Part 13

"Didn't you get home until after seven?" Mrs. Le Bras asked the boys, as she began to pour out the coffee.

"No, ma'am," replied Johnny, looking curiously at his father: "we didn't get into the house until this morning. We got caught in the rain."

"And so we lodged away from home," added Felix, who could not wait for Johnny to tell it all himself; "but, as it happened, we didn't have to pay any thing for lodging."

"Why!" said Mrs. Le Bras, looking at her husband with some surprise: "why didn't you tell me the boys were staying away from home?"

"As I could not tell you exactly where they were staying, my dear,--although I supposed, that, having got caught in the rain, they were safe with some good family hereabouts,--I thought it best not to tell you until this morning, for fear you would be anxious, and worry about them."

"I presume I should, and you were very kind; although generally I think I should prefer to know, in such a case. But how did it happen, boys, that you were belated, and so did not get home before it rained hard? I am sure I heard Johnny's father tell him to be back by seven. And where did you stay all night? Just to think of it! Why, Johnny was never away from both me and his father for a night before! Yes, I should have been very nervous if I had known it!"

"You had better begin at the beginning, boys," remarked Mr. Le Bras, "and then, by the time you have finished the account, you will have answered all your mother's questions. Let Felix begin first; and when he has got as far as the lighthouse, Johnny may take up the narrative, and complete it."

"What do you know about the lighthouse?" asked Felix.

"Never mind, my boy: tell your story first."

Felix began, and gave the narration with tolerable accuracy. When he came to Johnny's asking him what time it was, Mr. Le Bras said,--

"Was your watch right, Felix?"

"I didn't know whether it was right then, or not; but it couldn't have been right, we found out afterwards."

"You supposed it to be right, then?"

"Why, I knew, as soon as I took it out, that it had stopped; but I couldn't tell for sure but what it had stopped just about that time. I didn't tell Johnny it had stopped; because he didn't ask me what time it was, but what time it was by my watch; and so I really told him what time it was by my watch, and then I wound it up. I didn't tell a lie anyway, you see; and I didn't know but what the watch had just stopped, and so it was the right time."

"I think we must have a little talk together, by and by, about the watch business, Felix," said Mr. Le Bras rather gravely. "But go on now with your account."

When Felix got as far as their knocking at the lighthouse door, the story was turned over to Johnny, who gave a very interesting account, to begin with, of their visit with Ruth.

"I must get acquainted with Ruth, just as soon as ever I can!" exclaimed Sue; "and I want to see the blue dress. That will be two girls,--Julia and Ruth; and it will be a nice ride to the lighthouse for Julia and me, in the dog-cart."

When Johnny came to their wandering about in the storm on foot, having lost the road, and being so drenched and despairing, Mrs. Le Bras exclaimed,--

"Why, this is perfectly dreadful! My dear, how could you rest easy with these boys away from home? If you had told me, I should have insisted upon some one being sent to look for them. They might have taken their death-cold. Are you certain, boys, that you feel quite well? I am not sure but you ought to be put to bed this minute, with hot drinks, and wrapped in blankets."

The boys laughed at this: they said they never felt better in their lives.

"I think it will not, apparently, endanger their lives to finish the account before going to bed; as I judge that Johnny is nearly through now," replied Mr. Le Bras, smiling.

"Well," continued Johnny, "we were feeling about, trying to find the road again, when I knocked my head against something. I felt of it, and found it was some sort of a building. We both examined it with our hands, and concluded it was a barn; as it was smooth, and didn't have any windows as far as we could reach. We felt our way around to the other side, and came to a door which we managed to open. We went in, and pulled the door together, to keep out the rain, and felt our way around for the hay-mow. We couldn't find any mow, but we came across a lot of nice clean straw on the floor; and we lay down in it, and covered ourselves up with it, and, after talking a while, we fell asleep."

"You said your prayers first, didn't you?" said Sue.

"Why, no!" replied Johnny, as if the omission had just occurred to him; "I don't believe I did; I guess we were so excited that we forgot to say our prayers. We didn't say them, did we, Felix?"

"No. Let's see: one of the last things I said was to remind you of what you said, one day, about there couldn't be any fire, unless the carbon and hydrogen had oxygen to combine with it, and I asked you how it happened, then, that the men at the quarry rammed the powder down in a hole, with a lot of stuff jammed on the top of it, as if they were trying to keep the air out on purpose."

"Oh, yes!" said Johnny; "and then I said that was what they were trying to do; because there was a lot of oxygen in the saltpetre that was in the powder, which furnished a plenty to unite with the sulphur and charcoal, and then, when they began to unite, all in an instant, because every thing was all mixed just right, there'd got to be ever so much more room for the expansion of the gas, and that forced the rock apart."

"Yes," added Felix; "and then I said, 'Oh! that's it. I'm glad you can tell a fellow every thing he wants to know, except how to find his way home on a dark night.' And that's the last we said."

"So Johnny says his prayers to be kept safe when he's all nice at home, and when he's lost way off somewhere, he forgets all about them," remarked Sue, as she buttered her roll.

"But we got along all right, just the same," said Felix.

"Probably that's because some of the prayers you said before had enough about being kept safe to last over one night," explained Sue.

"I protest against this digression!" exclaimed Pierre. "Here's Johnny come to the most interesting part of his story, and then he leaves off just at the critical part, just like the sensational papers."

"That was what I was going to say. I will talk with Johnny about forgetting his prayer, to-night," said Mrs. Le Bras. "And now go on, my son."

"I am very curious to know what barn they slept in," remarked Mr. Le Bras.

"So am I," said Kate, who having come in with some hot rolls, when Felix began the story, had been standing spell-bound ever since, with her salver in her hand.

"I believe Felix said he awoke once in the night," continued Johnny, "and saw someone with a light, putting up a horse; but I didn't wake up until morning."

"I didn't see the man nor the horse," explained Felix; "but I saw a light, and heard a horse stepping about; and then I saw the light vanish, and heard the man fasten a door. I don't think I had been asleep long then, for I felt pretty wet and a little cold; and I pulled some more straw up over me."

"Go on, Johnny," said Mr. Le Bras.

"When I awoke in the morning, I was pretty well surprised to find we were in our own barn. I woke Felix up, and we had a good laugh. Then we went out, and found that the reason we couldn't find the road was because we had come to where it turned into another road running down towards the cottages, and the stone wall had ended there. We had left our bicycles in a kind of marshy place, by the side of the road, full of tall reeds: we could hardly find them, they were so covered up with the reeds."

"That is the reason we did not see them, Pierre," remarked Mr. Le Bras.

"We rolled our bicycles back to the barn, and put them up, and then came into the house. Mary and Kate had just come down to get breakfast; and Mary said father and Pierre were afraid we were lost, and Oliver had gone to look us up, but we needn't say any thing to mother and Sue, as they didn't know any thing about it. I told Mary and Kate to let father and Pierre know we had come home; and then Felix and I went to our rooms to change our clothes. They were all dry, but they looked pretty well tumbled and muddy; and we needed a good washing ourselves. Before we were ready, Oliver came up, and said my father and Pierre were in a great fright, and had gone down to the cottages to inquire for us. We told him to hurry off, and let them know we were all right. After he had been gone a little while, the breakfast-bell rang, and we came down."

"Oliver missed your father and Pierre," said Kate; "for he went down on the back road, while they were coming up on the shell road. And he and Mary are in a great state to hear how it all happened; so, now I know, I'll go to the kitchen and tell them."

By this time, breakfast was finished; and Mrs. Le Bras was still anxious, for fear the boys would take cold from their exposure.

"Go to your rooms, boys, and go to bed," said Mr. Le Bras, "and let Mrs. Le Bras roast and dose you, and rub you down with alcohol, to her heart's content. That will be a salutary as well as a sanitary punishment, to begin with. Since Johnny don't seem to have been much to blame, except in yielding his judgment that a place situated on the right could not, in the nature of things, be found by taking a road which turned to the left, I think a morning's imprisonment in bed will suffice for him. But as for you, Felix, since you were somewhat unfair, and considerably reckless, you will have to pay another penalty, I think. Young people under my care and instruction have to pay penalties for any serious fault of demeanor or judgment. But we will have that talk together this afternoon, and adjust the matter."

The boys laughingly protested against being sent to bed, but neither Mr. nor Mrs. Le Bras would let them off. They went up to their rooms still laughing and protesting, Johnny mildly, and Felix quite vociferously, holding his sides with laughter; while Mrs. Le Bras went to the kitchen to prepare the hot drinks. As for Sue, as soon as she was released from the table, she had run over to tell the whole story to Julia.

Mr. Le Bras went out, and sat down in the veranda, accompanied by Pierre.

"This beats all!" he said. "I wouldn't have had such a fright for a hundred dollars! But there's one thing to be thankful for,--my wife escaped it: if she had known beforehand, it would have made her down sick. Yes! let the boys go to bed! There they are, laughing still, the scamps! and never will know, until they have children of their own, what I have suffered since eight o'clock last night!"

"It's the greatest cheat of a time I ever heard of," said Pierre, sitting down on the steps, and beginning to laugh as only those can whose laughter has been long pent up. "I didn't want to let the boys know I thought it was amusing, they were so inclined to treat it lightly themselves: but, ha, ha, ha!--to think of all the racing and talking and surmising, and scouring the country, and dead boys in ponds, and those youngsters all the time reposing peacefully right out here in the barn! Ha, ha, ha! ho, ho, ho!"

Pierre then told Mr. Le Bras of his dreadful surmise about the pond by the lighthouse.

"I am thankful I was spared the knowledge of there being a pond about here!" replied Mr. Le Bras fervently.

"You see, why they didn't see the house was because Mary had put all the lamps she could muster on the west side to help guide me on my way back from the Point," said Pierre. "So they must have gone into the barn while I was off up that way; for, after that, there were lights in the kitchen, which they couldn't help but have seen."

*CHAPTER XI.*

*GOING FOR RUTH.*

The penalty, added to the morning's imprisonment; for Felix was that he should read to Pierre an hour after breakfast every morning, he having nothing to say as to what he should read, but Pierre making all the selections. Felix tried to get the sentence commuted to half an hour, but his uncle was inexorable: he said the prevarication about the time was a very serious matter, and besides that, as the evening readings had been given up for the summer on account of the unpleasantness of having lamps lighted during the warm weather, Felix would lose all the progress he had made in reading, if he did not practise regularly for some time to come. As Pierre began by selecting easy and interesting stories, however; Felix found, on trial, that he rather enjoyed his daily penalty than otherwise. The readings were carried on in Felix's room, where there was nothing to divert his attention.

Sue was very anxious to go over in the dog-cart to see Ruth. Julia had promised to accompany her. Julia had been to the lighthouse in her father's carriage quite often with friends from the city, and she was to show Sue the way around by the village, which, although the longer way, was much the pleasanter and smoother road; since, for some time before reaching the lighthouse, it was within view of the ocean and of the surf, which dashed high upon the shore. Mrs. Le Bras said, if the next Thursday were pleasant, Sue might go over to the lighthouse in the morning, and she should like very much to have her bring Ruth home to dinner, if her uncle and aunt were willing. Mrs. Le Bras also said, that, if Ruth could stay until toward night, she would carry her back herself in the carriage, as she would like to see the lighthouse and the ocean-side herself.

Thursday proved to be a very pleasant day, much to Sue's delight; and Oliver harnessed the pony into the dog-cart immediately after breakfast. Felix and Johnny had planned to accompany the girls on their bicycles, and Felix was rather vexed when he found they were going before his hour with Pierre was over. He went to his uncle, and tried to get off for that morning; but Mr. Le Bras said it was a bad plan to make any break in what ought to be a regular custom, unless it were either very advisable or absolutely necessary, neither of which was the case in this instance. Felix then tried to get the girls to change their plans; but they argued, that, if they waited, it would bring them back in the heat of the day, which both Mrs. Le Bras and Julia's mother wished them to avoid. As a last resource, Felix asked Johnny not to go until his hour was up. Johnny would have assented to this good-naturedly, although he rather wanted to go with the girls, but Julia opposed it strongly: she said she wanted Johnny to go with them very much; and she added, naughtily, to Sue, and so loudly that Felix could hear her, "I think it will be nicer to have Johnny alone than to have Felix too. Felix will be with us when we come home, and that is enough."

Felix's face grew very red. "You are the most disagreeable girl I ever knew, Julia Peterson!" he said. "I won't go with you, either going or coming; and I am not sure I will come over to the lighthouse while you are there!"

Oliver had just brought the dog-cart around to the door. The girls and Johnny were on the veranda. Felix had been standing in the door on his way up to Pierre's room; but he now ran up-stairs noisily, shouting back, "Go along with her, Johnny, if you want to! Perhaps I sha'n't come to the lighthouse at all!"

The girls got into the cart. Julia was laughing; and Sue said, "Felix isn't used to being snubbed, Julia, and I'm awful sorry for him. If I were you, Johnny, I'd wait for him."

"But I don't believe he'll come at all, now," replied Johnny, looking wistfully at his bicycle, which was leaning against the veranda. It was such a fresh, pleasant morning, and he liked Julia very much; although he was sorry she had spoken so to Felix.

"It won't hurt Felix a mite to be snubbed; it's my opinion it is just what he needs: you ought to have seen how he teased me last year, and I always meant to pay him off, if I could get a good chance; besides, he's too conceited for any thing," continued Julia.

"I can't help it, anyway," said Sue resignedly, as she gathered up the reins. "I suppose you might as well come, Johnny; for I shouldn't wonder if Felix would be cross all day, and make it unpleasant for you if you stay at home to please him."

Johnny hesitated.

"I'll tell you what I'll do," he said: "I'll ride over with you, and, if we go pretty fast, I shall have time to come back again, and see if Felix is ready to go over."

"If you must try to be so awful obliging, when he wouldn't think of putting himself out that way for you," replied Julia.

Felix had stopped in the upper hall, and looked out of the window over the front-door. As the window was open, although the blinds were closed, he heard every word of the conversation, and was angrier than ever.

"Where are you, Felix?" called out Pierre. "You are fifteen minutes behind time. Come! I shall have to report you if this occurs again."

Felix went into Pierre's room, and took up his book with a jerk. "I hate girls!" he said, "especially that conceited, mean Julia Peterson!"

The dog-cart moved off briskly along the shell road, with Johnny on his bicycle by its side. Johnny was wishing heartily that Felix was with them, and every thing pleasant as usual; but as he could not help it, he tried to enjoy himself, which was not at all difficult.

When they came to the long row of cottages, some boys were out on the pier fishing.

"What are you catching?" called out Johnny.

"Scup!" shouted back one of the boys.

"Having good luck?" returned Johnny.

"Catch 'em by the pailful," replied another boy.

Johnny then noticed several pails and baskets by the side of the boys, and that there were also some strings of fish in sight. He said he would go and see the scup, and then rejoin the girls.

"Scup are of no consequence," said Julia; "you can catch them as easy as nothing; and after you have caught them, they are not worth cooking, if you can get any other fish, because they are so full of bones."

Johnny rode down on the pier, however, and looked at the scup. "They are very handsome little fish," he said. "Do you cook all you catch?"

"Oh!" replied one of the boys, "sometimes we cook them, and sometimes we throw them back into the water: I've thrown back almost all I've caught this morning, because we've got plenty of better fish at home."

"My mother likes them, if they are bony, because they are so sweet," said another boy: "we fry them real crisp, and we like them."

"I don't think it is right to catch them, unless you can make some use of them," remarked Johnny. "I think I will come down and catch a few to-morrow, just to try them."

"Say!" remarked the boy who had said he threw back his fish: "where's Felix Le Bras? You live up at his cottage, don't you?"

"Yes: I am his cousin. But he is staying at home this morning: at least, he is at home now."

Johnny then hurried back to catch up with the dog-cart.

"Did you know who that boy was you were talking with?" inquired Julia.

"Which? The one in a sailor-suit?"

"Yes."

"No."

"That's Jack, the boy who threw stones at my kitten."

"At his kitten, you mean," said Sue.

"Why, the kitten that's mine now: a kitten belongs to the folks who can be kind to it."

This peculiar law regarding the ownership of kittens was new to Sue. She thought she would ask her father about it, but she made no reply to Julia.

"Oh! that's Jack, is it?" said Johnny. "I might almost have known it, by his saying he caught the fish just for the fun of it, and then threw them back into the water."

"That isn't so bad as about the kitten," replied Sue; "for, if I were a fish, I would rather be thrown back in the water, than fried in a spider."

"But it isn't right," said Johnny; and then he rode on a little ahead, to escape arguing the matter further with Sue, who was apt to get the best of him sometimes, even when she was on the wrong side.

After reaching the village, they crossed through it, according to Julia's directions, and came out into a country road bordered at intervals with farmhouses. Shortly they came in view of the ocean, and soon in full view of the surf. The road wound gradually nearer and nearer the shore, until they were almost at the lighthouse, and was separated from the white-sanded beach only by a narrow strip of land covered with the tall, rank grass which grew along the shore. A fresh wind was blowing from the sea, and the surf washed the rocks at the base of the lighthouse. The side of the keeper's house was almost upon the street; indeed, it was at a corner; as the road upon which Felix and Johnny had reached it was in front, running down to the shore.

"I wish there were lines here," remarked Johnny, "so we could come over and bathe in the surf. Oliver says there is such an undertow here, it would be unsafe without lines."

A little way up the road which led past the woods, and on the opposite side from the woods, a man was at work in a large vegetable garden which bordered a cornfield.

"There is Mr. Shepard," said Julia: "he is the lighthouse keeper. Shall we go and see him, and ask if we can go up in the lighthouse? Or shall we call at the house first, and ask to see Ruth?"

"Let's see Ruth first," replied Sue, "'cause that's what we came for; and we want to give our invitation to dinner, so she will have time to get ready while we are in the lighthouse."

"I don't believe we had better ask to see the lighthouse, until we come with some grown persons," said Johnny: "perhaps they won't want to take that trouble for all the children who come over."

"But we aren't all the children," replied Julia.

"We haven't any better right to ask than any other children have; and so, if they let us go, they might have to let others, or have them bother by asking," returned Johnny.

"Very well, if you and Sue don't care: I've been up there so many times, I don't care about climbing up again; and you can't see any thing when you get up there, because it's all full of the lamp."

Johnny laughed at this. "Why, the lamp is just what I should go to see. I've studied about that kind of lamp, and I want to see one very much: I want to notice the way the glass is formed and arranged to collect and refract the rays, so as to make the most of them in sending the light out to sea. But I think I would rather go up with Pierre or my father, who can help me understand it better; and besides, if there is some grown person with me, I can stay longer, and Mr. Shepard will take more pains to tell all he knows about it. Nobody takes pains to explain things to boys."

"There is a good enough reason for that," said Julia: "how much would such a boy as Felix or Jack listen to explanations? I think you are a kind of a man, Johnny: you only look like a boy. And you don't look so very much like a boy when you have your glasses on. I think I shall call you Professor, as Sue and Felix do."

"It's great if a boy must be called a man and a professor just because he likes to understand about matters! But you just wait till I'm as tall as my father, and wear a stove-pipe: then see if you don't notice a difference."

Julia and Sue laughed at this dignified picture of Johnny as a man. By that time they had turned into the other road, and stopped in front of the keeper's house.

"The house is built right on to the lighthouse, and is of the very same kind of stone," remarked Sue.

"Yes," replied Johnny; "and they can go up in the lighthouse, Oliver says, without coming outside; although there is a door, you see, in the outside. I wonder what that building off the other side of the lighthouse is for?"

"That's the place where the steam fog-whistle is," replied Julia. "I was over here in a fog with my father once, and you never heard such a noise as it made."