Free Katerina's Wish by Jeannie Mobley Page B

support. And bachelors were always laid off before men with families.
    â€œIf they let one of us go, we could still get by, I suppose,” he said. “But I don’t know what we’ll do if we are both laid off. All the other mines are laying workers off too; there won’t be any jobs anywhere.”
    â€œI’m good with my hands. I might find some odd jobs,” Mark said. “I’m sure they’ll take us back once fall comes and the demand for coal goes up again.”
    â€œIf we can make it through to fall,” Karel said.
    â€œWe’ll help you, Karel, won’t we, Papa,” Holena said. “We have the garden, and money from washing clothes.”
    â€œOf course we will,” Papa said, patting Holena’s hair. “We are family now, aren’t we? That garden will be a big help.”
    â€œWell, we will cross that bridge when it comes. No point worrying,” Momma said, but I could see she was. If the bachelors in camp were laid off, they wouldn’t be paying us to do their laundry anymore, and it would be some time yet before the garden produced any food. Of course we had to help Old Jan’s family, but how would we do it? I understood why the lines of worry across Momma’s forehead never quite went away anymore.
    â€œWhat we need,” Old Jan said, “is something to see us through the good times and the bad. Something to fall back on.”
    Papa nodded.
    â€œIn the Old Country, I remember we had a cow,” Mark said. He glanced in my direction and gave a little grin. “She grazed up on the commons and we had milk, whether we had money or not.”
    â€œCan we get a cow, Papa?” Aneshka asked.
    â€œWhere would we keep a cow?” Momma said.
    â€œYes, a cow is much too big, but I have something smaller in mind that might help,” Old Jan said.
    â€œIf it’s small, it’s not going to be much help,” Aneshka said. “I want a cow.”
    â€œWell, I don’t know.” Old Jan pushed away his empty plate and leaned back in his chair. “Sometimes you have to start with small things to get the big things you really want. Do you know the story of the three brothers who inherited their father’s farm?”
    â€œTell us,” Aneshka said, bouncing in her chair and clapping her hands.
    â€œPlease tell us,” Holena added more politely.
    â€œThe oldest son took the biggest and best share, and the second son took almost all the rest. For the youngest son all that was left was a good, sturdy rope. Now, a rope, that is not much, is it?”
    â€œNo, his brothers should have given him more,” Holena said.
    â€œPerhaps. So all he had was one small thing when he set out to make his way in the world. When he came to a forest he made snares from some of that rope, and he caught a squirrel and a hare.”
    â€œWhat did he want those for?” Holena asked.
    â€œDon’t interrupt,” Aneshka said.
    â€œHe put the squirrel and the hare in his basket and continued on until he came to a lake. Beside the lake was a cave and in the cave was a bear, snoring away.
    â€œThe boy sat down beside the lake to make a bigger snare to catch the bear, but before he finished, a water sprite that lived in the lake saw him. It was just a small sprite, and very curious, so it rose to the surface and said to the boy, ‘What are you doing with that rope?’
    â€œWell, the boy was a clever lad, so he said, ‘I plan to tie up the lake so no one can get out.’
    â€œThe sprite dropped to the bottom of the lake and told the king of the sprites what he had heard.
    â€œâ€˜Go back up and challenge the boy to a race. When he is tired from running, catch him and drag him into the deep water, and we will be rid of him,’ said the king.
    â€œSo the little sprite rose to the surface again and challenged the boy to a race.
    â€œâ€˜I can’t right now,’ the boy said,