"Well, Nolla, when we were done with our surgical work, you just ought to have seen that beaver"s grat.i.tude shining from his round eyes.
"When he had recovered sufficiently to start for home, father swam beside him. And it was well he did for the poor fellow could not have made it alone. Father towed him across the pond and left him on the dam.
There, the boss (for he was the boss of the colony) made a strange sound and instantly, a score of beavers came out.
"Meantime, father had left him alone while I stood a distance away and watched the scene eagerly. As many beavers as could get near him, managed to roll and push him up on the dam where he lay stretched out.
"Father did not think the poor thing would recover, but I thought he would, so we went back the next day, but he had disappeared.
"We wished we could find out in some way, whether our friend was recovering or whether he had died and was buried by his family. So father decided to creep out on the dam and investigate. I went, too, and no sooner had we tried to make the same queer sound the Grandfather had made that day, than a beaver poked his nose out of a hut and sniffed.
Quickly he disappeared again, but in a few moments, he came out and stood quite close to us making queer sounds at us. He was not afraid, so we took it that he was reporting on the health of our friend.
"We did not see Grandfather again that Summer, so early last Spring I went to visit my colony, and there was my friend, bossing things as usual. But his back was crooked and he had to walk with a lame twist, so I suppose that lion injured his backbone.
"I made a queer sound and he listened. He recognized me and swam over to thump his tail on the ground in front of my rock. I was so delighted that I rushed home and brought father over. Then you should have seen that beaver! He squirmed, and barked, and thumped his tail. It was like the meeting of a long-lost friend. Father was so impressed by the incident that he went to Denver and secured permission from the Government Land Survey Office to establish a permanent reserve here for the beavers. Now they have law protection and may rest unmolested by hunters or trappers."
"Oh, Polly! It"s just like a fairy tale, but much more interesting. What became of the nasty panther?" cried Eleanor.
"He"s stretched on our living-room floor--that skin by the fire-place.
We had an awful time lugging the beast home, but I was determined to walk on his head every chance I got, so we swung him on a pole and managed to induce the horses to be reasonable about the dead creature."
By the time Polly had concluded her story, the burros reached the bluff where the girls camped and prepared luncheon. This day of closer intimacy for the two girls, sealed a life-long friendship between them.
Neither girl had ever had a chum of her own age, and now they found so much to admire and respect in each other that their companionship continued without the usual envy, quarrels or jealousies so common in school life between school-mates.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE PANTHER WAS ABOUT TO LEAP UPON THE BEAVER.
_Polly and Eleanor._ _Page 94._]
CHAPTER VI
THE GIRLS ENTERTAIN GUESTS
During the absence of Polly and Eleanor from Pebbly Pit, that Sat.u.r.day, Mrs. Brewster made preparations for the entertainment of the young visitors who were expected on the morrow. So many days that week had been wasted in riding about the country that the pantry was almost bare.
Chickens were killed and dressed, pies baked, and other delectable viands made ready for Sunday"s dinner and tea.
No word had come from the scouting party on Grizzly Slide, but Mrs.
Brewster said she had no idea of hearing from them until they had completed their investigations and returned home. Polly and Eleanor were well tired out when they reached the house, after their visit to the beavers, and made no demur when early bed was suggested to them.
Sunday was a glorious day and the girls bustled around rearranging the living-room, and seeing that the hammock with its cushions and the wicker porch chairs, were invitingly placed. Their own appearance had been seriously discussed so that both girls felt suitably dressed when the time came for the young surveyors to arrive.
Eleanor had loaned Polly one of her prettiest organdies, and had arranged her really beautiful hair becomingly. Silk stockings now encased Polly"s shapely limbs, and her new low shoes looked twice as well with the sheen of silk above them.
Eleanor wore a dress similar to the one Polly had on, and tried to appear as like her as possible, so that no unfair advantage should arise from appearances. Barbara smiled scornfully at what she considered "childishness" in Eleanor. "Why should she want to have Polly look as well as she could? And why bother, anyway, to dress up for a n.o.body like Kenneth Evans? Of course, it would be all right for Jim Latimer--if he were at home--but not in the wilderness. Chances were that the boys would wear everyday working clothes." But all her "cold water" failed to dampen the spirits of the girls.
The hour for the boys" expected appearance came and went but no sound of horse-hoof was heard echoing from the rocky trail that led past the Cliffs.
"Why! It is now eleven, and they were to be here at ten-thirty,"
remarked Eleanor, hearing the old clock strike the hour.
"Are you sure that that foolish-looking boy understood he was to tell Jim about coming here Sunday?" asked Barbara, feeling rather pleased that the girls felt fidgety over the nonappearance of their company.
"He wasn"t foolish-looking at all! In fact I never saw such a fine head with such intelligence as he had," retorted Eleanor.
"Come on, Nolla, let"s walk down to the Cliffs and sit up on the "Guards" where we can see the trail all the way to Bear Forks,"
suggested Polly, jumping up from the chair.
"All right! we may meet them before we get there," added Eleanor.
"You two certainly are acting silly over a mere boy you know nothing about!" snapped Barbara, who felt peeved at losing the targets for her sarcasm.
The only reply given this parting shot was a merry laugh. Both girls skipped blithely along the path and were soon out of sight where the roadway ran behind the steep banks of the terrace.
"Now that we are out of the way of Bob"s eyes and tongue, let"s go slower or we"ll spoil our shoes," said Eleanor, stopping to see if any dust showed on her shiny toes.
"And we won"t climb the high Guards, but just sit on the ledge nearest the trail," added Polly.
The Sunday dinner hour at Pebbly Pit was usually at one o"clock, so everything was ready and waiting just before that time. But no visitors appeared, and Mrs. Brewster sent Anne down the road to see if the girls and boys were visiting the Causeway and other unusual features of Rainbow Cliffs.
"Oh, Anne! Are you alone?" called Eleanor, when she saw the messenger coming from the house.
"Yes--are you?" returned Anne, shading her eyes from the sun, as she looked up at the ledge.
"Come on up," Polly called, leaning over the rocks.
Anne soon joined them and looked around. "Where do you suppose those boys can be?"
"That"s just what we want to know. I"m sure we were plain enough in telling that boy that he was to come over with Jim Latimer for Sunday--weren"t we?" demanded Eleanor.
"I thought it was plain enough, but Bob declares that the boy was too stupid to understand a simple invitation. She is in her glory because every one is disappointed," said Anne.
"I wouldn"t let her see me feeling bad for anything!" exclaimed Polly, stiffly. "But I do wish they would come, because I wanted to find out if he ever knew _any one_ like our Old Man Montresor."
"Look! See way over there--out on the Bear Forks road?" now exclaimed Eleanor, pointing away towards the distant trail.
"Sure enough!" breathed Anne, with relief.
"But there are three, and we only expected two. Who can the other one be?" added Polly.
"Maybe they are not our company, at all, but some ranchers riding that way," suggested Eleanor, fearfully.
"Ranchers seldom ride that trail, and never on Sundays. Now look!" said Polly.
The three horses had stopped and soon, one rider was seen going along the trail to Oak Creek, while the other two turned in at the gulch trail and disappeared under the giant over-hanging rocks.
"Hurrah!" shouted Eleanor, waving her sun-hat wildly about her head.