they were expecting Orchard Grove! Instead, there was old Natby's blacksmith shop at the end of Elm Street. This road they had taken had led right around town in a circle. The horse galloped into the shed and came snorting to a stop just as the heavens opened and let down such a rain as had not fallen before that summer. The wind tore branches from the trees. The thunder cracked like a giant whip and lightning sizzled through the air.
"Phew!" said Joe. "What luck to find a shelter!"
"Where do you suppose old Natby is?" asked Rufus.
"Probably at church," said Jane.
"What will the Captain say when he wakes up and finds we're just as far from Orchard Grove as when we started?" asked Joey uneasily.
"He won't wake unless we beat the drum," screamed Jane above the thunder. "Imagine sleeping through this storm."
"Well, anyway, he'll be pleased we found this shelter for his horse. Besides, how could he hold a revival meeting in the rain?" Joe comforted himself.
"To think we just went around in a circle!" marveled Jane.
"Yes. The Green is only five minutes away. I shoulda known better, too," said Joe, rather ashamed. "All the time I been biking up there with Chet Pudge."
"Well, things look different behind a horse," said Jane consolingly.
They sat there in the broad doorway of the blacksmith shop waiting until the worst of the storm should be over. They were impatient to be off.
"Rain, rain, go away," chanted Janey, watching the drops falling through the leaves.
At last the rain began to abate.
"Let's go now," said Joe. "And I s'pose we better go back to the Green and take the Shore road to Orchard Grove. These country roads will be terrible after this rain."
"Right," agreed Janey and Rufus.
So back to the Green then. The horse neighed. He was glad to be on the move again. The quick summer storm had spent itself and already the sun was breaking through the heavy clouds.
They trotted down Elm Street. Now,
clop, clop-a, cloppity
clop-a
to Main Street, and here they were approaching the Green. The Green looked most welcome to them. To tell the truth they were all getting tired and they wished to goodness that they might bid the Captain good-bye and get home to Sunday dinner, to Robinson Crusoe, to paper dolls. There came a moment of complete silence as they thought of these things. The silence made Janey remark, "You know what?"
"What?" asked Rufus sleepily. The
cloppity clop-a
was making him drowsy.
"Well, when we were going out of town the Captain snored and snored. He hasn't snored for ever so long. S'funny."
"People don't snore every minute," said Joe testily.
"No, but I think this man either snores or he's awake. He's certainly not snoring and I'm sure we'd hear him if he were awake. I don't think he's there," Jane announced solemnly.
A deep silence greeted this observation of Jane's. Then Joe said still more testily, "Jane, you often think of troublesome things." Then he added a little less crossly, "How could he
not
be there? We haven't seen him get out. But just to please you, we'll look."
He handed the reins to Jane. Then he lifted the heavy oilcloth curtain and he looked. They all looked. They turned their heads back to the street again. Joe took up the reins, spat out of the side of the wagon as he had seen certain people do, and said, "Gone!"
The Captain lost! Out of his own horse and wagon! Phew!
No wonder they all looked pretty subdued
as
they drew up at the drinking trough. No doubt ordinarily looking for the Captain would have seemed like sport to them. What? Look for a lost Captain? Sure! What fun! That's what they ordinarily would have thought. But having lost the Captain of the Salvation Army out of his own horse and wagon was a song of a different tune. Moreover they were tired—worn-out, in fact, by everything that had happened. First they had lost the road. Now they had lost the Captain. Well, they would just have to turn around and find him.
They jumped down to stretch their legs for a
"Phew!" said Joe. "What luck to find a shelter!"
"Where do you suppose old Natby is?" asked Rufus.
"Probably at church," said Jane.
"What will the Captain say when he wakes up and finds we're just as far from Orchard Grove as when we started?" asked Joey uneasily.
"He won't wake unless we beat the drum," screamed Jane above the thunder. "Imagine sleeping through this storm."
"Well, anyway, he'll be pleased we found this shelter for his horse. Besides, how could he hold a revival meeting in the rain?" Joe comforted himself.
"To think we just went around in a circle!" marveled Jane.
"Yes. The Green is only five minutes away. I shoulda known better, too," said Joe, rather ashamed. "All the time I been biking up there with Chet Pudge."
"Well, things look different behind a horse," said Jane consolingly.
They sat there in the broad doorway of the blacksmith shop waiting until the worst of the storm should be over. They were impatient to be off.
"Rain, rain, go away," chanted Janey, watching the drops falling through the leaves.
At last the rain began to abate.
"Let's go now," said Joe. "And I s'pose we better go back to the Green and take the Shore road to Orchard Grove. These country roads will be terrible after this rain."
"Right," agreed Janey and Rufus.
So back to the Green then. The horse neighed. He was glad to be on the move again. The quick summer storm had spent itself and already the sun was breaking through the heavy clouds.
They trotted down Elm Street. Now,
clop, clop-a, cloppity
clop-a
to Main Street, and here they were approaching the Green. The Green looked most welcome to them. To tell the truth they were all getting tired and they wished to goodness that they might bid the Captain good-bye and get home to Sunday dinner, to Robinson Crusoe, to paper dolls. There came a moment of complete silence as they thought of these things. The silence made Janey remark, "You know what?"
"What?" asked Rufus sleepily. The
cloppity clop-a
was making him drowsy.
"Well, when we were going out of town the Captain snored and snored. He hasn't snored for ever so long. S'funny."
"People don't snore every minute," said Joe testily.
"No, but I think this man either snores or he's awake. He's certainly not snoring and I'm sure we'd hear him if he were awake. I don't think he's there," Jane announced solemnly.
A deep silence greeted this observation of Jane's. Then Joe said still more testily, "Jane, you often think of troublesome things." Then he added a little less crossly, "How could he
not
be there? We haven't seen him get out. But just to please you, we'll look."
He handed the reins to Jane. Then he lifted the heavy oilcloth curtain and he looked. They all looked. They turned their heads back to the street again. Joe took up the reins, spat out of the side of the wagon as he had seen certain people do, and said, "Gone!"
The Captain lost! Out of his own horse and wagon! Phew!
No wonder they all looked pretty subdued
as
they drew up at the drinking trough. No doubt ordinarily looking for the Captain would have seemed like sport to them. What? Look for a lost Captain? Sure! What fun! That's what they ordinarily would have thought. But having lost the Captain of the Salvation Army out of his own horse and wagon was a song of a different tune. Moreover they were tired—worn-out, in fact, by everything that had happened. First they had lost the road. Now they had lost the Captain. Well, they would just have to turn around and find him.
They jumped down to stretch their legs for a
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