With Nothing But Our Courage by Karleen Bradford

Author:Karleen Bradford [Bradford, Karleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443128186
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Published: 2015-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

February 9th, 1784

Mother and Father are being very cold to each other. I do not know what to do. I have never before seen them act this way. Grannie is worried too and it is making her very cross.

She has just made a hot fomentation for Father, though, as his tooth is still paining him.

February 10th, 1784

Poor Father. He is lying down in his room now and I just heard a faint moan. In spite of all Grannie’s hot fomentations, his tooth just got worse and worse. Finally, he had to have it pulled today and I have never seen a person go through such pain.

One of the men in the settlement here, Joss Walker, has a turnkey and some experience as a tooth puller. He came over late this afternoon. He brought with him a jug of whiskey and set it on the table. Mother looked at it and set her lips.

“Robert does not take whiskey,” she said.

Grannie took her arm. “Leave it be, Fiona,” she said. “He will need it.”

“Mary, Jamie, outside with you then,” Mother ordered.

“But Mother,” I argued, “there’s a fair blizzard blowing out there.” Truth to tell, I was afraid to leave. I did not know what was going to happen and I feared for Father.

“Then up to the loft,” Mother said. “And be quick about it.”

Jamie and I scurried up the ladder, but then lay quiet as mice and watched what went on below.

Father lifted up the jug and took a mighty swig of it. Then he coughed and sputtered and made a terrible face. Nevertheless, he took another drink, and then another. Again that grimace … and then yet another swig of the whiskey. He stumbled as he put the jug back down, and Mr. Walker reached out a hand to steady him and help him sit down. No one in the room spoke a word. I was overcome with dread.

“Don’t watch, Jamie,” I said. He was even more frightened than I, and crept off to huddle on his bed tick.

I saw Father grasp the rungs of the chair so hard his knuckles turned white. Then Mr. Walker took out his pocketknife and began to pry at the tooth with it. I heard Father grunt with pain and my stomach took a lurch. Then Mr. Walker inserted the hook of the turnkey and began to pull. I saw Father’s forehead break out in great drops of sweat and he could not help but groan. Mother let out a cry and Grannie put her arms around her.

It seemed to take forever. Mr. Walker pulled and pulled and my poor father hung onto the chair and tried so hard not to howl with pain. Finally there was one last tremendous tug and one last cry from deep down in Father’s throat, and Mr. Walker held up the bloody tooth.

Father swayed in the chair and I thought he would faint, but Grannie was quick to hold the cup of whiskey to his lips and he took a long drink.

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