The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn

Author:Janet Lunn [Lunn, Janet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-36747-1
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Published: 2001-08-13T16:00:00+00:00

A Dollar a Day

At the first farmhouse they came to, while Rose waited on the road, Susan went around to the back door and knocked. She was back in a minute. “She ain’t got work,” she said.

At the next farm, it was the same, and at the next. “They mostly got young ’uns as big as us who can do all they need done,” said Susan.

“They shouldn’t have so many youngsters,” grumbled Rose. “I’m starved. My stomach hurts.”

They had been walking for almost an hour when they reached a small village, its blacksmith, general store, church, and houses centered around a green. They got themselves a drink from the well that stood on the green, and sat down on a bench opposite a bakeshop. It was still early and the shopkeepers were just opening up for the day, shaking out carpets, sweeping their steps, setting out their wares. They watched the baker put buns and cakes in his window.

“Rose.” Susan’s face brightened. “Rose, you got money. Remember? Yesterday when you went and got lemonade and I didn’t have none. You got twenty cents. Look in your pocket.”

Rose’s stomach tightened. Her face grew hot. “I lost it,” she said quickly.

“Look in your pockets. It’s got to be there.”

“It isn’t. I lost it. I forgot to tell you. I … Susan, why are you looking at me like that?”

“I ain’t sure.”

Rose got up from the bench and took a few steps across the grass. She could feel Susan’s eyes on her back. “Oh, all right,” she said crossly, whirling around, “all right. I spent it. I spent it on something to eat when I was mad at you because you left the tickets and the money on the train.”

Susan stared at her in disbelief. Tears came to her eyes. She stood up and without a word started toward the road, her head high, her back stiff.

“Susan, wait!” Rose came up beside her.

“I don’t want to walk with you.” Susan kept a brisk pace along the road that led out of the village.

Rose fell back. She felt hated, the way she had felt the time she had overheard Sam tell his mother how ugly and disagreeable she was. And this time she knew she deserved it. She felt worse than she had after Aunt Nan’s accident. She was ashamed. She was willing to do any kind of work, ask anybody for anything if only Susan wouldn’t walk ahead like that—so fast, so stiff and straight, so cold. I’ve never had a friend before, she thought, and she was suddenly very much afraid of losing Susan’s friendship. She sat down on a fallen tree and let Susan get well out of sight before she started up again.

At the first house outside the village she stopped. An old man came to the door.

“Have you got any jobs?” she asked nervously.

“You’re the second youngster come along this way in ten minutes looking for work,” said the old man sourly and closed the door in her face.

Humiliated, she gritted her teeth and marched down the road.

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