"But, father--"
"I will listen to no excuse, Beatrice," interrupted Doctor Raymond decidedly. "There can be none, and it is useless to try to shield yourself behind your cousin. Whatever excuse Adele may have for her neglect you have none. That old woman was your mother"s faithful servant for many years. It was your duty, and should have been your pleasure, to have seen that she was taken care of. I thought," he continued with some emotion, "that every girl welcomed an opportunity to minister to those in need. I thought that every maiden gently reared was actuated by motives of honor and truth, and would sacredly discharge a duty intrusted to her. It seems that I was mistaken. I fear that I do not understand girls of the present age. If it were possible I would gladly take this matter into my own hands, but I cannot spare the time."
"Uncle, please, please try me again," pleaded Adele eagerly. "I really will be faithful this time. Bee and I both will be. Won"t we, Bee?"
Bee was dumb. She was overwhelmed by her father"s words, and her conscience reproached her. There had been several occasions when she suspected that Adele was not performing the duty. In view of the fact that she had failed before, she knew that she herself ought to have looked after the matter more carefully.
"I do not quite trust either of you," spoke Doctor Raymond thoughtfully, "but because I believe that it will be of benefit to your characters to insist upon this act of charity I shall try again. If it is a tax upon you, let one go one day, and the other the next. Rest a.s.sured, however, that I shall watch the matter closely to see that it is attended to. If there is any shirking I shall know it. Now take that basket and go! Do not let me see you again until you can inform me truthfully that Rachel has received it. Beatrice, I charge you particularly with the duty."
He turned from them so decidedly that they had no alternative but to leave the room, taking the basket with them.
"You needn"t say a word, Bee," cried Adele avoiding her cousin"s glance.
"I"m not going to take another scolding."
"I"m not going to scold, Adele, but why did you not tell me that you did not want to go?"
"Oh, it"s all my fault of course. Here! give me that basket. You needn"t go!"
"But I will," said Beatrice with decision. "I am not going to give father a chance to say that I am to blame again. I am going to see that the thing is done. The basket will have to be fixed over anyway."
"We"ll both go," said Adele. "If you won"t scold, I"ll carry it. I suppose that I ought to do something for getting us into the sc.r.a.pe. I didn"t know that Uncle William would care so much. Oh, my! wasn"t he mad?"
Bee made no reply. She rearranged the contents of the basket, added some fresh eggs and other things, and together they started for Rachel"s cabin. It was very warm, but they toiled along the dusty road with the conviction that whatever of discomfort they experienced they merited it.
They were grateful when they could leave the road and enter the shaded wood path that led to the cabin. Soon they could discern the chimney of the dwelling through the trees; then a turn in the path brought them into the cleared s.p.a.ce where the hut stood. They were proceeding toward it when all at once Bee stood stock still.
"Look!" she cried.
Adele"s glance followed her pointing finger, and every drop of blood left her face. There upon the closed door of the cabin was a big yellow sign "SMALL POX." For one long moment the two stood looking at the card; then Adele clutched her cousin"s arm.
"Come," she whispered fearfully. "We must get away. We can"t go there now."
"We"ve got to," answered Bee grimly, but her face grew white as she said it. "We"ve got to, Adele. If she"s been sick long she wouldn"t have anything to eat. Father would never get over it. Besides he told us he didn"t want to see us again unless she got the basket."
"Oh, Bee! I can"t! I can"t go! Suppose I should get the small pox."
The tears streamed from Adele"s eyes. Bee turned and looked at the girl earnestly. Her eyes shone through her tears like violets wet with dew.
Her complexion had never seemed so fair, so flawless as now. How lovely she was! Looking at her Bee felt all the bitterness of her feeling toward her melt from her heart.
"No;" she said, leaning forward suddenly to kiss her. "You must not go, Adele. I shouldn"t want you to be anything but pretty, but I haven"t any beauty to lose. Father charged me particularly with the duty, so I"ll do it, Adele. You can go back and tell him truly that she has the basket."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU ANYTHING BUT PRETTY."]
"But what will you do after you give it to her?" cried Adele. "You musn"t come back to the house, Bee. You might bring the small pox to me."
"And to father," spoke Bee perplexed. Then she brightened. "Adele, do you know the old fishermen"s hut near the river?"
"Yes."
"Go home; get a pillow and some covers; then fix up something for me to eat as we did for Rachel. When I get through here I"ll go there to stay.
If I have the small pox neither you nor father can take it then."
"But, but," protested Adele.
"Do just as I tell you, Adele. That"s the only way to manage it. Hurry up, so you will be away from the hut before I come. Will you be quick?"
"Yes;" promised Adele.
"Good-bye!" Bee kissed her again. "If, if I should take the small pox you"ll be good to father, Adele?"
"Yes, yes," sobbed Adele.
"Good-bye," said Bee again, and turning went quickly toward the cabin.
Adele watched her as if fascinated; and then, as Bee opened the door and went in, she turned and ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.
Chapter XXIII
"The Greatest of These Is Charity"
""Tis a little thing To give a cup of water; yet its draught Of cool refreshment, drained by fevered lips, May give a shock of pleasure to the frame More exquisite than when nectarean juice Renews the life of joy that in happiest hours abound."
--_Thomas Noon._
When Bee left Adele and went into the cabin of old Rachel she seemed calm and collected. In reality she was very much frightened. Fearful of what she might see involuntarily she closed her eyes as she shut the door behind her, and stood so for a few moments. Presently overcoming her dread she opened them and glanced around.
The room was in semi-darkness, its one window being closed tightly. The atmosphere was hot and stifling, and permeated by a peculiar sickening odor. With an exclamation she threw wide the door to admit the air and sunshine. On the bed in one corner of the room lay the form of a woman, and it took all the courage she possessed for the girl to go to her. It was old Rachel, but her features were so swollen and disfigured by the disease as to be almost unrecognizable. She seemed in a sort of stupor for she lay nearly motionless.
A shudder of loathing shook Bee from head to foot, and she was seized by a strong desire to run away. Obeying the impulse she reached the door, but her flight was arrested by a moan from the negress, and an almost incoherent muttering of, "Water! Water!"
"She is thirsty," whispered Bee, pausing on the threshold. "I wonder where Tillie is!"
For, strange to say, there was no one in the cabin but old Rachel.
"I must get the water myself," said Bee aloud. "It"s a shame to leave that poor old woman alone!"
She ran to the well and drew a bucketful of clear cold water, which she carried to the cabin. Filling a cup she approached the bed upon which Rachel lay. Then she stopped.
"I can"t do it," she cried. "I can"t touch her."
Again the moan came from the poor parched lips: "Water! Water!"
"I must," decided the girl suppressing the repugnance that swept over her. "What if I were old and sick? I should want to be taken care of. I may look just as bad if I have the small pox. And she cared for my mother."
Resolutely she slipped her arm under Rachel"s neck, thus lifting her head, and held the water to her lips. As she did so all her fear and loathing left her, and in their place came an infinite pity and tenderness. The sick woman turned from the cup at first, but after a little had pa.s.sed her lips, she quaffed the rest eagerly and sank back on her pillow with a sigh of content.