"Yes. . . . Yes, I believe he did. But--"
"Then stand by while I unload him. Here he comes now. H"ist him down easy as you can."
That was not too easy, for the end of the box slid from the tail-board to the ground with a thump that shook the breath from the prisoner within. But the breath came back again and furnished motive power for more and worse howls and whines. Joshua p.r.i.c.ked up his ears and trotted to the further end of his halter.
"There!" said Henry G."s boy, jumping to the ground beside the box, "that"s off my hands, thank the mercy! Here"s your fly paper. Five dozen sheets. You must have pretty nigh as many flies down here as you have moskeeters. Well, so long. I got to be goin"."
"Wait a minute," pleaded Brown. "What shall I do with this--er--blessed dog? Is he savage? Why did you bring him in a crate--like a piano?"
""Cause "twas the easiest way. You couldn"t tie him up, not in a cart no bigger"n this. Might"s well tie up an elephant. Besides, he won"t stay tied up nowheres. Busted more clotheslines than I"ve got fingers and toes, that pup has. He needs a chain cable to keep him to his moorin"s.
Don"t ye, Job, you old earthquake? Hey?"
He pounded on the box, and the earthquake obliged with a renewed series of shocks and shakings.
The lightkeeper"s a.s.sistant smiled in spite of himself.
"Who named him Job?" he asked.
"Henry G."s cousin from Boston. He said he seemed to be always sufferin"
and fillin" the land with roarin"s, like Job in the Bible. So, bein" as he hadn"t no name except cuss words, that one stuck. I cal"late Henry G."s glad enough to get rid of him. Ho! ho!"
"Did Mr. Atkins see his--this--did he see his present before he accepted it?"
"No. That"s the best part of the joke. Well," clambering to his seat and picking up the reins, "I"ve got five mile of sand and moskeeters to navigate, so I"ve got to be joggin". Oh, say! goin" to leave him in the box there, be ye?"
"I guess so, for the present."
"Well, I wouldn"t leave him too long. He"s stronger"n Samson and the Philippines rolled together, and he"s humped up his back so much on the way acrost that he"s started most of the nails in them slats over top of him. I tell ye what you do: Give him a bone or a chunk of tough meat to chaw on. Then he"ll rest easy for a spell. Goodbye. I wish I could stay and see Seth when he looks at his present, but I can"t. Gid-dap, January."
The grocery wagon rolled out of the yard. The forsaken Job sent a roar of regret after him. Also, he "humped us his back," and the nails holding the slats in place started and gave alarmingly. John Brown hastened to the house in quest of a bone.
CHAPTER V
THE GOING OF JOSHUA
He found one, after a time, the relic of a ham, with a good deal of meat on it. Atkins, economical soul, would have protested in horror against the sinful waste, but his helper would cheerfully have sacrificed a whole hog to quiet the wails from the box in the yard. He pushed the ham bone between the slats, and Job received it greedily. The howls and whines ceased and were succeeded by gnawings and crunchings. Brown returned to the kitchen to inspect his neglected fire.
This time the fire was not out, but it burned slowly. The water in the wash boiler was only lukewarm. The big lobster in the net balanced on the chair clashed his claws wickedly as the subst.i.tute a.s.sistant approached. The door had been left open, and the room hummed with flies.
Brown shut the door and, while waiting for the water to heat, separated a dozen sheets of the sticky fly paper and placed them in conspicuous places. He wondered as he did so what some of his former acquaintances would say if they could see him. He--HE--a cook, and a roustabout, a dishwasher and a scrubber of bra.s.s at Eastboro Twin-Lights! How long must he stay there? For months at least. He should be thankful that he was there; thankful that there was such a place, where no one came and where he could remain until he was forgotten. He was thankful, of course he was. But what a life to live!
He wondered what Atkins thought of him; how much the lightkeeper guessed concerning his ident.i.ty and his story. He could not guess within miles of the truth, but he must indulge in some curious speculations. Then he fell to wondering about Seth himself. What was it that the light-keeper was hiding from the world? Odd that two people, each possessing a secret, should come together at that lonely spot. Where was it that Seth went almost every afternoon? Had these daily absences any connection with the great mystery?
He distributed the sheets of fly paper about the room, in places where he judged them likely to do the most good, and had the satisfaction of seeing a number of the tormenting insects caught immediately. Then he tested the water in the boiler. It was warmer, even hot, but not boiling.
He had almost forgotten the dog, but now was reminded by the animal itself, who, having apparently swallowed the bone whole, began once more to howl lugubriously. Brown decided to let him howl for the present, and, going into the living-room, picked up an old magazine and began listlessly to read.
The howls from the yard continued, swelled to a crescendo of shrieks and then suddenly ceased. A moment later there was a thump and a mighty scratching at the kitchen door. The subst.i.tute a.s.sistant dropped the magazine and sprang from his chair.
"Good Lord!" he exclaimed; "I believe--"
He did not finish the sentence. There was no need. If he had any doubts as to the cause of the racket at the door they were dispelled by a howl like a fog whistle. "Job" had escaped from durance vile and was seeking companionship.
Brown muttered an exclamation of impatience and, opening the door a very little way, peeped through the crack. The pup--he looked like a scrawny young lion--hailed his appearance with a series of wild yelps. His mouth opened like a Mammoth Cave in miniature, and a foot of red tongue flapped like a danger signal.
"Get out, you brute!" ordered Brown.
Job did not get out. Instead he yelped again and capered with the grace of a cow. His feet and legs seemed to have grown out of proportion to the rest of him; they were enormous. Down the length of his yellow back were three raw furrows which the nails of the box cover had sc.r.a.ped as he climbed from under them.
"Nice dog!" coaxed the lightkeeper"s helper. "Nice doggie! Good old boy!"
The good old boy pranced joyfully and made a charge at the door. Brown slammed it shut just in time.
"Clear out!" he yelled, from behind it. "Go away! Go and lie down!"
The answer was a mighty howl of disappointment and an a.s.sault on the door which threatened to shatter the panels. Job"s paws were armed with claws proportionate to their size.
This would never do. The paint on that door had been furnished by the government, and Atkins was very careful of it. Brown, within, pounded a protest and again commanded the dog to go and lie down. Job, without, thumped and scratched and howled louder than ever. He had decidedly the best of the duet, and the door was suffering every second. Brown picked up the fire shovel and threw the door wide open.
"Get out!" he roared. "Get out or I"ll kill you!"
He brandished the shovel, expecting an a.s.sault. But none came. It was evident that Job knew a shovel when he saw it, had encountered other shovels in the course of his brief young life. His ears and tail drooped, and he backed away.
"Clear out!" repeated Brown, advancing threateningly. With each step of the advance, Job retreated a corresponding distance. When the a.s.sistant stopped, he stopped. Brown lowered the shovel and looked at him. The dog grovelled in the sand and whined dolefully.
"Humph!" grunted the young man; "I guess you"re not as dangerous as you look. Stay where you are and keep still."
He turned to enter the kitchen, turning again just in time to find the pup at his heels. He lifted the shovel, and Job jumped frantically out of reach, sat down in a clump of beach gra.s.s, lifted his nose to the sky and expressed his feelings in a howl of utter misery.
"Good--heavens!" observed John Brown fervently, and, shifting the shovel to his left hand, rubbed his forehead with his right. Job howled once more and gazed at him with sorrowful appeal. The situation was so ridiculous that the young man began to laugh. This merriment appeared to encourage the pup, who stopped howling and began to caper, throwing the loose sand from beneath his paws in showers.
"What"s the matter, old boy?" inquired Brown. "Lonesome, are you?"
Job was making himself the center of a small-sized sand spout.
"Humph! Well . . . well, all right. I"m not going to hurt you. Stay where you are, and I won"t shut the door."
But this compromise was not satisfactory, because the moment the young man started to cross the threshold the dog started to follow. When Brown halted, he followed suit--and howled. Then the subst.i.tute a.s.sistant surrendered unconditionally.
"All right," he said. "Come in, then, if you want to. Come in! but for goodness sake keep still when you are in."
He strode into the kitchen, leaving the door open. Job slunk after him, and crouched with his muzzle across the sill, evidently not yet certain that his victory was complete. He did not howl, however, and his late adversary was thankful for the omission.
Brown bethought himself of the water in the wash boiler and, removing the cover, tested it with his finger. It was steadily heating, but not yet at the boiling point. He pushed the boiler aside, lifted a lid of the range and inspected the fire. From behind him came a yelp, another, a thump, and then a series of thumps and yelps. He turned and saw Job in the center of the floor apparently having a fit.
The moment his back was turned, the pup had sneaked into the kitchen.