“There, that’s all right. She’s crying now only because she’s frightened,” the doctor said, snapping his fingers at the child. “How did it happen?”
Elizabeth explained.
“Well, I guess you’ll know better than to lift a baby by the arm another time,” the doctor said, with a kindly smile into Elizabeth’s tired face. “Is it your sister?”
“No—hers.” Elizabeth indicated Peggy, who twisted her bare feet nervously one over the other as the doctor looked her over. “They live at Slabtown,” Elizabeth added.
“O—at Slabtown. And where do you live?”
“I’m—we,” Elizabeth’s gesture included Olga, “we are at the camp.”
“And how came you mixed up in this business?” The doctor meant to know all about the affair now. When Elizabeth had told him, he looked at her curiously. “And so you lugged that heavy child all the way down here?” he said.
“Olga wanted to carry her, but the baby wouldn’t let her—and she was crying, so——” Elizabeth’s voice trailed off into silence.
The doctor smiled at her again. Then suddenly he inquired in a gruff voice, “Well now, who’s going to pay me for this job—you?”
“O!” cried Elizabeth, her eyes suddenly very anxious. “I—I never thought of that. It was hurting her so—and she’s so little—I just thought—thought——” Again she left her sentence unfinished.