Judith Lynn: A Story of the SeaDonnell, Annie Hamilton
General
Judith Lynn: A Story of the Sea
Donnell, Annie Hamilton
Sea stories
"Good idea!" nodded the old head on the pillows. The old eyes
twinkled kindly. "I suppose ye want me to go out to your traps, don't
ye? An' do a little trawlin' while I'm out? Jest speak the word!"
Uncle Jemmy said nothing about getting his own dinner, but the boy
had thought of that.
"Judy's comin' in at noon," he explained. "I've got everythin' cooked
up. An' she's goin' to look at my traps when she goes out to hers.
I'll be back in the night, sometime; don't you lay awake for me, now,
gran'father!"
He went out, but presently appeared again, fumbling his best cap in
palpable embarrassment.
"I wish--I don't suppose--you wouldn't mind wishin' me good luck,
gran'father, would you?" he stammered. "I'd kind of like to be wished
good luck."
"Come here where I can reach ye," the old man said cheerily, putting
out his hand. "Wish ye luck? I guess I will! Ye're a good boy, Jemmy.
I don't know what your arrant is, an' I don't need to know, but
here's good luck on it!"
"I tell you what it is, if--if it succeeds," Jem Three said, gripping
the twisted old fingers warmly. "I kind of thought I'd rather not
tell first off. But I can, of course."
"Off with ye, boy! Ye distract me when I'm doin' a bit of thinkin'
for a lady! When ye get good an' ready, then will be time enough to
do your tellin'. Queer if I couldn't trust a Jem!"
The city was twenty miles inland from the little flag-station, and
the flag-station was ten miles away from Jemmy Three. He trudged away
with his precious boots over his shoulder, to be put on at the little
station.
Once in the city, he went directly about his "arrant." He chose a
street set thick with dwelling-houses as like one another as peas in
a pod are like. He tramped down one side of the street, up the other,
till at last he came upon what he sought. A smart sign hung on that
particular house, and Jem Three mounted the high steps and rang the
door-bell.
"Is this a doctor's house? There's a sign that says--"
"The doctor isn't at home," the smart maid said smartly. "Will you
leave your address on the slate, or will you call again at office
hours--two till six."
"I'll call somewheres else," Jem Three said briefly.
He called at many doors in many rows of pea--of houses. It was
sometime before he succeeded in his quest. When at length he found a
doctor at home, he was closeted with him for a brief space and then
drove away with him in a trim little gig to a great, many-windowed
house where pale people were sunning themselves in wheel-chairs about
the doors. Jem Three made a call at the many-windowed house.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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