Part 6 (1/2)
Miles began to laugh in a hugely delighted fashi+on, but it was soet froth, with many chuckles, he co Indian hanging about Seal Cove for the last two or three days, stealing pretty nearly everything he could lay his hands on, and Mrs Jenkin told ht he broke into Oily Dave's fish-house and cleared off with every bit of dried fish there was”
”So I have been buying stolen goods How horrid!” exclaimed Katherine with a frown ”Now I suppose it is my duty to hand at least a part of that fish back to Oily Dave Oh dear, I would rather it had been anyone else, for I do dislike him so much!”
”Don't fret yourself; wait until you hear the end of my story, and then you will see that for once the biter has been bitten,” answered Miles, with sothat he seemed to be in a fair way to choke himself ”Mrs Jenkin says she is quite positive that Oily Dave stole that fish, because his fish-house was quite eo, as she saith her own eyes, but yesterday, when she was cleaning his house for him, she saw that he had a lot of fish He told her then that he had bought it to sell again She kne much of that to believe, however, and asked me if we had missed any of our fish”
”What did you say?” asked Katherine, who then began to wonder if their fish had really wasted through being stolen, instead of having merely been used too fast
”Oh, I didn't coood heart, but her head is as soft as blubber, so I was pretty careful not to sayof his own head, which he thumped with his fist to show that at least he was not topped with blubber
”It iswhichever way one looks at it!” cried Katherine ”If Oily Dave stole our fish, and Waywassi our own property, and paying for it at a rather stiff price I simply could not beat that poor wretch down, he looked so sad and hungry Oh, Miles, what shall we do? If this business leaks out we shall just be the laughing-stock of the whole place”
”It is not going to leak out; I'll take good care of that,” retorted the boy, squaring his jaws ”If we say nothing about it, who is to be any the wiser? Was there anyone here when you bought the fish?”
”Not a soul How very fortunate!” cried Katherine, beginning to sh to be taken in by such a trick, but it would be si about it and laughing at our misfortunes”
Miles nodded This was just his own opinion, and he would have suffered tortures if the wits of Seal Cove had been able to taunt hiht her own fish Then he said slowly, as if he had been giving the matter profound consideration; ”There isn't a scrap of doubt in my mind that if Oily Dave took the fish he took the lard as well”
”Then I wish Waywassih
CHAPTER VII
Another Clue
It was fully a fortnight after this before Katherine and Miles found any opportunity for going fishi+ng Then there came a day when they had to take a load of stores up beyond the second portage, to the house of Astor M'Kree, and they decided to bring a load of fish back with theht fro to run low Their father seemed better that day, and was able to look after the store with the help of Phil
Katherine too was bright and lively this , as if there were no dark shadow of trouble in her life Sometimes she was fearfully sick at heart with the remembrance of her father's confidence, and a dread of what the su; but at other times, on days like this, she took co cold Winter was not nearly over yet, a hundred things h spirits pushed the dark shadow to one side and for a brief space forgot all about it She was especially blithe of heart to-day, and so had donned a skirt of scarlet blanket cloth, which matched in hue the woollen cloud she wrapped about her head On other days, when her mood was more sombre, she wore a dark-blue skirt, like the thick, fur-lined coat which was put on every tiay you look, Katherine!” exclai into the kitchen, where she wasbread ”But what a pity to put on that scarlet skirt if you are going to bring fish home!”
”I shan't spoil it, or if I do I ear it spoiled until it drops into rags,” replied Katherine ”I call it my happiness skirt, and I wear it only when I feel happy To-day the winter has soht-hearted and reckless as if I had been having oxygen pumped into me by a special contrivance; so plainly this is the proper time for my scarlet skirt”
”It is so funny that scarlet suits you so well, for you are certainly not a brunette,” Mrs Burton said, looking at Katherine in war in anything”
Katherine swept her a curtsy ”Now that is a coly paid Really, Nellie, I don't see how you can expect s of that sort, for you are such a dear, sincere little person that every word you speak carries conviction with it But Miles is waiting and I must be off Don't worry if we are rather late back, for weas much fish as we can”
Mrs Burton left the bread to take care of itself for a while, and, throwing a thick shawl round her shoulders, cae to-day, but that was piled high with stores of various descriptions, from a barrel of flour to a roll of scarlet flannel, and froht de luxe in that part of the world, fish oil serving for all ordinary purposes of illus, while Katherine sped on in front, an ice saw and two fish spears carried across her shoulder It was just the sort ofbut the zest of endeavour Fresh snow had fallen during the night, but the sun was so bright and warainst it The winter was advancing, as was evidenced by longer hours of daylight and hotter sunshi+ne; but when night came the frost was rip on the lakes and streae had lost all claim to its name for the present The river which rushed in summer with a roar over the rocks in rapids was absolutely silent now, and the rocks were merely snow-covered hummocks The river above was frozen, there was no water to run down, and all the resonant echoes were duhtness suited Katherine's mood She hurried on in front, so that even the shouts of Miles to the dogs beca along with a gentle swayingfraround When the boatbuilder's house ca if it would not be pleasanter to remain outside in the pure fresh air until Miles ca to Mrs M'Kree Then, re how solitary was the life of the poor little woman, shut up from month's end to et on as quickly as she could and give Mrs M'Kree the benefit of her society
Mrs M'Kree received her literally with open ar which nearly took her breath away ”Oh, I alad you've come yourself! If the weather had been bad I should have been quite sure of seeing you; but as it was so fine I was desperately afraid you'd send the boys But where is the sledge?”
”Miles is cos, but I ca was so beautiful, and I wanted to be alone,” Katherine answered, subsiding into a rocking-chair and picking up the M'Kree baby which happened to be nearest
”Wanted to be alone? My dear, that doesn't sound natural in a young girl Oh, I hope you are not getting melancholy from all the trouble you've had this winter!”
”How can you even think of melancholy and me in the sah ”Why, I am a most cheerful person always, and Nellie coh spirits”