The Wonderful Bed Page 9

  CHAPTER IX

  CAPTAIN JINKS

  Ann stood and stared at the line of low hills that fringed the edge ofthe water. "What funny, funny country!" she exclaimed. "It's like achecker-board going up-hill."

  "No, it isn't either," said Rudolf, who loved to disagree, "becausethe squares are not square, they're all different shapes and sizes andthey're not just red and black but ever and ever so many differentcolors."

  "It's something like the countries in the geography maps, anyway,"said Ann.

  "It's like patchwork," said Peter, and he came nearest the truth.

  As it did not seem likely they would need the little boat again, thechildren left it to float away if it liked, and crossed the strip ofgray sand to where they saw a little pink and white striped pathwinding up the side of a crimson hill. This path they began to follow,and it took them by so many twists and turns that they hardly noticedthe climb. When the last loop brought them to the top of the slopethey stood still and looked about them, surprised and delighted at thebeauty of the bare bright hills that sloped away in front of them.

  The ground under their feet was now a bright beautiful yellow,powdered all over with little white dots that proved to be daisies.With shouts of delight, Ann and Peter stooped to gather these, butRudolf cried out: "Oh, look, look! Don't let's stop here. It'sprettier yet farther on!" So on they ran, all three of them, over theyellow ground, over a stretch of green and blue checks, across alavender meadow, and found themselves at last in a wonderful paleblue field scattered all over with bunches of little pink roses.

  "This is the prettiest yet," exclaimed Ann, "though of course it isvery old-fashioned. I wonder what it reminds me of? Ruddy, do youremember that picture of Aunt Jane when she was little in such a funnydress with low neck and short sleeves--"

  The children had been wandering across the field as Ann spoke,stopping to pull a rose here and there, too busy and too happy tonotice where their feet were taking them. All at once they looked upand saw that they had come to the end of the pale blue field where itbordered on a broad brown road. Just ahead of them stood a littlewhite tent, and from the door of the tent two tin soldiers suddenlysprang out, shouldered arms, and cried: "Halt!"

  Of course the children halted. There was nothing else to do, soastonished were they to meet any one when they had supposed themselvesto be in quite a wild and uninhabited country. Besides, though thesewere small and tinny-looking, yet soldiers are soldiers wherever youmeet them, and have an air about them which makes people feelrespectful. These two handled their little guns in a most businesslikemanner. The taller of the two, who seemed by his uniform to be asuperior officer, now stepped forward and snapped out: "Give thecountersign!"

  The children stood still and stared, Peter with his thumb in hismouth.

  "We haven't got any, sir, so we can't give it to you," said Ann atlast.

  "Silly! He means _say_ it," whispered Rudolf in her ear.

  "We can't say it either," Ann went on, "because we don't know it. Butwe know lots of other things," she added, looking pleadingly at theofficer. "Rudolf, he can say the whole of ''Twas the night beforeChristmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring, noteven a mouse'--and I can say 'The Gentle Cow all Red and White I Lovewith all my Heart',--and Peter he says 'I have a Little Shadow',--heknows it all, every word!"

  The little officer turned sharply to his companion. "Make a note ofthat, Sergeant," he snorted. "Head it, suspicious information: firstprisoner, probably dangerous burglar burgling on Christmas eve; secondprisoner, cattle thief; third prisoner--"

  "But we aren't anything like that," broke in Rudolf hastily. "You'reentirely mistaken, we--"

  "Say what you are, then," snapped the officer, "and where you havecome from and where you are going and what you are going to do whenyou get there; say it, quick!" And raising his little gun, the officerpointed it straight at Rudolf's nose.

  "We have come from Catnip Island where we were captured by the catpirates," began Rudolf, stumbling over the words in his excitement,"and we--we don't know exactly where we are going, and we--we aren'tdoing exactly anything!"

  "Aha!" The officer turned to his sergeant with a triumphantexpression. "Just what I thought. Anybody that can't give a betteraccount of himself than that had better be locked up. Spies--aha!Another of you came ashore a while ago--a glib-tongued, story-tellinggentleman who fooled us into letting him off, but we've got _you_ safeand sound and here you'll stay! Sergeant, arrest these spies!"

  "Certainly, sir," said the sergeant, making a note of it in his book,"but please, sir, how do they be spelled, Captain Jinks, sir?"

  "S-p-i-s-e, spies, of course, idiot!" snapped the captain. "Now then,off with 'em. Separate cell for each prisoner, bars to the windows.Heavy chains on this gentleman in particeler," pointing to Rudolf."Bread and water, on a Sunday. Off to the jail with 'em--march 'emalong!"

  "Beg pardon, sir," interrupted the sergeant who was glad of an excuseto stop at a very difficult bit of spelling. "We'll have to wait abit. I hear the Queen's band playin'--"

  "Then stand at attention and hold yourself answerable for theprisoners!" With this command, Captain Jinks faced about to the road,and stiffened all over till he looked like a little tin statue. Forsome time the children had been hearing the sound of music, at firstfaint and far-away, now growing louder and louder. The sergeantpulled them hastily to the side of the road, and bade them in a gruffvoice, "Keep quiet, or he'd settle 'em!" Then he, too, stiffened allover just as Captain Jinks had done, and both of them presented arms.The head of a procession was coming in sight.