"So she is a pupil of yours?" asked Mrs. Sherrar, as much enchanted with the musician as were her young people.
"Not exactly. I helped her what I could, but I think most of the credit belongs to Mike O"Hara and the birds in the woods. He set her to imitating them; and she is an apt mimic, you will find. Clap with all your might."
The very rafters rang with the applause of the enthusiastic audience, as the small whistler took her seat among her mates on the platform, and she was forced to give another selection, and a third. Allee came to her aid in the fourth, and sang to a whistled accompaniment, but the applause was more tremendous and insistent than before; and poor, weary Peace rose to her feet for the fifth time, but instead of pouring forth the torrent of melody they expected, she faced the audience belligerently, and cried in exasperation, "My pucker is tired out and my throat aches. Do you "xpect me to stand here all night? Victor Sherrar will play on his cornet now and then you can go home."
"Mamma," whispered Frances, while her brother was rendering the closing number of the program, "I simply must have those two tots at my party next week. They will be a novelty and everyone is sure to like them.
Cecile thinks I can borrow them all right, seeing that it is to be Sat.u.r.day night."
"Well, we"ll see," smiled the mother indulgently, as the crowd broke up and departed, while Peace and Hector divided the spoils in the corner.
"She surely is an interesting specimen, and it was worth ten times the money just to hear her squelch her audience. Where is Brother Strong?"
He was interviewing the brown-eyed girl, who, with her money in hand, was about ready to follow her companions for home; and they cl.u.s.tered around the little group by Hector"s table just in time to hear Peace"s dismayed voice cry, "You"re fooling! I didn"t believe that of _you_.
Why, Mr. Strong, I read it myself on the poster!"
"Where? What poster?"
"That big one up on the corner back of this house. Allee and me were picking gentians when we saw it. Didn"t we, Allee?"
"But, Peace, that was last year"s sign. There hasn"t been a circus in town this summer, and there isn"t going to be. It is past circus time."
"Are you sure?" she faltered, opening her fist and looking tragically at the pile of nickels and dimes she held.
"Perfectly sure! They were to have been here last year just about this time, but it rained pitchforks, as you children say, and they didn"t stop. That poster is ragged and faded with time. If you don"t believe me, just come up to the corner and I"ll show you the date."
"Oh, I b"lieve you! Ministers don"t often tell lies; but I was just thinking of this heap of money I"ve earned all for nothing. Eighty cents was my share, and I thought that would take most of our family--s"posing Gail would let us go."
The amused grown-ups smiled behind her back, but the preacher understood how disappointed she was, and taking her hand sympathetically in his, he drew her aside and whispered a few words in her ear which brought back the sparkle to her eyes and the happy glow to her face, as she exclaimed enthusiastically, "I"ll do it! Sure! No, I won"t tell a soul. Course Gail will let me. All right! Good-bye!"
She was off like a shot down the road, and the pastor joined his hostess on the way to the house, with the irrelevant remark, "Dr. David Peak, a missionary to Africa, is to speak at our Sunday morning service. I hope we have a large attendance, as this will be a rare treat. It isn"t often a little country church can secure so notable a speaker. Spread the good news all you can."
Something in his voice made the Judge"s wife say suggestively, "He is not to be the only unusual attraction, is he?"
"The only one to be advertised," smiled the parson, and she understood.
The following Sabbath day was glorious, bright, warm, and with the smell of fall in the air. The church was packed; pastor and people were at their best; and an expectant hush fell over the little audience when Mr.
Strong took his seat after reading the weekly announcements. The organ began to play softly, necks were craned to catch a glimpse of the singer, and then a buzz of surprise filled the room. Peace, dressed all in white, and looking like a rosy cherub, had mounted to the organ loft where Faith was playing, and at the proper moment, she began to whistle a beautiful bird melody which surprised even those who had heard her the previous Wednesday. The whole audience sat spellbound. It seemed incredible that Peace,--little, blundering Peace, riotous, rebellious, happy-go-lucky Peace--had such a soul of melody bottled up within her.
It was as if the songsters from the forest were suddenly let loose, and even her own sisters were amazed at her song.
Mr. Strong had been wise when he chose that moment for Peace"s music, for the whole congregation was in tune for the grand missionary plea which followed, when Dr. Peak rose to address them; and so inspired, and uplifted was the speaker himself that he preached as he never had done before, bringing his cause so close to the people that they were thrilled and fired with his enthusiasm.
Parker was a well-to-do little village, built originally for the express purpose of permitting wealthy business men of the city to find peaceful retreat from the noisy metropolis, where, week in and week out, they spent the long days of labor. It had now somewhat outgrown this reputation, but still numbered many rich men among its inhabitants, and boasted of an unusually fine church for such a small place, although it was not noted for its spiritual zeal, and particularly was it lacking in its missionary spirit. These were difficulties which the ardent young preacher, Mr. Strong, had sought for many long months to overcome, and while the earnest missionary from Africa was pleading the cause of the heathen, the pastor praying with all his might for his own congregation.
When the wonderful sermon was finished, and Mr. Strong saw the unusual interest in the faces before him, he determined to strike while the iron was hot, and though that Sunday was not scheduled for a missionary collection, he sprang to his feet and made an urgent plea for more funds for the grand and glorious cause.
"Give from the depths of your heart," he urged. "Think of these millions of people needing the Gospel. Brother Peak has come direct from the field, he knows conditions better than anyone else can know them. He tells us they need more missionaries. How are they to get them? Through us in our civilized countries. We can"t all go in person, but I don"t think there is a soul here this morning but can give something to help a little. The ushers will now wait upon you. Who will be the first to give, and what shall it be,--yourself, time, m--"
"My cirkis money!" cried a shrill voice from the organ loft, and there stood Peace, fishing coin after coin from the depths of her pocket and dropping them over the pulpit into the missionary"s outstretched hand.
"I earned it so"s me and Allee and Cherry could go to the cirkis--that is, if Gail would let us--and then, come to find out, it was last summer, and on "count of the rain it never stopped at all. Next best to seeing the cirkis is hearing what that man said about the little black babies in Africa,--that"s where the cirkis animals come from, too,--and I couldn"t help wondering how I"d feel s"posing I had to live there and be black and eat such horrible things and be boiled in a kettle to take the dirt off, and buy my wife for a junk of cloth and wear strings of beads for clo"es. Here"s my eighty cents, Dr. Missionary, to buy them a little more Gospel, and when I"m grown up if there are still heathen living in that country, I b"lieve I"ll come down and help."
Whether it was the missionary"s sermon, Mr. Strong"s plea, or Peace"s postscript that did the work, perhaps no one will ever know, but when the ushers brought their loaded baskets to the pulpit and the extraordinary collection was counted, it was found that over one hundred dollars had been raised for the missionary cause that morning in the Parker Church.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE HAND-ORGAN MAN
Hardly had the four younger girls disappeared across the fields on the way to school the next morning, when the Abbott carriage drew up in front of the little brown house, and Cecile and Frances hurried up the path to the door. Gail answered the imperative knock, and looked so surprised and pleased at the unexpected call that the Judge"s daughter"s face crimsoned with contrition and shame to think she had neglected this old-time friend so long.
"Why, Cecile!" stammered Gail, glancing involuntarily from the girls"
fresh, white suits to her own shabby print frock and rolled-up sleeves.
"This is a great treat. Come right in! We are so glad to have you call.
Don"t apologize; you are more than welcome. But please excuse my appearance. It is Monday morning and Faith and I are washing."
"Then don"t you apologize, either," said Cecile, trying to laugh easily and failing utterly. "We should not have called at this outrageous hour, but Frances is to return to the city this afternoon, and she insisted upon coming to see about the children before she left."
"Oh!" The bright light died from Gail"s eyes, and the girls looked uncomfortable. So it was an errand after all and not a friendly call which brought them. "What is the matter with the children? Has Peace--"
"No, oh, no, nothing has happened," Cecile began hastily, when Frances interrupted, "It was on my account. Your little whistler has captivated me completely--and mamma, too. We wanted to know if we might borrow them next Sat.u.r.day, Peace and Allee, to help out in the program at a party I am giving that night. Oh, don"t say no! I have set my heart on it. We will take the best care of them and bring them home early Sunday morning. We are coming out here for dinner at Mr. Strong"s house that day, and of course must arrive in time for church service. Please say we can borrow them. I do want them _so_ much!"
"Dear me," exclaimed Cecile in mortification. "I haven"t even introduced you two girls. No wonder you think I am crazy, Gail. This is my chum from Martindale, Miss Sherrar, Miss Greenfield--"
"I"m Frances," again the radiant-faced stranger interrupted.
"And I am Gail," smiled the other. "I have heard the Strongs speak of you often."
"No oftener than we have heard them speak about you," Frances a.s.sured her. "We have known both of them for years, and ever since they took charge here in Parker we have heard lots about you."
"No doubt. Mr. Strong is quite a champion of Peace"s, and she certainly needs one. I am afraid I don"t make much of a success in bringing up the little ones."
"I think Peace is a perfect cherub--in looks."
The trio laughed merrily, and Cecile added, "She means to be in actions, but nothing she ever does comes out the way she intended it to, and she keeps everyone guessing as to what she will do next. You ought to hear Daddy rave about her. He thinks she is the smartest child he ever saw."
"I think she is the sweetest," said Frances, "she and Allee. They are both too cunning for anything. I simply must have them at my party.
Won"t you say they can come?"
"They have nothing to wear for such a grand occasion," Gail hesitated, anxious to please, and yet not quite willing to trust two of the precious sisters with strangers for even a twenty-four hours.
"That is easily remedied. I have some little cousins who are sure to have dresses that will fit. It is to be rather a dress-parade, I must admit, but you needn"t worry on that account. Mamma knows how to fix them up in Sara"s and Marion"s clothes. We must have them. Mr. Strong will give us a good recommend, I know."
Gail laughed. "There is no need of that at all. I am willing that they should go, only you can hardly blame me for hesitating a little, as this will be the first time either one has been away from home over night; and besides, Peace is such a blunderbus, I rather dread to let her go anywhere for fear she will get into trouble."
"Now you oughtn"t to feel that way at all," cried Frances gaily. "_I_ was just such a child as she is, and see what a well-behaved young lady _I_ have grown to be! But really, she has such a sweet disposition and great, tender heart, she will come out all right, I know. Mr. Strong says so, and he is a splendid character reader. Oh, of course, I suppose she has her bad days. We all do, but she is too much of a darling to stay bad long. You should hear your preacher sermonize about her. He says just as sure as she gets into mischief of any kind she comes to him and tells him all about it, cries over it, and goes away promising to be a better girl. Oh, I have lost my heart to her completely! We won"t let her get into mischief of any kind, I promise. And I know she will enjoy herself."
"Well," answered Gail, slowly, "they may go, if you wish them so badly.