He appeared again the next morning for breakfast. Afterward5, he and Miss Drexal entered into solemn conclave6 in the living room regarding the details of the proposed trip. It was well toward noon when he took leave of her, entrusted7 with the funds necessary to secure camping equipment, and to hire horses and a vehicle sufficiently8 large to accommodate the party on their journey from the town of Tower to the borders of Vermilion Lake, where they were to make camp.
At luncheon9 that day little else was talked of save the coming excursion into the wilderness10. Even Blanche Shirly exerted herself to ask a question or two regarding it.
“Do tell us all about Vermilion Lake, Miss Drexal,” begged Sarah. “I never heard of such a lake until I came up here.”
“I’m afraid the noble study of geography has been wasted on Sarah,” put in Frances slyly.
“Do you know where it is?” challenged Sarah.
“Somewhere around here,” fenced Frances airily.
“That answer shows just how much you know about it, which isn’t any more than I do,” retorted Sarah with a derisive11 chuckle12.
Miss Drexal met this spirited exchange of comments with an indulgent smile. “There is a great deal to be told of Vermilion Lake,” she began. “It lies about a hundred miles north of Duluth in the very center of the iron district. In fact, iron was first found in Minnesota in the town of Tower, which is situated13 on the lake itself. That happened in 1880, and Tower was nothing then but a straggling settlement. Long before that time, it was a trading post of the famous Hudson Bay Company. The Indians used to come there from the north by a series of small waterways, in canoes, which were usually loaded with furs. From there they would pack their loads on sleds drawn14 by dogs, and go south by the Old Vermilion Trail to Fond du Lac, at the head of Lake Superior. At the time when iron was discovered, the few inhabitants of Tower used to walk to Duluth. It took them four days to make the trip, and they went by way of what they called a ‘tote’ road, cut through the woods.”
“Glad I wasn’t living in Tower in those days,” put in the irrepressible Frances. “It was a long way to Duluth, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” agreed Jane. “Don’t interrupt Miss Drexal,” she added severely15.
“After iron was found, mining was started at Tower and the village grew,” resumed the registrar16. “Later, mining operations were transferred to Jasper Rock, about two miles from Tower. By the way, Jasper Peak is the highest elevation17 in Minnesota. At that, it is nothing but a ragged18, round hill. With the taking away of the mining interest, Tower stood still. It is only within the last few years that it has begun to prosper19 again on account of the building of two very large saw mills on the shores of Vermilion Lake. That is about all I can say of Tower.
“Vermilion Lake is much more interesting. It is only about thirty-five miles long as the bird flies, but it has so many unexpected twists and turns that it is said to have almost eight hundred miles of shore line. Then, too, it is thickly dotted with islands. I have been told that altogether there are three hundred and fifty-five of them. Some, of course, are so small as to measure only a few square yards. Others comprise several thousand acres of woodland. Along the shores, the woods are not so thick, due to lumbering20 and also forest fires. Blue Wolf tells me that the place he has selected for our camp is quite heavily wooded, however. It is about ten miles from Tower and we shall go there by wagon21. He is going to arrange for us to have two canoes, too, so we can paddle about among the nearby islands as much as we please.”
An ecstatic sigh swept the listeners at this last information.
“Won’t it be glorious?” breathed Ruth. “I do hope Blue Wolf will teach us canoeing. I’ve always been crazy to learn it.”
“So have I,” declared Betty and Marian in concert.
“I can manage a canoe,” proudly asserted Jane. “It’s as easy as falling off a log.”
“I think I could manage to upset one,” grinned Frances. “When we get to Vermilion Lake, Plain Jane, you and I will go canoeing and see what happens.”
“I wouldn’t risk my precious self in a canoe with you, Frances Bliss22, for anything in the world!” declined Jane loftily.
“I wouldn’t set foot in a canoe.” It was Blanche who made this emphatic23 assertion. “They are never safe. It takes only a touch to upset one.”
“They’re safe enough if you don’t try to stand up in one, and know how to step into it in the first place,” stoutly24 contested Jane.
“You may think so, but I don’t,” persisted Blanche tartly25.
“I don’t think so, I know it.” Jane could never resist an opportunity to oppose Blanche.
“I shall expect all of you to be very careful when on the water,” cautioned Miss Drexal. “You must promise not to take the canoes out, unless Blue Wolf is on hand to look after you. The passages between the islands are very narrow and confusing. You are likely to get lost if you try to go far alone. Now we had best decide about our luggage. We shall wear our Camp Fire suits, and each carry a pack, containing only strictly26 necessary articles. We will put all our extra clothing into a large trunk of mine, and send it on to be put with our other equipment. I would advise you to carry your sweaters along with your packs. We will pack our ceremonial dresses in the trunk, in case we wish to hold a Council Fire. We shall make our own bough-beds and cover them with blankets.
“As this is Sunday, we will not do any packing. To-morrow morning we will pack the trunk and also a box of cooking utensils27. The blankets can go in on top of them. I will ’phone to Lakeview for an expressman, and have them shipped to Tower. Blue Wolf will be there when they arrive to look after them, and see that they are put with the other equipment. Everything will go ahead on a separate wagon to our camping site, and be there before we arrive.
“My plan is to start at sunrise Wednesday morning and walk to Lakeview. We will take our time, and eat an early luncheon on the way. From there we can take the train to Duluth, spend the night there and go by railway to Tower on Thursday morning. By that time, Blue Wolf will be ready for us. We can lunch at a hotel and start by one o’clock for our camp, reaching it before supper time.”
Miss Drexal’s outline of their journey met with noisy approval. Sunday seemed a long day to the impatient girls. They were not sorry when nine o’clock in the evening came round, and unanimously voted for an early bed-time. Eager as they were to be off to pastures new, the next three days were filled with a delightful28 stir of preparation that sent them slipping by with incredible swiftness. Under Miss Drexal’s competent direction, they made up the light packs each was to carry. Ruth, Marian and Emmy proved themselves particularly adept29 at this. Jane, however, packed and unpacked30 and repacked with much sputtering31, while Sarah and Frances looked on with derisive enjoyment32.
Wednesday’s sun rose bright and hot on a sturdy little procession that started jauntily33 down the road to Lakeview, waving frantic34 farewells to Martha. She had stolidly35 refused to accompany them, declaring that nothing could hire her to go tramping about through woods and swamps, let alone sleeping on the damp ground. During their absence, she had elected to visit a sister living in Lakeview, who was to come for her with a horse and buggy at noon that day.
Yet, in that merry company, there was one face that did not reflect the radiant happiness that shone from the eyes of her companions. Blanche Shirly took the road to Lakeview, a most unsmiling hiker. Ever since Ruth had so plainly outlined to her her position, she had been racking her brain for some excuse to leave the Heights. After long and gloomy consideration, she had been obliged to give up in despair. She was fairly caught in a trap of her own making. Nor was she resourceful enough to devise a way of release. Then, too, her conscience had begun to trouble her a little. Something in Ruth’s ringing tones had lingered in her ears, and given her a vague sense of her own failings, which was entirely36 new to her and very disquieting37. She had vowed38 to herself that she would do nothing that might please Ruth, no matter what happened. Ruth would have to learn that there was one person at least whom she could not wind around her finger. Back of her resentment39, however, lurked40 a faint interest in the camping expedition which she could not quite root out. Though she did not know it, she had a girl’s capacity for enjoying the new and the unusual. After years of constant artificiality, she was beginning to wonder dimly if, after all, these girls, whom she scorned as babies, were not really getting more out of life than she.
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1
bevy
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| n.一群 | |
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2
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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9
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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registrar
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| n.记录员，登记员；(大学的)注册主任 | |
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17
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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20
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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22
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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tartly
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| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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unpacked
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| v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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31
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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32
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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jauntily
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| adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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38
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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