CHAPTER II DESIRE'S INSPIRATIONS
It was a quaint old room in which they settled down after supper had beeneaten and the children put to bed. The woodwork was painted a deep blue,known as Acadian blue, and the floor was bare except for a couple of ovalbraided rugs in which the same color predominated. In the center of theroom stood a hutch table, one that can be changed to a chest by reversingits hinged top. Around it were half a dozen high-backed chairs, theirseats made of strips of deerskin woven in and out like the paper matsmade in kindergartens. A spinning wheel stood beside the fireplace,before which sat Jack and Desire, with no other light except that of thedancing flames.
"Now Dissy," said the boy, laying his hand affectionately over hers,"let's have the inspiration."
"It's this: that we stay on here as tenants. Nicolas can't live in thishouse and his own too!"
"But one trouble with that plan is that Nicolas wants to sell theproperty and get his money out."
"Who'd buy it? Nobody ever moves into or out of this town."
"He has a customer now. Andre Comeau's prospective father-in-law wants tomove here after the wedding. He can't bear to have Marie live so far awayfrom him. Sorry to spoil your inspiration, dear."
Desire made no reply; for she was very close to tears, and she hated toact like a baby instead of the good pal her brother had always calledher.
"We're going to work on Andre's house again tomorrow," observed Jackpresently. "The roof's on, the floors laid, and by Saturday we should beable to start the barn."
In New Acadia all the relatives, friends, and neighbors of a man who isabout to be married join in building a new house for him. They clear apiece of land, haul materials, and labor for weeks on the construction ofhouse, barn, and sheds. When these are finished, the garden is prepared,the fields ploughed and planted, and the buildings furnished. Thebride-to-be contributes linens, and her people stock the farm withanimals. Some morning the whole countryside walks to church to see thecouple wedded, returning to the home of the bride's mother, where the dayis spent in feasting and merry-making. If the groom can afford it, hethen takes his bride to Yarmouth to spend a few days at the Grand Hotel.That is the greatest ambition of every rustic pair.
Jack talked on quietly about the house raising until he saw that hissister had recovered her composure. She was smiling bravely as he kissedher goodnight, but her sleep was broken by feverish dreams of the wornslip of paper, and a long journey.
When Jack returned at dusk the following evening, after a long day's workon Andre's house, he found Desire waiting for him with sparkling eyes,flushed face, and such an air of repressed excitement that he wonderedwhat had happened while he had been away.
It was necessary to wait until the children had gone to bed before hecould question her. They had decided it was best to leave the youngerones out of discussions of ways and means. "Let them be carefree as longas they can," Desire had urged, and Jack had agreed.
"Who do you suppose was here today?" she asked, perching on the arm ofhis chair as soon as they were alone.
"Never could guess," he replied, slipping his arm around her.
"Old Simon."
"Starting his spring trip early, isn't he?"
"Rather. I made him stay to dinner, and we talked and talked."
Simon drove one of the big covered wagons which are common in NovaScotia. They have double doors at the back, and are filled with all kindsof groceries and notions, a regular general store on wheels. Many partsof the country are so thinly settled that it would be impossible forpeople to obtain certain supplies without the existence of theseinteresting wagons. Some of them specialize in certain things, likeready-to-wear clothing, but most of them carry a little of everything.
"Did he have anything interesting to tell?"
The proprietors of these odd stores act as relayers of bits of news, aswell as merchandise, and often bear messages from one part of thepeninsula to the other.
"Why--why--I don't--really know," faltered Desire.
"Don't know?" repeated her brother, turning to look at her in surprise;for although she dearly loved her home, she was always eager for contactswith the outside world.
"Well, you see, we talked business all the time."
"Business?" he queried, more and more puzzled.
"Yes. Oh, Jack, let _us_ get a wagon!"
"Desire, you must be crazy!" he exclaimed, startled out of his usual calmof manner and speech.
"No, I'm not really. Just listen a minute," telling off the points on herfingers. "We'd be all together. We'd be earning an honest living, andhaving a lot of fun, and seeing places; and it's healthful to beout-of-doors, a lot; and--" she paused for breath.
"But, Dissy," protested her brother gently, "we couldn't live in thewagon."
"Oh, yes, we could."
"All of us? Day and night?" asked the boy, troubled at this odd notionthat had evidently so strongly taken possession of his hitherto sensiblesister.
"We could have a little tent for you and Rene at night. Prissy and Icould easily sleep in the wagon. It would be no different from camping,Jack; and lots of people do that."
"What about winter?"
"Well, of course we couldn't live that way after it gets real cold, butwinter's a long way off. Maybe we'd make enough by then to rent a coupleof rooms in some central place and take just day trips. Or perhaps we'llfind out what that paper means, and have--who knows what?"
Jack shook his head.
"Seriously, Desire, I don't see how we can make a living from a travelingstore. Simon does, of course; but there is only one of him, and four ofus."
"But," resumed the girl, after a short pause, "we have no place to go ifNicolas forecloses; we don't know how else to support ourselves; sowouldn't traveling around the country all summer give us a chance to seeall kinds of places and people? Mightn't we get in touch withpossibilities for the future? Our living expenses would be small; for wecould gather wild things to eat--"
"A few bears, or owls, I suppose," laughed her brother.
"No, silly! Berries, and--and grapes, and things."
"Heavy diet."
"And fish," concluded Desire triumphantly.
"Another thing," continued Jack, resuming his gravity, "you wouldn't wantto spoil old Simon's route by taking some of his customers."
"Of course not, but there certainly must be sections where there is notraveling store. We could take one of those."
Just then a heavy knock on the front door startled them both.