knows it. It's one of the secrets of the trade. Wecook for all the confectioners, and people think the good things comeout of the cellars under their saloons. Good joke, isn't it?" And Snaplaughed till a crack came in his neck and made him cough. Lily was so surprised she sat down on a warm queen's cake that happenedto be near, and watched Snap send down load after load of gingerbread tobe eaten by children, who would have liked it much better if they hadonly known where it came from, as she did. As she sat, the clatter of many spoons, the smell of many dinners, andthe sound of many voices calling, "One vanilla, two strawberries, and aCharlotte Russe, " "Three stews, cup coffee, dry toast, " "Roast chickenand apple without, " came up the next hole, which was marked "Copeland. " "Dear me! it seems as if I was there, " said Lily, longing to hop down, but afraid of the bump at the other end. "I'm done. Come along, I'll ride you back, " called Snap, tossing thelast cooky after the dumb-waiter as it went slowly out of sight with itsspicy load. "I wish you'd teach me to cook. It looks great fun, and mamma wants meto learn; only our cook hates to have me mess round, and is so crossthat I don't like to try at home, " said Lily, as she went trundlingback. "Better wait till you get to Bread-land, and learn to make that. It's agreat art, and worth knowing. Don't waste your time on cake, thoughplain gingerbread isn't bad to have in the house. I'll teach you that ina jiffy, if the clock doesn't strike my hour too soon, " answered Snap, helping her down. "What hour?" "Why, of my freedom. I never know when I've done my task till I'm calledby the chimes and go to get my soul, " said Snap, turning his curranteyes anxiously to the clock. "I hope you _will_ have time. " And Lily fell to work with all hermight, after Snap had put on her a paper apron and a cap like his. It was not hard; for when she was going to make a mistake a spark flewout of the fire and burnt her in time to remind her to look at thereceipt, which was a sheet of gingerbread in a frame of pie-crust hungup before her, with the directions written while it was soft and bakedin. The third sheet she made came out of the oven spicy, light, andbrown; and Snap, giving it one poke, said, "That's all right. Now youknow. Here's your reward. " He handed her a receipt-book made of thin sheets of sugar-gingerbreadheld together by a gelatine binding, with her name stamped on the back, and each leaf crimped with a cake-cutter in the most elegant manner. Lily was charmed with it, but had no time to read all it contained; forjust then the clock began to strike, and a chime of bells to ring, -- "Gingerbread, Go to the head. Your task is done; A soul is won. Take it and go Where muffins grow, Where sweet loaves rise To the very skies, And biscuits fair Perfume the air. Away, away! Make no delay; In the sea of flour Plunge this hour. Safe in your breast Let the yeast-cake rest, Till you rise in joy, A white bread boy!" "Ha, ha! I'm free! I'm free!" cried Snap, catching up the silver-coveredsquare that seemed to fall from heaven; and running to a great whitesea of flour, he went in head first, holding the yeast-cake clasped tohis breast as if his life depended on it. Lily watched breathlessly, while a curious working and bubbling went on, as if Snap was tumbling about down there, like a small earthquake. Theother cake-folk stood round the shore with her; for it was a greatevent, and all were glad that the dear fellow was promoted so soon. Suddenly a cry was heard, and up rose a beautiful white figure on thefarther side of the sea. It moved its hand, as if saying "Good-by, " andran over the hills so fast they had only time to see how plump and fairhe was, with a little knob on the top of his head like a crown. "He's gone to the happy land, and we shall miss him; but we'll followhis example and soon find him again, " said a gentle Sponge Cake, with asigh, as all went back to their work; while Lily hurried after Snap, eager to see the new country, which was the best of all. A delicious odor of fresh bread blew up from the valley as she stood onthe hill-top and looked down on the peaceful scene below. Fields ofyellow grain waved in the breeze; hop-vines grew from tree to tree, andmany windmills whirled their white sails as they ground the differentgrains into fresh, sweet meal, for the loaves of bread that built thehouses like bricks and paved the streets, or in many shapes formed thepeople, furniture, and animals. A river of milk flowed through thepeaceful land, and fountains of yeast rose and fell with a pleasant foamand fizz. The ground was a mixture of many meals, and the paths weregolden Indian, which gave a very gay look to the scene. Buckwheatflowers bloomed on their rosy stems, and tall corn-stalks rustled theirleaves in the warm air that came from the ovens hidden in the hillsides;for bread needs a slow fire, and an obliging volcano did the bakinghere. "What a lovely place!" cried Lily, feeling the charm of the homelikelandscape, in spite of the funny plump people moving about. Two of these figures came running to meet her as she slowly walked downthe yellow path from the hill. One was a golden boy, with a beamingface; the other a little girl in a shiny brown cloak, who looked as ifshe would taste very nice. They each put a warm hand into Lily's, andthe boy said, -- "We are glad to see you. Muffin told us you were coming. " "Thank you. Who is Muffin?" asked Lily, feeling as if she had seen boththese little people before, and liked them. "He was Ginger Snap once, but he's a Muffin now. We begin in that way, and work up to the perfect loaf by degrees. My name is Johnny Cake, andshe's Sally Lunn. You know us; so come on and have a race. " Lily burst out laughing at the idea of playing with these old friends ofhers; and all three ran away as fast as they could tear, down the hill, over a bridge, into the middle of the village, where they stopped, panting, and sat down on some very soft rolls to rest. "What do you all do _here_?" asked Lily, when she got her breath again. "We farm, we study, we bake, we brew, and are as merry as grigs all daylong. It's school-time now, and we must go; will you come?" said Sally, jumping up as if she liked it. "Our schools are not like yours; we only study two things, --grain andyeast. I think you'll like it. We have yeast to-day, and the experimentsare very jolly, " added Johnny, trotting off to a tall brown tower ofrye and Indian bread, where the school was kept. Lily never liked to go to school, but she was ashamed to own it; so shewent along with Sally, and was so amused with all she saw that she wasglad she came. The brown loaf was hollow, and had no roof; and when sheasked why they used a ruin, Sally told her to wait and see why theychose strong walls and plenty of room overhead. All round was a circleof very small biscuits like cushions, and on these the Bread-childrensat. A square loaf in the middle was the teacher's desk, and on it layan ear of wheat, with several bottles of yeast well corked up. Theteacher was a pleasant, plump lady from Vienna, very wise, and so famousfor her good bread that she was a Professor of Grainology. When all were seated, she began with the wheat ear, and told them allabout it in such an interesting way that Lily felt as if she had neverknown anything about the bread she ate before. The experiments with theyeast were quite exciting, --for Fräulein Pretzel showed them how itwould work till it blew the cork out, and go fizzing up to the sky if itwas kept too long; how it would turn sour or flat, and spoil the breadif care was not taken to use it just at the right moment; and how toomuch would cause the loaf to rise till there was no substance to it. The children were very bright; for they were fed on the best kinds ofoatmeal and Graham bread, with very little white bread or hot cakes tospoil their young stomachs. Hearty, happy boys and girls they were, andtheir yeasty souls were very lively in them; for they danced and sang, and seemed as bright and gay as if acidity, heaviness, and mould werequite unknown. Lily was very happy with them, and when school was done went home withSally and ate the best bread and milk for dinner that she ever tasted. In the afternoon Johnny took her to the cornfield, and showed her howthey kept the growing ears free from mildew and worms. Then she went tothe bakehouse; and here she found her old friend Muffin hard at workmaking Parker House rolls, for he was such a good cook he was set towork at once on the lighter kinds of bread. "Well, isn't this better than Candy-land or Saccharissa?" he asked, ashe rolled and folded his bits of dough with a dab of butter tuckedinside. "Ever so much!" cried Lily. "I feel better already, and mean to learnall I can. Mamma will be so pleased if I can make good bread when I gohome. She is rather old-fashioned, and likes me to be a nicehousekeeper. I didn't think bread interesting then, but I do now; andJohnny's mother is going to teach me to make Indian cakes to-morrow. " "Glad to hear it. Learn all you can, and tell other people how to makehealthy bodies and happy souls by eating good plain food. Not like this, though these rolls are better than cake. I have to work my way up to theperfect loaf, you know; and then, oh, then, I'm a happy thing. " "What happens then? Do you go on to some other wonderful place?" askedLily, as Muffin paused with a smile on his face. "Yes; I am eaten by some wise, good human being, and become a part ofhim or her. That is immortality and heaven; for I may nourish a poet andhelp him sing, or feed a good woman who makes the world better for beingin it, or be crumbed into the golden porringer of a baby prince who isto rule a kingdom. Isn't that a noble way to live, and an end worthworking for?" asked Muffin, in a tone that made Lily feel as if somesort of fine yeast had got into her, and was setting her brain to workwith new thoughts. "Yes, it is. I suppose all common things are made for that purpose, ifwe only knew it; and people should be glad to do anything to help theworld along, even making good bread in a kitchen, " answered Lily, in asober way that showed that her little mind was already digesting the newfood it had got. She stayed in Bread-land a long time, and enjoyed and learned a greatdeal that she never forgot. But at last, when she had made the perfectloaf, she wanted to go home, that her mother might see and taste it. "I've put a good deal of myself into it, and I'd love to think I hadgiven her strength or pleasure by my work, " she said, as she and Sallystood looking at the handsome loaf. "You can go whenever you like; just take the bread in your hands andwish three times, and you'll be wherever you say. I'm sorry to have yougo, but I don't wonder you want to see your mother. Don't forget whatyou have learned, and you will always be glad you came to us, " saidSally, kissing her good-by. "Where is Muffin? I can't go without seeing him, my dear old friend, "answered Lily, looking round for him. "He is here, " said Sally, touching the loaf. "He was ready to go, andchose to pass into your bread rather than any other, for he said heloved you and would be glad to help feed so good a little girl. " "How kind of him! I must be careful to grow wise and excellent, else hewill be disappointed and have died in vain, " said Lily, touched by hisdevotion. Then, bidding them all farewell, she hugged her loaf close, wished threetimes to be in her own home, and like a flash she was there. Whether her friends believed the wonderful tale of her adventures Icannot tell; but I know that she was a nice little housekeeper from thatday, and made such good bread that other girls came to learn of her. Shealso grew from a sickly, fretful child into a fine, strong woman, because she ate very little cake and candy, except at Christmas time, when the oldest and the wisest love to make a short visit toCandy-land. * * * * * [Illustration: Poor Billy dangling from a bough, high above the ground. PAGE 43. ] HOW THEY RAN AWAY Two little boys sat on the fence whittling arrows one fine day. Said onelittle boy to the other little boy, -- "Let's do something jolly. " "All right. What will we do?" "Run off to the woods and be hunters. " "What can we hunt?" "Bears and foxes. " "Mullin says there ain't any round here. " "Well, we can shoot squirrels and snare woodchucks. " "Haven't got any guns and trap. " "We've got our bows, and I found an old trap behind the barn. " "What will we eat?" "Here's our lunch; and when that's gone we can roast the squirrels andcook the fish on a stick. I know how. " "Where will you get the fire?" "Got matches in my pocket. " "I've got a lot of things we could use. Let's see. " And as if satisfied at last, cautious Billy displayed his treasures, while bold Tommy did the same. Besides the two knives there were strings, nails, matches, a piece ofputty, fish-hooks, and two very dirty handkerchiefs. "There, sir, that's a first-rate fit-out for hunters; and with the jollybasket of lunch Mrs. Mullin gave us, we can get on tip-top for two orthree days, " said Tommy, eager to be off. "Where shall we sleep?" asked Billy, who liked to be comfortable bothnight and day. "Oh, up in trees or on beds of leaves, like the fellows in our books. Ifyou are afraid, stay at home; I'm going to have no end of a good time. "And Tommy crammed the things back into his pockets as if there were notime to lose. "Pooh! I ain't afraid. Come on!" And jumping down Billy caught up hisrod, rather ashamed of his many questions. No one was looking at them, and they might have walked quietly off; butthat the "running away" might be all right, both raced down the road, tumbled over a wall, and dashed into the woods as if a whole tribe ofwild Indians were after them. "Do you know the way?" panted Billy, when at last they stopped forbreath. "Yes, it winds right up the mountain; but we'd better not keep to it, orsome one will see us and take us back. We are going to be _real_ huntersand have adventures; so we must get lost, and find our way by the sunand the stars, " answered Tommy, who had read so many Boys' Books hislittle head was a jumble of Texan Rangers, African Explorers, andBuffalo Bills; and he burned to outdo them all. "What will our mothers say if we really get lost?" asked Billy, alwaysready with a question. "Mine won't fuss. She lets me do what I like. " That was true; for Tommy's poor mamma was tired of trying to keep thelively little fellow in order, and had got used to seeing him come outof all his scrapes without much harm. "Mine will be scared; she's always afraid I'm going to get hurt, so I'mcareful. But I guess I'll risk it, and have some fun to tell about whenwe go home, " said Billy, trudging after Captain Tommy, who always tookthe lead. These eleven-year-old boys were staying with their mothers at afarm-house up among the mountains; and having got tired of the tamebears, the big barn, the trout brook, the thirty colts at pasture, andthe society of the few little girls and younger boys at the hotel nearby, these fine fellows longed to break loose and "rough it in the bush, "as the hunters did in their favorite stories. Away they went, deeper and deeper into the great forest that covered theside of the mountain. A pleasant place that August day; for it was cooland green, with many brooks splashing over the rocks, or lying in brownpools under the ferns. Squirrels chattered and raced in the tall pines;now and then a gray rabbit skipped out of sight among the brakes, or astrange bird flew by. Here and there blackberries grew in the openplaces, sassafras bushes were plentiful, and black-birch bark was readyfor chewing. "Don't you call this nice?" asked Tommy, pausing at last in a littledell where a noisy brook came tumbling down the mountain side, and thepines sung overhead. "Yes; but I'm awful hungry. Let's rest and eat our lunch, " said Billy, sitting down on a cushion of moss. "You always want to be stuffing and resting, " answered sturdy Tommy, wholiked to be moving all the time. He took the fishing-basket, which hung over his shoulder by a strap, andopened it carefully; for good Mrs. Mullin had packed a nice lunch ofbread and butter, cake and peaches, with a bottle of milk, and two largepickles slipped in on the sly to please the boys. Tommy's face grew very sober as he looked in, for all he saw was a boxof worms for bait and an old jacket. "By George! we've got the wrong basket. This is Mullin's, and he's goneoff with our prog. Won't he be mad?" "Not as mad as I am. Why didn't you look? You are always in such a hurryto start. What _shall_ we do now without anything to eat?" whined Billy;for losing his lunch was a dreadful blow to him. "We shall have to catch some fish and eat blackberries. Which will youdo, old cry-baby?" said Tommy, laughing at the other boy's dismal face. "I'll fish; I'm so tired I can't go scratching round after berries. Idon't love 'em either. " And Billy began to fix his line and bait hishook. "Lucky we got the worms; you can eat 'em if you can't wait for fish, "said Tommy, bustling about to empty the basket and pile up their fewpossessions in a heap. "There's a quiet pool below here, you go and fishthere. I'll pick the berries, and then show you how to get dinner in thewoods. This is our camp; so fly round and do your best. " Then Tommy ran off to a place near by where he had seen the berries, while Billy found a comfortable nook by the pool, and sat scowling atthe water so crossly, it was a wonder any trout came to his hook. Butthe fat worms tempted several small ones, and he cheered up at theprospect of food. Tommy whistled while he picked, and in half an hourcame back with two quarts of nice berries and an armful of dry sticksfor the fire. "We'll have a jolly dinner, after all, " he said, as the flames wentcrackling up, and the dry leaves made a pleasant smell. "Got four, but don't see how we'll ever cook 'em; no frying-pan, "grumbled Billy, throwing down the four little trout, which he had halfcleaned. "Don't want any. Broil 'em on the coals, or toast 'em on a forked stick. I'll show you how, " said cheerful Tommy, whittling away, and feeding hisfire as much like a real hunter as a small boy could be. While he worked, Billy ate berries and sighed for bread and butter. Atlast, after much trouble, two of the trout were half cooked and eagerlyeaten by the hungry boys. But they were very different from the nicebrown ones Mrs. Mullin gave them; for in spite of Tommy's struggles theywould fall in the ashes, and there was no salt to eat with them. By thetime the last were toasted, the young hunters were so hungry they couldhave eaten anything, and not a berry was left. "I set the trap down there, for I saw a hole among the vines, and Ishouldn't wonder if we got a rabbit or something, " said Tommy, when thelast bone was polished. "You go and catch some more fish, and I'll seeif I have caught any old chap as he went home to dinner. " Off ran Tommy; and the other boy went slowly back to the brook, wishingwith all his might he was at home eating sweet corn and berry pie. The trout had evidently gone to their dinners, for not one bite did poorBilly get; and he was just falling asleep when a loud shout gave himsuch a fright that he tumbled into the brook up to his knees. "I've got him! Come and see! He's a bouncer, " roared Tommy, from theberry bushes some way off. Billy scrambled out, and went as fast as his wet boots would let him, tosee what the prize was. He found Tommy dancing wildly round a fat grayanimal, who was fighting to get his paws out of the trap, and making aqueer noise as he struggled about. "What is it?" asked Billy, getting behind a tree as fast as possible;for the thing looked fierce, and he was very timid. "A raccoon, I guess, or a big woodchuck. Won't his fur make a fine cap?I guess the other fellows will wish they'd come with us, " said Tommy, prancing to and fro, without the least idea what to do with thecreature. "He'll bite. We'd better run away and wait till he's dead, " said Billy. "Wish he'd got his head in, then I could carry him off; but he does looksavage, so we'll have to leave him awhile, and get him when we comeback. But he's a real beauty. " And Tommy looked proudly at the bunch ofgray fur scuffling in the sand. "Can we ever eat him?" asked hungry Billy, ready for a fried crocodileif he could get it. "If he's a raccoon, we can; but I don't know about woodchucks. Thefellows in my books don't seem to have caught any. He's nice and fat; wemight try him when he's dead, " said Tommy, who cared more for the skinto show than the best meal ever cooked. The sound of a gun echoing through the wood gave Tommy a good idea, -- "Let's find the man and get him to shoot this chap; then we needn'twait, but skin him right away, and eat him too. " Off they went to the camp; and catching up their things, the two huntershurried away in the direction of the sound, feeling glad to know thatsome one was near them, for two or three hours of wood life made them alittle homesick. They ran and scrambled, and listened and called; but not until they hadgone a long way up the mountain did they find the man, resting in an oldhut left by the lumbermen. The remains of his dinner were spread on thefloor, and he lay smoking, and reading a newspaper, while his dog dozedat his feet, close to a well-filled game-bag. He looked surprised when two dirty, wet little boys suddenly appearedbefore him, --one grinning cheerfully, the other looking very dismal andscared as the dog growled and glared at them as if they were tworabbits. "Hollo!" said the man. "Hollo!" answered Tommy. "Who are you?" asked the man. "Hunters, " said Tommy. "Had good luck?" And the man laughed. "First-rate. Got a raccoon in our trap, and we want you to come andshoot him, " answered Tommy, proudly. "Sure?" said the man, looking interested as well as amused. "No; but I think so. " "What's he like?" Tommy described him, and was much disappointed when the man lay downagain, saying, with another laugh, -- "It's a woodchuck; he's no good. " "But I want the skin. " "Then don't shoot him, let him die; that's better for the skin, " saidthe man, who was tired and didn't want to stop for such poor game. All this time Billy had been staring hard at the sandwiches and breadand cheese on the floor, and sniffing at them, as the dog sniffed athim. "Want some grub?" asked the man, seeing the hungry look. "I just do! We left our lunch, and I've only had two little trout andsome old berries since breakfast, " answered Billy, with tears in hiseyes and a hand on his stomach. "Eat away then; I'm done, and don't want the stuff. " And the man took uphis paper as if glad to be let alone. It was lucky that the dog had been fed, for in ten minutes nothing wasleft but the napkin; and the boys sat picking up the crumbs, muchrefreshed, but ready for more. "Better be going home, my lads; it's pretty cold on the mountain aftersunset, and you are a long way from town, " said the man, who had peepedat them over his paper now and then, and saw, in spite of the dirt andrips, that they were not farmer boys. "We don't live in town; we are at Mullin's, in the valley. No hurry; weknow the way, and we want to have some sport first. You seem to havedone well, " answered Tommy, looking enviously from the gun to thegame-bag, out of which hung a rabbit's head and a squirrel's tail. "Pretty fair; but I want a shot at the bear. People tell me there is oneup here, and I'm after him; for he kills the sheep, and might hurt someof the young folks round here, " said the man, loading his gun with avery sober air; for he wanted to get rid of the boys and send them home. Billy looked alarmed; but Tommy's brown face beamed with joy as he saideagerly, -- "I hope you'll get him. I'd rather shoot a bear than any other animalbut a lion. We don't have those here, and bears are scarce. Mullin saidhe hadn't heard of one for a long time; so this must be a young one, forthey killed the big one two years ago. " That was true, and the man knew it. He did not really expect or want tomeet a bear, but thought the idea of one would send the little fellowshome at once. Finding one of them was unscared, he laughed, and saidwith a nod to Tommy, -- "If I had time I'd take _you_ along, and show you how to hunt; but thisfat friend of yours couldn't rough it with us, and we can't leave himalone; so go ahead your own way. Only I wouldn't climb any higher, foramong the rocks you are sure to get hurt or lost. " "Oh, I say, let's go! Such fun, Billy! I know you'll like it. A real gunand dog and hunter! Come on, and don't be a molly-coddle, " cried Tommy, wild to go. "I won't! I'm tired, and I'm going home; you can go after your old bearsif you want to. I don't think much of hunting anyway, and wish I hadn'tcome, " growled Billy, very cross at being left out, yet with no desireto scramble any more. "Can't stop. Good-by. Get along home, and some day I'll come and takeyou out with me, little Leatherstocking, " said the man, striding offwith the dear gun and dog and bag, leaving Billy to wonder what he meantby that queer name, and Tommy to console himself with the promise madehim. "Let's go and see how old Chucky gets on, " he said good-naturedly, whenthe man vanished. "Not till I'm rested. I can get a good nap on this pile of hay; thenwe'll go home before it's late, " answered lazy Billy, settling himselfon the rough bed the lumbermen had used. "I just wish I had a boy with some go in him; you ain't much better thana girl, " sighed Tommy, walking off to a pine-tree where some squirrelsseemed to be having a party, they chattered and raced up and down atsuch a rate. He tried his bow and shot all his arrows many times in vain, for thelively creatures gave him no chance. He had better luck with a brownbird who sat in a bush and was hit full in the breast with the sharpestarrow. The poor thing fluttered and fell, and its blood wet the greenleaves as it lay dying on the grass. Tommy was much pleased at first;but as he stood watching its bright eye grow dim and its pretty brownwings stop fluttering, he felt sorry that its happy little life was socruelly ended, and ashamed that his thoughtless fun had given so muchpain. "I'll never shoot another bird except hawks after chickens, and I won'tbrag about this one. It was so tame, and trusted me, I was very mean tokill it. " As he thought this, Tommy smoothed the ruffled feathers of the deadthrush, and, making a little grave under the pine, buried it wrapped ingreen leaves, and left it there where its mate could sing over it, andno rude hands disturb its rest. "I'll tell mamma and she will understand; but I _won't_ tell Billy. Heis such a greedy old chap he'll say I ought to have kept the poor birdto eat, " thought Tommy, as he went back to the hut, and sat there, restringing his bow, till Billy woke up, much more amiable for hissleep. They tried to find the woodchuck, but lost their way, and wandereddeeper into the great forest till they came to a rocky place and couldgo no farther. They climbed up and tumbled down, turned back and wentround, looked at the sun and knew it was late, chewed sassafras barkand checkerberry leaves for supper, and grew more and more worried andtired as hour after hour went by and they saw no end to woods and rocks. Once or twice they heard the hunter's gun far away, and called and triedto find him. Tommy scolded Billy for not going with the man, who knew his way and wasprobably safe in the valley when the last faint shot came up to them. Billy cried, and reproached Tommy for proposing to run away; and bothfelt very homesick for their mothers and their good safe beds at FarmerMullin's. The sun set, and found them in a dreary place full of rocks and blastedtrees half-way up the mountain. They were so tired they could hardlywalk, and longed to lie down anywhere to sleep; but, remembering thehunter's story of the bear, they were afraid to do it, till Tommysuggested climbing a tree, after making a fire at the foot of it toscare away the bear, lest he climb too and get them. But, alas! the matches were left in their first camp; so they decided totake turns to sleep and watch, since it was plain that they must spendthe night there. Billy went up first, and creeping into a good notch ofthe bare tree tried to sleep, while brave Tommy, armed with a bigstick, marched to and fro below. Every few minutes a trembling voicewould call from above, "Is anything coming?" and an anxious voice wouldanswer from below, "Not yet. Hurry up and go to sleep! I want my turn. " At last Billy began to snore, and then Tommy felt so lonely he couldn'tbear it; so he climbed to a lower branch, and sat nodding and trying tokeep watch, till he too fell fast asleep, and the early moon saw thepoor boys roosting there like two little owls. A loud cry, a scrambling overhead, and then a great shaking and howlingwaked Tommy so suddenly that he lost his wits for a moment and did notknow where he was. "The bear! the bear! don't let him get me! Tommy, Tommy, come and makehim let go, " cried Billy, filling the quiet night with dismal howls. Tommy looked up, expecting to behold a large bear eating his unhappyfriend; but the moonlight showed him nothing but poor Billy danglingfrom a bough, high above the ground, caught by his belt when he fell. Hehad been dreaming of bears, and rolled off his perch; so there he hung, kicking and wailing, half awake, and so scared it was long before Tommycould make him believe that he was quite safe. How to get him down was the next question. The branch was not strongenough to bear Tommy, though he climbed up and tried to unhook poorBilly. The belt was firmly twisted at the back, and Billy could notreach to undo it, nor could he get his legs round the branch to pullhimself up. There seemed no way but to unbuckle the belt and drop. Thathe was afraid to try; for the ground was hard, and the fall a high one. Fortunately both belt and buckle were strong; so he hung safely, thoughvery uncomfortably, while Tommy racked his boyish brain to find a way tohelp him. Billy had just declared that he should be cut in two very soon ifsomething was not done for him, and Tommy was in despair, when theythought they heard a far-off shout, and both answered it till theirthroats were nearly split with screaming. "I seem to see a light moving round down that way, " cried Billy from hishook, pointing toward the valley. "They are looking for us, but they won't hear us. I'll run and hollerlouder, and bring 'em up here, " answered Tommy, glad to do anythingthat would put an end to this dreadful state of things. "Don't leave me! I may fall and be killed! The bear might come! Don'tgo! don't go!" wailed Billy, longing to drop, but afraid. "I won't go far, and I'll come back as quick as I can. You are safe upthere. Hold on, and we'll soon get you down, " answered Tommy, rushingaway helter-skelter, never minding where he went, and too much excitedto care for any damage. The moon was bright on the blasted trees; but when he came down amongthe green pines, it grew dark, and he often stumbled and fell. Neverminding bumps and bruises, he scrambled over rocks, leaped fallentrunks, floundered through brooks, and climbed down steep places, till, with a reckless jump, he went heels over head into a deep hole, and laythere for a moment stunned by the fall. It was an old bear-trap, longunused, and fortunately well carpeted with dead leaves, or poor Tommywould have broken his bones. When he came to himself he was so used up that he lay still for sometime in a sort of daze, too tired to know or care about anything, onlydimly conscious that somebody was lost in a tree or a well, and that, on the whole, running away was not all fun. By and by the sound of a gun roused him; and remembering poor Billy, hetried to get out of the pit, --for the moon showed him where he was. Butit was too deep, and he was too stiff with weariness and the fall to bevery nimble. So he shouted, and whistled, and raged about very like alittle bear caught in the pit. It is very difficult to find a lost person on these great mountains, andmany wander for hours not far from help, bewildered by the thick woods, the deep ravines, and precipices which shut them in. Some have losttheir lives; and as Tommy lay on the leaves used up by his variousstruggles, he thought of all the stories he had lately heard at thefarm, and began to wonder how it would feel to starve to death downthere, and to wish poor Billy could come to share his prison, that theymight die together, like the Babes in the Wood, or better still the BoyScouts lost on the prairies in that thrilling story, "Bill Boomerang, the Wild Hunter of the West. " "I guess mother is worried this time, because I never stayed out allnight before, and I never will again without leave. It's rather goodfun, though, if they only find me. I ain't afraid, and it isn't verycold. I always wanted to sleep out, and now I'm doing it. Wish poorBilly was safely down and in this good bed with me. Won't he be scaredall alone there? Maybe the belt will break and he get hurt bumping down. Sorry now I left him, he's such a 'fraid-cat. There's the gun again!Guess it's that man after us. Hi! hollo! Here I am! Whoop! Hurrah! Hi!hi! hi!" Tommy's meditations ended in a series of yells as loud as his shrilllittle voice could make them, and he thought some one answered. But itmust have been an echo, for no one came; and after another rampage roundhis prison, the poor boy nestled down among the leaves, and went fastasleep because there was nothing else to do. So there they were, the two young hunters, lost at midnight on themountain, --one hanging like an apple on the old tree, and the othersound asleep in a bear-pit. Their distracted mothers meantime wereweeping and wringing their hands at the farm, while all the men inthe neighborhood were out looking for the lost boys. The hunter on hisreturn to the hotel had reported meeting the runaways and his effort tosend them home in good season; so people knew where to look, and, ledby the man and dog, up the mountain went Mr. Mullin with his troop. Itwas a mild night, and the moon shone high and clear; so the hunt was, on the whole, rather easy and pleasant at first, and lanterns flashedthrough the dark forest like fireflies, the lonely cliffs seemed alivewith men, and voices echoed in places where usually only the brooksbabbled and the hawks screamed. But as time went on, and no sign of theboys appeared, the men grew anxious, and began to fear some serious harmhad come to the runaways. "I can't go home without them little shavers no way, 'specially Tommy, "said Mr. Mullin, as they stopped to rest after a hard climb through theblasted grove. "He's a boy after my own heart, spry as a chipmunk, smartas a young cockerel, and as full of mischief as a monkey. He ain'tafraid of anything, and I shouldn't be a mite surprised to find himenjoyin' himself first-rate, and as cool as a coocumber. " "The fat boy won't take it so easily, I fancy. If it hadn't been for himI'd have kept the lively fellow with me, and shown him how to hunt. Sorry now I didn't take them both home, " said the man with the gun, seeing his mistake too late, as people often do. "Maybe they've fell down a precipice and got killed, like Moses Warner, when he was lost, " suggested a tall fellow, who had shouted himselfhoarse. "Hush up, and come on! The dog is barkin' yonder, and he may have found'em, " said the farmer, hurrying toward the place where the hound wasbaying at something in a tree. It was poor Billy, hanging there still, half unconscious with wearinessand fear. The belt had slipped up under his arms, so he could breatheeasily; and there he was, looking like a queer sort of cone on theblasted pine. "Wal, I never!" exclaimed the farmer, as the tall lad climbed up, and, unhooking Billy, handed him down like a young bird, into the arms heldup to catch him. "He's all right, only scared out of his wits. Come along and look forthe other one. I'll warrant he went for help, and may be half-way homeby this time, " said the hunter, who didn't take much interest in the fatboy. Tommy's hat lay on the ground; and showing it to the dog, his mastertold him to find the boy. The good hound sniffed about, and then set offwith his nose to the ground, following the zigzag track Tommy had takenin his hurry. The hunter and several of the men went after him, leavingthe farmer with the others to take care of Billy. Presently the dog came to the bear-pit, and began to bark again. "He's got him!" cried the men, much relieved; and rushing on soon sawthe good beast looking down at a little white object in one corner ofthe dark hole. It was Tommy's face in the moonlight, for the rest of him was covered upwith leaves. The little round face seemed very quiet; and for a momentthe men stood quite still, fearing that the fall might have done the boysome harm. Then the hunter leaped down, and gently touched the browncheek. It was warm, and a soft snore from the pug nose made the man callout, much relieved, -- "He's all right. Wake up here, little chap; you are wanted at home. Hadhunting enough for this time?" As he spoke, Tommy opened his eyes, gave a stretch, and said, "Hollo, Billy, " as calmly as if in his own bed at home. Then the rustle of theleaves, the moonlight in his face, and the sight of several men staringdown at him startled him wide awake. "Did you shoot the big bear?" he asked, looking up at the hunter with agrin. "No; but I caught a little one, and here he is, " answered the man, giving Tommy a roll in the leaves, much pleased because he did not whineor make a fuss. "Got lost, didn't we? Oh, I say, where's Billy? I left him up a treelike a coon, and he wouldn't come down, " laughed Tommy, kicking off hisbrown bed-clothes, and quite ready to get up now. They all laughed with him; and presently, when the story was told, theypulled the boy out of the pit, and went back to join the other wanderer, who was now sitting up eating the bread and butter Mrs. Mullin sent fortheir very late supper. The men roared again, as the two boys told their various tribulations;and when they had been refreshed, the party started for home, blowingthe tin horns, and firing shot after shot to let the scattered searchersknow that the lost children were found. Billy was very quiet, and gladlyrode on the various broad backs offered for his use; but Tommy stoutlyrefused to be carried, and with an occasional "boost" over a very roughplace, walked all the way down on his own sturdy legs. He was the heroof the adventure, and was never tired of relating how he caught thewoodchuck, cooked the fish, slid down the big rock, and went to bed inthe old bear-pit. But in his own little mind he resolved to wait till hewas older before he tried to be a hunter; and though he caught severalwoodchucks that summer, he never shot another harmless little bird. [Illustration] * * * * * #The Children's friend Series# [Illustration] Handy Illustrated Volumes by popular authors, including: LOUISA M. ALCOTT, SUSAN COOLIDGE, NORA PERRY, HELEN HUNT JACKSON, LOUISE CHANDLERMOULTON, JULIANA H. EWING, LAURA E. RICHARDS, A. G. PLYMPTON, etc. Choicely printed and attractively bound in cloth, with gold and inkstamp on side. Issued at the popular price of 50 cents per volume. NEW ISSUES. MAY BARTLETT'S STEPMOTHER. By NORA PERRY, author of "Another Flock of Girls, " "Hope Benham, " etc. TWO DOGS AND A DONKEY. By A. G. PLYMPTON, author of "Dear Daughter Dorothy, " etc. MARY'S MEADOW. By JULIANA H. EWING, author of "Jackanapes, " etc. BOOK OF HEROIC BALLADS. Selected by MARY W. TILESTON, author of "Daily Strength for Daily Needs. " GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY. 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