The Treasure of Savage Island by Lenore Hart

Author:Lenore Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2010-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

As she climbed the stairs carefully balancing a pot of boiling water, Molly smelled the unmistakable odors that always meant Doc Drummond was at work. Rum, stale sweat, green herbs, and horse salve. When she entered the guest room, the first thing she noticed was her father’s arm hanging limp over the side of the bed. Mrs. Ben was fussing with a basin, muttering about ruined sheets. But she kept her voice down, and the complaints seemed halfhearted. That scared Molly the most. If even Mrs. Ben was worried . . .

“Pa,” she said, rushing over, almost spilling hot water on Doc. “Will he be all right?”

Drummond stood. Gathered his things, stuffing tongs and knives and bandages and cloth packets of herbs in his stained pouch. “Aye, seems so. Gave him a sleeping draft, Moll. I declare, he’s hot as a fired pistol. Though the breakbone tea I dosed him with ought to fix that.”

“Horse piss,” groaned her father. “Old goat poisoned me.”

“But if the herbs don’t work?” she asked in a low voice, taking up a clean rag, pouring fresh hot water in the basin. She knelt and wiped her father’s face. It shone with sweat in the flickering light of the two candles, one their old end-of-the-month stub, the other full size. The widow must indeed be feeling generous ... or guilty.

Or could it be she truly cared for Ned Savage, despite the way she talked?

Her father muttered something she couldn’t make out. He struck out peevishly when she touched the damp cloth to his forehead.

“Then the Lord must step in,” said Drummond. “Wound in his shoulder looks not so good, but I seen worse. Now, where’s that toddy?” Doc lumbered off toward the stairs. His boots clumped slowly down to the taproom. But even in the dim light, Molly had seen the glitter of tears in his eyes. Doc meant well. But could his potions save her dad?

By early the next day the fever had barely gone down, though her father opened his eyes once and looked at her. Then he slept. By evening it’d risen again, and as she watched him sweat and mutter in his sleep, she knew he might need a real doctor. If so, she’d get one. Somehow. She wiped his face dry again, tucked the blanket around him.

Then she went down the stairs to find Rafe. To explain to him what he must do to help her—if Ned Savage took a turn for the worse. The boy owed her that much.

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.