Читать книгу The Curlytops in a Summer Camp - Howard R Garis - Страница 6

Table of Contents

Going back to the house with his family, Daddy Martin could not help laughing every now and then. Janet and Teddy heard him. So did his wife and Trouble. But Trouble was interested in something other than his father’s laughter and the colored feather.

“When am I going to have a ride in that auto tire, Teddy?” asked the little fellow presently.

“I guess never,” was the answer.

“Oh—never?” gasped Trouble.

“I should say not!” exclaimed his mother. “Haven’t we had enough trouble over that auto tire? Don’t you think you’d better not play with it again, Teddy?”

“I’m not going to,” he answered. “Anyhow, I won’t roll in it downhill again. And, anyway, I haven’t got that tire.”

“Where is it?” Trouble wanted to know, in wonder.

“Mr. Munson said I’d better leave it back there at the building where the window was broken,” Teddy answered. “So I did.”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed Mr. Martin aloud.

“Are you laughing at what Teddy did?” Janet wanted to know.

“I’m laughing when I think about how this feather got in my hair!” chuckled Mr. Martin.

“Oh, then it’s a funny story about that feather, is it?” asked Teddy.

“Rather funny—yes,” admitted his father.

“I think we need a laugh after the fright we had over the thought of Teddy being arrested,” and Mrs. Martin smiled as though she knew no such thing as her boy’s being taken by a policeman ever would come to pass. And it wouldn’t, either, not just about a broken window, anyhow.

“Yes, it’s a funny story,” went on the father of the Curlytops, and Trouble laughed, though he really didn’t know why, except that everybody seemed so happy now.

“Did you ever hear of Animal Joe Tacker?” asked Mr. Martin when they were all seated on the shady side porch of the Curlytops’ home. The children’s father sat in an easy chair and twirled the feather between his fingers. Nora Jones, the maid, brought out a pitcher of lemonade and glasses and crackers on a tray, at the sight of which the three children set up joyous murmurs.

“That will cool us off after our excitement,” said Mr. Martin, with a smile, and as his father sipped his lemonade, Teddy, who was too anxious to hear the story to begin on his drink, asked:

“Who is Animal Joe?”

“He’s a curious old man,” Mr. Martin answered. “He has been around Cresco before, though I guess you children were too small to remember him.”

“What kind of an animal is he?” asked William, taking a long breath after a long sip of lemonade. “Is he a bear? Maybe a polar bear.”

“As if a man could be a bear!” scoffed Janet.

“He could be—make believe!” declared Trouble.

“Of course he could,” admitted his father. “But Joe Tacker isn’t an animal at all. It just happens that he sells animals for pets. He has a covered wagon and he goes about the country selling birds, dogs, cats, monkeys, and parrots—small pets, you know.”

“I wish I had a monkey,” murmured Trouble.

“I’d like a parrot so it could talk to me,” was Janet’s wish.

“Well, this is the best I can offer you,” said her father, with a smile, and he held out the gay feather.

“Oh, did that come on a parrot?” asked the little girl.

“It would be more correct to say that it came off a parrot!” chuckled Mr. Martin. “That’s how it got in my hair—off a parrot.”

“Oh, Daddy! Did it, really? Tell us about it,” begged Teddy, and the boy grinned broadly.

“That’s what I’m trying to do, my dears,” and Mr. Martin smiled. “This is how it happened. As I said, Animal Joe, which is the name every one calls him, came to town to-day with his wagonload of pets. He was driving past my store just when I was getting ready to come home. Just then, in some manner, the back door of his wagon flew open and out popped several dogs and cats, two monkeys, and two parrots.”

“Oh, I’d like to have seen them!” exclaimed Janet.

“I guess there was a lot of fun, wasn’t there?” asked Ted.

“It was fun for those who looked on,” said Mr. Martin; “but not so funny for poor Animal Joe. His pets scattered, the dogs running one way, the cats another, the monkeys a third, and the parrots—where do you suppose they went?”

“I guess they flew off to the woods,” said Trouble.

“No,” went on his father, while the others joined in the laugh at the answer of small William, “the parrots flew right into my store. There they scurried about, squawking and flapping and making all sorts of queer noises.”

“Didn’t they talk?” asked Janet. “Parrots always talk.”

“I think they were too frightened to talk,” her father said. “Or, if they did, they must have spoken a jungle language which I didn’t understand. Anyhow, the gay birds fluttered about my store until I managed to catch them by climbing up on the high shelves. They fluttered when I took them down, and, I suppose, in that way the feather came out of the tail of one and caught in my hair. I never knew it was there until just now.”

“Oh, how funny!” laughed Janet. “And you’ve gone about all day with that feather in your hair, have you, Daddy?”

“Not all day, Jan. This happened only a little while ago. Well, as I say, I caught the two parrots for Animal Joe, and other people, in other stores or along the streets, helped catch the dogs, cats and monkeys, so in the end he had all his animals back. Then I put on my hat and hurried home, and the feather must have been there in my hair all the while.”

“And when daddy got home,” went on Mrs. Martin, “there was Janet with her tale about Teddy going to allow himself to be arrested,” and she patted her son’s head. “So we hurried out to rescue him, and that’s how it happened that I didn’t notice the feather.”

“What about Animal Joe?” asked Teddy impatiently.

“Oh, after his pets were collected he made sure the doors of his wagon were locked and then drove off,” Mr. Martin said. “He went back home, I guess.”

“Is he like Uncle Toby and his pets?” asked Janet, referring to their father’s uncle who lived in Pocono. The children at one time had taken care of Uncle Toby’s pets for him while he was away.

“No,” answered Jan’s father. “Uncle Toby’s animals were pets, and Animal Joe sells his monkeys and parrots and other things to any one who wants to buy.”

“Where does Animal Joe live?” Janet wanted to know.

“Somewhere up around Lake Rimon,” Mr. Martin answered. “Near the town of Tuckville, I believe.”

“Tuckville!” cried Teddy, suddenly sitting up straight.

“Tuckville!” exclaimed Janet, opening wide her eyes. “Why, that’s where you said maybe we would go camping this summer, Daddy! Tuckville on Lake Rimon! Don’t you remember?”

“So I did!” agreed Mr. Martin. “I didn’t give it a thought before, there was so much excitement. But it comes to me with certainty now—Tuckville is where Animal Joe went with his pets, and it’s there your mother and I talked about renting a bungalow in a summer camp.”

“Are we going there?” eagerly asked Teddy.

“And may I have a monkey?” William wanted to know.

“Oh, please let’s go to Tuckville, where we can have fun with Animal Joe!” pleaded Janet.

Mr. Martin looked at his wife and his wife looked at him. Both of them smiled and then looked at the children.

“I suppose we may as well tell them,” said Mrs. Martin.

“Oh, is it a secret?” cried Janet.

“Not much of one, for we’re going to tell you,” said her father. “Yes, we have about decided to go to a summer camp on Lake Rimon. Though it’s queer I never thought of Animal Joe as being up there,” he added.

But the Curlytops and William only heard the words about going to camp that summer on Lake Rimon, and they jumped up and ran around the room joyfully shouting.

“Dear, dear, children! Less noise, please!” begged their mother, her hands over her ears.

“It sounds like the time Animal Joe’s pets got loose!” laughed Mr. Martin.

“Oh, what fun we’ll have!” sang Janet.

“I’m going swimming and boating!” exclaimed Teddy.

“I’m going fishing!” added Trouble.

“You must never go near the lake alone!” his mother warned him, while Janet said:

“Maybe I can get Mr. Joe to give me a kitten.”

“His name is Mr. Tacker—not Mr. Joe,” corrected Teddy. “But maybe he’ll give me a dog, though I’d rather have a monkey.”

“We don’t want a lot of animals if we go to a summer camp,” objected Mrs. Martin.

“We’ll get only just those you want us to have, Mother,” said Janet sweetly. It was no time to insist on strange pets when the matter of going to camp was hardly settled. “When shall we leave?” she asked.

“Oh, in a few weeks—as soon as school closes,” her mother answered. “There’s a lot to do before we can go.”

“Oh, what fun well have!” ejaculated Teddy, who had forgotten all about the automobile tire by this time.

In the days that followed the Curlytops were so excited about going to camp they hardly studied their lessons. But it was close to the end of the school term, and both children had done very well, so they passed, and Trouble was promoted to the next class in the kindergarten, which made him quite proud.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Martin, with the help of Nora, was getting things in readiness to close the town house and open the bungalow Mr. Martin had engaged for the summer at Lake Rimon.

Finally came the day before the morning on which the start was to be made. Teddy and Janet went downtown on an errand for their mother, and on the way saw the place where Teddy thought the auto tire had smashed the window.

A new pane of glass had been put in and the sporting goods store had been opened about a week. Mr. Munson saw Teddy passing and called to him.

“Here’s something for you,” said the dealer. “You’re a brave little chap and I liked the way you were going to let me arrest you, though there wasn’t any need of it. I hear you are going camping. Take this with you,” and he gave Teddy a fishing pole and outfit.

“Oh!” exclaimed the boy. “I don’t think I ought to take it!”

“Yes, you must! It’s an odd one. I’ll never miss it and I told your father I was going to give it to you. Take it—everything is all right,” and Teddy’s eyes shone with pleasure as he fingered the smooth pole.

“I’ll send you some of the fish I catch,” he promised as he walked proudly along beside Janet.

Then came the finish of the packing, when several trunks had to be filled and locked, ready for the expressman who would call in the morning.

“What about this trunk in the upper hall?” asked Mr. Martin when Janet and Ted were going to bed that night, though they were sure they would never sleep, so anxious were they for the next day to come. “Here is an empty trunk,” he said to his wife.

“I know,” answered Mrs. Martin. “I’m leaving it there in case we should need it for extra things at the last minute. I don’t believe we shall use it, though.”

“Well, be careful you don’t stumble over it and fall downstairs if you come out in the hall during the night,” her husband warned her. “What’s Trouble crying about?” he asked, for he could hear the little fellow sobbing.

“Oh, the poor little chap wants to take everything he owns in the way of toys,” answered Mrs. Martin. “His train of cars, his rocking horse, his express wagon, and his drum. He’s heart-broken—or thinks he is—because I am letting him take only a few of his things. Now go to sleep, my dear,” she said, going to William. “You can take some of your toys, but not all of them. We should need two trunks to hold them. Go to sleep, my dear,” and she began to sing to him softly.

“But I—I—I want—I want my rock-rock-rocking horse!” sobbed Trouble.

“No, dear! It’s too big,” murmured his mother. “There wouldn’t be room. Besides, you would have no place to rock on your wooden horse around the lake. Go to sleep like a good boy. Don’t wake Teddy and Janet.”

Ted wanted to call from his room that he was not asleep, but he thought it would not be wise. So he and Janet listened to their mother trying to quiet Trouble. Finally the little fellow’s sobs grew lower and less frequent and at last he was quiet and asleep.

Gradually the whole house settled into the silence of the night, though there would be plenty to do the next day when the Curlytops were to start for the summer camp.

Though Teddy and Janet thought they would never fall asleep, at last their tired eyes closed and they were slumbering, to dream of Animal Joe flying about the lake in a boat pulled by parrots, monkeys, and dogs.

Perhaps it was this dream that awakened Teddy with such suddenness. At least it was something, for, all at once, the boy sat up in his bed with a jerk that woke him completely.

Out in the hall he heard a strange, bumping noise. This was followed by a voice murmuring:

“I’ll take you with me! Lots of room in this trunk. It’s got nothing in it at all. I’ll take you with me!”

“That’s Trouble!” guessed Ted at once.

He was just getting out of bed when there came a series of loud bumps and thumps as if something were tumbling downstairs. At the same time Trouble began to cry.

“What’s that?” cried Mrs. Martin from her room. “What has happened?”

“I—I guess Trouble has tumbled downstairs!” shouted Teddy, as he ran out of his room into the dimly lighted hall while the thumping sounds continued and William kept up his yelling.