"He'll be right in. Come on, everybody. Get everything that will hold
water and fill it."
They filled the buckets, Emma's pots and pans, and even some of the
dishes and stored them in Joe's and Emma's bedroom. Joe went to the
garden, and filled a basket with lettuce, radishes, onions, and peas. He
put the filled basket in the pantry along with the food already stored
there and Ellis came in with his arms full of firewood. He dropped it
into the wood box. Now, in the event of a siege, they had water, food
and fuel.
Barbara and Emma were nervous, but not so nervous that they were unable
to discharge their tasks efficiently. Ellis and Tad, except for Tad's
excitement, seemed to grasp the situation and the younger children, not
understanding, were merely curious. Joe fought his own rising
nervousness.
"Bring Mike in the house," he instructed Tad, "and watch him carefully.
If he growls, barks, or even bristles, watch for whatever might be." To
Ellis he said, "Watch the dog. Keep the kids down and make the rounds of
every window. Pay very close attention to the rear; they'll likely come
from the woods if they come at all. If they do, both of you shoot--and
shoot straight. I'll be back as soon as I can get here."
There was a rising note of alarm in Emma's voice, "Where are you
going?"
He said quietly, "To find out if the Wintersons are in trouble and help
them if they are. Don't anybody stir outside the house until we know
just what it is."