CHAPTER XVIII A COLLISION
Jack turned aside as quickly and as far as he dared, but the machinestruck the side of the wagon, ripped off a wheel, and disappeared intothe gloom. The children were thrown violently to the floor of the wagon,and Desire against the side; but Jack managed to keep his seat. Thehorses stopped instantly, and stood quiet like the intelligent,well-mannered animals that they were. To the accompaniment of Rene'scries, Jack got his little family out of the tilting wagon and took stockof their injuries. Priscilla had a bad nosebleed, and Desire a bruisedarm. Rene was only badly frightened, and Jack himself entirely uninjured.
"We certainly can be very thankful," breathed Desire with relief, afterfirst aid had been given.
"We certainly can," agreed Jack fervently, going to examine the conditionof the wagon; "we were very lucky."
"What can we do with it?" inquired Desire.
"Fortunately we're not very far from Lunenburg," he replied, "and Isuppose I can get it fixed there; but it will mean quite a delay, Iimagine. If the fog would only lift so that we could see something."
"Why not stay right here until it does?" proposed Desire.
"Should you be afraid to stay here with the children while I walked totown?" began Jack. "It would save time if I could get the work startedtoday--"
"Not afraid for us, Jack; but for you. Something might hit you. Supposeanother automobile should come along!" She shuddered.
"Well, then we'll try to get the wagon just off the road, and makeourselves as comfortable as we can until the fog is gone."
With much difficulty, and many pauses for rest, they succeeded in gettingthe wagon off the road.
It was a tiresome afternoon, and seemed many hours longer than it reallywas. Just about six o'clock the grey blanket was whisked away as suddenlyas if someone had picked it up, and the land was flooded with lateafternoon sunshine. On one side of them were fields with groups of treeshere and there; on the other, a wide beach.
"Why not camp in this field?" asked Desire, as the children darted acrossto play in the sand. "If we're going to be held up for a day or two, thisis probably as good a place as any."
Jack agreed. So after charging the children not to go into the water,they set about making a permanent camp. It was too late to go to townthat night, but early the next morning Jack took the broken wheel andstarted out.
"I can have it the day after tomorrow," he announced upon his return,which Desire assured him was "not so bad."
The two days passed very pleasantly. Twice a day, much to Rene's delight,they all went in bathing. Playing in the sand became almost as much of ajoy to the older ones as to the children, and they laid out wonderfultowns across the beach. In the middle of the day, when it was too hotnear the water, they spent their time in the grove, and made friends withthe squirrels who were busy laying in their stores for the winter. Thelittle creatures got so tame that they would venture into the very lapsof the invaders of their domain.
"Now for the road again!" cried Jack, on the evening of the second day,as he put the new wheel on the wagon. "We'll go to bed early, and getstarted as soon as it is light."
Just after daybreak, he came to the wagon where Desire was collectingsupplies for their breakfast.
"Dissy," he said, "Dolly is very sick!"
"Sick! Oh, Jack, what _shall_ we do!" cried Desire in dismay.Difficulties did seem to be coming too thick and fast.
"I've made her as comfortable as I can, but I don't know what to do next.I'll have to go to town for help. Give me a sandwich to eat on the way--Ican't wait for breakfast. You and the children keep away from her until Iget back."
In a few minutes Jack disappeared down the road leading to Lunenburg,puzzling over the finding of a pan half filled with bran mash which hehad discovered near Dolly. Since he could not arrive at a satisfactoryexplanation, he wisely decided to keep the discovery to himself.
Desire gave the children their breakfast, and sent them out on the sand,she herself remaining where she could watch them and keep an eye on thewagon. It seemed hours after Jack had gone when up the road she could seethe broad bulk of a team of oxen plodding slowly toward her. As they camecloser, she saw that they were pulling one of the flat wooden wagons usedfor hauling stone. On the boards sat Jack and another man; the driver waswalking at the animals' heads. Jack got off and came hurriedly towardher, after directing the driver to the end of the field where the sickhorse lay.
"The doctor thinks he'll have to take Dolly to his place; so they broughtan ox team along," he explained. Then before Desire had time to reply, hedashed off to join the other two men.
Half an hour later poor Dolly, reclining on the ox cart, was ready forher ride to Lunenburg.
"I think she will get well; but not right off. She must have atesomething very bad," said Dr. Myers, a stout German, mopping his browwith a big blue handkerchief. "You come see me--say--next day aftertomorrow; then I maybe can tell you how long." He ran clumsily down theroad to join his patient.
Jack sat down beside Desire, and for a long moment they looked at eachother without speaking. The children, who had left their play to becomespectators of the moving, had returned to the beach at Desire'sdirection, and were now so busy constructing a sea wall that they wereoblivious to all else.
"What next, Jack?" asked Desire at last, laying her hand over his.