“See? Here are five of my markers hidden under this old crate on your property, and five of your markers replacing those near-shore pots of mine. Facts don’t lie if folks do.”
“My brother never lies!” cried Desiré angrily. Jack had never heard her speak like that.
“Easy, Dissy,” he said softly.
“I certainly admit that it looks bad,” he said to the man; “but since I know the rules governing these things, I should hardly have been fool enough to do such a thing even if I had been so lacking in principle; and—”
“Jack!” interrupted Desiré. “René! Could a small boy have done this?” she asked, facing their neighbor eagerly.
“Might; early in the morning, before the tide came in so far.”
“Jack, go and get him and we’ll see if he knows anything about it.”
While Jack was gone, Desiré explained to the man their presence in old Simon’s hut, and her reasons for suspecting that her younger brother had been responsible for the morning’s difficulties. Soon Jack returned, and led René directly to the man, who regarded him gravely.
“Tell this man, René,” directed his brother, “just exactly what you did when you were out here alone on the beach early this morning.”
“Pulled up dirty old markers and hid ’em, and pushed down nice ones we painted.”
René was obviously rather proud of his achievement, and quite puzzled as to the serious manner of his elders.
“Why did you do that?” asked the man, the suggestion of a twinkle appearing in his blue eyes.
“Wanted Jack’s lobster bed to look nice.”
“But those weren’t his; they were mine.”
“Everything’s Jack’s!”
Their neighbor smiled, and held out his hand to Jack.
“My mistake,” he said. “I didn’t know what a grasping partner you had.”
“He means well, but makes trouble sometimes. Take him back to bed; will you, Dissy?”
While Desiré put the little boy in bed again, and tried to impress upon him the seriousness of his mistake, Jack and his neighbor worked amiably side by side.
The days passed quickly, one very much like all the others which had preceded it; and at last they found themselves on the train, bound for home, with a fair sum of money in return for several weeks of hard work.
CHAPTER XXVII
JACK’S JOBS
The summer days which followed were delightful ones. Priscilla reminded Jack of his promise to help her make a garden; so he worked hard, clearing the ground back of the cabin, and spading up beds under her directions. She planted very carefully the seeds given her by Madam Lovemore, and waited impatiently for the first bits of green to appear.
“Guess while I’m at it, I’ll make a vegetable garden too,” announced Jack, after he had finished the flower beds. “A bit late, perhaps, but we’ll get something out of it.”
“A good idea,” approved Desiré. “I’ll help you.”
She caught up the rake and followed him to the end of the property.
“I love to work out-of-doors,” she said, “and after you get a job I can attend to the vegetables while Prissy takes care of her flowers.”
“An’ I ain’t got nuthin’ to take care of,” sighed René, feeling that he had been left out of all these new plans.
“Should you like a garden, darling?” asked Desiré, her sympathy immediately aroused by his mournful tones.
“No, no old garden. Want a dog to take care of; ’n’ Jack promised me one, too.”
Desiré glanced up at her older brother who was leaning on his spade figuring out just where he would begin to dig.
“You did promise him, Jack, or practically so,” she said.
“No chance of being allowed to forget anything in this family,” he smiled. “I’ll see what I can do for you, René.”
The next day Jack went up alone to see Judge Herbine. “Don’t worry if I don’t show up for dinner,” he said to Desiré before leaving. “The judge told me yesterday that he had heard of two or three places where I might get a job, and to come up and see him today. I’ll keep going until I’ve investigated all the possibilities.”
“All right, dear; and the best of luck.”
They had had many talks on the drive to Yarmouth, and on the beach in front of the hut, as to the advisability of remaining in the Godet house.
“It’s simply living from hand to month,” Jack had said gravely; “but there seems to be nothing else in sight just now.”
“Even so, we’re certainly some better off than we should have been in Sissiboo,” Desiré said consolingly.
“But what would you do,” suggested Jack, “if somebody came along and wanted the cabin some day?”
“Let them have it, if they could prove they owned it; but Judge Herbine seems to think such a thing most unlikely. He said, you know, that they couldn’t get a clear title when that American wanted to buy it. But why, Jack, does somebody want it now?”
“No, not that I know of; but one can never tell what might happen. The bus line will run along the main road past our lane this summer, I understand; and some tourist might take a fancy to the little cabin and want to buy it. I suppose if enough money were spent on a search, it might be possible to establish the title; or someone who wanted it badly enough might be willing to take a chance. I don’t mean to worry you unduly, Desiré, but we mustn’t get so attached to the place that having to give it up sometime will come as a great shock.”
Her brother’s words came back to her mind many times that day as she went about her household tasks. Of course they mightn’t want to live right here always. Jack must finish college, as they planned; but she wanted to go through high school; and after that, the magical trip to the States, where Jack might find his life-work. How many times they had gone over it all! At the rate money had come in so far, however, it would take many years to realize any of these day dreams, to say nothing of all of them. It seemed, no matter how careful she tried to be, to take so much money to feed and clothe them; and if somebody should claim the cabin—well, she’d better not think about that any more just now.
Late in the afternoon, when the lane was getting shadowy, the girls and René were sitting on the broad stone step watching for Jack. The sound of an approaching automobile broke the country stillness, and Judge Herbine’s Ford presently stopped. Jack got out, followed by a big, awkward-looking brown dog. With one wild shriek, René dashed down the lane and threw his arms around the animal’s neck. The judge waved to the girls, and drove away laughing.
“I’ve got a dog! I’ve got a dog!” chanted
