CHAPTER X
The Stranger Proves a Friend in Need
"Just in time!" exclaimed Miles with a sob of relief. He wouldhave been most horribly ashamed of tears at any other time, butKatherine's danger had been so imminent that even his naturaldesire for manliness was forgotten for the moment.
Katherine drew a long breath and set her teeth firmly. She wastrembling violently now the strain was over, and it was all shecould do to keep from bursting into noisy crying. But the strangerwas shivering too, and in her care for him she forgot her ownfoolish desire for tears.
"You are as wet as I am, and as cold. Can you row?" she asked,remembering the strength of arm he had displayed in dragging herout of the water.
"Yes, and shall be glad to do it. You will be safer rowing too,"he answered, then motioned to Miles to give place.
"I'll steer; then we can go ahead," said the boy jerkily. He hadnot got over his fright yet, and was trembling almost as badly asthe others.
Slipping into their places, Katherine and the stranger took theoars. Miles edged them out of the crowding ice dangers, and,keeping well to the bank, they began their progress up river.
"Mrs. Jenkin is beckoning. Will you go across?" asked Miles.
"No," Katherine answered with prompt decision. "The force of thecurrent is fearful, and we have faced enough risks for one day.Besides, it is of no use; we want dry garments. Mrs. Jenkin hasbarely enough clothes for herself, so I am certain she could notsupply my needs; and no garments of Stee's would be big enough forthis--this gentleman."
"My name is Jervis Ferrars," put in the stranger, seeing herembarrassment and hastening to relieve it.
"Thank you!" murmured Katherine, a flush coming into her cheekswhich made her charming despite her bedraggled condition. Then shewent on: "I think it will be better for you to come with us rightup to Roaring Water Portage, because then we can lend you some ofFather's clothes: he is tall, and they will about fit you, I shouldthink; and it is so very difficult to get what one wants at SealCove."
"That I have already proved. But it was very kind of you to comeand rescue me. I owe my life to you," the stranger said, with asudden thrill of feeling in his voice.
Katherine flushed more brightly than before. "We thought it wasOily Dave whom we were trying to save," she said, with a faintripple of laughter. "And Miles said he wasn't worth it, only ofcourse we had to do the best we could. Are you the Englishman whocame through from Maxokama two days ago?"
"Yes," he answered. "And it was the four hundred miles onsnowshoes that made my feet so bad, though I am rather proud ofhaving done it."
"I am sure you have a right to be proud of such a feat," Katherineanswered; and then they did not say much more, for the work wasgetting harder every minute, and she wondered what would havehappened if there had been only Miles and herself to manage theboat, for certainly the arms of Jervis Ferrars had a strength whichMiles did not possess, yet in spite of this it was as much as theycould do to make headway against the streaming current.
The danger came when they had to creep past the fishing boats, someof which were anchored so close in to the banks that they had toget out in the open river to pass them. Katherine had left offshivering, but she was trembling still from excitement andexhaustion; moreover, she was miserably self-conscious, because ofthe stranger who was sitting behind. It was horrible to be wet,dirty, and thoroughly bedraggled, but it was still more horrible tobe compelled to sit in such a condition right under the eyes of astrange man, whose every tone and gesture proclaimed him agentleman. But they were very nearly at the end of the journey.The roar of the rapids was in their ears, and Katherine wasthinking with a sigh of relief that she would soon be able to resther aching arms.
Suddenly Miles leant forward and spoke. "I'm afraid there issomething wrong at home. Phil has just dashed out of the storedoor, looking as white as chalk. He beckoned to us to hurry, andnow he has rushed back again."
"Father! Perhaps he is not so well," exclaimed Katherine, with aquick terror gripping at her heart. Then she thought with a swiftcompunction of the stranger they were bringing home, and wonderedif her father would resent the intrusion.
But Phil had run out again just as the boat grounded against thebank, and now he began shouting: "Oh, do come quick; Father isdreadfully ill, and Nellie does not know what to do with him."
"You go first; the boy will help me," said Jervis Ferrars, hurryingKatherine out of the boat.
She landed with a bound and tried to run, but her water-loggedgarments clung so closely about her that she could only walk, andthe few steps to the door seemed like a mile.
"Nellie says it is a stroke, and she is afraid Father is dying,"sobbed Phil, who was running to and fro in a distracted fashion.
A faint cry broke from Katherine, and she caught at the doorpost tosave herself. Yet even in that moment she realized that this wasonly what she had been expecting every time that she had returnedfrom an absence all the winter through. But to-day found her soshaken and unfit for strain that it was not wonderful she brokedown, feeling that this last disaster was too great to be borne. Amoment she clung there sick and faint, while the ground under herfeet seemed to rise up like the waves of the sea; then thefrightened wailing of Beth and Lotta reached her ears, and steadiedher nerves to meet the demands upon her.
"Poor mites, how frightened they must be!" she murmured to herself,then stumbled forward again, crossing the store and entering thekitchen.
'Duke Radford lay on the floor. Doubtless he had fallen so, andMrs. Burton had been unable to lift him; but there was a pillowunder his head and a rug laid over him. He was breathing still,otherwise Katherine would have believed him already dead.
"Oh, Nellie, this is dreadful! Whatever shall we do?" she cried,her voice sharp with pain.
"If only we could get a doctor I wouldn't mind so much," sobbedMrs. Burton. "But that is an impossibility."
"I am afraid it is," Katherine answered, lightly touching herfather's face with her finger, and wondering if he were asunconscious as he looked.
Then she felt herself gently thrust to one side, and the voice ofJervis Ferrars said quietly: "Go and get into dry clothes asquickly as you can, Miss Radford. You can do your Father noimmediate good, but you may easily catch pneumonia if you stop inthis condition long. I am not really a doctor, but I have had amedical training, and I can do all that can be done in this case."
"Oh, how thankful we are to have you here!" said Mrs. Burton, whofelt as if the wet unknown, who was shedding pools of dirty wateron to her clean floor, was an angel sent straight from heaven tohelp her in her time of need.
But Katherine said nothing at all; she only stumbled to her feet inblind haste and hurried away, knowing that collapse intoundignified babyish crying was inevitable, and anxious to get awayto some place where she might be hidden from the eyes of theothers. In that crowded little house there was not much chance ofprivacy, however, and when Katherine entered the bedroom, to changeher wet garments and cry in peace, she was immediately set upon bythe twins, who had been shut in there by their mother to be out ofthe way. The poor mites were so frightened and unhappy thatKatherine had to put aside her own miseries in order to comfortthem. Then by the time she was clad in dry garments she feltbetter and braver, so she went back to the other room with thetears unshed.
'Duke Radford still lay on the floor in blank unconsciousness,while Mrs. Burton was busy mopping up the dirty water which had runfrom the wet garments of the others.
"Mr. Ferrars has gone to get into dry clothes, and then he will seeabout putting poor Father to bed," Mrs. Burton explained. Then sheburst into agitated thanksgiving: "Oh, Katherine, how fortunatethat you brought him home with you, and how wonderful it is thatthere is always someone to help when most it is needed! Whatevershould we have done to-day if we had had no one but the fisherpeople to help us?"
Katherine was silent, and before the eyes of her mind there arosethe picture of that moment befor
e the two big fragments of icecollided, the moment which enabled Jervis Ferrars and herself toget into the boat. But for that pause in the destruction of theice island it was more than probable that neither she nor thestranger would have been there at all. Of this she said nothing.Nellie had quite enough to bear without being frightened bytragedies which had not happened.
"I am afraid we brought you in a fearful lot of water," Katherinesaid.
"It will soon be wiped up, and the floor none the worse. That poorMr. Ferrars had no boots or stockings on; his feet were merelyswathed in towels. I have sent Miles with warm water to help himput them comfortable; and now there is someone in the store. Dear,can you go? I don't know where Phil is."
"I will go. But what about Father?" Katherine asked, lingering.
"You can do nothing for him, and he is as comfortable as it ispossible to make him at present," Mrs. Burton replied. ThenKatherine hurried away, for business must be attended to whateverdisasters menaced the family peace and happiness.
The customer was a man from one of the fishing boats, which waspreparing to leave the river directly the barrier of ice at themouth gave way. He wanted more stores than could be immediatelysupplied, and promised to come back for them later.
"I saw you'd got the Englishman in your boat when you came upriver; I thought he looked pretty sick," remarked the fisher, whowas a Yankee from Long Island Sound.
"His feet are bad, which is not wonderful when one remembers hisjourney from Maxokama," Katherine answered, wishing that the manwould go, so that she might go back to her father.
But this he seemed in no hurry to do, and with a cautious lookround to make sure no one was within earshot, he leaned over thecounter and asked in a confidential tone: "Can you keep a secret,Miss?"
"I think so, but I am not very fond of them," she answered, drawingback with a repressive air, for the man's manner was more familiarthan she cared for.
"Well, it's this then; the Englishman is likely to go on gettingsicker still if he keeps lodging at Oily Dave's hotel. Do you twigmy meaning?"
"No, certainly not," Katherine answered; then a shiver crept overher, because of the sinister interpretation which might be put tothe words.
"I don't want to be hauled up in a libel case," said the Yankee."Are there any witnesses within hearing?"
"No, not if you keep your voice down," she answered, dropping herown, and feeling that here was something she ought to know, howeverunpleasant or burdensome the knowledge might prove.
"Well, they are saying that the new fleet-owner, Mr. Selincourt,ain't satisfied with things going on as they used to do, and so hehas sent this young man up to spy round a bit, report the catch,keep expenses down, and that sort of thing. Oily Dave has alwaysreckoned to make a good picking out of the fishing, you know, andit ain't likely he'd approve of being spied upon."
"Why have you told me this?" demanded Katherine. Her eyes weredilated with fear, and there was a sickening apprehension in herheart. In that wild place, so far from law and order, a dozendreadful things might happen, and the world would be none the wiser.
The Yankee laughed and stuffed a plug of tobacco into his leftcheek. Then he replied: "They all say on the river that you are apowerful smart girl, and can do most things you set your mind to.Possession is nine points of the law, you know. You have got theEnglishman here; keep him somehow--unless you want him to leaveOily Dave's hotel feet foremost, that is."
Katherine gasped, and the words she would have uttered stuck fastin her throat. A man's life had been thrust into her keeping, andshe must guard it as best she might.
"I wish you would tell----" she began falteringly, then a doorcreaked at the far end of the store, and the Yankee straightenedhimself with great promptitude, ready for instant departure.
"Well, good morning, Miss! Beautiful thaw, ain't it now? I shouldthink the mouth of the river must go bust before to-morrow;" andwith a flourish of his very seedy old hat the citizen of the UnitedStates walked out of the store. He did not often lift his hat toanyone; for, believing that all men were equal, such observancestruck him as servile. But Katherine had a way with her thatcompelled respect; moreover, she was a downright gritty girl, as heexpressed it: so the hat-flourish was really a tribute to herstrength of character.
As he went out of the door, Jervis Ferrars came hobbling out fromthe bedroom leaning on Miles. Dressed in 'Duke Radford's workingclothes, he looked like an ordinary working man, except for thatindefinable air of culture which clung to him.
"I am going to see to your father now, Miss Radford. Miles and Ihave got the bed ready, and the sooner we get the poor manundressed and comfortable, the better it will be for him."
"Thank you!" said Katherine, then shivered again as she recalledthe Yankee's words about keeping the stranger from the power ofOily Dave.
Jervis Ferrars looked at her keenly, noting the shiver and thetrouble in her eyes; then he said abruptly: "What is the matter?Do you feel ill, or is it something fresh?"
For a moment Katherine hesitated, but he would have to be told, sheknew, so she said hastily: "It is something that--that you mustknow. I will tell you presently when I get a chance."
"Very well," he replied briefly, then hobbled on into the kitchen,and for the next hour was occupied in doing his utmost for the sickman.
Katherine was left a moment alone with Mrs. Burton, after 'DukeRadford had been carried to his bed, and she said hastily: "Nellie,would you mind if Mr. Ferrars stayed here for a few days until hisfeet are better? We are crowded, I know; but either he or the boyscould sleep in the loft now it is warmer, and Oily Dave's house isimpossible until the flood is down."
"I should say it is impossible at any time," replied Mrs. Burton,"and I shall be only too thankful if he will stay for a whilebecause of poor father. Oh, Katherine, I am afraid this longterrible winter has killed him," she said, with a quiver ofbreakdown in her voice.
"It is not the winter. Why, he has scarcely been out at all, so hecannot have suffered from that," Katherine answered sadly. Sheknew only too well why her father had broken down again, only theworst of it was she could not tell anyone, but must hide theknowledge within her own heart, because it involved her father'shonour.
"I have seen him failing for so long, only yesterday and to-day heseemed better," Mrs. Burton went on; "and he was sitting quitecomfortably by the stove, not talking very much, but lookingthoroughly contented, when he suddenly pitched out of his chair andlay like a log on the floor."
"Will you ask Mr. Ferrars to stay with us, or shall I?" saidKatherine.
"I will if you like. I will put it so that he shall think he isdoing us a favour, then he will be more comfortable aboutaccepting; and really, as things are, I don't see where else thereis for him to go."
"Nor I," replied Katherine, and was thankful to leave the matter inher sister's hands for the present.