JODE'S CIRCUS MONEY
IT was nearly school-time, but Jode didn't seem to be at all in a hurry.He sat on the wood-pile with the empty chip-basket beside him, slowlyuntying his shoes. The old gobbler strutted around the corner of thekitchen, and halted suddenly with one foot drawn up, as he caught sightof the red stockings.
"Quit! quit!" he cried, stretching his neck with an angry gobble.
Aunt Jane had come to the door to shake the table-cloth. She stood amoment, sniffing the warm spring air, and peering up at the pinkpeach-tree buds through her spectacles.
"Quit! quit!" cried the turkey again, and his angry voice attracted herattention.
"Well, Mary Ann," she exclaimed, "I just wish you'd see what that boy'sa-doin'! It isn't for me to say, but if he was _mine_, he'd not goaround barefoot this kind of weather. Next thing will be croup. You'dbetter 'tend to him."
"Meddlesome old thing!" muttered Jode, disrespectfully, throwing a chipat the gobbler. "Both of you had to go and tell."
The table-cloth whisked into the kitchen, followed by the complainingvoice, and soon after his mother came to the door and called him.
"Have you fed the calves, Joseph?"
"Yes'm."
"And filled the chip-basket?"
"Almost."
"Then hurry, my son; it is nearly school-time."
"I say, ma," he began, "can't I go barefooted? It's plenty warm, andlots of the boys do."
"Why, no, child," she answered. "I told you the other day not to thinkof such a thing for another month at least. Put on your shoesimmediately, and don't let me hear another word about it. It's of no useto tease."
Jode knew that, perfectly. In all the ten years of his variedexperiences, it never had been of any use. Now, although the feet thatslipped back into the red stockings and stout shoes were very loath togo, they went slowly but surely in.
"Wish't I was an Indian," he said, as he went through the orchard,balancing his geography on his head and swinging his lunch-basket, whilethe dog frisked around him. He had a queer way of talking to himself. "Icould stay out-doors all the time then, and never have to go to school.Indians have a better time than anybody, 'thout it's dogs. O Penny,ain't you glad you're a dog?"
The first bell was just beginning to ring when he went through the gateat the end of the lane, so he had plenty of time to stop when he reachedSquire Hooper's barn, and look at the flaming show-bills with which itwas covered.
Johnny Harris was there ahead of him, and he noticed, with a pang ofenvy, that his feet were bare, and that his stubby toes were digging upthe soft earth, as he stood looking at the pictures.
"_I'm_ goin' to the show," announced Jode, proudly. "Our hired man saidhe'd take me if I'd pay. Pa always pays me every spring for droppingcorn, so I'll have more than enough."
Johnny did not say anything, for his father was the drunken shoemaker ofthe little settlement, and the cross-road tavern took all their sparepennies. He stood and looked with longing eyes at the pictures of theanimals. He knew what a stir there would be circus-day. How the wagonswould begin to rattle along the roads at daylight from all directions;and how the band would play in town; and the frightened country horseswould prance, and the crowds of people would block the streets to seethe long, gay procession. But it would be six miles away, and he wouldmiss it all.
While they looked at the side-show pictures,--the fat woman and thetwo-headed man and the African giant,--the second bell began to ring andaway they raced to the schoolhouse. In his haste Jode left his geographyon the gate-post by Squire Hooper's barn, and never thought of it againuntil after the noon-hour, when they came tramping in from theplayground.
"You are very careless, Joseph," said the teacher. "Sit with Harris tostudy, and don't let it happen again, sir."
The boys put their heads together behind the map of the New EnglandStates, and began studying their boundaries.
"Let's begin with the littlest," whispered Jode. "And don't you talk tome, old fellow; I don't want to be kept in again after school. RhodeIsland is bounded on the north by Massachusetts, on the east by--"
"Oh, say," interrupted Johnny, "I've got some field-mice in a box athome. I was going to bring them to-day, but was afraid the teacher wouldtake 'em away. They're the cunningest little things! Come over afterschool and I'll show 'em to you."
"All right," whispered Jode, with one eye on the teacher. "On the northby Massachusetts, on the east by Massachusetts and Atlantic Ocean, onthe south by--"
"Oh gracious! look there!" interrupted Johnny again. "Look at BoneyWoods! What's he a-doin'?"
Boney had his book propped up in front of him. His head was bowedstudiously over his lesson, but his lesson was farthest from histhoughts. He had cut a piece of leather from the top of his boot-leg,and was making a pair of spectacles.
"Oh, never mind him. Come on, and let's learn this. I've got throughhalf the day all right, and don't want to spoil it all now. Rhode Islandis bounded on the north by Massachusetts, on the east by Massachusettsand Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Atlantic--"
"I say, Jode," interrupted his seat-mate, "I can pick up three marblesat a time with my toes."
"So could I," answered Jode, "if I didn't have my shoes on."
"Bet you couldn't!"
"Bet I could!"
"Take 'em off and try," coaxed Johnny.
"Well, I'll just show you," retorted Jode.
There was a class in algebra at the board, and the teacher was very busyexplaining some problem. "Let _x_ equal the length of the fish," he wassaying. Jode raised his foot carefully and began to untie his shoe.
"And let _y_ equal the length of its tail," continued the teacher,completely absorbed in the problem.
In a moment the shoe slipped off noiselessly, and Johnny put three ofhis largest marbles in a row on a crack in the floor.
"Aw, that ain't fair," said Jode. "You can't pick up that big Pompeyyourself. Put down three little grays."
Johnny grumbled, but made the change, and Jode triumphantly picked themup with his toes.
"There," said he. "What did I tell you?" Just then one of the marblesbegan to slip. He tried to regain his hold, and all three of themdropped noisily, and went rolling across the floor.
The teacher turned quickly, and his eyes fell, not on Johnny and Jode,but on Boney Woods, who had finished the spectacles and put them on, andwas now lolling out his tongue, and making hideous faces at the smallerchildren.
So intent was he on this, that he did not know he was being watched,until the awful stillness that had settled over the noisy room warnedhim that something was the matter. Then he faced around in his seat ingreat haste, to make the discovery that he was the centre of attraction.
"Are you quite through with your little exhibition, Bonaparte?" askedthe teacher. "Come here! Just as you are--don't take them off."
Poor Boney went up with fear and trembling.
"I'll settle with you after school, sir. Take a seat on the platform andstudy your lesson."
Boney stumbled to his place, and sat looking at his book, with hot,briny tears stealing down under the huge spectacles. From pastexperiences he had learned too well what that meant. The school settleddown into almost breathless silence, and the guilty couple began tostudy violently.
"I can't get my shoe laced up without his seeing me," whispered Jode,presently.
"Oh, leave it off," begged Johnny, "and slip the other one off, too. Itfeels awful good to get rid of shoes." He stretched out his ten littlebrown toes, and surveyed them with a satisfied air. "See them feet?" heasked. "Them old feet don't care for nothing but glass. They can standrocks or anything. Why, in summer, I can tramp down the thorniest kindof bushes, blackberryin', and never mind the briars a bit."
"Aw, I wouldn't be such a brag," responded Jode. Nevertheless, hesilenced the inward voice that reminded him of his mother's command, andfollowed his little friend's example.
It was soon time for the afternoon recess, and they all went troopingout into t
he warm sunshine, all but Boney, doomed to solitude and theleather spectacles.
Half a dozen boys crossed the playground, and went to the blacksmithshop on the other side of the road. Jode followed slowly, for the sticksand stones hurt his bare feet, and his conscience hurt him more, as heremembered his mother's parting instructions.
As usual the good-natured blacksmith was busy at his anvil, and paid noattention to the crowd of boys making themselves at home in his smithy.A seedy-looking stranger on a mule rode up to the door to have a looseshoe fastened in place.
"Be keerful, young 'uns," he drawled, "this 'ere mewel's heels isloaded."
The boys shoved back a little to give the newcomer more room, and thenkept on shoving each other in play. The end boy fell against Johnny, andJohnny fell against Jode, and Jode took another step backward. This timehis little bare foot came down on the piece of hot iron that theblacksmith had thrown aside when he went to wait on his new customer.
Jode never distinctly remembered what happened after that, he was sonearly crazed with the fierce pain. He knew that the blacksmith liftedhim in his strong arms, and carried him, screaming, to the house. Hefelt some woman bandage his foot with something cool and soothing, andwash his hot, flushed face. Then two of the big boys carried him home,and laid him on the sitting-room lounge, and went off, forgetting toclose the door.
He sat up and called his mother. No one answered. Everything was sostill about the house that his own voice sounded strange when he called.Then he remembered that she had gone to a quilting that afternoon, andthat Aunt Jane had built a fire away down by the ash-hopper and wasmaking soap. So it was useless to call.
Three or four chickens, seeing the door open, seized that opportunity toventure in, and walked around pecking at the carpet, and lookinginquiringly at the disconsolate figure on the lounge.
"Shoo!" he cried, savagely, "you tormentin' old things!" Then he hoppedacross the room and banged the door after them, and hopped back.
The throbbing pain in his foot, and the deserted appearance of thehouse, brought the tears to his eyes. Then he remembered the show, andthat his foot would not be well enough for him to earn the moneydropping corn. He would have to miss it. Throwing himself on the loungeagain, he cried softly to himself with great sobs that nearly chokedhim.
When his mother came home, she found him fast asleep with cheeks andlashes wet, and sobbing at intervals in his sleep.
Aunt Jane undertook to lecture him next day about his disobedience andwhat it led to, but he began to cry again, and she relented.
"Well, Joseph," she said, looking over her square-bowed spectacles, "Iguess you've had a hard lesson, and one you won't forget in a hurry. Aslong as your heart's set on goin' to that show, if you'll learn to sewcarpet-rags I'll pay you by the pound, and you can earn the money thatway."
So Jode went patiently to work with thread and needle, and all thoselong April days sat in the house with his foot on a pillow, and sewedyards and yards of carpet-rags.
The pounds grew slowly, but the day came at last when he rolled hisballs into the sack with Aunt Jane's, and two new silver dimes and anickel jingled in his pockets.
Johnny Harris came every day to ask about the foot, and see the size ofthe balls. He looked enviously at the shining coins when Jode proudlydisplayed them.
"Gracious! Ain't she pretty?" he exclaimed, spinning one of the dimesaround on the table. Then he balanced it on his thumb-nail, and triedits edge with his teeth, and finally put it in his mouth, while hewatched Aunt Jane get out the steelyards, to weigh the warp for the newcarpet.
Presently he turned to Jode with a white, scared face. "Oh, I've doneswallered it!"
"You mean old thing," cried Jode. "I worked days and days to earn thatdime. O Johnny! what _did_ you do it for?"
"I didn't mean to," protested Johnny, eagerly. "It just slipped down aseasy--this way." Suiting the action to the word, he took up the otherdime, and popped it into his mouth.
"I was rolling it 'round with my tongue this way, and I sort o' choked,and it just slipped--ker-che-ew!"
Unlucky Johnny! This dime slipped also, for a mighty sneeze seized him,and sent the money rolling across the floor. Both boys darted after itwith outstretched hands, but it bounced through the open door, andslipped out of sight behind the old stone steps. It was useless toattempt to move them. The toys of half a century had found ahiding-place in that crack, and Aunt Jane herself had, years ago, seenit swallow up the cherished treasure of her childish affection--a stringof amber beads.
Johnny stood in open-mouthed horror at what he had done, while Jode'sgaze wandered from the steps to Johnny, as if he saw the wholemenagerie, animals, tent and all, disappearing down that gaping crackand the little red throat. It was more than he could bear.
"It's all _your_ fault, Johnny Harris; if it hadn't been for you, Iwouldn't have burnt my foot in the first place. I just can't bear to doit all over again, and besides, there isn't time anyway."
He lifted his hand angrily, and slapped Johnny's fat, freckled face.Then both the boys began to cry.
Aunt Jane disappeared in the closet for something, and stood there amoment, shaking with inaudible laughter, till the square-bowedspectacles slid down her nose. She looked very stern, though, when shecame out and said, "There! there! boys, that's enough. It's no use tocry over spilled milk or swallowed money, either."
"Oh, please, ma'am, Miss Jane," begged Johnny, "won't you teach me tosew carpet-rags? I'll pay him back sure if you'll let me."
Aunt Jane looked at the clumsy little hands, brown, dirty, and coveredwith warts, and shook her head. It seemed a hopeless task. But theearnest look on the face and in the anxious eyes made her relent, andshe gave a reluctant promise.
The rag-sewing commenced again. This time two boys sat on the door-step,longing to be out in the spring wind and sunshine, and one nursed hislame foot, and one wrestled manfully with thread that would snarl, andneedles that would stick into his clumsy fingers.
As they sewed they talked, and the subject that came up oftenest was thecircus. How Johnny longed to go! After awhile a hope whispered to him,that maybe he could pay his debt to Jode in time to earn enough money togo himself.
Although Aunt Jane sorted the rags so that most of the short ones fellto her lot, and the long ones to Johnny's, and contributed many a yardon the sly, Jode's foot was well before Johnny proudly paid over the twodimes, and only a long, red scar remained, to remind Jode of hisdisobedience and punishment.
"Wisht I was goin', too," sighed Johnny, when the last pound was weighedand delivered.
Then, regardless of ceremony, he pulled his hat over his eyes, andstarted home on the run. He did not go all the way. Aunt Jane spied himwhen she went to the barn for eggs. He was lying on the hay with hisface in his arms.
She stood and looked at him a moment, thinking what an honest littleheart it was, beating under the patched, faded jacket,--thinking of hisdrunken father and his miserable home,--of how much he wanted to go withthe other boys, and how keenly he felt his poverty.
Then she took the eggs to the house, and tying her sunbonnet tighter,started resolutely down the lane to the big road in the direction ofJohnny's home. The hand under her gingham apron gripped firmly an oldleather purse.
That evening as Jode sat in the twilight, just inside the door,listening to the frogs croaking in the meadow-pond, a dusky littlefigure came running down the path. It was Johnny.
"Hi! Jode," he cried, "I'm a-goin', too! I'm a-goin', too! I'm too gladto hold still. The money jest rained down like the manna on ole Moses! Idon't know who left it, but it was left at our house, and it was leftfer me!"
Then, throwing himself on the ground, he turned one somersault afteranother down the path into the dewy darkness of the warm Aprilnight.
Aunt 'Liza's Hero, and Other Stories Page 5