Coal Camp Girl by Lois Lenski

Author:Lois Lenski
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781504022033
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween

Mama said yes, and Daddy took her in his arms.

Tina stayed out of school for several days and spent most of her time in bed. One day she got up, put her old jacket on and went outside. But the cold wind chilled her, so she soon returned. The fire in the heater had gone out, but coals in the open grate in the bedroom were alive and red. Tina went to the grate and bent over, rubbing her hands to warm them.

Celia was in the kitchen, scrubbing the floor, and had the outside door open. As she opened the bedroom door to mop the door sill, the wind blew in, caught Tina’s thin cotton skirt and fanned it across the hot coals. The next minute, the flames shot up toward the little girl’s face.

“Oh! Oh! My skirt’s on fire!” Her voice was a shriek of pain.

Daddy, in the front room, threw his paper down and ran. The next minute, before she could think, he had the girl down on the floor and was rolling a rug around her. When she looked up, they were all staring at her—Daddy, Mama, Celia and the baby, Jeff and little Ronnie. They were all scared and crying. After Daddy lifted her to the bed, he found that the palms of his hands were badly burned.

Tina cried and cried because the burn hurt so bad. Mama’s screams brought Mrs. Bryant running, and they took her clothes off. Her right leg was burned from knee to thigh. Mrs. Bryant found some salve and they put it on. That night Mrs. Bryant sent over a folding cot, so Tina could sleep alone instead of with Celia and the baby.

The news of the mishap spread quickly. The neighbors came in to see if they could help. Mrs. Murphy came, wrung her hands and cried. Mrs. Diehl mixed an old-world recipe and they put it on the burn. Mrs. Tucker and Virgil stopped on their way to Mapleton. Mrs. Tucker offered to take Tina to a doctor, but Mama said she had no money for doctor bills.

“It will heal in time,” said Mama, little dreaming how long it would take.

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