Flash the Sheep Dog
Page 14
“Oh, no!” Tom said at once, putting his arms around Flash.
“Well, lad, hear what I’m offering before you turn it down point-blank. I’ll give you a hundred pounds for the dog.”
Tom caught his breath in amazement. A hundred pounds! It sounded untold riches.
“It’s a deal of money, Tom,” his uncle told him soberly. “It would give you a good start in America if ever you went to Kate.”
Tom’s face clouded. He hugged Flash to him, saying nothing. Aunt Jane looked at him and put in her word. “Mr McKay, you can’t expect Tom to make up his mind at a snap of the fingers. You must give him time to think it over.”
“Aye, that’s right,” Uncle John agreed. “This needs talking about first. Let us have your telephone number and when Tom has made up his mind he can phone you.”
“Fair enough!” Mr McKay wrote his telephone number on an envelope and gave it to Tom. “You can phone me any time this evening, laddie.”
Tom was so quiet on the journey home that Elspeth cast several questioning glances at him, as they sat in the rear seat of the car with Flash at their feet.
“What’s wrong, Tom?” she asked at last in a whisper.
“I’m wondering whether I ought to sell Flash,” he said in a low voice of utter misery.
“Sell Flash? Do you mean you’d rather have a hundred pounds than Flash?” Elspeth sounded amazed.
“Of course I wouldn’t! But a hundred pounds would pay my fare to America.”
“Why? Has your sister sent for you?” A chill feeling swept over Elspeth.
“Not yet! Maybe Uncle John wants me to sell Flash. He said the hundred pounds would give me a good start in America. Perhaps he’s tired of having me at Birkhope…”
“Tom Stokes, how can you think that?” Elspeth hissed at him. The whole conversation was conducted in whispers for fear Uncle John and Aunt Jane might overhear in the front seat. “Haven’t they made you welcome at Birkhope? Don’t be stupid! Besides, you don’t want to sell Flash, do you? And he belongs to you.”
“If I sell Flash, no one and nothing will ever belong to me again.” The words broke from Tom’s heart.
Elspeth refrained from saying anything. There was no use talking to Tom in that mood, but she had made up her mind what she must do.
Aunt Jane spoke over her shoulder. “You’ve to come to supper with us, Elspeth. Mr Meggetson will drive you home afterwards.”
When they got out of the car Uncle John said, “While you’re getting the supper ready I’ll just take a look at the cows and see if Andra’s got by all right with the milking.”
Elspeth followed Aunt Jane and lent a hand first in setting the table. She watched her opportunity and slipped out to the byre.
“Mr Meggetson, could I have a word with you?” she asked.
“Yes, lass. What is it?”
“It’s about Tom. Do you want him to go to America?”
John Meggetson stared at her. “Guid sakes, no! Whatever makes you think that?”
“Tom thinks you do. He’s got the idea you’re tired of having him at Birkhope,” Elspeth told him with her blunt honesty.
“Now what bee has that silly young fool got under his bonnet?” Uncle John exclaimed irately.
“He thinks you want him to sell Flash to pay his fare to America.”
“Surely not?” Uncle John swung round, startled.
“You did tell him it would give him a good start there. But you do want him to stay here, really, don’t you, Mr Meggetson?” Elspeth said quietly.
“Of course I do! I don’t mind telling you, Elspeth, that I don’t want to part with him, even to his sister Kate.”
“Have you ever told Tom that?”
“Why, no! It – it never occurred to me…”
“Mr Meggetson, have you never guessed that Tom’s grown fond of you, too?”
Uncle John opened his eyes wide. “Do you think so, lass? Why, Tom’s become a kind of son to me and his aunt.”
“Then will you please go in and tell him that at once, Mr Meggetson, before he speaks to Mr McKay on the phone and sells Flash and breaks his heart over it.”
Mr Meggetson looked shocked. “Sell Flash? I’ll go and sort the young idiot at once!” He turned and strode into the house with Elspeth at his heels.
He went straight to Tom in the kitchen. “Look here, Tom! You and I have got to have a talk and come to an understanding.”
Tom thought with a sinking heart, “Now he’s going to tell me I must sell Flash and go to America.”
“Did you think I wanted you to leave Birkhope and go to America? I want the truth now. There must be the truth between us over this.”
“Well – yes,” Tom faltered.
“And you thought I wanted you to sell Flash to pay your fare?”
Tom swallowed. “I thought perhaps that’s what I should do if you wanted me to go.”
“Then you’re just a young fool!” Uncle John barked. “Can you no’ understand that I’ve grown used to having you around? That I like having you here, and that I’m not wanting you to go to America?”
Tom’s eyes widened. “Oh, Uncle John! Do you mean that?”
“Of course I do!” Uncle John glared at him fiercely.
At the raised voices, Flash suddenly came between them and looked from one to another and uttered a low growl. He looked so perplexed that they both burst out laughing and the strain was broken.
“Well, that’s settled, thanks to Elspeth!” Aunt Jane said briskly. “Now draw up your chairs to the table and we’ll have our supper.”
She put on her apron to protect her best dress and an envelope fell out of the pocket.
“Mercy me! Here’s a letter that come just before we left the house! I stuck it in my pocket without looking at it. It’ll be from Meg.” She took another look at the address. “Why, no! It’s for Tom.”
Tom turned the letter over. It bore an American stamp. “It’s from Kate.”
“You read it while I’m pouring the tea,” Aunt Jane said. When she passed Tom his cup, he was staring at the letter as as though mesmerised.
“Weel, what’s the news from Kate?” Aunt Jane said sharply.
“She – she says they’re moving into a larger apartment and there might be room for me there. She says she thinks she can persuade Hymer to have me, but it’ll take a time to save the fare.”
Uncle John looked troubled. “How do you feel about going to America now, Tom?”
“Could I take Flash to America?” Tom asked.
“You could, but he might have to stay in quarantine before you could have him with you.”
“Flash would be miserable in quarantine, and I don’t think Kate would want him in her apartment,” Tom declared. “I’m not going! I don’t want to part with Flash and – and I don’t want to leave you and Aunt Jane either.”
Uncle John and Aunt Jane looked at each other and smiled.
“I–I don’t think Kate will miss me, really. She’s got Hymer. I might be in the way. Besides, I feel I belong here.”
“That’s how we feel, too, Tom,” Aunt Jane said gently. “Now, let’s be getting on with our suppers. Bless the lad! What’s taken him now?” she cried as Tom jumped up from his chair.
“Please, I want to telephone Mr McKay, Uncle John,” Tom said, taking the envelope from his pocket. “I’m going to tell him that Flash is not for sale and that not even a thousand pounds would buy him!”
Copyright
Illustrated by Antony Maitland
Kelpies is an imprint of Floris Books
First published in Great Britain in 1965
by the Lutterworth Press
First published in Kelpies in 1984
This edition published in 2018 by Floris Books
© 1965 Estate of Kathleen A. Goldie
This eBook edition published in 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the prior permission of Floris Books, Edinburgh www.florisbooks
.co.uk
The publisher acknowledges subsidy from Creative Scotland towards the publication of this volume
British Library CIP Data available
ISBN 978–178250–504–4