Dave Porter At Bear Camp Part 21

"Providing the water isn't too cold," said Phil. "In some of these lakes among the mountains it gets pretty cold, don't you know, especially if the lake happens to be fed by springs."

"Oh, pshaw! who's afraid of a little cold water?" cried his chum, disdainfully.

"Any danger of a bear coming to eat us up?" queried Luke.

"Oh, don't say bears again!" cried Jessie. "I don't want to hear of them, much less see them."

"Say, that puts me in mind of a story!" cried Shadow, eagerly. "Once a bear got away from his keeper and wandered around a little New England village until he came to a cottage where an old lady lived. All of the villagers were scared to death, and some of them started to get their shotguns and rifles with which to kill Mr. Bruin. But the old lady had her own idea of what to do. She grabbed up a broomstick and began to hammer that bear right on his nose, and would you believe me? Mr. Bruin got so scared that he ran away and then went straight back to his keeper and allowed himself to be chained up again!"

"Shadow, is that a true story or a made-up yarn?" asked Laura.

"It was told to me down East, and they said it was absolutely true," was the answer. "They even gave me the name of the old lady."

"Say, Shadow, it was a wonder they didn't give you the name of the broomstick," said Dave, and with that there was a short laugh.

Dave, Roger, and Phil had been given two rooms between them. One was considerably smaller than the other, and this Dave occupied. On the other side of a little hallway were the girls, while Mr. and Mrs.

Wadsworth and Dunston Porter occupied large chambers next to the living-room. In the rear were two tiny rooms for the hired help. At the other bungalow Ben and his friends occupied three little rooms, while Mr. and Mrs. Ba.s.swood had a large apartment off to one side. At this bungalow there was an extra large living-room in which was placed, among other things, a small upright piano, somewhat out of tune but still usable.

"Now don't you boys dare to play any tricks to-night!" said Laura, when she and her girl friends were about to retire. "You just keep your tricks for some other time."

"All right, Laura, I'll make Roger and Phil be good," answered her brother. "I guess we are all tired enough to sleep soundly." And he certainly spoke the truth as far as he personally was concerned, for hardly had his head touched the pillow than he was off to the land of dreams.

The boys were up bright and early on the following morning. It was a beautiful day, with the sun s.h.i.+ning brightly and a gentle breeze blowing from the West. To be sure, the forest back of the bungalow was still wet, but it had dried off down at the sh.o.r.e of the lake, and at the dock where were located two rowboats and several canoes.

"Let us all go out for a row after breakfast," suggested Dave. "It will limber us up."

The aroma of freshly-made coffee and of sizzling bacon filled the air between the bungalows, and soon the young folks who had gone down to the dock to look at the lake and the craft on it, came trooping back for their breakfast.

"Don't you think it would be more pleasant if we could all eat together, Mrs. Wadsworth?" said Laura, while they were partaking of the repast.

"Perhaps so, Laura, and maybe we'll be able to arrange it," answered the lady. "Mrs. Ba.s.swood spoke about it. They have a large living-room there that might be utilized as a dining-room for all, and in pleasant weather we might all eat out on our wide porch."

"That's the talk!" cried Dave. "I'd rather eat outdoors any time, if the weather would permit."

"Oh, yes, let us eat on the porch!" cried Jessie. And so, later on, it was arranged, the entire party eating indoors only when it was wet.

The canoes had been turned over and were perfectly dry, but the two rowboats had to be bailed out. Various parties were made up to go out, and presently Dave found himself in one of the canoes with Jessie as his sole companion.

"Any particular place you'd like to go?" questioned our hero, as he dipped his paddle into the lake, and with a firm sweep sent the long and graceful canoe gliding away from the little dock.

"Supposing we go along the sh.o.r.e, Dave?" answered the girl. "I would like to see how it looks beyond this cove."

"All right, I'll keep as close to sh.o.r.e as possible," he replied. And then they set off, leaving the others to go where they pleased.

"You don't suppose there's any danger of our upsetting?" queried Jessie.

"We won't upset if you keep perfectly still," answered Dave. "I think I can manage this craft all right."

On and on they went over the smooth surface of the lake, pa.s.sing at times close to the sh.o.r.e and under the overhanging branches of trees, which at some points were very thick. In spots the water was shallow, and so clear that they could see the bottom with ease and occasionally catch sight of fishes darting in one direction or another.

"I think we're going to have some fine times fis.h.i.+ng up here," declared the youth, as a beautiful trout flashed by only a few feet away.

They were coming around a long curve of the sh.o.r.e. Just ahead was a high point of rocks, on which somebody had erected a rude summer-house of untrimmed tree-branches.

"What a cute little place!" declared Jessie, in delight.

"It must belong to some of the cottages around the bend," answered Dave.

"I believe there is quite a colony somewhere up here."

They pa.s.sed around the point of rocks, and a few minutes later came in sight of several rustic cottages set in a grove of trees. In front of the cottages was a long, narrow dock, at which rested several craft, including a fair-sized motor-boat.

"h.e.l.lo, I didn't know there was a motor-boat on this lake!" exclaimed Dave. "Whoever owns it must have had some job getting it here."

No one was at the dock or on the motor-boat, and pa.s.sing that point, Dave sent his canoe along another picturesque bit of the lake sh.o.r.e.

Then, as they made another turn, they came in sight of a log cabin which had evidently been erected many years before.

"Well, I never! Dave, what in the world are those folks doing?"

The cry came from Jessie, and not without reason, for they had suddenly come in sight of three or four men and several ladies, all stationed in front of the old log cabin. One of the men was dressed in the garb of a woodsman; and he held a large ax in his hands, raised over his head as if to strike down one of the younger ladies. Then another of the ladies rushed up, and fell on her knees with upraised hands in front of the man.

"h.e.l.lo, I know these people!" cried Dave, in astonishment. "They are the moving-picture actors who were on board that burning steam yacht!"

CHAPTER XIV

SOMETHING OF A QUARREL

"The moving-picture actors, Dave?" queried Jessie, in wonder.

"Yes. Don't you see the man over there with the camera? He is grinding out a picture of that scene."

"O my! is that the way they do it?" returned the girl, with interest.

"I've read about it, but I never had a chance before to see how it was done."

Dave brought the canoe to a standstill, and both watched the little drama being enacted before the old log cabin. Our hero saw that the young lady in the scene was Della Ford, and the elderly lady the one she had called Aunt Bess.

"All over!" exclaimed a man, who stood beside the individual at the moving-picture camera. The latter had stopped turning the handle of the machine, and now he proceeded to cover the whole outfit with a black cloth.

"Well, I'm glad that's over!" those in the canoe heard Della Ford exclaim. "Come, Aunt Bess, let us go back to the water." The young lady turned from the group, and as she did so she caught sight of the canoe and its occupants. She stared for an instant, and then her face lit up.

"Mr. Porter! is it possible!" she exclaimed. "I certainly didn't expect to meet you up here. Aunt Bess, here is the young gentleman who saved us from drowning."

"You don't tell me!" came from the aunt, and then both hurried their steps toward a tiny dock beside which the canoe was resting.

"I certainly didn't expect to meet you again, and away up here in the Adirondacks," answered Dave, with a smile. And then, as the young moving-picture actress came closer, he introduced the girls to each other.