It was Jimmy who broke into this rollicking song, and when all of the Brown boys, who had had an experience with this old dry creek bed once on a "possum hunt, heard him, they felt that the song was singularly appropriate. They also thanked their stars that they had with them some one who would "whoop things up" and keep the crowd cheerful, and perhaps the ladies would not realize the danger they were in. This wet-weather creek was fed by innumerable small branches, all of them dry now from something of a drought that had been prevalent, and John, the woodsman, noticed that before they had much rainfall in the valley those small branches had begun to flow, showing that there had already been a great storm to the west of them.
"If the rain were merely local, old Stony Creek could not do much damage in itself, but it is the help of all of these wet-weather springs and branches that makes it play such havoc," whispered John to Jimmy Lufton.
"I have known it in two hours" time to rise four feet, which sounds incredible; and then in two hours more subside two feet, and in a day be almost dry again. I spent four hours up on top of Black Rock once in a sudden freshet. I would have scaled the hills, but I had some young dogs hunting, and they were so panic-stricken and I was so afraid they would fall down the cliffs in the creek, that I just took them up on top of the rock; and there we sat huddled up in the driving rain until the water subsided enough for us to wade home. Swimming is out of the question for more than a few strokes, the current is so swift; and as for keeping your feet and walking, you simply can"t do it."
"We have a creek up near Lexington that goes on just such unexpected sprees," said Jimmy. "It will be a perfectly respectable citizen and every one will forget its bad behavior, when suddenly it will break loose and get so full it disgraces itself and brings shame on its family of branches."
By this time the whole crowd was fairly damp, but they made a joke of it, with the exception of Miss Hunt, who was much irritated at the damage done her pretty dress. Although she was covered up with three coats, she clamored for more, but no more were offered her. Professor Green took off his coat and, folding it carefully, put it under the seat in the lunch hamper.
"I fancy you think this is a funny thing to do, but I have seen a wet crowd almost freeze after a storm like this, and it is a great mistake to get all of the wraps wet. It is much better to take the rain and get wet yourself, and keep the coats dry; and then, when the rain is over, have something warm and comfortable to put on."
"That is a fine scheme," said Paul, and all of the men followed Edwin Green"s example, and Molly and Judy, who had prudently brought their college sweaters, did the same.
"I think it is rather fun to get wet when you have on clothes that won"t get ruined," said Judy.
"I am glad you like it," answered Miss Hunt, still sore over her bout with Judy, "but I must say it is hard on me with this chiffon dress.
What will it look like after this?"
"Well, you know, chiffon is French for rag so I fancy it will look like a Paris creation," called back Judy from the front seat, where she was still installed by Kent. "I"ll bet anything her hair will come out of curl," she whispered to her companion, "and I should not be astonished to see some of her beauty wash off."
"Eany, meany," laughed Kent. "You are already way ahead of her, Miss Judy. Do leave her her hair and complexion."
"Well, I"ll try to be good," said penitent Judy. "You and Molly are so alike, it is right amusing. And the worst of it is your goodness rubs off on everybody you come in contact with. Do you realize I have been in Kentucky for weeks and that Miss Hunt is the first person I have had a sc.r.a.p with, and so far I have not got myself in a single "Julia Kean"
sc.r.a.pe? I have been in so many, that the girls at college have named the particular kind of sc.r.a.pe I get in after me, just as though I were a famous physician who had discovered a disease."
"Just what kind of sc.r.a.pe do you usually get in?"
"The kind of sc.r.a.pe I get in is always one I can get out of, and usually one that I fall in from not looking ahead enough at the consequences."
"Well, I pray G.o.d that this will be a "Julia Kean" sc.r.a.pe we are in to-night. Certainly, lack of foresight got us in. I"d like to get that weather man and throw him in this creek. "Generally fair and variable winds," much!" said Kent with such a serious expression that Judy began to realize that this was not simply a case of a good wetting, but might mean something more.
The horses were knee deep in water now, but splashing bravely on. Molly noticed that in hitching up for the homeward trip Kent had put President in the lead.
"That is because old President has so much sense and will know how to pick his way and keep his feet when the other horses would get scared and begin to struggle and pull down the whole team," said Molly to Professor Green. Molly was fully aware of the danger they were in, but was keeping her knowledge to herself for fear of starting a panic among the girls. "There is no real danger of drowning," she whispered to her companion, "so long as we stay in the wagon. But the banks are so steep that if we should get out we might slip into the creek and then it would be about impossible to keep our feet. Look at the water now, up to the hubs of the wheels! I am sorry for the horses, and what an awful responsibility for Kent! But he is equal to it. Do you know, I really believe Kent is equal to anything!"
It was, of course, pitch dark now, except for frequent flashes of lightning that illuminated the raging torrents, so all were forced to realize the grave situation.
"The horses are behaving wonderfully well, and so far all the pa.s.sengers are. I hope it will keep up," muttered Kent. "It is awfully hard to keep your head when you are driving if any one screams."
"The water is in the wagon bed now. I can tell by my feet. Don"t you think your mother ought to come on the front seat, where she can be out of it somewhat?" suggested Judy.
"You are right. Mother, come on up here and help me drive. There is plenty of room for three of us, and I believe you would be more comfortable."
Mrs. Brown got up, glad to change her position. She was more frightened than she cared to own, and was anxious to find out just how Kent felt about the matter.
"I am going on the front seat, too," said the bedraggled Miss Hunt. "It seems to me Miss Julia Kean has had the best of everything long enough.
I see no reason why she should sit high and dry during the whole drive, while here I am absolutely and actually sitting in the water."
Kent bit his lips in fury, but held his horses and his tongue while the change was being made. Judy showed her breeding in a way that made Molly proud.
"High I may be, but not dry," said Judy, playfully shaking herself on the already drenched Molly as she sank by her side on the soggy hay. "I am going to see how long our fair friend will stay up there. It is really the scariest place I ever got in. Down here you feel the water without seeing it, but up there every flash of lightning reveals terrors that down here are undreamed of."
"Sit in the middle, mother, and Miss Hunt and I can take better care of you."
"Oh, I am afraid to sit on the outside! Mrs. Brown is much larger than I am and could hold me in better than I could her," said the selfish girl.
She squeezed in between mother and son, as Kent said afterward, taking up more room then any little person that he ever saw.
"Noah he did build an ark, one wide river to cross.
Built it out of hickory bark, one wide river to cross.
One wide river, and that wide river was Jordan, One wide river, and that wide river to cross."
"All join in the chorus," demanded Jimmy.
There were many verses to the time-honored song, and before they got all the animals in the ark the moon suddenly came out from behind a very black cloud, and the rain was over, but not the flood.
"It took many days and nights for the water to subside for old Noah, and we may expect the same delay in our case," said the happy and irrepressible Jimmy.
Kent was glad indeed for the light of the moon. He had really had to leave it to President to take the proper road, or, rather, channel. That brave old horse had gone st.u.r.dily on, and, when one of the younger horses had begun to struggle and pull back, he had turned solemnly around and given him a soft little bite.
"Mother, did you see that? And look at that off horse now! I bet he will behave after this."
Sure enough, the admonished animal was pulling as steadily as President himself, and they had no more trouble with him.
There were many large holes in the creek bed, and, of course, the wheels often went into them. Once it looked for a moment as though they might have a turnover to add to their disasters. The wagon toppled, but righted itself in a moment. Miss Hunt, as Judy had said, on the front seat was able to see the danger as she could not down in the wagon, and when the wheels went down that particularly deep hole she let out a piercing scream and tried to seize the reins from Kent.
Kent pulled up his horses as soon as the wagon was on a level and called to John, "John, will you please help Miss Hunt back into the seat she has just vacated? She finds she is not comfortable here."
At that Miss Hunt very humbly crawled back, and, like the Heathen Chinee, "subsequent proceedings interested her no more."
As dawn was breaking they drove into the avenue at Chatsworth, not really very much the worse for wear. The warm, dry wraps produced from under the seat after the moon came out had been wonderfully comforting.
Edwin Green had made Mrs. Brown take his coat, and as he folded it around her he had whispered, "Kentucky women are very remarkable. They meet danger as though it were a partner at a ball."
"Yes," said Kent, who had overheard him, "I could never have come through the deep waters if it had not been for the brave women. You saw how the one scream unnerved me, to say nothing of that little vixen grabbing my reins. Here, Ernest, we are on the pike at last, and I am just about all in. I wouldn"t give up until we got through, but take the reins. Maybe Miss Hunt would like to drive," he had slyly added, but a low moan from under the wet coats was all the proud beauty could utter.
Aunt Mary greeted them at Chatsworth with much delight.
"The sto"m here been somethin" turrible. I ain"t seed sich a wind sence the chilluns" castle blowed down. All of yer had better come back to the kitchen whar it"s warm and eat somethin". I got a big pot er hot coffee and pitchers er hot milk an" a pan er quick yeast biscuit. I done notice ef you eat somethin" when you is cold an" wet, somehow you fergits ter catch cold."
They all came trooping back to the warm old kitchen, "ev"y spot in it as clean as a bisc"it board," and there they ate the hot b.u.t.tered biscuit and drank the coffee and milk. It was noticed that John let the "extras"
take care of Miss Hunt, and he devoted himself to his mother. Just as they were separating for the morning he hugged his mother and whispered to her, "You need not have any more uneasiness about me, mumsy. I don"t believe there is a Brown living who could go on loving a woman who has no more sense than to grab the reins."
CHAPTER IX.-JIMMY.
"Judy, Mrs. Woodsmall has just "phoned over that her hated R. F. D.
Woodsmall is bringing you a letter from your father. She says she could only make out it was from him, but could not decipher anything else. She has an idea he is on his way, as the postmark showed it was mailed on the train somewhere in Kansas. Isn"t she too funny? She makes some of the neighbors furious, but we always laugh at her little idiosyncrasy.