“I declare I sha’n’t sleep a wink!”
“The Lord will take care of us,” Father said.
“The Lord helps them that help themselves,” Mother replied. “I wish to goodness that money was safe in the bank.”
It was already past chore-time, and Almanzo had to hurry to the barn with the milk-pails. If cows are not milked at exactly the same time, night and morning, they will not give so much milk. Then there were the mangers and stalls to clean and all the stock to feed. It was almost eight o’clock before everything was done, and Mother was keeping supper warm.
Supper-time was not as cheerful as usual. There was a dark, heavy feeling about that money. Mother had hidden it in the pantry, then she hid it in the linen-closet. After supper sh
e began setting the sponge for tomorrow’s baking, and worrying again about the money. Her hands flew, the bread sponge made little plopping sounds under her spoon, and she was saying:
“It don’t seem as though anybody’d think to look between sheets in the closet, but I declare I—What’s that!”
They all jumped. They held their breaths and listened.
“Something or somebody’s prowling round this house!” Mother breathed.
All you could see when you looked at the windows was blackness outside.
“Pshaw! ’Twa’n’t anything,” Father said.
“I tell you I heard something!”
“I didn’t,” Father said.
“Royal,” said Mother, “you go look.”
Royal opened the kitchen door and peered into the dark. After a minute he said:
“It’s nothing but a stray dog.”
“Drive it away!” said Mother. Royal went out and drove it away.
Almanzo wished he had a dog. But a little dog digs up the garden and chases hens and sucks eggs, and a big dog may kill sheep. Mother always said there was stock enough on the place, without a dirty dog.
She set away the bread sponge. Almanzo washed his feet. He had to wash his feet every night, when he went barefoot. He was washing them when they all heard a stealthy sound on the back porch.
Mother’s eyes were big. Royal said:
“It’s only that dog.”
He opened the door. At first they saw nothing, and Mother’s eyes got bigger. Then they saw a big, thin dog cringing away in the shadows. His ribs showed under his fur.
“Oh, Mother, the poor dog!” Alice cried. “Please, Mother, can’t I give him just a little bit to eat?”
“Goodness, child, yes!” Mother said. “You can drive him away in the morning, Royal.”
Alice set out a pan of food for the dog. He dared not come near it while the door was open, but when Almanzo shut the door they heard him chewing. Mother tried the door twice to make sure it was locked.
The dark came into the kitchen when they left it with the candles, and the dark looked in through the dining-room windows. Mother locked both dining-room doors, and she even went into the parlor and tried the parlor door, though it was always kept locked.
Almanzo lay in bed a long time, listening and staring at the dark. But at last he fell asleep, and he did not know what happened in the night till Mother told it the next morning.
She had put the money under Father’s socks in the bureau drawer. But after she went to bed, she got up again and put it under her pillow. She did not think she would sleep at all, but she must have, because in the night something woke her. She sat bolt upright in bed. Father was sound asleep.
The moon was shining and she could see the lilac bush in the yard. Everything was still. The clock struck eleven. Then Mother’s blood ran cold; she heard a low, savage growl.
She got out of bed and went to the window. The strange dog stood under it, bristling and showing his teeth. He acted as though somebody was in the woodlot.