Page:St. Nicholas - Volume 41, Part 1.djvu/278

252 was, laid down her sewing, and came and stood by her mother’s chair. Nate, looking around upon them with a smile, turned to Mr. Dodd.

“If you ’d rather we talked this out by ourselves—"

Mr. Dodd hesitated. He could say, “Run away, youngsters,” and so could have the room to himself and his wife, with, perhaps, Bob also. But the younger ones, as he knew, were intensely interested in the boy up at Nate’s, and he wished Pelham and Harriet to hear what was to be said. Further, he trusted absolutely to their secrecy, for he had long ago trained his children to say nothing of what went on in the family circle. He wanted them, therefore, to stay. It was Brian that he doubted. He did not know his nephew very well, and was not sure whether closer acquaintance would make him think better of the boy, or worse. But for that very reason, he did not wish to show doubt of him. And again, was there any great need of secrecy? Probably not. He said, therefore, “Oh, this is all right.”

Nate nodded. “Well,” he began, “this boy Rodman, he wants to go away.”

They all exclaimed in surprise. “I thought,” said Mr. Dodd, “that the boys said he was going to work with you.”

“We talked of it when they was there,” agreed Nate, “but you know you can’t really settle things when others is about. He did n’t say nothin’ about it for two days more; but I noticed him a-tryin’ of his ankle every little while. It ’s been gittin’ well fast, an’ he seemed to be takin’ a lot of satisfaction in that. So I says to him last night, ‘What ‘s your awful hurry to git well?’

“He would n’t tell at first. He ’llowed ’s any one wants to git well, and things o’ that sort. But I kep’ at him, fur I suspicioncd the real reason, an’ at las’ he admitted it. He says he wants to go.”

“Did he give a reason?” asked Mr. Dodd.

“No, he jes’ wants to go. Whether he ’s nervous here, a-wantin’ to git to some remoter place—"

“Remoter from what?” interrupted Mr. Dodd.

“Don’t ask me,” replied Nate. “Still, I ’ve got it in my head that he ’s nearer to somethin’ than he likes to be. It ain’t any of us, ‘s I can see. He says we ‘ve all been mighty nice to him. I says, then why go away from us? An’ he jes’ comes back to the same idee, he wants to git away.”

“What shall you do?" asked Mr. Dodd.

“I?” asked Nate. “I ain’t got no say in the matter. If he wants to go, I cant stop him. Still, I feel so bad I thought I ’d ask his owner to come up an’ see what can be done.”

"“His owner?” inquired Mr. Dodd. “Who is that?”

“Harriet captured him,” answered Nate.

“He ’s her property, if he ’s any one’s. I thought I ’d ask her to come up an’ take a look at the situation.”

Harriet, with all eyes on her, felt that she turned scarlet. “Why,” she gasped, “I—-I—"

“But, Nate!” began Mr. Dodd, a little impaticntly. Then he stopped. Nate usually knew what he was about.

“I was jes’ foolin’ about her ownin’ him,” explained Nate. “Wanted to make her feel a little responsibility for him, that ’s all.” He smiled at Harriet, but continued addressing Mr. Dodd. “What I ’m really after is this: you know the doctor said that seein’ her might bring back Rod- man’s memory. Well, I want to see if it will.”

“But there ’s no hurry,” objected Mr. Dodd.

Nate shook his head. “I ’m not so sure. I feel ’s if I might wake some mornin’, when once he ’s rightly got the use of his leg, an’ find him gone. Seems ’s if I could n’t bear it if he got away without our makin’ this last try.”

“Well,” said Mr. Dodd, slowly, “her mother shall go up with her.”

“Askin’ your pardon,” persisted Nate, “I ’d rather not have grown folks around. They two ought to meet sorter natural, an’ entirely by themselves, Why, Mr. Dodd, you can trust Harriet with me!”

“Of course,” agrced Mr. Dodd. “But I don’t know anything about this boy.”

“Rodman ’s all right,” declared Nate, emphatically. I can’t say more than that about anybody.”

Mr. Dodd looked at his wife. She, who had been listening thoughtfully, slowly nodded. “I like what I ’ve seen of him,” she said. “Let her go. Nate will be there.”

Nate looked at Harriet. “I ain’t proposin’ to be eavesdroppin’,” he exclaimed, “but I ’ll be handy. Harriet, will ye go?”