overturned tub, half-hidden in its shade, was a large rattlesnake.
Megan stared in terror at the wide-stretched mouth with its threatening fangs and darting, quivering tongue. The snake’s head swayed from side to side, following Lady’s every movement.
Megan screamed and scrambled to her feet. “Look out, Lady!” she yelled. “Get back! Get away!”
For just an instant Lady turned her head toward Megan, as though to make sure that she was safely out of harm’s way, and during that brief moment the rattlesnake struck.
6
T HE DOOR BANGED as Ben rushed from the house. He scooped up Megan and carried her well out of the rattlesnake’s range. Emma, puffing and gasping, one hand pressed against her abdomen, thrust a hoe into Ben’s hand.
Too shocked to move, Megan watched Ben slam down the hoe on the snake. Its long thick body twitched and undulated, and its tail of rattles rose and slapped the ground even after it was dead.
Lady walked slowly to Megan and lay down at her feet, looking up at her with a puzzled expression. Megan dropped to wrap her arms around Lady, who licked her cheek. “Do something for her!” Megan cried. “Help her!”
“There’s nothing we can do,” Emma said. Her words ended in a sob, and Megan burrowed her face into Lady’s fur.
“It’s my fault!” Megan wailed. “I called to her. She turned to look at me.”
“It’s no one’s fault,” Ben said.
“I wasn’t watching. I wasn’t thinking. She tried to protect me.”
Ben put a hand on Megan’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s rare to find a snake that large in the open, where people are working. Matter of fact, it’s late in the year for a snake to be out. By this time they’re all usually in hibernation, but we’ve been without rain for a long time, and this dry spell—”
His voice broke, and he knelt beside Megan to stroke Lady’s head.
The dog was quiet now, shivering as the poison spread through her body. Megan held her tightly. “Oh, Lady, Lady,” Megan sobbed. “Please don’t die!” Lady nestled against her, as though she trusted Megan to take care of her.
Megan squeezed her eyes tightly shut but gasped in horror as she saw through the blackness the grinning face of the old gypsy woman. “Bad luck,” the gypsy cackled. “Bad penny.”
“No, no!” Megan moaned.
“Megan.” Ben’s voice was soft. “Get up, Megan.”
She raised her head. “But Lady—”
“It’s over,” he said. He gently unwound Megan’s arms from around Lady and pulled her to her feet. “Why don’t you wash your face and go into the house with Emma? I’ll take care of Lady.”
“I want to stay with her.”
“There are things that you’ll need to do.”
“But I—”
“Someone will have to feed Lady’s pups.”
Megan gasped. “The pups! I forgot about them! What will happen to them without their mother?”
Emma took Megan around by the back door to wash her face. While Megan scrubbed away the tears and dustwith cold water and a lump of lye soap, Emma said, “They’ll take cow’s milk with a bit of sugar in it. We’ll tear some clean rags into strips, dip them into the milk, and wind them into nipples the pups can suck from.”
Megan glanced back toward the spot where Lady lay as Emma shepherded her into the house, but she couldn’t see around Emma. As they entered the house the pups were yipping and whining. Their tails waggled in eagerness as they spotted Megan, who sat on the floor by the box. “I’m sorry,” Megan murmured.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Emma told her. She carefully put down a bowl of milk on the floor next to Megan and handed her a narrow strip of unbleached cotton cloth. Kneeling beside Megan, Emma showed her how to tightly twist the cloth strips before dipping them into the milk.
Emma picked up Moby and thrust a cloth nipple into his mouth. Moby fought against it, loudly complaining, until he tasted the sugared milk that dripped onto his chin. Then he
Megan stared in terror at the wide-stretched mouth with its threatening fangs and darting, quivering tongue. The snake’s head swayed from side to side, following Lady’s every movement.
Megan screamed and scrambled to her feet. “Look out, Lady!” she yelled. “Get back! Get away!”
For just an instant Lady turned her head toward Megan, as though to make sure that she was safely out of harm’s way, and during that brief moment the rattlesnake struck.
6
T HE DOOR BANGED as Ben rushed from the house. He scooped up Megan and carried her well out of the rattlesnake’s range. Emma, puffing and gasping, one hand pressed against her abdomen, thrust a hoe into Ben’s hand.
Too shocked to move, Megan watched Ben slam down the hoe on the snake. Its long thick body twitched and undulated, and its tail of rattles rose and slapped the ground even after it was dead.
Lady walked slowly to Megan and lay down at her feet, looking up at her with a puzzled expression. Megan dropped to wrap her arms around Lady, who licked her cheek. “Do something for her!” Megan cried. “Help her!”
“There’s nothing we can do,” Emma said. Her words ended in a sob, and Megan burrowed her face into Lady’s fur.
“It’s my fault!” Megan wailed. “I called to her. She turned to look at me.”
“It’s no one’s fault,” Ben said.
“I wasn’t watching. I wasn’t thinking. She tried to protect me.”
Ben put a hand on Megan’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s rare to find a snake that large in the open, where people are working. Matter of fact, it’s late in the year for a snake to be out. By this time they’re all usually in hibernation, but we’ve been without rain for a long time, and this dry spell—”
His voice broke, and he knelt beside Megan to stroke Lady’s head.
The dog was quiet now, shivering as the poison spread through her body. Megan held her tightly. “Oh, Lady, Lady,” Megan sobbed. “Please don’t die!” Lady nestled against her, as though she trusted Megan to take care of her.
Megan squeezed her eyes tightly shut but gasped in horror as she saw through the blackness the grinning face of the old gypsy woman. “Bad luck,” the gypsy cackled. “Bad penny.”
“No, no!” Megan moaned.
“Megan.” Ben’s voice was soft. “Get up, Megan.”
She raised her head. “But Lady—”
“It’s over,” he said. He gently unwound Megan’s arms from around Lady and pulled her to her feet. “Why don’t you wash your face and go into the house with Emma? I’ll take care of Lady.”
“I want to stay with her.”
“There are things that you’ll need to do.”
“But I—”
“Someone will have to feed Lady’s pups.”
Megan gasped. “The pups! I forgot about them! What will happen to them without their mother?”
Emma took Megan around by the back door to wash her face. While Megan scrubbed away the tears and dustwith cold water and a lump of lye soap, Emma said, “They’ll take cow’s milk with a bit of sugar in it. We’ll tear some clean rags into strips, dip them into the milk, and wind them into nipples the pups can suck from.”
Megan glanced back toward the spot where Lady lay as Emma shepherded her into the house, but she couldn’t see around Emma. As they entered the house the pups were yipping and whining. Their tails waggled in eagerness as they spotted Megan, who sat on the floor by the box. “I’m sorry,” Megan murmured.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Emma told her. She carefully put down a bowl of milk on the floor next to Megan and handed her a narrow strip of unbleached cotton cloth. Kneeling beside Megan, Emma showed her how to tightly twist the cloth strips before dipping them into the milk.
Emma picked up Moby and thrust a cloth nipple into his mouth. Moby fought against it, loudly complaining, until he tasted the sugared milk that dripped onto his chin. Then he
Similar Books
