AN END AND A BEGINNING
Now that my boy has found his mother and we are going home, it seems as
if I ought to bring my story to a close, though I hate to stop talking.
I will just let him give a few word pictures of our last week, for his
mother, not being able to travel, spent several days in the hammock, the
little Russian lady always by her side.
Both were very quiet and both smiled when Dallas, racing up and down the
lake shore with his cousins in the high September winds, would spring
off my back to come and give them the latest news.
The first day it was the arrival of the teacher and Dallas exclaimed,
"Mother! we heard a gentle purring in the sky and the children said it
was Miss Jazzamine arriving in her new silent plane."
"What do you call her?" asked Mrs. Duff.
"Her real name is Miss Jessamine Venn, but the children call her Miss
Jazzamine because she is so lively. The plane dipped and dipped and then
she came down in a parachute and she had funny harness on something like
Fetlar's. The children almost ate her up and she told us she wasn't a
bit afraid. There's nothing in heaven or earth to be afraid of, and she
had on a big fur coat and she took it off and slapped her arms to get
warm. Then she rode Fetlar to the school-house. She has rooms there, you
know, and there are no desks, only tables and chairs, and back of the
school-house is a fine little hospital where the government dentist
stays when he comes to fill teeth. Miss Venn always has two girl scouts
living with her and she teaches them housekeeping."
"Marie," said Mrs. Duff, "we shall get some suggestions here for our
colony."
"And the teacher has a little square face," Dallas went on, "and eyes
the colour of the steel in your bead bag, Mother, and Cassowary says she
has lots of classes out-of-doors. I've been up History Trail where the
big trees are kings and queens, and the tiny ones courtiers and common
people. Sometimes she takes the children over to those four sandy
islands in the lake that are called Europe, Asia, Africa and America,
and they lay out countries and cities. Oh! I forgot to tell you the
reason she came down in the parachute was because the plane was in a
hurry to get to a fire down south. The pilot, who was "a scarlet rider
of the sky," had chemicals to put the fire out."
"And what is a scarlet rider?" asked Madame de Valkonski, whereupon my
master explained to her about the Dominion Mounted Police Force whose
members ride about keeping order in this big Northland.
The next day Dallas told them about the school--how children came
driving in from the north and the south in two big vans and met in a
joyous crowd at the school-house door, many of them with musical
instruments under their arms.
"I have heard of the music here," said Mrs. Duff.
"Uncle Jim and Miss Jazzamine make up a lot of it," said Dallas
enthusiastically. "First you hear the noise of waggons creaking as
settlers drive in, then the sound of axes biting into the trees. At last
the house is built, and men, women and children cry for joy. Then there
is a feast and dancing and Miss Jazzamine led a procession all round the
school-room. It was great, Mother. Can't we have something like this in
our home? The music is pretty loud, but there was a deaf man cured by
it."
"Gladly, my child," said Mrs. Duff. "We are borrowing many plans from
here."
"And they're going to have a concert to-night," said Dallas. "To-morrow
night it will be a picnic supper."
"I like that," said Madame de Valkonski. "It keeps the families
together."
"And now I must go," said Dallas. "Mr. Macdonald has a stable class at
four, and at five Miss Jazzamine shows us how to judge corn."
"Does she never rest--this wonderful teacher?" asked Mrs. Duff.
"She is very strong," said Dallas. "She says when one has good food,
good water, good air, and good times one does not need to be ill. _Au
revoir_," and he kissed his mother and bowed to Madame de Valkonski,
then hurried away.
The next afternoon he had a wonderful story to tell them about the
turkey-farmer's baby who had run away from home and was found under Miss
Jazzamine's bed, saying that she had come to the play-house where her
brothers and sisters had such good fun.
"She was under there with the cat," said Dallas, "and a squirrel that
Sideways had stolen from the woods, and she was lapping water out of
Sideways' dish and Miss Jazzamine said to let her stay. She could go
into Cassowary's kindergarten class."
How Mrs. Duff laughed at this, while her boy went on, "And the
turkey-farmer said he was going to send down six of his best turks, for
Miss Jazzamine had fitted his boy for the university and he had done
nothing for her."
"May I ask what a turkey-farmer is?" inquired Madame de Valkonski.
"He has hundreds and hundreds of turkeys," said Dallas, "and they run on
the barrens and eat grasshoppers, and the farmer's dogs keep the wolves
away, and he's promised me a pup, and may I have it, Mother?"
The boy felt no shyness now when he was with his mother, and perhaps
sometimes he asked too much of her; however she gladly consented to let
him have the pup.
The day before we left he had a very tragic story to tell them and they
had to question him to get the particulars.
Of course I knew all about it as I had been one of the principal
actors, and my heart was heavy, too, as my master paced up to the
veranda and perched on its edge.
His mother lifted her head from the hammock cushions and looked at him
anxiously, then she asked, "What has all that shouting been about?"
"The children were singing," said Dallas.
"But what unhappy music," remarked Madame de Valkonski.
"Dallas," said Mrs. Duff, "are you ill?"
He sprang up and went to her. "Not at all, my Mother. I am sad, but I
will tell you. The blue-eyed Bressay who is my Fetlar's friend was
playing with us on the hillside when he got his foot in a hole and broke
his leg. We managed to get him to his stall, and Mr. Talker said he
would have to be shot. Big Wig took a stick to him, but one of the
scouts pulled it away. Then Mr. Talker said as Uncle Jim and Aunt Bretta
are away to-day we must do as he said."
"I hope you were not rebellious," said Mrs. Duff.
"Oh! no--the boys and girls were fine, and just then Miss Jazzamine came
running to the stable and she spread out that red cloak of hers, Mother,
just like nice hen wings. Big Wig was sobbing just dreadfully, then Miss
Jazzamine said, 'I have an idea,' and what do you think it was?"
Mrs. Duff said she did not know and Dallas went on. "Uncle Jim had
ordered a plane all fitted up to take Harry Talker to the hospital, and
he couldn't go to-day, so Miss Venn put on her flying suit and Mr.
Talker and Mr. Macdonald steadied Bressay in a light waggon and we all
went down to the landing place where the men are building a hangar and
airdrome."
"Ah!" said Mrs. Duff. "I have heard of that. It is for cross country
aviators. Is it possible that you put a pony in an airplane?"
"Indeed we did," said Dallas, "and poor Bressay looked frightened to
death, but Miss Jazzamine told him she knew a veterinary in Toronto who
put wooden legs on ponies and he would come back and be the hero of the
country side just like a soldier. Then Zip! Roar! the plane was off and
we formed a procession home with Big Wig at the head of it on Fetlar,
and we sang,
"And shall our Bressay die?
Then 'bout a million Fawn Lake kids
Will know the reason why."
Mrs. Duff and her friend were convulsed with amusement, but they did not
laugh until Dallas had run down to the wharf to meet his dear father,
who had gone fishing and to please his boy had taken barbless hooks
instead of barbed ones.
I stayed to watch Black Paws the raccoon, who was slyly hiding something
behind the books in the living-room. When I found it was blueberry pie I
told him he ought to be ashamed of himself, but he paid no attention to
me.
That was the afternoon before we left and as Dallas and his father came
to the house Madame de Valkonski said to Mrs. Duff, "I shall go to the
school-house this evening."
She did go, and fortunately, too, for when Mr. Macdonald flashed some
pictures of Russia on the screen and Bolshy saw some soldiers beating an
old woman he sprang to the platform. He was about to tear the screen to
pieces when an order in Russian from Madame de Valkonski stopped him.
She stepped up beside him, asked questions, then said to the audience,
"I pray you, my friends, pardon this poor man. That is his mother in the
picture and the soldiers are his former companions who have turned into
monsters. He says he is sorry to cause confusion for now he is against
disorder. You may be pleased to know that I shall send for this poor
mother to come and live in this tranquil place where you yet have so
many pleasures."
The room rang with applause as the little lady stepped back to her seat
beside Dallas and the now radiant Bolshy faced the audience and made his
first speech in English.
"Mother!" he exclaimed, stretching out his long arms toward Russia,
"Canada good!--Come!"
The house went wild, for Bolshy, who was working like a horse at helping
Samp with farm work, was becoming a great favourite with the community.
After the pictures were over the people came pouring out of the
school-room and my master paused outside the building to listen to the
lovely sound of singing on the lake and the roads.
"Canada, fair Canada,
God's blessing rest on thee."
came from a group of people up by the Talkers' and canoes on the lake
answered,
"May His right hand protect our land
And guard her liberty."
Then Dallas went quickly to the farm-home where his parents were
packing.
Seeing his mother standing before his wardrobe trunk he went into a
quiet ecstasy.
"A mother--to pack one's trunk--but it is too much. I will finish. What
are all these packages?"
"Presents for my boy from the kindly folk here."
"I don't deserve them," he said humbly. Then he added, "Mother, my dear,
may I send a big bundle of nice things for their community Christmas
tree?"
"Certainly," she said, "and, my boy, I have good news for you. Madame de
Valkonski has discovered that the back of your head is shaped like her
Paul's. Now she will love you like a second mother."
Dallas put his two hands on her arms. "Mother-my-love, I can have two
mothers, three mothers, or a dozen mothers, but there will never be one
like my very own."
Mrs. Duff was quite tired, but I could see as I looked in her boy's
window that his words put new strength in her.
She straightened herself and said in her sweet though always husky
voice, "Together, my boy, we shall see what we can do for the world.
There is much unhappiness."
Dallas put his arm round her and escorted her to her room upstairs, then
he came out on the veranda and looked long and lovingly at the lake,
smiling as he listened to the screaming gossip of the beloved loons
about their approaching winter journey to southern climes.
Glancing behind him I saw Mr. Devering coming out of his office. The man
was pained at the thought of parting from this dearly loved boy who had
been such a care to him for so many years.
He was glad to give him up to his own parents, yet he wished to have a
few last words with him.
However as he stepped round the north corner of the house Big Chief and
Cassowary came round the south one, and as often happens the light step
of youth got ahead of the slower one of middle age.
Both boy and girl pounced on their cousin standing there in the
moonlight.
"I say!" exclaimed Big Chief, "come for a walk."
As the three went down the steps a disappointed expression came over Mr.
Devering's face. When our dear lad came to Fawn Lake it was his uncle he
sought. Now in his more normal outlook on life he chose companions of
his own age.
Then, being a good man Mr. Devering's face became resigned.
"Pony," he said, coming over to me, "when I am dead and gone those three
young creatures--bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, will carry on my
work--God bless them!"
Big Chief at that instant looked over his shoulder and called out, "Oh!
Dad--you know where we're going. We won't be long. Fetlar--come too."
I had thought of going to my stable for I knew we would start on a long
journey the next day. However a pony's duty is to obey and I travelled
after the three.
Arm in arm they wandered along the road till they got to the beech-wood.
Ah! Now I understood.
Big Chief pulled up under old King of the Glen.
"Dallas," he said, "I want to say good-bye to you here on this spot
where your Pony stopped me from doing a fool thing that I would have
been ashamed of all my life."
Dallas looked uncomfortable, and Big Chief went on, "I'm going to miss
you like poison, and I've been thinking that you and I have got to see
each other often. Will you promise to come back?"
"Rather," said Dallas, "and you must come to visit me."
At this instant Cassowary interposed. "I'm only a girl, but I think you
might take me in."
Dallas flashed round on her, "Only a girl!" he said. "Some day you'll be
a woman. Do you know what my mother says?"
"What?" asked Cassowary.
"She says that though your dad is her own brother, it's your mother
that's behind most of the good work carried on in this place. She goes
round among the women and finds out what is most needed then whispers in
your Dad's ear--and don't you remember what Miss Jazzamine was reading
to us yesterday?
"'A mother is a mother still
The holiest thing alive.'"
Cassowary's face shone in the moonlight. "Mother is a wonder. I've
always thought so."
Then she became sentimental. "If you two boys approve," she said, "I
think it would be nice to have a covenant."
They both stared at her, and her black eyes grew mysterious.
"I knew two girls about to part. They pricked their arms with a pin and
took a little, just a little blood out. Then they signed their names on
paper--in red."
The two boys looked at each other trying not to smile.
Then Dallas said, "Have you got a match about you, Big Chief?"
"No sir," he said seriously, "Dad won't let me smoke."
"Because," said Dallas in his polite way, "you couldn't use a pin before
you passed it through a flame on account of germs."
"I never thought of that," said Cassowary.
"I guess our word is good enough," said Big Chief. "We three cousins
promise to stand by each other and look out for the little kids. Let's
shake hands on it--King of the Glen and Fetlar witnesses."
They shook hands solemnly, then Cassowary leaped on my back and the boys
raced her home.
That was only last night, and now we--that is Mr. and Mrs. Duff, Madame
de Valkonski, Dallas, Constancy the lamb, the pup, and I, are on a
steamer going swiftly through a chain of lakes.
I am not afraid or lonely as I was when I came to this lovely Northland,
for my master stands beside me and he says that we shall never be
separated.
Would that every boy in the world had a pony, and every pony had as good
a master as I have!
THE END
End of Project Gutenberg's Bonnie Prince Fetlar, by Marshall Saunders