III

A TRIP TO THE WOODS

While Margaret was with Beechnut, Wallace and Frank had gone to the pasture. The road they took led from the house up through a wild ravine, and the pasture was an extensive region of valleys and hills with groves and thickets and open slopes and rocky precipices. In some of the dells were swamps covered with a dense growth of forest trees, and there were steep declivities feathered with dark evergreens from top to bottom. The ground nearly everywhere was covered with snow. But although the snow was in most places two or three feet deep, it was frozen hard enough in the mornings before the sun had softened it, so that one could walk on it as on a floor.

Wallace and Frank were going into the woods to get some long poles to make what Frank called harpoons. Each pole was to have an iron spike driven into one end of it, so it could be used at the bank of the river to draw in the logs and boards and other things that might be floating down the stream in the spring freshets. Frank would stand at the edge of the water, and when he saw pieces of driftwood coming within his reach he would strike his long harpoon into them and draw them to the shore. After the water had gone down he and Beechnut would cut them up and have them hauled to the house for firewood, and some evening he would build a bonfire of the brush and chips that remained.

Wallace had never been in Franconia in the spring before, and had never witnessed this kind of fishing for floating logs and boards. He had, however, heard Frank's description, and had promised to go with him to obtain some new poles.

They went along and entered the pasture. On one side there now rose a steep bank, and on the other side was a deep and somber-looking ravine filled with evergreen trees, some of which were so far down in the valley that the tops were below where the boys were walking. A large brook flowed at the bottom of the ravine, but it was so hidden by the trees that they could not see it. Yet they could hear the sound of the water running over the rocks

Wallace was very much pleased with the beauties of the wild scenery around him, and he walked quietly along, observing them and musing; but. Frank continually interrupted him by calling out to him from behind. At length Wallace came to where the land began to descend in the direction in which they were going. fie stopped until Frank overtook him.

"You trouble me greatly," said he, "by lagging behind. Now here is a chance for you to get well before me by sliding down this hill. Then you can easily keep ahead of me going up the hill beyond, and you must amuse yourself without calling to me, unless it is for something really necessary. If you get behind me again I cannot wait for you, but shall go on till I reach the upper woods, and when you get there you must shout and I will answer." "I don't mean to get behind again," said Frank.

So he sat down on his sled with his feet out before him to steer, and calling to Carlo he pulled him on the sled in front of him and began to slid e. When he got to the bottom of the slope where he should have stopped his sled, he noticed that to the right the descent continued. This descent looked so inviting he thought he would go on, and he guided his sled so that it turned down the hill. It went gracefully along over the swelling inequalities of the way until it came to the end of the descent, where, going slower and slower, it finally stopped.

Frank thought this had been a most delightful slide, and he looked back to see whether Wallace was admiring his swift journey. By this time Wallace had reached the foot of the first slope and had started to walk slowly, up the ascent beyond. Frank jumped off from his sled and began to run up the hill drawing his sled after him and calling to Carlo to follow.

Wallace was often concealed from view by the rocks or by little groups of evergreen trees that came in the way, and Frank hurried along, anxious to overtake him. He was afraid he would not be able to find him after he had gone into the woods. While he was pressing eagerly forward, all at once Carlo began to run around, hither and thither, and to bark and howl in a very extraordinary manner. Presently he ran into a little cluster of bushes where he crouched down, trembling and whining, and appearing to be very much distressed.

Frank could see Wallace walking up the hill at a considerable distance, and he called to him, but Wallace, though he heard, paid no attention. Frank called again louder than before, but Wallace was tired of being called at so frequently. Besides, he had given Frank fair notice that if he fell behind he must make the best of his way alone. So Wallace went on and paid no heed to Frank's calling.

Frank was greatly troubled and did not know what to do. He was afraid to take up Carlo and bring him along, for he thought he might be going mad. He was very unwilling to leave Carlo, and he was equally unwilling to stay by him and let Wallace go on.

At length he decided to do something without more delay, and he ran to the bushes under which Carlo was crouching, seized him in his arms and started to bring him away. He ran along a few steps, and then finding it very inconvenient to carry the dog and draw his sled, he put Carlo down hoping that now he would go with him of his own accord. But Carlo howled and whined in the most distressing manner, and presently fled under the roots of an old tree which had been overturned by the wind. There was quite a cavity between the roots and the ground, and into this cavity the dog plunged and disappeared.

Frank listened a few minutes, and as he heard nothing more he determined to make the best of his way to Wallace and ask him to come back and see what was the matter. He toiled up the hill as fast as he could, drawing his sled, and after a time came in sight of Wallace sitting on a stone to rest a few minutes. When he was near enough to speak to Wallace he said, "I wish you would go back with me and see what is the matter with Carlo."

"Why, what seems to be the trouble with him?" asked Wallace.

"I'm afraid he is mad," answered Frank, and he proceeded to describe the strange manner in which Carlo had acted.

"Probably he was frightened at something," said Wallace.

"No," said Frank, "there was nothing to frighten him."

"Perhaps, then, he is sick," suggested Wallace.

"Yes," responded Frank, "I think he is sick. I wish you would go with me and get him."

"We will let him stay where he is for the present," said Wallace, "while we go up in the woods and get our poles. When we come down I will go and see if we can find him."

So saying, Wallace rose from his seat and went on toward the place where they were to cut the poles. In a short time they came to a swamp overgrown with many small and slender firs and spruces. The ground was now covered with snow, and the snow was so hard that they could walk on it.

Evergreen trees like firs, spruces, and pines furnish the best wood for the poles they were after, because such trees grow very straight, and the wood is quite light. It is important to find young trees that are both tall and slender, and that have few branches along the main stem. Where trees grow singly or are scattered they are comparatively short and their branches reach out on every side; while those that crowd in dense masses in the forests form straight lofty stems with drily a small tuft of branches and leaves at the top.

Wallace began to look about among the trees to find one suitable for his purpose. Frank began to look about, too, calling out continually, "Here's one, Wallace, straight as an arrow;" and, "Oh, look here, Wallace, look at this one;" or, "Here's a beautiful one, unless it is too big."

Wallace went to see several of those to which Frank called his attention; but some were crooked and others were too short, and others too large. Presently he wearied of going to investigate Frank's discoveries, which always resulted in nothing. "You ought to look at the trees yourself more carefully," he said, "before you call to me. I don't want to come just to show you that a tree is crooked when you have eyes of your own. Don't call me again until you have examined the tree in all its points, and are fully satisfied it is just the kind we are after."

"What are the points?" asked Frank.

"The tree must not be more than two inches and a half through at the ground," Wallace explained, "nor less than one inch where it is to be cut off at the top. It must be about three times as tall as you can reach, and it must be nearly straight with few branches except at the very top."

After some searching Wallace found three trees and Frank one which answered very well. They cut them down, trimmed off the twigs, lashed them and the ax firmly on the sled, and started for home. On the way they stopped to look for Carlo, but could not find him. He was not under the root of the great tree, and Wallace said he did not know what more to do. So they left the place and went on.

Frank was very much troubled at the loss of Carlo, but Wallace thought the dog had gone down home and that they would find him there on their arrival. He tried therefore to divert Frank by talking with him and amusing him.

When they came in sight of the house Frank remembered that he had promised to bring Margaret some snowdrops, and he had not once thought of looking for any.

"There!" said he, stopping suddenly, "I must go back, after all."

"What for?" asked Wallace.

"To get some snowdrops," Frank replied. "I promised Margaret some snowdrops."

"But it is not time for them," said Wallace. "There will not be any for a fortnight."

"I think I could find some," said Frank, "if you would go with me."

"I have no more time for play," was Wallace's response.

"Well, I must go," Frank declared; "for I promised them to Margaret."

"All right," said Wallace, and he walked on.

"He is going to his studies," Frank remarked to himself. "He is always studying. I would not be in college and have to study so much for anything."

Frank stood a moment in the middle of the road with a countenance expressive of disappointment and vexation. Then he left his sled and went back up the hill; but as soon as he was out of sight of the house it began to seem very lonesome. He thought of Carlo, too, and imagined he might be mad, and if so that he would bite him.

"Besides," said Frank, "I am too tired to go away up into the woods again, and I don't think I should find any snowdrops, if I did go. Wallace says there are none, and he knows. But perhaps I can find some up among these rocks. I mean to climb up and see."

He turned off from the road and climbed up among the rocks to a spot where the snow had melted off. There he sat down and began to throw little stones down the hill. While he was amusing himself thus he found a small stone which, was quite transparent and pretty. He called it a diamond and determined to carry it home and give it to Margaret instead of the snowdrops. He also found some green moss, and pulled up a small bunch. He was sure that Margaret would like the diamond stone and the moss together better than the snowdrops. So he climbed down the rocks with the stone and moss in his hands and went on toward home.

As he approached the house he looked to see if Margaret were in sight; but she had gone in and was asleep. She always had a nap in the middle of the day because her health was so feeble, and Frank did not see her till the middle of the afternoon. He spent a good deal of time searching for Carlo, hoping Wallace was right in thinking the missing dog had run down home; but Carlo was nowhere to be found.