Chapter X The Big Sleighing-Party - Dave Porter and his Double by Edward Stratemeyer

Of course, even with so many visitors to entertain, Dave and Roger could not neglect their studies; so it was arranged that every day the pair should apply themselves diligently to their books and to what their tutor had to say from eight o’clock until twelve. Then lunch would be had and the young folks could start out to enjoy themselves in one way or another.

On one occasion the three boys went hunting with Dunston Porter in the woods back of Crumville. They had a most delightful time, and brought back quite a bagful of rabbits, as well as several squirrels, and also a plump partridge, the bird being brought down by Dave.

“And it was a fine shot, Davy,” remarked his Uncle Dunston in speaking about the partridge. “As fine a shot on the wing as I ever saw.”

Crumville boasted of a good-sized pond; and from this the snow had been cleared, giving the young folks an opportunity for skating, which every one of them enjoyed to the utmost. They also attended a concert given in the church one evening, and even went to a moving-picture show which had recently been opened in the town.

The moving pictures interested the two girls from the Far West more than anything else, for, so far, they had had little opportunity to take in such a form of entertainment.

During those days Dave was continually on the watch for some information concerning Ward Porton, but no word of any kind came in, and he finally concluded that the rascal had left that vicinity.

“Most likely he thought things were growing too hot for him,” was Phil’s comment, when the boys talked the matter over. “He probably realized that if he continued to go to the stores and get goods the way he did he would be caught sooner or later.”

Ben Basswood often went out with the others, pairing off, as had been expected by Laura, with Cora Dartmore. This left Belle Endicott more or less in Phil’s care, for which the shipowner’s son was grateful.

“Yes, my father has brought the Enos miniatures here,” answered Ben, one day, in reply to a question from Dave. “He had them in a safe deposit vault first, but he concluded that they would probably be just as safe at our place. You know, he has a big safe of his own in which he keeps all his real estate documents.” Mr. Basswood’s office was in a wing of his house, and all the boys had visited it and knew that it contained a massive steel affair about five feet square and probably four feet deep.

“They ought to be safe there, Ben,” returned Dave. “I don’t see what a thief could do with miniatures, and I don’t believe your father’s office is liable to catch fire.”

“And that safe must be fire-proof,” put in Roger.

“I think it is fire-proof,” returned the real estate dealer’s son. “And I guess you are right about thieves–they would rather steal money or jewelry or silverware, or something like that, every time.”

Used to a life in the open air, and to riding and driving, the sleighing in and around Crumville proved to be a constant delight to Belle and Cora. As a consequence, it was arranged by the boys that the whole crowd should go out in a large sleigh, to be procured from the local livery stable and to be drawn by four reliable horses.

“We’ll put a lot of straw in the bottom of the sleigh and make it a sort of straw-ride,” declared Dave.

“And just to think! it will be moonlight!” cried his sister. “Won’t that be the finest ever!”

“It certainly will be!” came from Jessie, her eyes beaming. But then she turned suddenly to Dave, her face clouding a little. “Who is going to drive–you?”

“No, we’re going to have a regular man from the livery stable,” he answered. And then as his sister turned away, he added in a low tone: “I didn’t want to spend my time on the horses–I wanted to spend it on you.”

“Oh, Dave!” murmured the girl, and blushed. Then she gave him a look that meant a great deal.

The sleighing-party was to start off about two o’clock the next afternoon, and did not expect to return to Crumville until well towards midnight. They were to go to the town of Lamont, about seventeen miles away. A new restaurant had been opened in this town, in connection with the hotel, and Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth had stopped there for a meal and had pronounced it excellent, the food being of first-class quality and an orchestra being present to liven matters up. Ben had thought at first that he could not accompany the others, his father having been taken sick; but as Mr. Basswood’s illness was not of a serious nature, Mrs. Basswood, knowing how disappointed the youth would be, urged that he go along anyhow.

“Your father is resting quite comfortably,” she told Ben; “and the doctor says he will be around again inside of a week, so you may as well take in this sleighride while you have the chance.”

“But there are those miniatures, mother,” returned Ben. “Wasn’t father going to let Mr. Wadsworth see them?”

“Mr. Wadsworth is going to have several art critics at his home in a day or two, and then your father is to let all of them examine the miniatures carefully to see if he can get an idea of what they are worth. But you need not bother your head about that. If Mr. Wadsworth sends word that the critics have arrived at his house I’ll take care of the matter.” And so this was arranged, and Ben went off to prepare for the sleigh-ride.

At the appointed hour, the big sleigh came dashing up to the door of the Wadsworth mansion. All of the young folks, including Ben, were on hand and ready for the trip, each bundled up well for protection against the cold. The sun had been shining in the morning, but towards noon it had gone under a heavy bank of clouds.

“Looks a little to me like more snow,” observed Dunston Porter, who was present to see them depart. “I shouldn’t be surprised to see you coming back in the midst of another fall.”

“Oh, Uncle Dunston, don’t say that!” cried Laura. “We want the moon to shine this evening.”

“Well, it will shine, Laura,” returned the uncle, with a wink of the eye. “It always does shine, even when we don’t see it,” and then he dodged when she laughingly picked up a chunk of snow and threw it at him.

Into the big sleigh piled the girls, and the boys quickly followed. All the back seats had been removed, and they nestled down in the thick straw and covered themselves with numerous robes.

“Look out that you don’t jounce off when you go over a bump,” cried Dunston Porter to Phil and Belle, who sat at the back of the turnout.

“Oh, we’ll hold on, don’t worry!” cried Phil.

“I’m used to hanging on,” came from the western girl, quickly. “Riding in this sleigh won’t be half as bad as hanging on to the back of a half-broken broncho.”

“I guess that’s right, too,” answered Dave’s uncle. “Just the same, you take care. I don’t want you young folks to have any accidents on this trip.”

“I trust you all have a good time,” came benevolently from old Caspar Potts, as he gazed at them and rubbed his hands. “My, my! how I used to enjoy sleighing when I was a young man! And how many years ago that seems!” he added with a little sigh.

“Don’t stay any later than midnight,” warned Mrs. Wadsworth.

“We’ll be back by that time unless something unusual turns up,” returned Dave. He turned to the others in the sleigh. “Everybody fixed and ready?”

“All ready!” came back the answering cry.

“Then we’re off.” Dave turned to the driver, a middle-aged colored man. “Let her go, Wash.”

“Yassir,” responded Washington Bones, with a grin. “Giddap!” he called to his horses. And with a crack of the whip and a grand flourish the turnout left the front of the Wadsworth mansion and whirled out on to the broad highway leading to Lamont.

The four horses were used to working together, and they trotted along in fine style, causing many a passer-by to stop and gaze at the team and the gay load of young people in admiration. The horses were well equipped with bells, and each of the youths had provided himself with a good-sized horn, so that noise was not lacking as they dashed along past the stores and houses of Crumville. Then they came out on the Lamont road, where the sleighing was almost perfect.

“I hope we don’t have any such adventure as we had at Conover’s Hill,” remarked Jessie to Dave while they were spinning on their way.

“I don’t think these livery stable horses will run away,” he returned. “They are used every day, and that makes them less frisky than our horses, which sometimes are in the stable for a week. Besides that, Wash Bones is one of the most careful drivers around here. If he does anything, he’ll let the team hold back on him rather than urge them to do their best.”

On and on flew the sleigh, the young folks chatting gaily and occasionally bursting out into a verse of song.

“Let’s give ’em our old Oak Hall song!” cried Dave, presently.

“That’s it!” came eagerly from his two chums, and a moment later they started up the old school song, which was sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, the girls joining in:

“Oak Hall we never shall forget,
No matter where we roam;
It is the very best of schools,
To us it’s just like home!
Then give three cheers, and let them ring
Throughout this world so wide,
To let the people know that we
Elect to here abide!”

“Say, that takes me back to the old days at Oak Hall,” remarked Roger, when the singing had come to an end. “My, but those were the great days!”

“I don’t believe we’ll ever see any better, Roger,” answered Dave.

The sleighing party had still three miles to go when suddenly Laura uttered a cry.

“It’s snowing!”

“So it is!” burst out Belle. “What a shame!”

“Maybe it won’t amount to much,” said Ben. “It often snows just a little, you know.”

The first flakes to fall were large, and dropped down lazily from the sky. But soon it grew darker, and in a short time the snow was coming down so thickly that it almost blotted out the landscape on all sides.

“Some fall this!” exclaimed Phil. “Looks now as if it were going to be a regular storm.”

“O dear! and I wanted it to be moonlight to-night!” wailed Laura.

Dave was peering around and looking anxiously at the heavy, leaden sky.

“If this is going to be a heavy storm, maybe it might be as well for us to turn back,” he announced.

“Turn back?” came from several of the others.

“Yes.”

“What for, Dave?” questioned Phil. “I don’t think a little snow is going to hurt us. Maybe it will help to keep us warm,” he added with a grin.

“We don’t want to get snowed in, Phil.”

“Oh, let’s go on!” interposed Roger. “Even if it does keep on snowing it won’t get very heavy in the next couple of hours. We can hurry up with our dinner at Lamont and be home again before it gets very deep.”

“All right, I’m willing if the rest are,” returned Dave, who did not wish to throw “cold water” on their sport. “Lamont it is! Go ahead, Wash, we want to get there just as soon as possible.”

On they plunged, the snow coming down thicker and thicker every minute. Then, just as the outskirts of the town were gained, they heard a curious humming sound.

“Oh, Dave! What is that?” queried Jessie.

“It’s the wind coming up,” he answered. “Listen!”

All did so and noted that the humming sound was increasing. Then the wind came tearing through the woods and down the highway with great force, sending the snow in driving sheets into their faces.

“My gracious, this looks as if it were going to be a blizzard!” gasped Phil, who had started up to see what the sound meant. “We had better get under some kind of cover just as soon as possible.”

“We’ll be up to dat hotel in anudder minute,” bawled Washington Bones, to make himself heard above the sudden fury of the elements. “Say! dis suah is some snowsto’m!” he added.

Again he cracked his whip, and once more the four horses ploughed along as well as they were able. They had to face both the wind and the snow, and these combined made progress slow. By the time the party came into sight of the hotel with the restaurant attached, the wind was blowing almost a gale, and the snow seemed to be coming down in driving chunks.

“Drive us around to the side porch,” ordered Dave. “It will be a little more sheltered there.”

“Yassir,” came from the colored driver; and soon they had come to a halt at the spot mentioned. From under the snow and robes crawled the boys and the girls and lost no time in running into the hotel. Then the colored man drove the turnout down to the stables.

“My! did you ever see such a storm!” was Roger’s comment. “And how quickly it came up!”

“If it isn’t a blizzard, it is next door to it,” returned Dave. And then he added quickly: “It looks to me as if we were going to be snowbound!”