"Why don"t you wait until morning?"
"Because I don"t want an audience. It is best to practice these stunts without anyone looking."
"Suppose you fall!"
"That"s something movie actresses have to expect. I won"t fall far if I do fall."
"Will you mind if I look on?"
"No, indeed! I can pretend you are the director."
Everything was as quiet as the grave when Mary bounced out of bed to practice her stunt. I followed, nothing loath to see more of the wonderful night. Some nights are too beautiful to waste in sleeping. It has always seemed such a pity to me that we could not fill up on sleep in disagreeable weather, and then when a glorious moonlight night arrives, be able to draw on that reserve fund of sleep and just sit up all night.
"Isn"t it splendid out on the lawn? And only look at the river in the moonlight. I"d certainly like to be out there in a boat this minute with some very nice interesting person to recite poetry to me," I mused.
"I heard Wink White begging you to take a row with him."
"Yes, but I see myself doing it."
"Don"t you like him?" asked Mary, sitting in the window ready for the trial descent.
"Of course I like him, but he"s such a goose."
"Shorty thinks he is grand."
"So he is--grand, gloomy, and peculiar. If he"d only not be so sad and lonesome when he is with me."
"Of course all of us have noticed how different he is with you, never laughing and joking as he does with us but sighing like a furnace. But here goes! This is no time for a.n.a.lyzing the character of young Doctor Stephen White,--this is a play of action."
"But, Mary, ought you try to climb down in your nighty? It might get tangled around your feet."
"Oh, but the movie ladies always have to get out of windows in their nighties. I must practice in costume to get used to it."
"Barefooted, too?"
"Of course! I need all these toes to hang on by. Next time I am going to have my ch-e-i-ild, but this first time perhaps I had better not try to carry anything."
"I should think not,--but, Mary, do be careful."
I was looking down the perpendicular wall and it began to seem to me to be a crazy undertaking. The vines were very thick and would no doubt offer a foot-rest to the daring girl, but suppose she lost her head or the vine pulled loose from the wall!
It is a much easier matter to climb up and get in a window than it is to get out of one and climb down. There is something very scary about projecting one"s bare foot into the unknown. Mary, however, was too serious in her desire to perfect herself for her chosen profession to stop and wiggle her toes with indecision. She was out of the window in a moment. I held my breath.
"Oh, G.o.d save her! Oh, G.o.d save her!" I whispered.
"Fireman, save my ch-e-i-ild!" came back in sibilant tones from Mary.
I couldn"t help laughing although I was trembling with fright. I almost beat Mary to the ground I leaned so far out of the window. Sometimes the thick ivy hid her from my sight and again she would loom out very white in the moonlight.
Down at last! I felt like shouting for joy. Now began the ascent which was a small matter compared to the descent.
When the climber was about half-way up, I suddenly became aware of figures on the edge of the lawn. "The servants returning from church," I thought. Harvie had told me that "big meetin"" was going on and his aunt was quite concerned about her servants, as they had a way of taking French leave at "big meetin"" time. With the house-party in session, a paucity of servants would be quite serious. Extra inducements had been offered and the whole corps had promised to remain, taking turn about in getting off early for night church.
[Ill.u.s.tration: I ALMOST BEAT MARY TO THE GROUND I LEANED SO FAR OUT OF THE WINDOW.
Page 74.]
Anyone who has lived in the country, where colored servants are the only ones, knows what a serious time "big meetin"" can be. The whole negro population seems to go mad in a frenzy of religious fervor. Crops that are inconsiderate enough to ripen at that period remain ungathered; the washwoman lets soiled clothes pile up indefinitely; cooks refuse to cook; housemaids have a soul above sweeping; cows go dry for lack of milking; horses go uncurried and vehicles unwashed and ungreased.
I smiled when I saw that straggling group returning from church, knowing they would not be fit for any very arduous tasks the next day. I remembered how Mammy Susan used to berate our darkies for their delinquencies on days following meetings. As the churchgoers approached the house, which they had to pa.s.s to reach the quarters on the other side of the great house, they suddenly became aware of Mary"s white figure hanging midway between heaven and earth.
Shouts and groans arose! One woman fell to the ground and, regardless of her finery, rolled on the gra.s.s imploring her Maker to save her. I trembled for fear Mary would fall, but she clung to the vine and scrambled up and in the window. The darkies ran like frightened rabbits.
"They thought you were a ghost, I believe."
"Well, I came mighty near giving up the ghost. When I heard those groans I thought something had me sure," panted the great actress, looking ruefully at a long rent in her very best nighty. "I did it all right, but being a great movie actress who is to play opposite Douglas Fairbanks is certainly hard on one"s rags. Look, here"s another tear!
Another and another! I did that when the first darky squealed."
Of course we went to bed giggling.
"I wish Tweedles had seen you, but they would not have been willing to be mere audience. As for me,--I have no desire to be cla.s.sified as a human fly. I wonder if we will hear some wild tale from those silly darkies."
But Mary was fast asleep before she could express her opinion. I could not sleep until I got the following limerick out of my system:
THE HUMAN FLY
Our Mary, an actress so flighty, Scaled a wall in her very best nighty.
A nail proved a snag And tore her fine rag, She came back a la Aphrodite.
CHAPTER VI
"BIG MEETIN""
I AWAKENED early the next morning in spite of having been manager of a movie studio at all hours of the night. Mary was sleeping heavily. After all, I fancy climbing up and down a brick wall is harder than merely watching someone else do it. She had a big scratch across her cheek and her thumb had bled on the pillow. She must have snagged it on the same nail she had her best nighty. I peeped out of my eastern window and found Dum Tucker was doing the same thing from hers.
"h.e.l.lo, honey! I"m so glad you"re awake," she whispered. "Let"s dress and go out."
"Is Dee asleep?"
"Sound! And the Lady Jessie is likewise snoozing, not looking nearly so pretty with her hair up in curl papers and her face greased with cold cream. I bet I can beat you dressing!"
We sprang from our doors into the hall at the same time and feeling sure we were the only ones awake in all the great mansion, we had the never-to-be-scorned joy of sliding down the bannisters. I"d hate to think I could ever get so old I wouldn"t like to slide down bannisters.
Of course I know I shall some day get too old to do it, but not too old to want to.