CHAPTER XIX POOR DOLLY!
"I wish I knew," was the boy's sad reply to his sister's question.
Fired by the sight of his deep depression, Desire put her wits to work tofind a way out of this latest catastrophe.
"Perhaps I could get some work in the shipyards in town," began herbrother before she had arrived at any solution of the problem.
"But if Dolly gets well in a few days, would that pay?"
"I don't think she will--at least not so as to be ready for the road. Yousee, Dissy, it's going to take an awful lot of what we've made so far topay the doctor; and while we're held up here, nothing is coming in, andliving expenses go on."
"That's so."
"If I could get a job in the yards for two or three weeks, it would meana lot to us."
"We would stay here, and you'd go back and forth every day?"
"Yes, that is if you wouldn't be afraid--"
"Of course I shouldn't!"
"It's only half an hour's walk, and we can camp down here cheaper thanliving in town. In October we should settle down in Wolfville; for itwill be altogether too cold to camp after that time. If I could get workfor two or three weeks, then we'll start back for Halifax, and get to--"
"_Our_ house just about in time," concluded Desire gaily.
"How proudly you say that," smiled Jack.
"I _am_ proud of it. Well, we'll follow out your plan then; and while Iget dinner you might tell the children what we've decided."
"Better wait until we see whether I get the job or not," advised herbrother. "It will be hard on you, poor kid, having to manage everythinghere while I'm gone all day long."
"Not half so hard, dear, as your having to go to work at something youdon't know anything about. I'm used to my work."
The following afternoon, Jack returned from town, and immediately soughtout Desire who was sitting under a clump of birches mending one ofPriscilla's dresses.
"Good news, Dissy!" he cried, dropping down at her feet. "I've got ajob."
"Oh, Jack, that's great! Tell me all about it."
"When I first went into town, I stopped at Dr. Myers' and saw Dolly.She's lots better, but Doc said she ought to stay there another week.It's expensive, but it would be more so if we lost her; so I don't wantto take any chances."
"Of course not."
"When she's ready to come back, he'll bring her out here; and he said tolet her roam about the field for another week, and then drive her half aday at a time for a while. After that, he says she'll be all rightagain."
"Well, that's better than we feared at first."
"Yes indeed. I thought for a while that poor old Dolly was a goner. Andhow hard it would have been to tell good old Simon!"
"And what about your job?" For Jack's eyes were on the expanse of blueocean, where the sparkling ripples from a distance looked like silverconfetti tossed up into the air and then allowed to fall back upon therestless surface of the water.
"Oh, yes. I asked directions from the doctor, and went over to theshipyard. My, but it's an interesting and busy place, Dissy! Ships justbegun, others with their ribs all showing and looking like the carcass ofa chicken used to when the kids got through with it; some being painted,some out in the harbor waiting for masts, and others all ready for thedeep sea. I found the man who hires the help, and he didn't seem at allinterested in me--said he wasn't going to take anyone on at present. I'lladmit I was awfully disappointed--"
"Poor old Jack!" murmured his sister sympathetically, laying down herwork to put her arms around him, much as she would have done to Rene.
"Just as I was leaving, who should come lumbering into the office but Dr.Myers. 'Did you get it?' he asked. When I said I did not, he grabbed myarm, turned me around, and marched me back to the desk where Mr.Libermann was sitting. 'I send you this boy to get a job,' he criedangrily. 'For why you not gif him one? I know you haf extra work forthese few weeks.' Mr. Libermann seemed a bit taken back, andstammered--'I did not know he was friend of yours. I'll see what I can doif--' 'You'd better!' shouted the doctor, shaking his fist under HerrLibermann's nose. He got up from the desk and disappeared into somequarters at the back of the building, glad to escape, I think, for even afew minutes.
"'He owe me too many kindnesses,' grumbled the doctor, 'for him to refusewhat I ask.' Presently Mr. Libermann returned with the welcome news thatI was taken on as an extra hand for three weeks, and could starttomorrow. So once more we are--"
"On the road to prosperity!" finished Desire, giving him a hug and takingup her sewing again.
"Not exactly prosperity, I'm afraid; but at least the means ofexistence," laughed Jack.
"The funny part of the performance," he went on, "is that Dr. Myers didnot tell me to say to Mr. Libermann that he had sent me; and thatgentleman didn't have courage to remind him of the fact when he got soexcited over my being turned down."
The children were delighted when they heard that another three weeks wereto be spent in that pleasant spot, but deplored the absence of theirplayfellow, Jack. Unaccustomed to work of the heavy kind that wasrequired of him in the shipyard, he was naturally very tired when hereturned at night; and Desire tried to prevent the younger ones frommaking any demands at all upon him. She was careful, too, to keepunpleasant topics and worries from him.
The days were lonely for her; their simple housekeeping was soon done,and she could not play with the children all the time. So in desperation,one day, she took the cover off the box of articles saved from their oldhome, and hunted through until she found Jack's first year high schoolbooks.
"If I can't go to school," she decided, "I can at least study a little bymyself. I won't bother Jack now, but later he will help me over thethings I can't understand."
After that, the days did not drag so slowly.
The doctor kept an eye on Jack, and at unexpected times dropped into theyards to see him. In spite of the difference in their ages, the twobecame good friends; and both were genuinely sorry when the end of theircompanionship arrived.
"The doctor wants me to be on the lookout for a certain kind of ox on theway back to Halifax," said Jack, the night before they broke camp.
"Halifax?" said Priscilla. "I thought we were going to Bridgeriver."
"Bridgewater," corrected Desire, laughing.
"Well, a river is water," persisted Priscilla, who was always reluctantto admit that she had made a mistake; and disliked very much to belaughed at.
"Sometimes it is red mud," suggested Jack mischievously. "Eh, Prissy?"drawing a feathery grass blade across the back of her neck as she sat infront of him sorting shells and stones.
The children had gathered a bushel or more of beach treasures that they"simply _must_ take with them," but Jack had decreed that only one smallbox could be incorporated in their luggage.
"I thought it best to get back to Wolfville as soon as possible,"explained her brother seriously when she did not respond to hisgood-natured teasing. "It's not so very warm now nights."
"What about the ox?" asked Desire.
"A friend of the doctor's, in fact the man who came out here after Dolly,has lost one of his--"
"Lost!" exclaimed Priscilla disdainfully. "How on earth could one lose anox?"
"The way we nearly lost Dolly," replied Jack briefly, before continuinghis explanation to Desire. "And naturally he wants to buy a perfect matchfor the remaining one. He has been around the nearby country, but forsome reason--I believe his wife is ill, or something like that--he can'tgo far to hunt one up. So the doctor is helping him, and he thought Imight just happen to see one on the way to Halifax."
"How would you know if you did?" demanded Priscilla, with some scorn,still annoyed at having to abandon so many of her marine souvenirs.
"Dr. Myers took me to examine the surviving animal, and I looked him overclosely and wrote down a description besides."
"Read it to us, Jack," suggested Desire; "and then we can all be on thewatch.
"
So Jack read his notes, and when they went to bed they were all hopefulof finding the required animal on their trip back to Halifax.
A couple of days later they were driving along the edge of St. Margaret'sBay, when Desire clutched Jack's arm.
"Look!" she cried.
"Where, and at what?"
"Away over there, in the far corner of that field. Aren't those oxen? Andso many of them."
Jack stopped the horses and stood up, shading his eyes with his hand.
"Yes, I think they are."
"Hadn't you better go and look at them--that is, if they are for sale?"
"Suppose I had, but I wonder how one gets there."
"There must be a road."
"I'll go and see," offered Priscilla.
"Me too," chirped Rene.
"No," said Jack, "we'll drive on a bit first."
A little farther on, a narrow road led far back in the direction of thefield in which the oxen were located, and from that side, farm buildingscould be seen.
"I don't believe I'll try to take the wagon in there," decided Jack,surveying the road doubtfully.
"You might make a sale," suggested Priscilla, always with an eye forbusiness.
"And break an axle in one of those holes. No, I'll walk."
The children clamored to go too, but Jack refused all company; so theywatched him pick his way carefully along until he reached the end of theroad which evidently terminated in a barnyard. It was tiresome waiting;so Desire let the children get out to gather some cat tails which weregrowing along the edge of a tiny roadside stream.
They were so busy that Jack was right upon them before they were aware ofhis approach.
"Guess I've found what we're looking for," he announced jubilantly whenhe came within earshot.
"Really, Jack!" cried Desire, almost falling off the seat of the wagon inher excitement, while the children threw themselves on him, flinging thecat tails far and wide.
"As far as I can see, he's a perfect match. The man raises them for sale.I gave him the doctor's address, and he promised to get in touch with himat once. However, I'll write a letter too, and mail it in the first townwe come to."
"Isn't it nice," said Desire, when they were once more on their way,"that you were able to do something for the doctor in return for hiskindness to you?"
"Yes; and do you know, Dissy, people have been most awfully kind to usall summer."
"They surely have. I never dreamed we'd make so many friends."
"Huh!" said Priscilla bluntly; "some of them weren't very nice. Thosefolks in Halifax were just horrid!"
"Hush!" ordered Desire severely; for she had never repeated to Jack herunpleasant experiences in that city.
Jack looked searchingly at her flushed face, but said nothing more aboutit until they were alone that evening; then he insisted on hearing thewhole story.
"Never again!" he decreed, "shall you or Prissy try to sell things on thestreet."
"But we're all peddlers, Jack dear; you can't get away from that fact."
"Dissy," said her brother, smiling, "you'll get to be as much of anarguer as Prissy if you're not careful."
Halifax was wrapped in a chilly grey fog when the Wistmores drove in acouple of days later. The monotonous tones of the bell buoy in the harborsounded continuously through the city, and buildings and pavementsdripped with moisture.
"Guess we'd better push right on," decided Jack, "and try to find beforenight a spot where it is dry enough to camp."
"_This_ certainly isn't a very pleasant place today," shivered Desire,peering over his shoulder at the gloomy streets.
After they got beyond the limits of the city, the fog lifted somewhat sothey could see the road quite clearly, and even some distance on eitherside. About ten miles outside of Halifax they caught sight of somethingdark under a tree ahead.