Part 42 (1/2)

The party left their ponies outside, and crept through the slats of the closed blind into the room. They mounted the bed-post, climbed atop of the carved headboard, and began drumming with their feet and spears upon the solid walnut.

”Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat! Tat, tat, tat!”

Neither of the sleepers stirred.

”Louder, lads, louder!” shouted the Ensign. ”Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat! Tat, tat!”

Still the weary couple slept.

”Stop!” called Lawe. ”No use! Late hours--late supper--champagne! We must wait and try something better. Away!”

As they descended the bed and scampered back to the window they were greeted by a loud, prolonged nasal serenade from the unconscious pair.

”Puff! pu-ff-ff!--oo,--haw!” breathed Dido quite gently, indeed, after a fas.h.i.+on which goes with some folk by the name of ”boiling mush.”

”Oo--oogh--ha--aw--_hogh!_” was the answering snore from the Governor's nose, with a tremendous force upon the ”hogh!” In fact, it came out with such a sharp explosion, that Wille's head flew forward, and he awoke.

”Wife,” said he sleepily--”I say, wife!” and here he gave Dido a little tap under the chin. ”Don't snore so loud, please! Why, I--I--really you made a terrible racket. I thought at first that some one was pounding the bedstead!”

Dido was quite awake now, and answered indignantly, ”Snore indeed! You'd better talk! Pounding the bedstead! It's too bad!” And thereupon the little lady turned over sharply toward the wall, and composed herself to sleep.

However, the Governor had lost the benefit of Dido's speech; for ere she had finished he was sound asleep, and snoring almost as vigorously as before. Meanwhile the Brownies had returned to their rose-bush retreat ignorant of the amusing scene for which their little feet were responsible.

”To-morrow,” said Lawe, ”we must succeed. If we can once get the Governor to see, in the early morning, while the dew lies upon their tent-tops and reveals them what a vast camp of our enemies holds our old and rightful quarters, I am sure that he will clear out the usurpers at once!”

”Aye; but how shall we bring that about?” said Corporal Trust.

”We must have help. Come, lads, mount and away!” answered Lawe.

He led his troopers straight toward the orchard. Over the tree-tops they flew; on, up, until at last he halted the party on one of the spreading limbs of Lone Aspen. There the Ensign dismounted and approaching the Lone Aspen the first object upon which his eyes fell was a round, horizontal snare of Uloborus, spread within the hollow of the trunk, where the great gateway opened at the foot. His anger was highly inflamed at the sight, and he forgot his mission in the eager purpose to rout this foe lurking at the doorway of his friend, Madam Breeze. He ran hastily forward and smote the web with his sword until it fell to the ground. Uloborus, who was stretched beneath it on a ribbon-like hammock, tumbled down with the ruins of his...o...b.. and thereat Ensign Lawe fell upon him with his sword. But the Pixie, thinking discretion the better part of valor, dodged the strokes, and shaking himself loose from the fragments of his late beautiful net, ran away at top of his speed, and plunged into the thick gra.s.s around the roots of the tree. Lawe did not think well to follow; and his wrath being somewhat vented, turned again to the errand on which he had come. He climbed the gra.s.s-rope ladder stretched along the trunk, and having reached the upper window at the great knot-hole, blew a shrill blast upon his bugle. The echoes rolled up and down the hollow trunk.

”Oo--oo--oo!”

The round mellow voice of Madam Breeze answered the call, and a moment thereafter the merry Elf bobbed her rubicund face out of the window.

”Hah! who is there? Brownies again, I warrant--Wheeze! More forts to smash? Ho, ho, ho! Why, my sides are aching yet with that last bout. Ho, ho!--Hoogh!” It seemed more likely that the good lady's sides were aching with her hearty laughter.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 141.--”A Round, Horizontal Snare of Uloborus, Spread Within the Hollow of the Trunk.”]

”Didn't we batter them, though?” she ran on. ”Down went tents! Down went barricades! Down went fort--Hoogh!” Here Madam gave one of her little coughs. ”Well, no, not exactly that, neither. That was too much for us.

But no matter! The vile old den got its deserts anyhow. Ho, ho! Phaugh!

And how's Spite the Spy? Has his breath improved any? Wheeze--Dear me! I doubt if he ever scrubs his teeth. Think of a pure, sweet Breeze-body like myself having to wrestle with such as he! Don't ask me to! No, no!

It's too funny, ho, ho!--Wheeze--hoogh! You see my asthma's no better--Wheeze!”

All this time the Elf had been seated on a broad leaf swinging like a pendulum, and gazing into the clouds. She suddenly stopped and looked into the Ensign's face.

”Dear me!” she cried, ”I--I--and so it's not Bruce this time? The rogue--the scamp--the--ah!--Wheeze! How could he dare to deceive me so?--Hoogh!”

For one minute Madam Breeze sat still, actually for a whole minute! The fact is, she was just a trifle afraid of Ensign Lawe, the only one of all the Brownies, by the way, who ever dashed her high spirits a particle. During that moment the good Elf looked as sober as she could then threw her heels up and her head down, and swung away furiously for a few seconds.

”Oho! It's you, is it? Well, things must be serious when Lawe comes a-gossiping to Madam Breeze. Well, well! Cheer up, cheer up, Mr.