February 16, 2013
11-11:20
Water for Elephants
Pages: 184-195

Walter says that there is nothing you can do for jake leg and Jacob realizes that he could have gotten this too because he remembers his first night when Camel offered Jacob a bottle of alcohol. The next day Walter and Jacob line up to get paid. When the first few worker men leave with nothing Walter explains that sometimes uncle al only pays the workers at the end of the season because he doesn't have the money and no one does anything because other wise they'll get thrown off the train. Whoever, the performers and bosses always get paid. Jacob is not on the paying list and he is furious. Later on he remembers a sign he saw in Chicago that said "don't have any money what have you got we'll take anything" and he walks to August's room. He asks for a doctor and marlena is a little embarrassed and August is hostile but pretends like everything is fine. August thinks its for a "personal problem" but he says its for a friend and marlena tells him that a doctor is coming to see her and she will tell the doctor to see Jacob when he comes. In line for breakfast Jacob hears some guys talking about how a few men have gone missing and Jacob is worried that Camel has been red lighted (thrown off the train). However when he gets to the cart, he finds camel hidden. When the doctor is finished with Marlena, he goes with Jacob who pays the doctor with his father's pocket watch. The doctor goes to the room to see camel and says that camel has jake leg from drinking Jamaican ginger extract. He blames it on camel for drinking because he shouldn't because of prohibition and is very snotty towards him which Jacob gets mad at. The doctor says how it won't go away and leaves and cleans his hands as if he were in a very dirty place. Jacob goes back to his room and asks Walter if its alright if Camel stay with them and they are going to try to find Camel's family (his son in particular) because they can't hide him forever. Walter agrees and so they sneak camel into their room just before Marlena comes and asks Jacob to meet her in her room. Jacob agrees and is glad to see that she is doing better and is not limping. She asks how he is soon thinking the doctor was for him and he explains it was not and she thinks it was for Barbara but he says it was not and she talks about the time when he kissed her and said it would be much easier if he did not want to kiss her and se admits that what she is feeling is wrong and she hasn't stopped thinking of him and she then asks him to leave which he does reluctantly.

I can't believe they would just throw people off the trains. Do these people have no conscious? But I guess when a man is so desperate for money and hungry he will do whatever he needs to do to feed his family and himself so I can't blame them but still it is wrong because tere are some rich people who have a lot and if they just share equally there wouldn't be any problems. Also, I hate how the doctor was treating Camel. He is a person too. If he is treating marlena better just because she has more money he has no business being a doctor. A doctor should put the health of a person above all else despite who the person is, their social status or how much money they have in their pockets.

I finished the chapter and therefore have has a successful reading session.