The Little Colonel's Hero Page 3

  CHAPTER II.

  THE WONDER-BALL BEGINS TO UNWIND

  Lloyd's wonder-ball began to unroll the morning that her father took herto town to choose her own steamer trunk, and some of the things that wereto go in it. She packed and unpacked it many times in the two weeks thatfollowed, although she knew that Mom Beck would do the final packing, andprobably take out half the things which she insisted upon crowding intoit.

  Every morning it was a fresh delight to waken and find it standing by herdressing-table, reminding her of the journey they would soon begintogether, and, when the journey was actually begun, she settled back inher seat with a happy sigh.

  "Now, I'll commence to count my packages as they fall out," she said. "Ithink I ought to count what I see from the car windows as one, for I enjoylooking out at the different places we pass moah than I evah enjoyed mybiggest pictuah books."

  "Then count this number two," said her father, putting a flat, squareparcel in her lap. Lloyd looked puzzled as she opened it. There was only ablank book inside, bound in Russia leather, with the word "Record" stampedon it in gilt.

  "I thought it would be a good idea to keep a partnership diary," he said."We can take turns in writing in it, and some day, when you are grown, andyour mother and I are old and gray, it will help us to remember much ofthe journey that otherwise might pass out of our memories. So many thingshappen when one is travelling, that they are apt to crowd each other outof mind unless a record is kept of them."

  "We'll begin as soon as we get on the ship," said Lloyd. "Mothah shallwrite first, then you, and then I. And let's put photographs in it, too,as Mrs. Walton did in hers. It will be like writing a real book. Packagenumbah two is lovely, Papa Jack."

  It happened that Mr. Sherman was the only one who made an entry in therecord for more than a week. Mrs. Sherman felt the motion of the vesseltoo much to be able to do more than lie out on deck in her steamer-chair.The Little Colonel, while she was not at all seasick, was afraid toattempt writing until she reached land.

  "The table jiggles so!" she complained, when she sat down at a desk in theship's library. "I'm afraid that I'll spoil the page. You write it, PapaJack." She put back the pen, and stood at his elbow while he wrote.

  "Put down about all the steamah lettahs that we got," she suggested, "andthe little Japanese stove Allison Walton sent me for my muff, and thebooks Rob sent. Oh, yes! And the captain's name and how long the ship is,and how many tons of things to eat they have on board. Mom Beck won'tbelieve me when I tell her, unless I can show it to her in black andwhite."

  After they had explored the vessel together, her father was ready tosettle down in his deck-chair in a sheltered corner, and read aloud orsleep. But the Little Colonel grew tired of being wrapped like a mummy inher steamer rug. She did not care to read long at a time, and she grewtired of looking at nothing but water. Soon she began walking up and downthe deck, looking for something to entertain her. In one place some littlegirls were busy with scissors and paint-boxes, making paper dolls. Fartheralong two boys were playing checkers, and, under the stairs, a group ofchildren, gathered around their governess, were listening to a fairy tale.Lloyd longed to join them, for she fairly ached for some amusement. Shepaused an instant, with her hand on the rail, as she heard one sentence:"And the white prince, clasping the crystal ball, waved his plumed cap tothe gnome, and vanished."

  Wondering what the story was about, Lloyd walked around to the other sideof the deck, only to find another long uninteresting row of sleepy figuresstretched out in steamer-chairs, and half hidden in rugs and cloaks. Sheturned to go back, but paused as she caught sight of a girl, about her ownage, standing against the deck railing, looking over into the sea. She wasnot a pretty girl. Her face was too dark and thin, according to Lloyd'sstandard of beauty, and her mouth looked as if it were used to sayingdisagreeable things.

  But Lloyd thought her interesting, and admired the scarlet jacket shewore, with its gilt braid and buttons, and the scarlet cap that made herlong plaits of hair look black as a crow's wing by contrast. Her hair waspretty, and hung far below her waist, tied at the end with two bows ofscarlet ribbon.

  The girl glanced up as Lloyd passed, and although there was a cool starein her queer black eyes, Lloyd found herself greatly interested. Shewanted to make the stranger's acquaintance, and passed back and forthseveral times, to steal another side glance at her. As she turned for thethird time to retrace her steps, she was nearly knocked off her feet bytwo noisy boys, who bumped against her. They were playing horse, to theannoyance of all the passengers on deck, stepping on people's toes,knocking over chairs, and stumbling against the stewards who were hurryingalong with their heavy trays of beef tea and lemonade.

  Lloyd had seen the boys several times before. They were little fellows ofsix and nine, with unusually thin legs and shrill voices, and were alwayseating.

  Every time a deck steward passed, they grabbed a share of whatever hecarried. They seemed to have discovered some secret passage to the ship'ssupplies. Their blouses were pouched out all around with the store ofgingersnaps, nuts, and apples which they had managed to stow away as areserve fund. Lloyd had seen the larger boy draw out six bananas, oneafter another, from his blouse, and then squirm and wriggle and almoststand on his head to reach the seventh, which had slipped around to hisback while he was eating the others. They were munching raisins now, asthey ran.

  After their collision with Lloyd they stopped running, and suddenly begancalling, "Here, Fido! Here, Fido!" Lloyd looked around eagerly, expectingto see some pet dog, and wishing that she had one of the many pet animalsleft behind at Locust, to amuse her now. But no dog was in sight. The girlin the scarlet jacket turned around with an angry scowl.

  "Stop calling me that, Howl Sattawhite!" she exclaimed, crossly. "I'lltell mamma. You know what she said she'd do to you if you called meanything but Fidelia."

  "And you know what she said she'd do to you if you kept calling me Howl,"shouted the larger of the boys, making a saucy face and darting forward togive one of her long plaits of hair a sudden pull.

  Quick as a flash, Fidelia turned, and catching him by the wrists, twistedthem till he began to whimper with pain, and tried to set his teeth in herhand.

  "You _dare_ bite me, you little beast!" she cried. "You just dare, andI'll tell mamma how you spit at the waiter the morning we left the hotel."

  Lloyd was scandalised. They were quarrelling like two little dogs,seemingly unconscious of the fact that a hundred people were withinhearing. As Fidelia seemed to be getting the upper hand, the littlebrother joined in, calling in a high piping voice, "And if you squeal onHowell, Fidelia Sattawhite, I'll tell mamma how you went out walking byyourself in New York when she told you not to, and took her new purse andlost it! So there, Miss Smarty!"

  "Oh, those dreadful American children!" said an English woman near Lloyd."They're all alike. At least the ones who travel. I have never seen anyyet that had any manners. They are all pert and spoiled. Fancy an Englishchild, now, making such a scene in public!"

  The Little Colonel could feel her face growing painfully red. She wasindignant at being classed with such rude children, and walked quicklyaway. At the cabin door she met a maid, who, coming out on deck withsomething wrapped carefully in an embroidered shawl, sat down on one ofthe empty benches.

  Scarcely was she seated when the two boys pounced down upon her and beganpulling at the blanket. "Oh, let me see Beauty, Fanchette," begged Howell."Make him sit up and do some tricks."

  The maid pushed them away with a strong hand, and then carefully drewaside a corner of the covering. Lloyd gave an exclamation of pleasure, forthe head that popped out was that of a bright little French poodle. Shehad thought many times that morning of the two Bobs, and good old Fritz,dead and gone, of Boots, the hunting-dog, and the goat and the gobblerand the parrot,--all the animals she had loved and played with at Locust,wishing she had them with her. Now as she saw the bright eyes of thepoodle peeping over the blanket, she forgot that she was a
stranger, andrunning across the deck, she stooped down beside it.

  "Oh, the darling little dog!" she exclaimed, touching the silky hairsoftly. "May I hold him for a minute?"

  The maid smiled, but shook her head. "Ah, that the madame will not allow,"she said.

  "It cost a thousand dollars," explained Howell, eagerly, "and mamma thinksmore of it than she does of us. Doesn't she, Henny?"

  The small boy nodded with a finger in his mouth.

  "Show her Beauty's bracelet, Fanchette," said Howell. Turning back anotherfold of the blanket, the maid lifted a little white paw, on which sparkleda tiny diamond bracelet. Lloyd drew a long breath of astonishment. "Someof its teeth are filled with gold," continued Howell. "We had to stay awhole week in New York while Beauty was in the dog hospital, having themfilled. They could only do a little at a time. One of his tricks is tolaugh so that he shows all his fillings. Laugh, Beauty!" he commanded."Laugh, old fellow, and show your gold teeth!"

  He shook a dirty finger in the poodle's face, and it obediently stretchedits mouth, to show all its little gold-filled teeth.

  "See!" exclaimed Howell, much pleased. "Do it again!"

  But the maid interfered. "Your mother told you not to touch Beauty again.You'd have the poor little thing's mouth stretched till it had theface-ache, if you weren't watched all the time. Go away! You are a naughtyboy!"

  Howell's lips shot out in a sullen pout, and the maid, not knowing what hemight do next, rose with the poodle in her arms and walked to the otherside of the vessel.

  "Wish't the little beast was dead!" he muttered. "I get scolded andpunished for nothing at all whenever it is around. It and Fidelia! Ihaven't any use for girls and puppy-dogs!"

  After this uncivil remark he waited for the angry retort which he thoughtwould naturally follow, but to his surprise Lloyd only laughedgood-naturedly. She found him amusing, even if he was rude and cross, andshe could not wonder that he had such an opinion of girls, afterwitnessing his quarrel with Fidelia. The boys had begun it, but she wasolder and could have turned it aside had she wished. And she thought itperfectly natural that he should dislike the dog if he thought his motherpreferred its comfort to his.

  "You'd like dogs if you could have one like my old Fritz," began Lloyd,glad of some one to talk to. Sitting down on the bench that the maid hadleft, she began talking of him and the pony and the other pets at Locust,At first the boys listened carelessly. Howell cracked his whip, andHenderson slapped his feet with the ends of the reins he wore. They werenot used to having stories told them, except when they were being scolded,and their mother or the maid told them tales of what happens to bad littleboys when they will not obey. Although Lloyd's wild ride in a hand-carwith one of the two little knights began thrillingly, they listened withone foot out, ready to run at first word of the moral lecture which theythought would surely come at the end.

  The poodle had a maid to make it happy and comfortable, every moment ofits pampered little life. The boys had some one to see that they wereproperly clothed and fed, and their nursery at home looked as if a toystore had been emptied into it. But no one took any interest in theiramusement. When they asked questions the answer always was, "Oh, run alongand don't bother me now." There were no quiet bedtime talks for them tosmooth the snarls out of the day. Their mother was always dining out orreceiving company at that time, and their nurse hurried them to sleep withthreats of the bugaboos under the bed that would catch them if they werenot still. They suspected that the Little Colonel's stories would soonlead to a lecture on quarrelling.

  Presently they forgot their fears in the interest of the tale. Theyoungest boy sidled a little nearer and climbed up on the end of the benchbeside her. Then Howell, dragging his whip behind him, came a step closer,then another, till he too was on the bench beside her.

  She had never had such a flattering audience. They never took their eyesfrom her face, and listened with such breathless attention that she talkedon and on, wondering how long she could hold their interest.

  "They listen to me just as people do to Betty," she thought, proudly. Anhour went by, and half of another, and the bugle blew the firstdinner-call.

  "Go on," demanded Howell, edging closer. "We ain't hungry. Are we,Henny?"

  "But I must go and get ready for dinner," said Lloyd, rising.

  "Will you tell us some more to-morrow?" begged Howell, holding her skirtswith his dirty little hand.

  "Yes, yes," promised Lloyd, laughing and breaking loose from his hold."I'll tell you as many stories as you want."

  It was a rash promise, for next day, no sooner had she finished breakfastand started to take her morning walk around the deck with her father, thanthe boys were at her heels. They were eating bananas as they staggeredalong, and as fast as one disappeared another was dragged out of theirblouses, which seemed pouched out all around their waists with aninexhaustible supply. Up and down they followed her, until Papa Jack beganto laugh, and ask what she had done to tame the little savages.

  As soon as she stopped at her chair they dropped down on the floor,tailor-fashion, waiting for her to begin. Their devotion amused her atfirst, and gratified her later, when the English woman who had complainedof their manners stopped to speak to her.

  "You are a real little 'good Samaritan,'" she said, "to keep those twonuisances quiet. The passengers owe you a vote of thanks. It is very sweetof you, my dear, to sacrifice yourself for others in that way."

  Lloyd grew very red. She had not looked upon it as a sacrifice. She hadbeen amusing herself. But after awhile story-telling did become verytiresome as a steady occupation. She groaned whenever she saw the boyscoming toward her.

  Fidelia joined them on several occasions, but her appearance was alwaysthe signal for a quarrel to begin. Not until one morning when the boyswere locked in their stateroom for punishment, did she have a chance tospeak to Lloyd by herself.

  "The boys opened a port-hole this morning," explained Fidelia. "They hadbeen forbidden to touch it. Poor Beauty was asleep on the couch just underit, and a big wave sloshed over him and nearly drowned him. He was soakedthrough. It gave him a chill, and mamma is in a terrible way about him.Howl and Henny told Fanchette they wanted him to drown. That's why theydid it. They will be locked up all morning. I should think that you'd beglad. I don't see how you stand them tagging after you all the time. Theyare the meanest boys I ever knew."

  "They are not mean to me," said Lloyd. "I can't help feelin' sorry forthem." Then she stopped abruptly, with a blush, feeling that was not apolite thing to say to the boys' sister.

  "I'm sure I don't see why you should feel sorry for them," said Fidelia,angrily. At which the Little Colonel was more embarrassed than ever. Shecould not tell Fidelia that it was because a little poodle received thefondling and attention that belonged to them, and that it was Fidelia'scontinual faultfinding and nagging that made the boys tease her. So aftera pause she changed the subject by asking her what she wanted most to seein Europe.

  "Nothing!" answered Fidelia. "I wouldn't give a penny to see all the oldruins and cathedrals and picture galleries in the world. The only reasonthat I care to go abroad is to be able to say I have been to those placeswhen the other girls brag about what they've seen. What do you want tosee?"

  "Oh, thousands of things!" exclaimed Lloyd. "There are the chateaux wherekings and queens have lived, and the places that are in the old songs,like Bonnie Doon, and London Bridge, and Twickenham Ferry. I want to seeDenmark, because Hans Christian Andersen lived there, and wrote his fairytales, and London, because Dickens and Little Nell lived there. But Ithink I shall enjoy Switzerland most. We expect to stay there a long time.It is such a brave little country. Papa has told me a great deal aboutits heroes. He is going to take me to see the Lion of Lucerne, and toAltdorf, under the lime-tree, where William Tell shot the apple. I lovethat story."

  "Well, aren't you _queer!_" exclaimed Fidelia, opening her eyes wide andlooking at Lloyd as if she were some sort of a freak. It was her tone andlook that were offe
nsive, more than her words. Lloyd was furious.

  "No, I am _not_ queah, Miss Sattawhite!" she exclaimed, moving away muchruffled. As she flounced toward the cabin, her eyes very bright and hercheeks very red, she looked back with an indignant glance. "I wish nowthat I'd told her why I'm sorry for Howl and Henny. I'd be sorry foranybody that had such a rude sistah!"

  But there were other children on the vessel whose acquaintance Lloyd madebefore the week was over. She played checkers and quoits with the boys,and paper dolls with the girls, and one sunny morning she was invited tojoin the group under the stairs, where she heard the story of the whiteprince from beginning to end, and found out why he vanished.

  Those were happy days on the big steamer, despite the fact that Howl andHenny haunted her like two hungry little shadows. Sometimes the captainhimself came down and walked with her. The Shermans sat at his table, andhe had grown quite fond of the little Kentucky girl with her soft Southernaccent. As they paced the deck hand in hand, he told her marvellous talesof the sea, till she grew to love the ship and the heaving water worldaround them, and wished that they might sail on and on, and never come toland until the end of the summer.