PART 4
“Is everyone ready?” shouted Nick into the front door. “The cart’s hitched!”
Kids bustled onto the porch, carrying knapsacks and blanket rolls. Mrs. Jo circulated among them, making sure that everyone had a jacket or sweater. The tents and food stood packed in the back of the cart, and one cot took up part of the cart’s floor. Nick made sure he had the ax and lanterns stowed away. Asia checked to see if the doors were latched shut and the fires completely extinguished. Laurie cheerfully helped wherever he could, while his reserved wife watched the chaotic scene in dismay. Her place of honor on the cart’s front seat did little to appease her apprehension.
The early summer day proved to be beautiful as the cart left Plumfield. The kids laughed and chattered among the hay as they moved down the road to the deeper woods. A mile past Plumfield, Nick took the cart off the road to a rolling meadow. A stream ran past on the far side of the tall grass. As soon as the vehicle stopped moving, the children swarmed over the sides and scrambled to unload the wagon. The adults tried to restore order with difficulty.
“Wait! Wait!” Nick shouted above the commotion. All movement ceased, and Tommy looked especially foolish trying to balance a bundle of tent poles. They slipped out of his grip and fell to the ground with a crash. Everyone laughed, including Tommy.
“All right. Let’s do this in a more organized way,” Nick instructed. He sent Laurie and most of the boys to set up the tents near the stream. He asked Dan and Emil to clear grass for a fire pit and line it with rocks. Nan immediately volunteered to search for rocks. Bess moved to help Asia carry cooking utensils and pots near the emerging fire pit. Mrs. Jo supervised the entire process, offering suggestions and encouragement. Nick hauled a big log near the clearing to chop firewood. Amy stood quietly, unsure what to do, until Jo asked her to help Bess and Asia with the cooking area. Even then, she had no idea how to organize the boxes or start a fire.
When the camp was ready, a group of kids formed around the adults. They all begged to go off to fish or hike or explore the woods. After he obtained order, Nick offered to take a group on a hike, and Jo would supervise fishing in the stream. Rob begged his mother to go on the hike. Jo only gave permission after she made firm eye contact with Nick as an admonition to pay special attention to the youngster. Bess wanted to go hiking, and asked her parents to accompany her.
Amy didn’t know what to say. She had worn a simpler linen dress for the occasion, but she still didn’t want to go wandering in the dirt or possibly meet bears. Laurie filled the awkward silence by volunteering to go. He sent a sidelong glance at Amy, waiting to see her next actions.
“I thought I’d like to try fishing,” she offered as an excuse. “I’m not sure how sturdy these shoes are for hiking. Is it all right if your father goes hiking, and I try to catch some fish for dinner?”
Laurie and Bess felt conflicting reactions to the Amy’s careful side-stepping, but could find no fault in fishing as an alternate activity. They left with Nick and half of the boys, and Amy affected interest in Nat’s instructions on how to choose the best fishing pole. When his explanations began to involve worms, she wondered if maybe the bears weren’t so bad…
Walking through the woods, Bess and Laurie chatted easily, pointing at the birds and trees. Rob walked for the first mile or so, then his shorter legs grew tired. Then Nick swung him up onto his shoulders, and the boy’s face lit up at his new perspective of the world below. Bess began to take interest in the various plants, and picked flowers for future art projects. Her collection grew to the point that Tommy volunteered to help carry all of the ferns and flowers. They walked a little slower than the rest of the group, seeking new and different kinds of plants to collect.
Bess caught a glimpse of a different kind of leaf among the bushes. It was a bright, shiny green, and shimmered among the more sedate ferns. It grew up from the ground and climbed the trunk of a huge oak tree. Curious, she came closer and saw white berries among the clusters of three leaves. The bright colors might really add to a painting… She wondered if the leaves were wet, but her sense of touch proved that they were merely very smooth.
“How pretty!” she commented, and proceeded to pick a branch to add to her bundle. It fell from her grip, and Tommy retrieved it for her. “Thanks! Would you mind carrying that one?”
“Of course not,” agreed the curly-haired boy.
They caught up to the group and continued their walk. Finally Nick decreed that they return to the campsite. Only the promise of dinner prevented a complete mutiny. Halfway back, Dan examined Tommy’s collection of plants more closely.
Pointing to the shiny green leaves, he asked, “Where did you get that?”
Confused, Tommy tried to explain the kind of bush they had picked it from. Bess became defensive, assuming that Dan simply wanted to pick on her. All other conversation in the rest of the group ceased.
“You should drop that right now--have you touched your face or any other parts of your body?” he continued to interrogate.
Laurie, surprised at first, became a little concerned. “Dan, what’s wrong with those leaves?” he queried.
“Those are poison ivy--Mr. Owen told me about it. They’ll make your skin itch like crazy, and even blister sometimes.”
Bess turned pale, and put her hands against her cheeks as an expression of horror slowly formed. “Oh no--I picked them!” She began to panic, poised as if she might run uncontrolled into the woods.
Laurie moved to calm her. “Move your hands away from your face, Bess,” he instructed gently. He gripped her arms near the elbows and forced her hands from her cheeks. “It’ll be all right--we’re nearly back to camp.”
Tommy was taken aback as well, though he didn’t look like he might begin screaming at any moment, unlike the pale blonde girl. He immediately dropped the offending leaves, and frantically rubbed his hands in the grass. Nick put a calming hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that Mrs. Jo and Asia would know what to do when they got back to camp.
PART 5
