  The Fifteenth Chapter. Of Rolie Polie’s visit to the Barley Mill. And of what the Miller of Dee saw from the Roof. Also of the threatening shouts of the Toy People. AS King Tommy headed the Royal Yacht to the wind and gave up the chase, the ladies, almost with one voice, begged of him not to abandon the rescue of the Queen. But upon thinking how near their boat had come to being sunk by the shot from the cannon on the deck of the Black Rover, they realized that the King had chosen the only course possible. Tommy now held a consultation with Mr. Poodle. In their hurried talk neither one could present a plan which promised success, or even held any hope. Meanwhile, the Black Rover being out of sight and there now existing {114} no danger from the cannon shots, the yacht was again headed for the river, though what would be gained by this course the King for a moment could not see. During this activity on board the yacht, there had been no less activity on the land, for the sound of the firing had brought a great gathering of people to the shore of the lake, to the roofs of houses and to every high point from which might be had a good view. Now, as has been told, Rolie Polie had gone off to see the town and have luncheon with the Miller of Dee. Thus it happened that when the Buccaneers fired their first cannon shot, the little clown was sitting at the door of the mill, watching the great wheel turn and the barley corns go bobbing up and down in the hopper. “Oh, ho, Rolie Polie,” cried the Miller of Dee; “there must be a battle out on the lake! Come in and tend the mill a minute, while I go up on the roof and see what is causing all this firing!” Rolie Polie jumped quickly to his feet, and didn’t say no to that proposition, I can tell you, for he thought it would be great sport to tend the mill. Presently the Miller of Dee was telling him to turn this lever this way, and that lever another way, and to be sure not to touch the third lever, and then the mill would grind, or stop grinding, and all would be well. “Be sure, Rolie Polie, not to touch the third lever,” finally cautioned the Miller, as he went hurrying out of the door. After Rolie Polie had tended the mill for a while, he too began to wonder what was happening out on the lake. “I will shut off the mill,” said he, “and get up on the roof and see.” {115} “Now, was it this lever the Miller said to turn, or that one, or the third one?” wondered Rolie Polie. Then he pushed down a lever, and no sooner had it turned than Rolie Polie heard a great rushing and roaring which nearly shook the mill from off its foundations. “Oh, Rolie Polie!” cried the Miller’s wife, scaring her cat from its nap in the sun, as she ran hurriedly into the mill, “What have you done? What have you done? The gates to the dam are open and the water is tearing wildly through the mill brook. We must turn the lever again and shut the gates!” But, work as hard as they could, the gates would not budge one inch, and presently the Miller was heard calling loudly: “Shut the gates! Shut the gates!” Rolie Polie began to shake and tremble. “I think it is time for me to go and hide,” he said. “There is no telling what the Miller might do.” Then off he hurried and soon had tucked himself in a corner behind some meal bags. “Shut the gates! Shut the gates!” yelled the Miller, as he bounded through the open door and ran across the mill to the levers. But for all his hard tugging, the Miller of Dee never closed the gates even one particle. Then he went outside and called for help, and presently there was no less than a dozen stout Toy people tugging at the lever, which little by little, as the pressure of the water grew less, began to turn and finally shut the gates. “It is a fine mess this little clown has made for us now,” said the Miller. “He deserves to have a good birch twig laid upon his back, only, of course, that is against the laws of Toyville, and besides he is such a jolly little fellow, it would be a shame to give him a whipping.” {116} While the little Miller of Dee was talking this way, Rolie Polie, now much frightened, kept creeping further into his nook behind the barley bags. If he had not been so intent upon hiding he would have heard the Miller laugh and say that: “Perhaps the little clown was not after all much to blame, for he hadn’t had much experience at mill tending.” That was the way it was with the Toy people; they never could be cross with anybody, or, at least, they could not be cross for long. Rolie Polie did not hear the Miller say this though, but what he did hear was an approaching throng in the street. These, with shouts and cries of: “Who opened the gates? Who opened the gates?” were now almost at the mill. The Levers. As for the little Miller, he too heard the cry. “Oh me, oh my!” said he, “this certainly looks threatening for Rolie {117} Polie; and really the fault was not so much his as mine. I should never have left the mill in his care.” The next {118} minute the Miller of Dee stepped briskly to the open door. “I am the one for whom you are looking,” said he. Whatever the Miller of Dee expected would happen when he made the announcement, I do not know, but of this much I am certain, that which did happen was without doubt a big surprise. “The Miller of Dee! the Miller of Dee! Hurrah for the Miller of Dee!” cried the throng as they rushed forward; and, taking hold of the little Miller, twined a wreath of roses about his shoulders and placed him on the back of Rolie Polie’s donkey. “To the Castle!” they cried; and off they started. It was as much as two minutes before the little Miller could get enough breath to speak. “Why am I being taken to the Castle? Why is this wreath about my neck? And why do you cheer?” he asked. “Listen!” cried one of the Toy people to his companions. “The Miller of Dee asks why we cheer! Why shouldn’t we cheer? Hurrah for the Miller of Dee, who opened the gates of the dam and let the water out of the lake, so the pirate ship was left high and dry in the river!” When, at last, the noise had subsided enough for the little Miller to be heard, he asked: “Is that what has really happened? Has the pirate boat been captured and has Queen Helen been rescued?” “Yes,” answered the Toy people; “Queen Helen has been rescued, and all due to the Miller of Dee.” “No,” answered the little Miller, “the honor is not mine; I did not open the gates. They were opened by the little clown. Turn back, my fellow Toy people, this wreath of roses is for Rolie Polie.” |
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