Part 5 (1/2)
”What isn't?”
Al grinned ruefully, ”Seems like yesterday I worked here.”
”You worked at the old Hawley logging camp?”
”Yep. Ch.o.r.e boy. Got up at four every mornin' to feed and curry the horses so they'd be ready to go into the woods. You wouldn't think fifteen men, or fourteen men and a boy, ate and slept in that old house, would you?”
”It's big enough.”
”By gos.h.!.+ Seems like a person gets born, takes six breaths and gets old.
That old house is still good, though. Those boards are really seasoned and I bet they last another hundred years.”
Ted asked without much interest, ”What happened?”
”Old Man Hawley sold everything 'cept that little patch when the state took over and made the Mahela into state forest. Jud, his son, was goin'
to make a huntin' camp of it. But he never did and he never will. Bet you could buy the works for a hundred and fifty dollars.”
Ted almost yelled, ”Dad!”
”What's the matter? Bee sting you?”
”No, but something else did! Dad, I'm going to buy it!”
”That?” Al looked puzzled.
”Don't you see?” Ted's eyes were s.h.i.+ning and Al knew his heart was singing. ”With more and more people coming into the Mahela every year, they must have more places to stay. I'm going to tear this house down and build a camp right here! Bet it'll rent five months out of the year!”
”Well, I'll be jugged!” Al hoped Ted couldn't interpret his smile. ”That _is_ an idea!”
”We'll buy them all!” Ted bubbled, ”with the money you were going to use to send me to college! There're plenty of these small plots in the Mahela and n.o.body else wants them! They can be had cheaply! Dad, it can be done that way!”
”By gosh, Ted, it might! But it'll take a while.”
”I know but--What's Tammie barking at?”
”One way to find out is to go see.”
Off in the goldenrod, Tammie barked again. They made their way to him and found him peering into a shallow little stream, Tumbling Run, that wound out of the beeches, crossed the clearing and hurried back into the beeches, on its way to meet Spinning Creek. In the middle of the run, a small gray racc.o.o.n with a trap on its left front paw did not even glance up. It had fought the trap fiercely and now was too spent and too weary to fight anything.
Al's words were almost an explosion. ”Smoky Delbert!”
He jumped down into the creek, encircled the little racc.o.o.n's neck with an expert hand and used his free hand to depress the trap spring. Free, but not quite believing it, the little animal went exactly as far as the trap chain had previously let him go and then ventured two inches farther. Sure at last that the miracle had happened, he scuttled into the goldenrod. Al jerked the trap loose from its anchor.
”Let's go, Ted.”
”Where?”
”You want to buy this place. We'll go into Lorton and see Jud Hawley.