Kernel Cob And Little Miss Sweetclover Part 19

"Oh dear, oh dear," said she, "will nothing ever happen to help us?"

And just then something did happen; something that looked as if it were going to do them a great deal of harm, but which really did them a great deal of good and it was this:

High over their heads, so small that you could scarcely see it, was an eagle. He was flying about in circles that brought him nearer and nearer to where Kernel Cob and Sweetclover were sitting.

Closer and closer he flew, and still they didn't see him until it was too late.

With a cry of alarm, Sweetclover jumped to her feet but the eagle caught her up in a powerful claw.

Kernel Cob had been slow to see the danger, and by the time he had drawn his sword and was ready for the attack, he, too, had been caught and was struggling in the eagle's grasp.

You know, of course, that eagles carry things off to their nests, and I suppose this one thought that Kernel Cob and Sweetclover were babies, and would be nice for Mrs. Eagle to play with. So, with the two dolls in his claws, he rose up from the ground with a great swoop.

CRACK!

The sound of a rifle and a bullet ripped through Kernel Cob's hat and struck the eagle full in the breast. His wings fluttered for a minute, and then with a plunge like a ball of lead he fell to the earth.

"Well, well, well!" said Kernel Cob, as they lay under the eagle, "that was a pretty close shave."

"I wonder who did it," said Sweetclover.

"I don't know," said Kernel Cob, "but whoever it was did us a very good turn, for if he hadn't killed the Eagle we'd have been pulled to pieces in his nest, just to see what was inside of us. But come, we must get out of here before the hunter comes to take us, for surely he will want to keep the Eagle."

"I don't see how we are to get out of here," said Sweetclover, "for this Eagle weighs about a thousand pounds. I can't move, can you?"

And when Kernel Cob attempted to pull himself from under the Eagle he found he couldn't do it without pulling off his legs, and he was too sensible to think he could get far without them.

By this time the hunter who had shot the Eagle came running up, followed by another.

"It was a mighty foolish thing to do, John. I'll bet you've killed the children," said the second one.

And they came and lifted the Eagle.

"I thought so," said the same voice. "Both of 'em dead."

But the hunter, called John, had stooped and picked up Kernel Cob, and was examining him with a curious smile.

"Why, Margaret," he said, "they're dolls."

And you should have seen Kernel Cob's face as he turned to Sweetclover and said:

"I don't see any woman, do you?"

But Sweetclover only smiled.

"Do you see the one that isn't John?" she said.

"Of course," said Kernel Cob, "I'm not blind."

"Well," said Sweetclover, "she's a woman."

"But she's got a man's suit on," said Kernel Cob.

"Well, that doesn't make her a man." said Sweetclover.

"What'll women be doing next," said Kernel Cob.

And John and Margaret took Kernel Cob and walked to the edge of the lake where there was a sled which they started to pull to the opposite sh.o.r.e over the ice, for the lake was frozen over.

And on the sledge were a great number of bags of gold.

"Be careful," said Margaret, "If we were to go through the ice every bag of gold would be lost and all our five years' work would go for nothing."

And just then, as is often the case, the very thing happened.

They were crossing a bit of new ice when a cracking sound warned them, but it was too late to avoid the disaster, and the sledge, weighed down by the gold, went through the ice and was no more to be seen.

Of course there was nothing to be done, and, discouraged, they made their way to the sh.o.r.e and sat down and thought and thought and thought.

"We'll have to go back to the mines and start all over again," said John with a sigh. And they picked up Kernel Cob and Sweetclover, and walked on.

And after a little while, John and Margaret sat down on a log and were silent for a long time. John had Kernel Cob on his knee, and Margaret had Sweetclover in her lap, and neither of them spoke, but looked far off without seeing anything except what had happened years and years ago and left only a picture in their minds.

And Margaret sighed and turning to John said:

"John dear, don't let us try to find any more gold. What good will all the gold in the world be to us without the children?"

And John raised his head, and you could see tears in his eyes.

"Little wife," he said, "you are right. Children are the greatest riches in the world. Let us go back to ours."

And Margaret just smiled and kissed him.

And they went down the mountain side with smiling faces, carrying Kernel Cob and Sweetclover with them.

"I'm blest if I can understand any of this at all," said Kernel Cob.

But Sweetclover only laughed.

"Men dolls, especially Soldiers, are the stupidest things in the whole world," she said.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XXIII