Trapper Boy

by Hugh R. MacDonald

  The town was beginning to come to life, and the horses and wagons slowed the speed of the streetcar. JW saw Beth and her parents in one of the wagons. He leaned his head back and thought about school and the coal mines, but mostly he just thought about Beth.

  Chapter 28

  JW threw a crust of bread down the tunnel then let some oats drop near the grease bucket. He watched as the injured rat drew near, its limp not nearly as bad as the previous night.

  “Here you go, Lord Tennyson,” JW said, naming the rat after one of his favourite poets. “Eat your fill, but do it quickly, for the pack will soon return.”

  “Who are you talking to, JW?”

  JW turned and saw that Smitty had arrived with a loaded tram. He hurried to the door. “I’m sorry, Smitty. I didn’t hear you. What happened to the bells?”

  “I forgot to put them on tonight. But with the squeals from the tram, I didn’t think I could sneak up on a dead man,” Smitty said, laughing. “So who were you talking to?”

  JW felt his face flush. “I was talking to a rat. I hurt him the other night, so now I feed him. I named him Lord Tennyson,” JW said, becoming more embarrassed as each word left his mouth.

  “After Alfred, Lord Tennyson? Why him?”

  “Yes. There’s a poem I like by him, called ‘Tears, Idle Tears’.”

  “That’s one of my favourites as well,” Smitty said.

  JW nodded politely. He doubted that anyone working in the mine knew poems by Tennyson or anyone else. He was not prepared for what came next.

  “Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, / Tears from the depth of some divine despair / Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, / In looking on the happy autumn-fields, / And thinking of the days that are no more.” Smitty saw the look of surprise on JW’s face. “I can see why you’d like that one. There’s another that would fit quite well: ‘Ask Me No More.’ There’s a couple of lines: ‘Yet, O my friend, I will not have thee die! ... Ask me no more: thy fate and mine are sealed’.”

  JW listened in amazement then watched as Smitty clucked his tongue and set the horse on its way through the trap door.

  Chapter 29

  “I told you about Smitty being from Barbados. Well, I learned last night that his parents were teachers there but decided to bring their family here for a chance at a new life. He was reciting poetry from memory as if he was reading my mind,” JW said.

  “What do you mean?” Beth asked.

  “Remember the rat, Tennyson, I told you about?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, Smitty recited parts of two Tennyson poems that spoke of the rat’s and my fate being sealed. And that was what I was thinking at the time.”

  “You think that your fate is sealed?”

  “Kind of. Tennyson and I are both stuck in the mine, and neither one of us had any say in the matter. Tennyson is stuck because of being born there, and I’m there because of being born into a coal-mining family – our fates are sealed.” He stared at Beth with a look of acceptance in his eyes.

  “When you’re older, you’ll be able to leave,” Beth said, trying to encourage him.

  “Perhaps, but if I work in the mine for the next ten or fifteen years, it’ll be too late to try to get an education. The pit will be all I know. Smitty’s been there since he was sixteen and he’s still there.”

  Beth looked into JW’s eyes and was saddened by the look of resignation. “How is Tennyson’s leg?” she asked, trying to lighten the conversation.

  “It seems to be healing nicely. He hardly limps at all, but he no longer seems to be part of the pack. I feed him oats when I’m working. I’m surprised someone, or one of the other rats, hasn’t killed him. There’s no place for weakness in the mine.”

  The two began walking faster. “Do you think you’ll be able to stay for the whole day today?” Beth asked.

  “I gotta try or Mr. Cantwell will think I dropped out of science class and won’t let me write my exams.” They continued talking, and thoughts of the coal mines vanished as the schoolhouse came into view.

  The morning passed quickly, but as noontime approached, JW felt his eyelids wanting to close. Placing the math book inside his satchel at the end of class, he caught up with Beth.

  “I think I have to go. My eyes are closing.”

  “You could have a nap here, and I’ll wake you after lunch,” Beth suggested.

  JW’s first thought was to say no, but he decided to give it a try. He laid his head on the desk, and after a few minutes felt sleep overtake him.

  Beth stood in the doorway for a moment before pulling the door gently closed behind her. She sat on the stairs leading to the first floor below. She took a sandwich from her lunch box and began eating, planning to spend the next hour keeping watch on the door to the classroom where JW slept.

  He awoke with a start, his hands reaching for the rope to open the trap door.

  “JW,” Beth said. “It’s time to wake up.”

  Chapter 30

  “John Wallace! I thought you got lost,” his mother said as he came through the door. “You better hurry off to bed. It’s almost four o’clock and you’ve got a long night ahead of you. Do you want me to wake you early?”

  “No, Ma. I better get all the sleep I can. I managed to stay at school for the whole day. I’ll tell you about it later,” JW said as he started up the stairs.

  He pulled off his clothes and climbed into bed. But the welcoming arms of sleep eluded him, and he tossed and turned side to side. Thoughts of schoolwork and Beth and the dark mines ran through his mind. The daylight outside his window turned to twilight, then darkness. Finally, sleep came.

  —

  “Wake up, dear. I left you as long as I could. As it is you’ll have to eat on the run.”

  JW opened his eyes and looked into the face of his mother. “Alright, Ma. What time is it?” Just then the chimes of the clock rang, counting ten strikes of the hammer.

  His mother called to him as she started back downstairs. “I’ll dish up your meal, so hurry along now.”

  JW reluctantly got up from his bed and pulled on his clothes. He splashed some water on his face and hands and trudged down the stairs. He ate the food his mother had dished up and turned down offers from his parents to walk with him. He noticed the coal was in and that a large stack of kindling was piled neatly by the stove. Gulliver seemed to be waiting for him as he stepped into the cool night air.

  “C’mon, Gullie. Walk me to work, old boy.”

  Gulliver came to his side and wagged his tail and most of the rest of himself as well. JW started on his way down the road when he remembered he hadn’t cleaned Lightning’s stall. He turned and rushed toward the barn.

  “Whoa! Where you heading?” his father called out.

  “I forgot to clean the stall, Da.”

  “You’re the working man right now, so I did it earlier.”

  “Sorry, Da. I’ll get up earlier next time to get it done before I leave.”

  “You don’t hafta do that, JW. It’s only right that I do it, that way you can get a little more rest. Besides, with me working days, I’ve time to get the chores done after work. You best get on your way. Have a safe night.”

  “Thanks, Da. Goodnight.” He made a mental note to try and do some of the chores, but with schoolwork, the mine and sleep, he didn’t have much time left in his day.

  Gulliver bounded along beside JW, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil going on in his master’s mind. He felt JW first slow down then speed up as they neared, then passed, the graveyard. The lights from the mine’s opening cast a dull beam on the road in front of them, and the men’s voices could be heard.

  “Thanks, Gulliver. You go back now and take care of the folks.” JW bent down and petted Gulliver’s head and shoulders, hugging him. “Go ho
me now, boy. Run along.”

  Chapter 31

  Mickey climbed into the seat beside JW, and Patty got into the seat behind them. Patty seemed nice enough and was full of stories.

  “Red said I can go down again tonight. That way I’ll be ready when I start on Wednesday.”

  “Did you see any ghosts yet?” JW asked. “Any rats attack you?”

  “Whaddaya mean?” Patty asked, his eyes wide with fear.

  “You should know. It was you who told me to watch out for the ghosts and rats. Remember the day I was here with my father?”

  “Gee, I was only trying to scare you,” Patty said.

  “They only come visit you on your first night alone. The ghosts, I mean. The rats are there all the time. But you’re lucky, you’ve been around for a long time, so you won’t be afraid when something crawls up through the tracks and grabs you by your leg. Nope, you won’t be afraid.” JW saw that Patty looked pretty much the way he had felt when the breaker boys had ridiculed him. He didn’t like how he’d felt that day, being teased, so JW said, “Just kidding about the ghosts.”

  “Yeah, I knew you was just pulling my leg, right? Right, Mickey, JW was just pulling my leg?”

  “Sure he was. There ain’t no ghosts down there, at least none I seen, but there are lots and lots of rats. Some big enough to carry off your lunch box,” Mickey said.

  “I don’t mind the rats. If they bother me, I can just whack ’em with my shovel,” Patty said.

  The rake started on its way and a low squeal came out of Patty’s mouth. It was not as loud as on his first night, but still too loud. He coughed quickly to cover up the sound, but some of the men heard it and a few chuckles rang out.

  Chapter 32

  “You seem to be pretty comfortable with the trap now,” Red said from the darkness.

  JW jumped and turned to face Red. “Yes, sir, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to voices in the dark. If I keep the hinges greased like you showed me, it seems to open easily.”

  “I noticed Patty sat right behind you and Mickey tonight,” Red said. “I also heard a little squeal out of him. It’s not so funny when the shoe’s on the other foot. Well, at least with him on the schedule, you’ll be able to have a couple days off. I’ll make sure Patty gets put on your door when he’s ready. How’s school going? You’d probably make a good teacher. Patty sure seemed to learn a lesson after the ‘wrestling’ match the other night. He’s a lot less talkative.”

  JW looked at Red and realized that he knew it had been more than a wrestling match. “Yes, well, it’s good if someone can learn. He seems like a pretty good fellow. Have you decided when you’ll be leaving?” he asked.

  “No, they still haven’t hired anyone, so I guess it could be another month. Are you still in school?”

  “Yes, but I mostly only go for half days. I stayed all day today, so I didn’t get as much sleep.”

  “It’s hard to burn the candle at both ends. You gotta get enough sleep. Good luck with your studies,” Red said and headed through the door. “I’m going to drop in on Mickey and Patty to see how Patty’s getting on.”

  As soon as Red left, JW heard the bells from Smitty’s tram.

  “I didn’t want to sneak up on you tonight, so I put the bells back on,” Smitty said. “I’m going on days for the next couple of weeks, so I won’t see you for a while.”

  “At least the bells would keep me awake. If you’re going to be on days, do you think you could feed Tennyson?” JW asked and then reached for his satchel to get some oats.

  “I got lots of oats, and I’d be happy to feed the old boy,” Smitty said. “Well, if I don’t see you for a while, take care.”

  “Bye, Smitty, and thanks.” The chiming of the bells made JW think of Christmas, which wasn’t that far off. He knew that exams weren’t that far off either.

  The rest of the night was quiet, and JW felt sleep overtake him on several occasions. He awoke with a start only to find Red standing next to him.

  “I’m sorry, Red. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I just nodded off for a minute. It won’t happen again,” he said, hoping he wasn’t about to be fired.

  “The nights are long. You woke as soon as I got near you, so I know you would have heard a tram. I was watching Patty, and I think he’s ready to go. So you can go to school today and take tonight off and Patty’ll work the trap for you. I’ll give Mickey tomorrow night off, and Patty can work for him.”

  “Thanks, Red. I won’t close my eyes for the rest of the shift.”

  “It’s just about quitting time anyway, so you might as well pack up. I’ll see you at the rake,” Red said, and went on his way.

  JW reached for his satchel and pulled out some oats to feed Tennyson. He threw a crust of bread up the tracks and the rats scurried after the crumbs. Tennyson made his way over and sat by JW’s boot waiting for the oats. JW dropped a small amount and watched as Tennyson devoured it.

  “You’ll have to hide tonight, because Patty’ll be scared of you.” JW realized that Tennyson would probably come over to Patty thinking he would feed him. He heard Mickey and Patty talking on the other side of the door and quickly laid open his satchel and watched as Tennyson climbed in searching for more food. JW closed the satchel and felt the slight bulge move inside. He was glad there were lots of oats in there. Tennyson quickly settled in and began to eat.

  “Hiya, JW,” Mickey and Patty said in unison.

  “Hi. Well, let’s get going,” JW said and pulled the satchel to his side. He held it close as they walked to the trip.

  “Whaddaya got in there?” Patty asked.

  “Mostly school books, and I use it as my lunch box,” JW answered.

  “He’s got other treasures in there too,” Mickey said. “His grandfather made it for him, didn’t he, JW?”

  “Yes, he did.” JW thought of the treasure he had in there now. He saw Red standing by the rake. Red sat beside Patty on the way to the surface. JW watched as Patty nodded his head up and down in response to Red’s questions. He was glad to have the night off. He hung the satchel on a hook where he could see it and, entering the wash area, quickly scrubbed the dirt away. He dressed and retrieved the satchel. Tennyson was quiet.

  “Thanks, JW,” Patty said.

  “What for?”

  “Red said you didn’t mind me having one of your shifts to get started,” Patty said.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow night. Oh, and the rats won’t bother you if you throw a piece of bread up the tracks.”

  “If they come near me, I’ll hit ’em with the shovel,” Patty said. JW believed he meant it.

  Feeling Tennyson move, JW said goodbye to Patty and hurried toward home. Gulliver met him part way, and JW petted his head, keeping the satchel lifted in the air. Gulliver sniffed the bottom of the satchel and whined, curious at what was in there. As they neared the house, JW told Gulliver to stay and went to the barn. He glanced behind to make sure Gulliver stayed by the house.

  The musty smell of the barn struck him as he pulled open the door. He heard a soft whinny from Lightning and then a thump as the horse pulled a hoof across the planked floor. JW walked to a corner and knelt down. He opened his satchel, and Tennyson crawled out onto the dry hay. JW watched as Tennyson shuffled forward, his limp much better. He stopped and turned back toward JW.

  “Go on, Tennyson. This is your new home. You’re free.”

  Tennyson seemed to pause for a moment then was off again, vanishing into the hay. JW hoped he’d adjust to his new surroundings. He picked up the satchel, petted Lightning’s withers, left the barn and walked toward Gulliver, who looked anxious.

  “Come on, boy,” JW said, slapping his hand against his leg. Gulliver bounded over to his master. JW squatted down and hugged Gulliver to him; for Gulliver, all was right with the world.r />
  —

  Andrew Donaldson watched in silence as JW knelt on the floor of the barn. He was about to call out to him when he saw the rat crawl from the satchel. His listened to the soft words spoken to the rat, and was overwhelmed by his son’s tenderness. He stayed in the shadows until JW left the barn.

  Chapter 33

  Mary Donaldson watched John Wallace’s head bob toward his porridge. Every few seconds, he would snap his head back and sit up straight in his chair again.

  “Are you ready to go? You better hurry or you’ll be late. I’m sure Beth is waiting for you,” she said.

  At the mention of Beth’s name, JW stood up and walked to the kitchen sink. He splashed a small amount of water on his face and shook off the sleep that was threatening to overtake him. He brushed off the knees of his pants and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m ready, Ma. I’ll see you later. I plan to sleep all day and night after I get home. See you, Da. I’ll get some coal in when I get home.”

  “Don’t fret about that. I’ll have the coal and kindling in. I’m sure I can even get ole Lightning’s stall cleaned out. All you gotta do when you get home is sleep.” Andrew Donaldson saw the relieved look on his son’s face. “Run along and catch up to Beth. You don’t want to keep a lady waiting.”

  JW blushed and saw his parents smiling at him. He couldn’t keep from laughing. “You’re right, Da, mustn’t keep a lady waiting,” he said, and hurried out the door.

  Chapter 34

  The wind had picked up, and JW thought he felt some droplets of rain. He hoped it was only rain, but he had seen snow in late September before. He broke into a slow trot. When he got to the hill overlooking Beth’s house, he saw her waiting. She raised her hand and he waved back.