AN EXPLORING EXPEDITION
The next day but one, there came a letter to Mrs. Dudley that increased
her perplexity.
"Your Aunt Hannah is sick," she said to Jack, "and I must go to take
care of her. I don't know what to do with you."
"I'll go to Port William to school," said Jack. "See if I don't."
"How?" asked his mother. "We don't know a soul on that side of the
river. You couldn't make any arrangement."
"Maybe I can," said Jack. "Bob Holliday used to live on the Indiana
side, opposite Port William. I mean to talk with him."
Bob was setting onions in one of the onion-patches which abounded about
Greenbank, and which were, from March to July, the principal sources of
pocket-money to the boys. Jack thought best to wait until the day's work
was finished. Then he sat, where Greenbank boys were fond of sitting, on
the sloping top-board of a broad fence, and told his friend Bob of his
eager desire to go to Port William.
"I'd like to go, too," said Bob. "This is the last year's schooling I'm
to have."
"Don't you know any house, or any place, where we could keep 'bach'
together?"
"W'y, yes," said Bob; "if you didn't mind rowing across the river every
day, I've got a skiff, and there's the old hewed-log house on the
Indianny side where we used to live. A body might stay as long as he
pleased in that house, I guess. Judge Kane owns it, and he's one of the
best-hearted men in the country."
"It's eight miles down there," said Jack.
"Only seven if you go by water," said Bob. "Let's put out to-morry
morning early. Let's go in the skiff; we can row and cordelle it up the
river again, though it is a job."
Bright and early, the boys started down the river, rowing easily with
the strong, steady current of the Ohio, holding their way to Judge
Kane's, whose house was over against Port William. This Judge Kane was
an intelligent and wealthy farmer, liked by everybody. He was not a
lawyer, but had once held the office of "associate judge," and hence the
title, which suited his grave demeanor. He looked at the two boys out of
his small, gray, kindly eyes, hardly ever speaking a word. He did not
immediately answer when they asked permission to occupy the old, unused
log-house, but got them to talk about their plans, and watched them
closely. Then he took them out to see his bees. He showed them his
ingenious hives and a bee-house which he had built to keep out the moths
by drawing chalk-lines about it, for over these lines the wingless grub
of the moth could not crawl. Then he showed them a glass hive, in which
all the processes of the bees' housekeeping could be observed. After
that, he took the boys to the old log-house, and pointed out some holes
in the roof that would have to be fixed. And even then he did not give
them any answer to their request, but told them to stay to dinner and he
would see about it, all of which was rather hard on boyish impatience.
They had a good dinner of fried chicken and biscuits and honey, served
in the neatest manner by the motherly Mrs. Kane. Then the Judge
suggested that they ought to see Mr. Niles about taking them into the
school. So his skiff was launched, and he rowed with them across the
river, which is here about a mile wide, to Port William. Here he
introduced them to Mr. Niles, an elderly man, a little bent and a little
positive in his tone, as is the habit of teachers, but with true
kindness in his manner. The boys had much pleasure at recess time in
greeting their old school-mates, Harvey Collins, Henry Weathervane, and,
above all, Susan Lanham, whom they called Professor. These three took a
sincere interest in the plans of Bob and Jack, and Susan spoke a good
word for them to Mr. Niles, who, on his part, offered to give Jack Latin
without charging him anything more than the rates for scholars in the
English branches. Then they rowed back to Judge Kane's landing, where he
told them they could have the house without rent, and that they could
get slabs and other waste at his little sawmill to fix up the cracks.
Then he made kindly suggestions as to the furniture they should
bring--mentioning a lantern, an ax, and various other articles necessary
for a camp life. They bade him good-bye at last, and started home, now
rowing against the current and now cordelling along the river shore,
when they grew tired of rowing. In cordelling, one sits in the skiff and
steers, while the other walks on the shore, drawing the boat by a rope
over the shoulders. The work of rowing and cordelling was hard, but they
carried light and hopeful hearts. Jack was sure now that he should
overcome all obstacles and get a good education. As for Bob, he had no
hope higher than that of worrying through vulgar fractions before
settling down to hard work.