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Pee-Wee Harris Adrift

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<h3> CHAPTER XIX </h3> <h3> THE EARTHLY PARADISE </h3> "I don't care who it is or what it is," said Dora Dane Daring; "I'm not afraid of the biggest bandit that ever lived. I'm going to find out what those men are doing lurking about here." Without another word she strode forward, parted the rhododendron bushes, and confronted the marauders. "Well, I—never—in—all my life," she cried. "It's little Walter Harris! What on earth are you doing here?" "I discovered this island," said Pee-wee; "we're exploring it. One of these fellers is a native because he was on it before it was an island." "Look out you don't get your feet wet on the stern and rock-bound coast," said Townsend. "Hold the lantern, Brownie." "Did you ever see such a thing!" said Minerva Skybrow, emerging through the bushes, accompanied by her official staff. "Walter Harris, what in goodness' name are you doing here? I thought you were robbers. What in all creation are you up to? And how did you happen to get here?" "We've been going around quite a little lately," said Townsend quietly. "This is Townsend Ripley," said Pee-wee; "he's a friend of mine; these fellers are all friends of mine. We're exploring." "We're very glad to meet you, Mr. Ripley," said Minerva, while Miss Daring whispered in the ear of Miss Timerson, "Isn't he nice? So tall." "We thought we'd come to the party," said Pee-wee. "Have you any parking space for islands?" Townsend asked. "Oh, indeed we have," said Minerva, "and you're going to be the star guests. May we step on the island?" "Yes, indeed, it's very steady," said Townsend, helping them one after another onto the frowning coast while Brownie held the lantern. "Wherever we go we take our island with us; it's like ivory soap, it floats. Will you have a piece of wild chocolate, out of the heart of the interior?" "Isn't he just lovely," whispered Miss Daring. "So can we stay?" asked Pee-wee. "Stay? I wouldn't let you go for anything," said Minerva. "Listen, girls, I've got an inspiration——" "I have lots of those," said Pee-wee. "They grow wild here," said Townsend. "Listen," said Minerva, "I have a perfectly marvellous idea." She sat down on the grocery box and in her joy and excitement fairly drowned out Pee-wee who was struggling with a vehement running narrative of the day's adventures. "Oh, it will be simply divine," said Minerva. "Listen—don't interrupt me—I'm going to have the refreshments served on this island. I'm going to have the old painter's scaffold for a gang-plank leading to it——" "There are refreshments then?" Townsend asked quietly. "Refreshments? Aren't you perfectly terrible! Of course there are—oceans of them." "No more oceans for me," said Townsend. "Hereafter I'm going to live on shore. My sailing—flopping—days are over." "You're too funny for anything," said Minerva. "Listen, do you see that little tent? The refreshments are all in there. There's just time before the guests all come to move everything over here. I want you boys to help me. We're going to call it the dessert island instead of the desert island. Isn't that adorable? Isn't it odd? Everyone will go into raptures over it, you see if they don't. You'll let us use your island, won't you?" "We'll make you a present of it," said Townsend. "My idea," said Miss Timerson, "would be to tie it to these bushes that stick out over the water. It ought to be far enough away from the—the mainland—to be romantic. How far away do you think it should be, Mr. Ripley?" "The way I feel about it I think it should be at least two thousand miles off." "Silly!" said Miss Daring. "Please be serious. Do you think about three yards would be romantic?" "I never measured romance by the yard," said Townsend, "but I should think about three yards and a half of romance would be enough. If we have any left over we can give it to the discoverer. He eats it alive." "And I'll tell you what I'll do," shouted Pee-wee; "it's an inspiration." "Another?" Townsend asked. "I'll—I'll—I'll stay on the island——" "I thought so," said Townsend. "And—and—I'll stand right here by the traffic sign and after somebody that's eating has had enough, I'll turn the sign so it says STOP; I'll turn it so it's facing him." "Did you ever hear anything so absurd?" said Minerva. "I think it would be picturesque," said Dora. "And sensible, too," said Margaret, "because some of those scouts will just stay here and gorge themselves and won't dance at all." "I think it's a very good idea," said Townsend; "it will relieve congestion here. A food traffic cop." "I'll be it," shouted Pee-wee. "Where is this romantic scaffold?" Townsend asked. "The painters left it in the cellar," said Minerva. "Let's hurry, I'll show you where it is." There was, indeed, just time enough to arrange this novel life-saving station with its picturesque gang-plank before the guests began to arrive. "And this is the end of our wild adventures on a foreign shore," said Townsend, as he carried one end of the old scaffold across the dim-lighted lawn accompanied by the group of excited maidens; "we wind up at a lawn party. This is what the discoverer has brought us to." "Don't you think he's just killing?" Minerva asked. "More than that," said Townsend; "his hunter's stew is more than killing. Did you ever try any of it?" "Never mind, you're going to have some delicious chicken salad," said Minerva. The boys, under Minerva's enthusiastic supervision, tied the island about six feet from shore. The romantic gang-plank kept it from drifting closer in while two clothes-poles driven into the bottom of the river just below it prevented it from drifting with the ebbing tide. Pee-wee's trusty clothesline was stretched between the little apple tree and the overhanging rhododendron bushes as an auxiliary mooring and to hold the island steady. Thus secured and free from the prosaic shore, the romantic isle presented an inviting scene, with the little tent upon it and Japanese lanterns shedding a mellow light from the bushes and the securing clothesline. The rippling water flickered with a gentle and undulating glow and inverted paper lanterns could be seen reflected beneath the surface, as if indeed the beholder could look down and see romantic and picturesque Japan on the opposite side of the earth. The scaffold, forgetting its prosy usage, was resplendent in a winding robe of bunting and on its railing where cans of white lead and linseed oil had disported hung lanterns of every color in the rainbow. To this enchanted isle would stroll dance-weary couples and famishing scouts to regale themselves in this dim, detached, earthly paradise. "Wait a minute, oh, just wait a minute!" cried Minerva in the spell of such an inspiration as comes only once in a lifetime. "Oh, just wait one minute." She hurried across the lawn, returning presently with a huge, spotless apron with strings of goodly dimension which, in a very glow of inspired joy, she tied around the waist of Pee-wee Harris. It was necessary to shorten it by a series of pokes and pushes by which it was tucked up under its own strings and lifted clear of the adventurous feet of the scout. Nor was that all, for somewhere out of the mysterious depths of the house, Minerva had brought a starched and snowy chef's cap with which she crowned our hero. "You be right here when they begin coming down," Minerva said, "and stand close to the traffic sign and if any boy stays here too long turn the STOP sign on him." "And turn it on yourself if necessary," said Townsend. "I won't let anybody eat more than about—about—five helpings. That'll be enough for them, hey?" said Pee-wee. "Goodness gracious, yes," said Dora Dane Daring. "You're the steward, remember," said Minerva. "Do you know what a steward is?" "He's—he's named after a stew," said Pee-wee, hitching up his spreading apron. "You leave the people to me, I'll handle them." <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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