Us and Them

by Hugh R. MacDonald

“Maybe you could come over now for lunch.”

  Beth swept her arm the length of her body. “Not exactly the attire to play with a kitten,” she said. “I’ll go home first and hurry over after a quick lunch. Wait! Why didn’t you tell your parents? He’s not a criminal, is he?”

  “No, he just seems like a tired old man who doesn’t want a fuss made over him, is all, I think,” JW said.

  The afternoon went by quickly. Beth was enthralled with the kitten.

  “I call her Beauté, ah, Beauty, because she is so tiny and dainty.” Alfred decided against telling Beth the gruesome details of how she came to be with him. “I found her and cleaned her up. She is so young, I was afraid to leave her alone, for fear an animal would hurt or kill her. When I picked her up, she started to purr, so that is why I have her.”

  “Oh, she is a beauty,” Beth said, watching the way the kitten stayed next to Alfred’s feet.

  “Perhaps it would be best if she stayed with you where she could have food and milk as she needs it,” Alfred said.

  Smiling, Beth said, “She looks like she knows where she wants to be.”

  Alfred smiled down at the kitten.

  “I should really be going. It’s almost suppertime,” Beth said reluctantly.

  “I’ll walk you home,” said JW, but he also lingered a little longer.

  The old man began to pack up his few belongings. He moved his clothes aside and made a pouch for Beauty to fit in. JW felt a cool breeze come in through the open door.

  “Why not stay another night? Get some more rest and start out fresh in the morning.”

  “I should go. I do not wish to overstay my welcome.”

  “Please stay if you’d like. If you do, I’ll bring you some food after I walk Beth home, and I’ll get in some wood for the night. There’s enough to keep the fire going for now.”

  JW thought he saw the look of relief on the old man’s face; he seemed ready to settle in for the night.

  As JW and Beth slowly walked the distance to Beth’s house, Gulliver bounded alongside, occasionally crashing into the woods in pursuit of a rabbit or squirrel then quickly returning to his master’s side. The woods between Beth’s and JW’s houses were well-known to Gullie, and if a deer or lynx came through, he made it his business to keep a watchful eye. He was used to the deer running from him, and he liked to chase after them, knowing full well he could never catch them.

  Once, when the much smaller lynx had run from him, he’d decided to chase it as well, and was perplexed when it stopped, turned and swiped at his nose, which left a deep gash. It even followed him as he made his way back to the house. Once Gulliver was in the clearing, the lynx had stopped the chase. Gulliver gave it a long look, knowing he would be ready the next time. He tapped his nose, the scar prominent, against JW’s hand and then Beth’s, searching for attention.

  Twilight came, and before long stars began to speckle the sky as the three sauntered along together.

  Chapter 9

  “So how many fish did you and JW catch?” Patty asked, as he and Mickey walked toward the rake.

  “About a dozen trout, and they were good eatin’. Then we went over to the Rock and caught seven or eight cod. Two of them were almost three feet long. We’re thinking ’bout going back next week or the week after. You’re welcome to come if you’re not working. We plan on salting some,” Mickey said.

  The boys turned at the sound of raised voices and saw a boy, younger and smaller than Patty. Amid the muffled comments, they heard, “New blood!” “Special seat up front!”

  “Poor fellow,” Mickey said.

  “Yeah,” Patty said, but Mickey thought he saw relief on his friend’s face. Finally, there was someone smaller than him for the men to pick on.

  JW’s father said, “Mick, Patty, keep an eye on young Donnie here. Start him on your door, Mick, and then work him back to Patty’s door. I want him down for a few nights before he goes on his own.”

  “Sure, Andy,” Mickey said. For almost three years now, he had been calling JW’s father by his first name, as was the custom underground. “Sir” or “Mr.” was not something even the younger miners had to use. They were free to use first, last or nicknames like the older miners did. Mickey now found it hard to call JW’s father “Mr. Donaldson,” even when they were on the surface.

  Donnie stood off to one side, a look of fear on his face as he listened to the men talking about the darkness and about boys getting lost in the mine and wandering around, never to be found.

  Patty draped an arm over Donnie’s shoulder. “Don’t pay any attention to those guys. Some of them wet their pants the first night they went down below. Most of them squealed like babies the first time on the rake,” Patty said, remembering his own fateful first night. “You ever been on the rake before?” he asked, pointing to the small tram cars that looked like little railway cars.

  Donnie shook his head.

  “Well this here’s the rake, or trip, and it’s how we get back and forth from the workings.” Patty whispered, “Don’t let on I told you, but they sit all the first-timers at the front of the trip, and then they let the thing travel lickety-split, fast as it can go, to scare the devil out of them. Try not to make a sound, but don’t worry if you do. I made a small noise the first time. Just keep your head down and your eyes closed.”

  Andy and Mickey smiled when Patty said he’d made only a small noise on his first trip, remembering he’d squealed like the frightened child he'd been. Andrew was glad Patty had befriended Donnie. His smallness would make him a target for some of the not-so-friendly miners, though he was sure that the likes of Smitty and other adult miners would extend some kindness.

  Andy had heard that Smitty’s parents had moved to Whitney Pier and were thinking of opening up a private school, like they’d run in Barbados. He hoped Smitty would not follow anytime soon but expected he might. The steel plant in the Pier would provide an opportunity for Smitty to have a job above ground, and Andrew knew there were others from Barbados working there, perhaps some of Smitty’s friends from his home country. His skills and good nature would be a terrible loss if he did decide to go.

  The rake started loading, and Andrew watched the small fellow square his shoulders and take a deep breath before taking the solitary seat at the front. Donnie glanced back and caught Patty’s eye and gave a small smile, then lowered his head as the descent began. He never made a sound.

  Chapter 10

  JW walked quickly from school, confident that he and Beth had both done well on the math test.

  “Slow down, JW,” Beth said. “What’s your hurry?”

  “Sorry,” JW said, taking Beth by the hand. “I’m just hoping that Alfred hasn’t left yet. I was going to pack him a lunch to take with him. He stayed all weekend, but I expect him gone any time.”

  Beth smiled at him. “Well, let’s hurry then.”

  They broke into a run, and when they arrived at Beth’s, she went in her house and returned with bread and cake. She’d cut the bread in slices.

  “This should help with the lunch,” Beth said.

  “Thanks, it sure will.” He kissed her, then turned to leave. Then he turned back and kissed her a second time. “Thanks again. See you in the morning.”

  Beth watched JW run up the hill and smiled when he stopped at the top to see if she was still outside. She waved, as did he, and then he began running again. She heard his shrill whistle and was sure Gullie would soon be barrelling toward JW. He’s such a special boy, I mean, young man, she thought, and walked inside to help her mother with supper.

  —

  Mary watched from the bedroom door as Andrew tossed in his sleep. She noticed sweat glistening on his forehead, and when she walked closer, she saw that his hair and even the pillow were wet. She placed her hand on his forehead, and it was cold to the touch. He shivered, and she drew the blanket to his chi
n and laid her hand on his chest, which seemed to relax him. His breathing became more regular. She backed away from the bed and returned to the kitchen to finish supper for JW. I hope he’s not coming down with something, Mary thought. She knew he would not miss time from work. His days and nights in the mine consisted of walking the tunnels, ensuring that the operations were running smoothly, if that was possible in the chaos of an underground mine. He seemed tired of late. The switch from day shift to night shift seemed more difficult for him than it used to.

  Mary heard Gulliver bark as he raced down the road, signalling that JW was on the way. Her son’s appetite was enormous. Mary was glad he ate so well, but it was hard to keep him full. The fishing and hunting he did helped with the food, and the garden produced enough to last them through the winter, with a surplus to be shared. Rabbit stew was still his favourite, and she dipped up a large bowl, filled to the brim, and watched the steam rise. Mary saw JW pass the kitchen window and head toward the barn. She opened the kitchen door and called to him.

  “Come have a bite to eat before you clean the stalls, John Wallace,” Mary said.

  Looking over his shoulder, JW answered, “Be right there, Ma.”

  Out of sight of the house, JW hurried into his grandfather’s shed and saw Alfred asleep on the cot with Beauty lying at his feet, curled in a ball. He put the food items on the work bench and backed out of the room, gently closing the door.

  “That smells great, Ma,” JW said as he sat at the table. He wanted to get back out to the shed and ate even more quickly than usual.

  “Slow down before you choke yourself.”

  “It’s just so good,” JW said, sopping up the gravy with a piece of bread. “Well, I better get the barn cleaned. I’ll bring in some wood later. I think there’s enough coal in already.” The temperature dropped at night, sometimes leaving frost on the windows to greet them in the early mornings.

  Mary listened as JW closed the door behind him. As she pushed the stew to the back of the stove, she thought how unusual it was for him to have had only the one bowl. She smiled, thinking the rest of it could be gone once he finished his chores. As she cleared the table and washed the dishes, her mind returned to Andrew. She sighed at the thought of him sick and still trying to work.

  JW saw the shed door was open. Alfred was kneeling on the floor looking under the cot. He raised himself up as JW walked into the room.

  “I’m looking for the kitten. She was at my feet when I laid down, but I can’t find her now.”

  JW felt terrible – maybe he hadn’t closed the door fully when he stopped in earlier. “I’ll check the barn,” he said, and hurried across the open space.

  He heard the old man say, “I thought I pulled the door closed so she couldn’t get out.”

  JW watched Beauty walk across the straw-covered floor and reached to pick her up before she entered Lightning’s stall. A few more feet and she would have been in grave danger. Lightning’s hooves could crush her fragile skull. “We better get you back to Alfred, girl.”

  JW saw the relief on the old man’s face as he held Beauty out to him.

  “It appears she likes to wander, eh? We really should be on our way,” Alfred said.

  “You can stay a while longer, if you wish, but I’d have to tell my folks. It doesn’t seem right keeping secrets from them. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you staying.”

  “I don’t want to be a burden to them, and they already— I think I should get on my way to Boston.”

  “Is your brother expecting you?”

  “I haven’t seen or heard from Louis in ten years. I’m not even sure he’s still there, but,” Alfred reached into his small pack, pulled an envelope from it and handed it to JW, “the address shows he was in Boston then, so it is where I have to go to look for him. But, no, he is not expecting me. And, in truth, another night or two of rest would be good.”

  When his father sat to eat his supper, JW was at the table with a cup of tea, wondering if he should mention Alfred now or wait until his father returned in the morning. “Better eat some of that stew, Da. The nights are long down there,” JW said, and smiled.

  “That so.”

  JW nodded. “Da, Ma, a few nights ago when I was checking on Lightning, someone ran from the barn and I chased after him. It was an old man from the other side of the Island. He said he was on his way to Boston, but he looked tired and hungry, so I offered him some food. He said he didn’t want to be a burden, and he didn’t want me to tell you. So I fed him and let him stay in Grandpa’s shed for the night. Well, he’s still there. I told him he could stay longer, but that I had to tell you, because I—”

  “Yes, we know about Alfred,” Andrew said. “Scared the life out of your poor mother meeting him like that. She wasn’t expecting someone to be living in Da’s shed!”

  “Yes, and I was hardly dressed for company,” his mother said.

  JW looked at his parents. There was no smiling or laughing, and he sensed disappointment.

  “How could you expect to keep such a secret with smoke coming out of the shed’s chimney early morning and again late at night?” Andrew said. “Plus your mother figured something was up when you chose to do your chores before eating. We met Alfred and decided to wait to see how long it would be before you told us.”

  “And you took your time,” Mary said.

  “I’m sorry, but he—”

  “Alfred told us. We know you were just being kind, but if he was someone dangerous ... well, we could be having a different conversation.”

  “I know, Da. He just seemed scared and tired. I was afraid he’d leave without eating if I told you right away. He said his wife died a couple of years ago, and he doesn’t have any children.” JW saw his mother’s eyes meet his father’s. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  Chapter 11

  Donnie listened to his mother in the kitchen. He’d been awake for the past hour thinking about his upcoming shift. Tonight, he would have to work the trap door all by himself. Andy had given him two nights’ training, one with Mickey and one with Patty, but tonight he was on his own. His father had left to find work after the company store had closed, when it had looked like the mines were done. That was three years ago, and they hadn’t heard from him since.

  Donnie had spent some time above ground at the breakers, but now he was big enough to go underground – though not old enough. But they needed the money, and his mother had signed a paper stating he was sixteen, so no more breakers. The breakers, where he’d sorted the rocks and shale from the coal, were dangerous, with coal speeding down the chutes and conveyor belts. But Donnie liked being above ground, and he’d learned to keep his hands safe, after injuring them a few times.

  He was glad Patty had told him what to expect. He was still afraid but hoped he’d get used to it. Donnie pulled on his pants and shirt and went outside. Theirs was the middle one in the row of company houses – five other houses on either side of them. Except for enough to put a little food on the table for him, his little sister and mother, what he earned went to pay rent to keep a roof over their heads.

  Looks like rain, he thought, and then headed back inside to wash down a couple of biscuits with some hot tea before going to the mine.

  —

  Beth heard the patter of rain against her window and saw a flash of lightning in the distance. She pulled the quilt to her chin and felt the warmth envelope her. In a couple of weeks, the winter quilts would be put away for some lighter bedclothes. She wondered if Alfred and Beauty were on their way and if they had been caught in the deluge. She would have loved to have taken Beauty home with her, but she felt that the kitten was all the old man had in his life. She didn’t really know anything about Alfred, other than what JW had already told her – that he had worked the land and on the sea. She thought he was a nice old man with many tales to tell, but she believed it would take time fo
r him to share them. She hoped that he and Beauty had found shelter. She prayed they were in a dry boxcar destined for Boston.

  The rain increased in its intensity, and the steady rhythm relaxed her. She thought of the kindness JW had shown Alfred, and she smiled. One more year, and they would be finished high school. For many, if not most, grade eleven – junior matriculation – was as far as they went, all most would ever need. She wanted to be a nurse. She would apply after finishing school this year and would take whatever training was necessary. JW wanted to travel the world. She wondered what that actually meant and how he’d be able to do that. His father, as overman in the mine, had a better job than before, but could they afford to send JW to college? She wondered what would become of them, her and JW. She looked forward to their summer: picnics and swimming. They were both sixteen now, and Beth knew of girls in town who’d been married by her age. The rain seemed to be letting up. She turned her face to the wall and felt sleep overtake her.

  —

  JW listened to the start of the rain and was glad that his father had left early, or he would have been drenched. He was relieved his parents knew about Alfred but wished he’d told them himself. He didn’t usually keep secrets of any kind.

  Alfred had joined them for supper, had eaten some stew and thanked them again for allowing him to stay, telling them what a wonderful son they had. He’d declined the offer of staying in a room in the house, saying the shed more than met his needs, and he was willing to work to repay their kindness. They told him he didn’t have to work and that he was welcome to stay as long as he wanted.

  After supper, JW had walked back to the shed with Alfred. He was glad Alfred had decided to stay for another little while. The old man seemed contrite and apologized for asking him to keep such a secret and also for keeping the secret asked by JW’s parents.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this. I asked you to keep a secret, which you did; your father asked me to keep a secret, which I did. I’m sorry,” Alfred said again.