Ruth Fielding Down in Dixie Part 12

"You're the greatest girl," groaned Helen. "You might return good for evil for a year with this person and it would do no good."

"It always does good," responded Ruth. "Unc' Simmy!"

"To whom, I'd like to know?" demanded Helen.

"To _me_," snapped Ruth, and this time when she raised her voice she made the old darkey hear.

"Ya-as'm! ya-as'm!" he cried, turning and pulling the old horse down to a welcome walk.

"Let that lady get in here, Unc' Simmy. We'll take her to the hotel."

"Sho' nuff! Sartainly," agreed the coachman, and with a flourish he stopped beside the woman who was fairly wading through a muddy river.

The rain was coming down harder again. It did not thunder and lightning much, but the rainfall was fairly appalling to these visitors from the North.

"Do get in, quick!" cried Ruth, opening the low door and peering out from the semi-gloom of the hood.

The school teacher from New England understood instantly what the invitation meant. She plunged toward the carriage and was half inside before she saw who had rescued her from the deluge.

"Get in! get in!" urged Ruth. "Unc' Simmy will take us right to the hotel."

Miss Miggs fairly snorted. "What! you? I wouldn't ride with you in this carriage if we were in the middle of the Atlantic!"

She backed out and stepped right into a puddle of water as deep as her ankles! The excited scream she gave made Helen burst into suppressed laughter. Hearing the girl, the woman glared at her in a way that excited the laughter of the careless Helen to an even greater height.

"Oh, drive on! drive on!" she gasped. "Let her swim if she wants to."

But Unc' Simmy would not do this unless Ruth said so. He looked down at the half submerged school teacher from his seat and exclaimed:

"Wal, now! das one foolish woman, das sho' is! Why don' she git under kiver when she's 'vited t' do so?"

Just then a new actor appeared on the scene. A big umbrella came into view and its bearer crossed the road, splashing through the acc.u.mulated water without regard to the wetting of his own feet and legs.

He gave the half-submerged woman a hand and drew her out to the side of the road, and upon a comparatively dry spot. He had some difficulty with the umbrella just then and raised it high enough for the two girls in the carriage to see his face.

"Oh, Ruthie, look there!" whispered Helen, as the horse started forward.

"See who it is!"

"It's Curly-it's surely Curly Smith," muttered Ruth.

"That's what I tell you," whispered Helen, fiercely. "And now we can't speak to him."

"Not with that Miss Miggs in the way. She is mean enough to tell the police who he is."

"Never mind," cried Helen, exultantly, "he got ash.o.r.e from the fishing boat."

"But I wonder if he has any money left-and what he will do now. The police may still be looking for him."

"Oh, a boy as smart as he is would _never_ get caught by the police,"

declared Helen, in delight. "I only wish I could speak to him and tell him how glad I am he escaped arrest."

"You're an awful-talking girl," sighed Ruth, as the old horse jogged on.

"I wish I could get him to go back to his grandmother-and go back to show the people up there that he is innocent."

"That does all very well to talk about, Ruth Fielding!" cried Helen.

"But suppose he can't _prove_ himself innocent? Do you want the poor boy to go to jail and stay there the rest of his life?"

CHAPTER IX-SUNSHINE AT THE GATEHOUSE

The shower was over when Unc' Simmy stopped before the hotel veranda.

The two girls were rather bedraggled in appearance; but what would Miss Miggs look like when _she_ arrived!

"I hope we won't see that mean thing any more," Helen declared. "She is our Nemesis, I do believe."

"Don't let her worry you. She surely punished herself this time," said Ruth, getting down. "Good-bye Unc' Simmy. Come for us again to-morrow-only I hope it won't rain."

"Ya-as'm! ya-as'm! T'ankee ma'am!" responded the darkey, and when Helen had likewise alighted, he rattled away.

"Goodness!" laughed Helen. "Are you so much in love with that old outfit that you want to ride in it again, Ruthie Fielding?"

"I want to see Miss Catalpa again-don't you?" returned her chum. "And I would not go to the gatehouse with anybody but Unc' Simmy. It would be impudent to do so."

"Oh-yes! that's so," admitted Helen. "Come on to luncheon. I have Heavy Stone's appet.i.te, right now!"

"If so, what will poor Heavy do?" asked Ruth, smiling. "This must be about the time she wishes to exercise her own appet.i.te at Lighthouse Point. Would you deprive her, my dear, of any gastronomic pleasure?"

"Woo-o-o!" blew Helen, making a noise like a whistle. "All ash.o.r.e that's going ash.o.r.e! What big words you do use, Ruth. At any rate, let us partake of the eatables supplied by this hostlery. Come on!"

But they went up to their rooms first to "prink and putter" as Tom always called it.

"Dear old Tom!" sighed his twin. "How I miss him. And what fun we'd have if he were along. Sorry Nettie's Aunt Rachel doesn't like boys enough to have made up a mixed party."

"You're the only 'mixed' party I see around here," laughed Ruth. "But I wish Tom _were_ here. He'd know just how to get at Curly Smith and do something for him."

"That's right! I wish he were here," sighed Helen.

"Never mind," laughed Ruth. "Don't let it take away that famous appet.i.te you just claimed to have. Come on."

The girls went down and ventured into one of the dining rooms. A smiling colored waiter-"at so much per smile," as Ruth whispered-welcomed them at the door and seated them at rather a large table. This had been selected for them because their party would soon be augmented.

And this, in fact, happened before night. The girls were lolling in content and happiness upon the veranda when the train came in bringing among other pa.s.sengers Mrs. Parsons and Nettie.

Mrs. Parsons was a dark-haired and olive-skinned lady, who had been a famous beauty in her youth, and a belle in her part of South Carolina.

Rachel Merredith had been quite famous, indeed, in several social centers, and she was well known in Washington and Richmond, as well as in the more Southern cities.