Wide is the Water Read Online Free PDF

die, Ruth, my darling, you are going to do everything that Cousin Mercy tells you, just as if she were me. Do you promise me that?’
    â€˜You’re not going to die,’ said Ruth mulishly.
    â€˜But just suppose I did, I want you to promise me. About Cousin Mercy. About minding what she says. Hushing when she tells you to, just the way you do for me. Promise me, Ruth.’ With a great effort she pulled herself up against her pillows and took Ruth’s hand in hers. ‘Now yours, Mercy.’
    Holding it out, Mercy recognised the formidable woman whom Hart had loved and respected.
    â€˜Promise to be sisters.’ She spoke with increasing effort. Moving had hurt her. ‘You, Ruth, promise you’ll mind Mercy the way you did me. And you, Mercy, promise you’ll look out for Ruth as if she were your sister.’
    â€˜I promise.’ Mercy smiled at Ruth.
    Ruth’s cold hand writhed in hers. ‘I don’t want …’ she began, but her mother interrupted her.
    â€˜Ruth.’ Mrs. Paston’s voice was stern. ‘Don’t make me ask you twice.’
    Ruth looked full at Mercy, who realised with a little shock that, happy, she could be ‘beautiful. There was a short silence; then Ruth leant forward and kissed Mercy on the cheek. ‘I promise,’ she said. ‘I’ll try, Mother.’
    â€˜Thank you, my darling. And now I think I’ll sleep a little. I hope that man comes back,’ she said as Mercy helped settle her on her pillows.
    â€˜He’ll come.’ Mercy left Ruth to watch beside her mother and took the dishes out to the kitchen, where she found Jed lighting candles.
    â€˜Wax,’ he said. ‘That’s a good woman, Mrs. Frobisher. I sure hope her husband don’t notice.’
    â€˜So do I. But, Jed, I don’t understand. How could Mr. Golding leave his cousin with nothing, like this?’
    â€˜Oh, do him justice, he didn’t.’ Jed looked at her sombrely. ‘He left servants on board wages, a couple, and me, of course, and stuff for the winter. Only they didn’t reckon much to Miss Ruth, the couple, that is, Mr. and Mrs. Jacks. Well, Mr. Golding made no secret she scared him, and the kids used to holler when she hollered, and Mrs. Golding wouldn’t be in the room with her, so what with one thing and another you can see how the Jackses felt. This was back in the fall. The Goldings left when the roads were still dry from the summer. Long evenings; quiet nights; everything went fine for a while. Until Miss Ruth had her first screaming fit. I
like
Miss Ruth.’ He coloured as he said it. ‘She can’t help it she was scared silly by the Indians. I told the Jackses, told them and told them that night. We were all kind of wore out by the time Miss Ruth settled. I sleep out back in the shed,’ he explained. ‘Time I woke, those Jackses had gone and taken pretty near all the food and stuff with them. And the waggon. And the better of the horses Mr. Golding left behind. I tell you, when it first started to snow, I was right down glad. I could get about again, see. On the sledge. Stock up with a few provisions,but I didn’t reckon on the way prices had gone up. Nor on a winter like this.’
    â€˜None of us did. You were good to stand by the Pastons, Jed.’
    â€˜Oh, that was nothing. I’m kind of …’ Once again he blushed. ‘Kind of fond of them. Besides, I’ve nowhere else to go. My father was killed at Bunker Hill, and Ma … Ma, she took up with an English soldier. I couldn’t stay, not with that going on, so I cut and run for it, and Mr. Golding took me in as yard boy. I was just a littl’un then. No wages. I worked for my keep, and lucky to get it, he said.’
    â€˜And now?’
    He shrugged. ‘Just the same. You don’t know Mr. Golding. He cheated Mrs. Paston something wicked over that plot of hers at Lexington. Everyone knew