CHAPTER XVII.
A FRIENDLY CALL.
At his second glance Rob caught sight of a boyish figure skulking in the growth, and recognizing a familiar form, he called out:
“Hello, is that you, Chick?”
“Shades of Cherry Corner!” replied the well-known voice of that boy. “It’s Little Hickory, Ruddy!”
The next moment the twain bounded head first out into the road, Chick falling headlong in the middle of the highway.
“Where in the world have you come from?” asked Rob. “They told me you had been taken to the county farm.”
“Jes’ shows how the lunkheads were mistook. It’ll take a smarter gump ’n that countryman to get us there, eh, Ruddy?”
“Then they did try to take you there?”
“Ye jess lay your bottom rock on that, old Hick. But me and Ruddy ain’t in fer no county farm—not yet!”
On being questioned more closely, the two confessed that they had been started for the county farm, but that before reaching the place they had jumped from the wagon and managed to escape their guard.
“Golly gee!” exclaimed Ruddy, laughing till it seemed as if he would never stop, “we purtended to be awful green, and we got the old duffer to tell erbout everything we see. This tickled him to think he knowed so much more’n we did, and, by hookey! he’d stop to s’plain so much that we got tired. Then, when he come to magnify the beauty of some birds so black and homely as to make yer laugh, we skid out! Shouldn’t be s’prised if the old feller is there now a-chinning on ’em.”
While Little Hickory realized that this turn in affairs might prove to their advantage in the end, he was secretly glad that his companions had escaped, and the journey to Break o’ Day was continued with a lighter heart than he had known since coming into this region. Somehow he felt that his adventure with the tiger was likely to redound to his good.
It must be understood that it was already dark, and by the time the coal camps were reached it was well into the evening. They found their coming anxiously awaited by their friends, and their stories found eager and pleased listeners.
“What a hero you are getting to be, Rob,” said Joe, proudly. “I guess they’ll think you are somebody soon.”
“But think of the narrow place he was in,” said Rob’s mother. “I tremble all over now to think of it.”
“Let it pass, mother. I do not think I shall lose anything by it. At any rate, I feel better than I did when I started down to the town, and I am going to look for better times.”
Rob’s hopefulness afforded comfort to the others, and the next morning found them all more light-hearted than they had been before, in spite of the ominous notice at their door.
“I’ve a mind to tear it down,” said Larry.
“Better save your strength to work that shovel in the sod, Larry,” said Little Hickory, with a laugh. “You know yesterday——”
“I’m sore and lame now, so I— hello! what’s up?”
“There’s somebody coming here. He looks like a real gentleman. He—here he comes!”
The exclamation was caused by the sudden appearance of Tom and Jerry, who appeared hatless, barefooted and very much out of breath.
In a moment great confusion and excitement reigned about the coal camps, while the occupants swiftly disappeared from the scene with the exception of Rob, Larry and Joe Willet, though half a dozen heads soon appeared at the low doorways.
Rob’s misapprehension quickly disappeared as he caught sight of the approaching person.
“Why, it’s Dr. Menter,” he said, in a low tone, while in a louder voice he addressed the newcomer:
“Good-morning, sir. I hope you are well, and that it is not any bad news that you fetch to Break o’ Day?”
“In the name of goodness, are you living here?” demanded the physician, allowing his usual polite speech to be overcome by his surprise.
“Yes, sir.”
“I supposed you were stopping in the red house. The deacon owns that.”
“It wasn’t convenient, sir, at the time.”
“But these sod camps are not fit for a pig to live in, let alone human beings.”
“We hope to get into better houses some time, sir.”
Dr. Menter had discovered the notice posted by the selectmen, and when he had hastily run it over, he exclaimed:
“Have they gone as far as that? When was that put up?”
“Yesterday afternoon, sir.”
“Well, well; that beats me. ’Squire Hardy is behind it. For some reason he does not like you, and I had rather have half of the town against me than the ’squire. What do you propose to do about it?”
“We haven’t decided yet, sir.”
“Let me see! Ha, that’s it! I tell you what I would do inside of an hour. Move up into the old red house. That happens to stand over the line in another town, and I do not believe you will be troubled there. At any rate, the authorities of Basinburg cannot disturb you, as long as you do no harm inside its boundaries.”
Rob was quick to catch upon this information, and it gave him a ray of hope immediately.
“You are very kind, sir, and we shall do as you say. But I do not know how we can get the sick ones up there.”
“Got sick ones, have you? Let me see them. As I didn’t come up here professionally there will be no charge.”
Dr. Menter here left his carriage, and while Chick stood by his horse, he followed Rob into the camp, where Mr. Little was suffering on his primitive couch. Upon entering the low, damp place the good physician could not refrain from uttering sundry ejaculations and comments on the dreary situation.
“A well man could not live here without being sick. I should judge, my dear man, that you had been living in some place just like this before. Yours is a bad case of low circulation, with rheumatism and its kindred complaints hanging over you. What you need more than medicine is fresh air and sunlight and cold water. Why, man, if you will take a cold water bath, with a good, smart rubbing with a coarse towel, every morning, get all the sun you can, and just drink in the rarefied air of Break o’ Day for six months, I’ll warrant you will be at work in the cabbage patch with the boys.”
“God knows I wish I could, doctor.”
“God is willing you should, if you will take his medicine. His medicine is cheaper than any other doctor’s, too.”
Though the doctor spoke less enthusiastically of Mrs. Willet’s condition, he spoke hopefully, and on the whole, his visit was like a ray of sunshine in itself, and from that hour Dr. Menter was fairly worshiped by the older members of Ragged Rob’s young republic.
The suggestion of a move to the old house had found a ready response among the party, so Rob was beginning to carry out the idea. But what puzzled him most was how to move Mr. Little and Mrs. Willet until Dr. Menter offered to take them there in his carriage. This was not a very difficult undertaking, and inside of an hour the removal was made complete.
“It is a sorry tenement to move into,” declared the doctor, “but it is a palace compared to those coal camps, and you can soon make it quite comfortable. There is plenty of room for all of you at present. I see you are pretty short of provisions, which brings me to my real errand in coming up here.
“Mrs. Cornhill needs help about her work, now that the deacon is down with the fever, and if one of the girls will go and work for her a few weeks she will be well paid. Help is needed, too, on the farm, so there is a chance for one of the boys. The deacon is in a hard corner financially, but he pays his help. As he is too ill to look after such matters, I will advance you enough to set up housekeeping.”