Emma's River by Alison Hart

Author:Alison Hart [Hart, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781561459285
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Published: 2010-11-05T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Emma froze. Sizzling sounds came from atop her head. Heat frizzled her hair. Kathleen grabbed the straw hat and threw it on the deck. It fell against a cotton bale. Flames licked at the cotton and ignited it.

Stunned, Emma stared at her burning hat.

“Get back, miss!” Kathleen pushed her aside and began stomping the hat. A spark jumped, catching the hem of her uniform, where it blazed up and flared like golden wings.

Emma gasped. “Fire!” she shouted, finally finding her voice.

Someone shoved past her and tossed a bucketful of water onto Kathleen’s skirt. It was Patrick. “Get another one,” he ordered Emma. He handed her the bucket, then knocked his sister to the damp deck and rolled her around. A roustabout grabbed the bucket from Emma’s arms and ran for more water. Other workers rushed up to douse the smoldering cotton bale.

Emma helped Kathleen to her feet. “Are you all right?”

The maid was dazed and her hem charred, but she nodded. “Yes, miss. Thank ye for calling for help.”

“Thank you, Kathleen, for swatting off my hat. I need to thank your brother as well.” She nodded at Patrick, who was tossing another bucket of water on the cotton bales.

Just then the first mate bustled into the fray. “What numskull tried to burn up the boat?” he asked. He snatched up what was left of Emma’s hat and waved it in her face, scowling. She shrank from the smoking brim and his furious glare. “Was it you, miss?”

Patrick stepped in front of Emma. “It were an ash,” he said. “Probably from a man’s cigar. It fell onto her hat. She is not to blame.”

“It did happen that way, sir,” Emma added meekly, thinking of Doctor Burton. Then she mustered some Cousin Minna courage and glanced at the first mate. “I would be a numskull to set my own hat on fire, wouldn’t I?”

The man’s frown deepened. Around them, deckhands and roustabouts had gathered, as if watching a play in the theater. Emma swallowed hard, waiting for him to order her off the boat. Or worse, flog Patrick for speaking up. But with a shrug, the mate threw the hat overboard.

“These boats are floating woodpiles,” he said. “Everyone must be careful at all times.” He jerked his thumb toward the roustabouts. “Now pop yer eyes back in yer turtleheads and get these bales unloaded,” he told them, aiming his words toward Patrick as well. “This ain’t a holiday.”

Emma blew out a relieved breath. “Come, Kathleen, we must find Mama and Doctor Burton.” Tilting her chin, she marched across the deck to the gangplank. All who had been watching must have thought her a puffed-up goose who needed rescuing by a maid and a boy.

Servants must obey us, Cousin Minna often said. Even if it meant risking their lives to save a silly girl from fire? Emma frowned. As she crossed the gangplank, she realized she hadn’t thanked Patrick. But when she jumped onto the wharf and turned around, he had disappeared.

The

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.