The Girl Scouts at Rocky Ledge Part 18

But a shout of Jerry's interrupted the most interesting clause.

CHAPTER XIII

CRAWLING IN THE SHADOWS

"You jump in the car and wait a few minutes," said Ted to Nora.

It was almost dusk and the moving picture party was about to set out for Lenox in the trim little car which, Ted insisted, was tamed, educated and "fed from her hand" when it went out of gas.

Nora willingly complied with the order to take her seat and wait. Dark shadows fell from the trees to the narrow roadway, and while alone there Nora was just wondering if everything was going to happen in one single day.

Cousins Jerry and Ted had many things to look after before setting out, for while Vita was a capable houseworker, she knew nothing of home management. Some minutes pa.s.sed and the others had not yet come to the car where Nora sat so quietly that the squirrels had no idea a single human being was in the black car. One gay little furred skipper had the audacity to hop on the running board, but Nora from the depths of her cushions, never stirred.

A rustling of the leaves, much heavier than the tread of squirrels could possibly have been, gave her a start. She just peeked out in time to see something crawl across the road and continue on toward the path to the cottage.

"Oh, what was that!" Nora barely whispered. Then she raised her head and gazed intently at the crawling thing, that now was not more than an outline in the coming darkness.

For the moment she was too surprised to jump out and follow. Could it be a bear or some big animal? Certainly it was no small woodland creature, and as it pa.s.sed the car she could hear queer, jerky breathing.

Being so near the house there was no need for alarm as to her personal safety, so she did jump out now and ran to meet Ted and Jerry who were just turning in from the barn drive.

"Oh," Nora exclaimed breathlessly. "Did you see--anything?"

"Anything?" repeated Jerry.

"I mean did you see--anything queer?"

"Why no," replied Ted. "But Nora, you look as if you had."

"I did, really. Something stole out of the bushes and crept across the path, toward the kitchen." Nora was still short of breath from her fright.

"Now Bobbs! You don't mean to say that some wild, roaring lion----"

But Nora interrupted Jerry. "Honestly Cousin Jerry," she declared, "I did see something, and we can't go out and leave Vita alone until we find out what it was."

"Bravo! Spoken like a Scout!" sang out the irrepressible Jerry. "Now let's all have a look."

"Over there," directed Nora, and while neither Mr. nor Mrs. Manton appeared to take the matter seriously, they did, never-the-less, follow Nora's directions and quietly prowl along the path.

"There," exclaimed Nora. "I saw it again!"

"I thought I saw something scamper off myself," admitted Ted. "What do you suppose it can be?" She stepped out squarely in the driveway and stood watching.

"Give me a look and I'll announce," said Jerry, his cap in one hand and a great stick, more like a tree limb he had hastily s.n.a.t.c.hed up, in the other. He was going to have some fun out of it, at any rate. He never could miss a chance like this.

Thrashing down the bushes from the drive to the garden path took but a few moments, then they were within sight of the door.

"What's the matter?" called out Vita. "You find big snake?"

"No, we're looking for it," answered Jerry. "Did he come your way?"

"I no see, not any," said Vita fully. She never depended upon the scant Englishothers were apt to employ. While speaking she kept moving from one spot on the path to another, and her actions seemed so absurd Ted questioned the maid again.

"Now Vita, you know perfectly well you have seen something," she insisted. "And we are not going away until we find out what is around here. Just look at Cap sniffing! He knows," continued Mrs. Manton, moving up nearer to Vita and closer to the house.

"Nothing a-tall. Everything all right--good," persisted Vita backing to the doorway.

"Say Vi," called Jerry in his cheeriest voice, "who's your friend? Are you trying to hide him behind your skirts? I told you, Ted, she should wear a uniform."

"Oh, Jerry, do stop your nonsense," begged Ted. "We shall be late for the pictures. Just run in and look around the house. Of course everything is all right, but we don't want Nora worrying while we're away and Vita's alone."

Nora had been looking sharply from one dark spot to another but no further disturbance appeared.

"Nothing could get into the house with Vita right at the door," she reasoned aloud. "I suppose it was just something from the woods. Maybe one of those 'possums you told me about, Cousin Jerry."

"Maybe, and again maybe not," he answered. "But just wait until I shake this stick over the premises. Vita will feel a lot safer when I wave the wand of warning over the place," and he entered the house with Vita so close to his heels that both Nora and Mrs. Manton looked surprised.

"Queer, how she acts," admitted Mrs. Manton. "I just wonder---- But of course she is only hurrying to get us off. She knows we will miss the first show if we do not get away at once."

Jerry was soon out, stick in hand, and a broad grin on his handsome face.

"Nary a thing," he announced. "Nora, I am afraid your scouting has gone to your head. That, or you are seeing things."

Before Nora might have replied Ted insisted they hurry off or give up the trip to Lenox, entirely.

"I'm ready," Nora said, instead of commenting on the moving shadow. "I shouldn't like to miss that picture."

"All aboard!" sang out Jerry, and when the little car shot out of the woods into the splendid turnpike--the pride of all motorists for many miles around--Vita might have entertained her mysterious visitor (if she really had one) to her heart's content, for all of the party bound cityward.

Since her arrival at Woodlands Nora had little chance for auto rides, there were so many more interesting things to do, so that the short trip to Lenox now seemed something of a luxury.

But the evening's entertainment was even more delightful. The attractive little theatre was so prettily made up with colored paper flowers over the lights, with breezy electric fans and such simple contrivances as, in the larger city, Nora had not seen, it all appeared new, novel and attractive. It was quaint and cosy, and such an effect was ever delightful to the fanciful daughter of a woman who called herself Nannie instead of mother.

All about them people greeted the Mantons, and it was plain they were held in high esteem by many, farmers as well as more cultured folks, plain or dressed up--all had a pleasant word or a cordial greeting for the government surveyor and his attractive wife.

Nora wondered if the Girl Scouts ever came in to see the pictures, but Ted expressed the opinion that when they did come they came in a crowd and made a regular party of the occasion.

"But they have so many pleasures of their own for evenings," she told Nora, "I shouldn't fancy they would want to come under an ordinary roof often during the summer months."

After the big picture with all its wizard scenes had been enjoyed, they started back towards Wildwoods. It was then that the fear of that crawling thing again crowded down on Nora and caused her to shiver until she actually shook.

"Too cool?" inquired Ted, unfolding a soft knitted scarf from her end of the seat.

"No, just shivery," truthfully answered the imaginative Nora.