Part 34 (1/2)
Mr. Treat was silent for a moment as if revolving some very weighty matter in his mind, and said slowly,--
”I've got jest sich a cow as would suit Aunt Nancy; she's a good one, an' I wouldn't like to part with her for nothin'. Now, if you'd do the ch.o.r.es 'round here this summer, an' she would put in some of the money I owe for the wheat, we might strike a trade.”
”But I don't want her to pay anything.”
”Thought you could do it all yourself, eh?”
”I hoped so,” Jack replied in a tone of disappointment.
”Why, I don't reckon you'd earn it in a year. I'd want forty dollars at the very lowest figger for my cow, an' it would take a mighty smart boy to git that much in twelve months.”
Jack could no longer conceal his feelings, and, seeing he was pained because of the failure of his plans, Mr. Treat continued in what he intended should be a soothing tone,--
”I'd be willin' to allow you twenty dollars for a summer's work previdin' you'd board yourself at Aunt Nancy's. Then she'd only be called on to pay as much more, an' have twice as good a cow as the one that's dead.”
”How long do you say the summer should last?”
”Well, I wouldn't be hard on you, an' we'd call it quits by the middle of November.”
”How much of that time would it be necessary for me to stay in the store?”
”From five o'clock in the mornin' till nine at night, the same as is expected of other boys.”
It was the last blow to Jack's hopes. His duty to Louis would prevent him from remaining in this section of the country such a length of time, and it was essential he should a.s.sist Aunt Nancy in order to pay her for the food he and Louis consumed.
”Well, what do you think of it?” Mr. Treat asked, as the boy stood irresolutely for a moment.
”I couldn't because I can't stay here as long as that, and, besides, I must do something for Aunt Nancy to earn our board.”
”That's right, my boy. There's no harm done because we didn't make a trade; but it shows I'm willin' to help along all I can in a case like this.”
”I'm much obliged to you,” Jack replied faintly, and then he started up the road once more, walking decidedly faster than when he came.
He had counted on being able to ease the sorrow in Aunt Nancy's mind by buying for her a cow as good as the one she had lost.
He was revolving in his mind half a dozen plans by which the desired result might be attained, when a voice from the opposite side of the road caused him to halt.
”How's Aunt Nancy by this time?”
It was Mr. Souders who spoke, and because that gentleman had been so kind to him on the day when the sewing circle met at the little woman's house, he decided to tell him the whole story, not from any expectation of receiving a.s.sistance, but in order to relieve his mind.
Mr. Souders listened attentively to all he had to say, and then replied,--
”Treat was trying to swindle you. His cow isn't worth ten dollars, to say nothing of forty, an' he wasn't over an' above anxious to give you too much for your work. Let the matter drop a couple of days an' I'll see what can be done. We mustn't allow Aunt Nancy to suffer.”
There was a world of encouragement in the gentleman's tones, and Jack felt as if half his troubles had already been removed.
”I'm willin' to do anything I can towards earnin' the money to buy one; but Louis an' I mustn't stay here till November, an' I don't want her to use her own money.”
”That will be all right, my lad. Go home now, an' I'll see you later.”