Rescue at Fort Edmonton by Rita Feutl

Author:Rita Feutl [Feutl, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781774390429
Publisher: NeWest Press
Published: 2021-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

THE FUR TRADERS MUST HAVE FOUND HER, thought Janey, opening her eyes. She blinked. It was bright day. But the two men coming toward her were dressed in hard hats and clutching modern-looking walkie-talkies. She sat up and grabbed the locket, which was sliding off her lap.

“Hey, you! Whaddya doin’ in here? Can’t you read? It’s way too dangerous for you to be here,” called one of the men. No kidding, thought Janey as she scrambled to her feet, brushed off the dirt, and edged toward where she’d stashed her backpack.

“Sorry. I, uh, I dropped something. My grandmother’s locket,” said Janey, holding the silver necklace up as proof.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the crown jewels. You’re not supposed to be in a construction site,” said the second man as they came up to her. “Man, what happened to you?”

He’d never, ever, believe it, she thought, glancing down at her muddy, steaming overalls. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ll try not to let it happen again,” she said. She vaulted over the fence, swooped up her pack, and ran.

“Hey! We’re not done with you yet! Come back here!”

You gotta be kidding, thought Janey, plunging into an ice cream parlour directly ahead of her. A family with three kids, clustered around the display case, looked up, startled, as she rushed past. She smiled weakly at them, and kept going toward the back of the shop, where a door was propped open to let in the summer breeze.

Once outside, she slowed and looked around. The sunlight was fierce and dazzling after the darkness at the fort. I need a plan, thought Janey, panting. I need to stop running. I need to...I really need to get out of these clothes.

To her right she noticed a two-storey white building with a back entrance. Janey slipped through the door and found a women’s washroom. She hardly recognized the figure staring back at her in the mirror over the sink. Every last bit of her face was covered with smoke and grime that not even her river swim had washed away. Her overalls were a mess and her sneakers... How was she supposed to explain this to Granny?

She stripped off the shirt and overalls and, as she was stuffing them into her backpack, she noticed a twenty-dollar bill in one of the pockets.Well, at least I’ve found the money I thought I’d lost, she thought. Maybe it just doesn’t work in olden-days time, like my watch.

She straightened and inspected herself. At least her shorts and T-shirt had stayed pretty clean, though they were still damp. Janey figured they’d dry in the sun. She grabbed a handful of paper towels and worked on her face. She smiled, remembering Louisa’s comment about her fish-belly white skin, then stopped. The memory of the little girl waiting eagerly on the riverbank for word from her father flooded back. Because of Janey, there would be no word.

Scrubbing fiercely at a black streak on her forehead, she tried to ignore the rush of confusion and guilt threatening to sweep down on her.

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