Read Online The Fiddler's Secret by Lois Walfrid Johnson - Free Book Online

did not bark at Samson.

    Later that afternoon Libby took out her pencils and drawing paper. While living in Chicago, she had taken lessons from a famous artist. Whenever she could, Libby practiced. Now she perched on top of a barrel and sketched deckers. She started with the children, then drew a mother or father.
    Remembering Pa’s school lesson, Libby looked for immigrants. Often they wore a piece of paper pinned to their shirtor dress. The paper helped other people tell an immigrant when to get off a boat or train.
    As Libby drew, she listened.
What do they want?
she asked herself.
What do they
really
want?
Often Libby couldn’t understand enough of their language to know.
    She was hard at work when she heard a rude voice. “Hey, there!” Libby looked up to see Jordan crossing the deck.
    â€œYou, boy!” the man called.
    Jordan froze. His shoulders stiff, his face gone blank, he turned to see who was calling.
    A short, thin man stood behind him. With his hair slicked down and his collar high around his chin, he seemed to have no neck. But he spit out his words as if he owned the whole world.
    Then the man’s eyes widened with surprise. “I know
you
! You’re Micah Parker’s son.”
    For one instant Jordan cringed. Then, almost without drawing a breath, he straightened, standing tall. “Yessuh, I am Micah Parker’s son,” he answered respectfully. “And proud of it.”
    â€œThen you better run scared because I’m going to tell your owner where you are!”
    Jordan’s fists tightened. “You sayin’ I should run scared?” As his gaze locked on to the man’s eyes, Jordan leaned forward, hovering over the shorter man.
    Suddenly the man stepped back. He wasted no time leaving, but Jordan’s words followed him.
    â€œTell my owner where I is. And tell him I am
not
afraid. Tell him I be Micah Parker’s son, and I is not livin’ scared!”
    As the short, thin man disappeared, Libby smiled. In that moment Jordan had forgotten all the fine English he hadworked so hard to learn. But he hadn’t forgotten who he was.
    Then Libby remembered Pa’s warning, and her good feelings faded. Jordan had passed the first test, but Libby couldn’t help but wonder if there were more ahead.
    After a while she walked up the wide stairway to the area on the boiler deck where first-class passengers took their exercise. In a shaded, out-of-the-way place, Libby sat down.
    Soon her gaze rested on a man who stood alone. Though he leaned over the railing, peering down at the water, Libby could see most of his brown hair and the right side of his face. With quick lines she started to sketch.
    When she finished the drawing, Libby realized it was good—very good. She had tried to be honest in showing the hard lines around the man’s mouth. His face rang a warning bell in Libby’s mind.
Is there something wrong in his life?
    Just then the man glanced her way and saw her pencils and paper. His eyes darkened with anger.
    In the next instant Libby pulled other pages over the sketch, but it was too late. The man knew she had drawn his picture. For some reason that upset him.
    Libby gathered up her pencils, got to her feet, and walked away. At a wall that would hide her from sight, she glanced back. Whoever the man was, he still watched her.
    In spite of the warm day, Libby felt cold all over.
Who is he?
she wondered again.
Is he a crook and afraid he’ll be recognized?
The expression in his hard face frightened her.
    Mr. Trouble, that’s what I’ll call him
.

CHAPTER 7
Where Is It?

    L ibby went straight to the
Christina
’s office. “I’d like to put one of my drawings in the safe,” she told the young clerk who worked there. As he opened the safe, he looked curious but made no comment.
    He doesn’t dare ask why
, Libby thought, wanting to giggle.
He knows I’m the captain’s daughter
.
    By the time