With this uncharitable sentiment, the little hostess proceeded to clear away; and did this with so much vim that she dropped a tumbler and broke it. This was sufficient to calm her anger and turn what was left of it against her own carelessness, antic.i.p.ating her mother"s reproof. She finished her task very quietly, now, and then repaired to the parlor, where she found Mabel had fallen asleep in the rocker.
Also, at that moment, there sauntered past the windows a man who peered through them with considerable curiosity: and who at sight of Dorothy C.
stopped sauntering, lifted his eyebrows questioningly, and, turning around, walked back to the steps.
Dorothy"s heart almost choked her, it so suddenly began to beat violently, while a chill ran through her whole body, and made her recall a saying of old Aunt Chloe that "when a body turns all goose-flesh it"s a sign somebody is walking over her, or his, grave." Father John laughed at this superst.i.tion as he did at many another of the dear old aunt who had "raised" him, an orphan; and had he been present Dorothy would have laughed with him. But she didn"t laugh now; though she was presently calm enough to review the situation and to decide that none could be better. Also, that she must, at once, get rid of Mabel Bruce. For this was the same man who had appeared before her, on the previous morning, and had, at first startled, then profoundly interested her. He had imposed secrecy upon her; at least secrecy as far as her parents were concerned, though she had meant to tell Mabel all that he had told her.
She didn"t like secrets. She hated them! Yet if they were to benefit those whom she loved better than herself she was willing to keep them--for a time.
In another moment she had roused her visitor by a strong shake of the pretty, plump shoulder under the lace-trimmed frock, and had said, rather loudly:
"Mabel, if you"re going home to dinner, you"d better go now.
Because--because I have some business to attend to, and I shall have to see the gentleman alone."
She felt that though her words might be rude--she wouldn"t like to be sent home, herself, from a visit--yet her manner was beautifully grown-up and dignified; and, as Mabel obediently vanished, "Miss Chester" bade the gentleman waiting outside to enter.
CHAPTER VI
DOROTHY GOES UPON AN ERRAND
When Mrs. Chester returned she was tired and found Dorothy so. The girl took her mother"s hat and put it away in its box, brought her a fan, and asked if she should get her something to eat.
"No, dear, thank you. I had dinner, all I wanted, with Aunt Chloe Chester. She takes this trouble of ours very hard, and declares that she will not live to see "her boy" come back to Baltimore. She wishes she could die first, right away, so "that he could go to my funeral while he"s handy to it.""
"Horrors! I--I suppose I love Aunt Chloe, because she was so good to father John, but I hope I"ll never grow into such a terrible old woman.
Seems if she had always to be dragged up out of the gloom into the sunshine. It"s always the worst things are going to happen--with her. I don"t see how father ever grew up to be such a sunshiny man, always under her hand, so. You must have had a dreary visit."
"It wasn"t a restful one; but the reason for John"s always looking on the bright side may be just that she always did the opposite. But you look sober, too, dearie. Wasn"t Mabel"s visit a pleasant one? How long has she been gone?"
"Oh! a good while. She went home to dinner. I--she ate "most all the ham. All the best big slices anyway, and full half the pie. Then she wanted mustard, so she could eat more. She said that sometimes when she couldn"t eat a big lot and they had extra good things, she"d get up and walk around the table, so she could. She didn"t say that, to-day, though, but did once at a school picnic. And I--I broke a tumbler. One of the best."
"Why, Dorothy C.! How could you?" returned Mrs. Chester, but not at all as if she really heard or were in the least vexed. Then, as if forcing herself to an interest in small, home matters, she asked: "Were you very lonely after she went?"
"No, indeed. I wasn"t alone--I mean, I wasn"t lonely. Did father like his roses?"
"Yes, darling, and he fully appreciated your cutting them. He said he knew how you disliked it, for you"d never got over your baby notion that it hurt the plants, just as a cut finger hurt you. He said, too, that I was to tell you he"d found all the kisses, every one, but if you wanted any paid back you"d have to come to Johns Hopkins after them. It was a comfort to find him so happy and sure of getting well. I wish I were half as sure!"
Dorothy opened her lips to say something which it seemed impossible to keep from this beloved little mother opposite, who already seemed so changed and worn; who had lost every bit of that gayety which had been so astonishing, yesterday. But not yet--not yet. Besides, she was fully as truthful as Mabel Bruce and had given her pledge to silence. Then she remembered that she did not know to what part of the "country" they were destined, and asked:
"Mother Martha, can"t you tell me something of your plans? Where we are going and when? And what is to become of this dear home?"
There was so much earnestness and sympathy in the girl"s tones that Mrs.
Chester forgot how young she was, and now talked with her as she might have done with a much older person; almost, indeed, as she would have done with the postman himself.
"We are going to a far-away state; to a place I haven"t seen since I was a child, myself--the Hudson River highlands."
"Why--the Hudson River is in New York and we"re in Maryland!" cried Dorothy. "Why go so far, away from everybody we know and care for?
Wouldn"t it do just to go to some little spot right near Baltimore, where we could come into the city on the cars, at any time? Isn"t that what the Johns Hopkins doctors call the "country"?"
"Oh! if we only might! But, my dear, there"s an old saying about "beggars" being "choosers." We aren"t beggars, of course, but we are too poor to be "choosers." Fortunately, or unfortunately, as time will prove, I have a little place in the country where I told you. It belonged to an old bachelor uncle who died long ago. It has stood empty for many years and may be badly out of order. He willed it to me, as my portion of his estate: and though some of his other heirs have once or twice offered to buy it from me, the price they offered was so small that John had me refuse it. He"s said in jest: "No telling how glad we may some time be of that rocky hill-farm, Martha. Better hold on to it, as long as we can pay the taxes and keep it." The taxes were not heavy, and we"ve paid them. Now, it is the only place out of the city where we have a right to go; and in one sense there couldn"t be a better. It"s one of the healthiest spots on earth, I suppose: and there"ll be plenty of room for John to live in "the open," as he"s advised. So we must go;"
and with a heavy sigh mother Martha ceased speaking and leaned her head back, closing her eyes as if she were about to sleep.
But underneath all her calmness of tone had lain a profound sadness, and none but the absent John could have told how bitter to her was the coming severance from all she had ever held dear. Though born in New York State, she had come south with her parents when she was too small to remember any other home than their humble one in this same city. Here she had met and married John. Here they had together earned their cozy home. Here were all her church a.s.sociations, and here the few whom she called friends.
She had always leaned upon her husband"s greater wisdom and strength in all the affairs of their quiet lives, and now that she needed them most she was deprived of them. Alone, she must pack up, or sell, their household goods, and not an article of them but was dear because of some sacrifice involved in its purchase. Alone, she must attend to the sale or rental of their house, for the doctors had told her that very morning that her patient must not be disturbed "for any cause whatever. There was a chance, one in a thousand, that he might get well. If this chance were to be his it depended upon his absolute freedom from care and responsibility."
She had a.s.sured them that this should be so, and it had seemed easy to promise, in the face of the greater sorrow if he must remain an invalid or, possibly, die. But now, back in the security of her beloved home, her courage waned; and Dorothy, watching, saw tears steal from under the closed eyelids and chase one another down the pale cheek, which only yesterday, it seemed, had been so round and rosy.
To a loving child there is no more piteous sight than a mother weeping.
It was more than Dorothy could bear, and, with a little cry of distress, she threw herself at Mrs. Chester"s knees and hid her own wet eyes upon them. Then she lifted her head and begged:
"Don"t cry, mother! Dearest mother Martha, please, please, don"t cry!
You"ve never done it, never; in all my life I haven"t seen you, no matter what happened. If you cry we can"t do anything, and I"m going to help you. Maybe we won"t have to go away. Maybe something perfectly splendid will happen to prevent. Maybe darling father will get well, just resting from his mail route. Surely, n.o.body could fix him nicer nourishments than you can, if we can afford it. Maybe we shall be able to afford--Oh! if only I could tell you something! Something that would make you happy again!"
Mother Martha ceased weeping and smiled into the tender eyes of the devoted child who had so well repaid her own generosity. Then she wiped both their faces and in quite a matter-of-fact way bade Dorothy sit down, quietly, while she told her some necessary things. One: that in the morning she should be sent to the post-office, to receive the envelope containing the ten dollars due for her own board. Mrs. Chester had arranged with the new postman about it and there would be no difficulty. There was never a word written with these payments. The postman"s address was on the outside the envelope, which was never registered, had never gone astray, and had never held more than the solitary crisp ten-dollar bill expected.
"We shall need all the money we can get in hand, for the expenses of our moving will be heavy--for us. I"m going to see some real-estate men and decide whether it is best to sell, or rent, this house. I shall be very busy. John isn"t to stay at the hospital but a week, and so by the end of this coming one I want to be in our new home. I rather dread the journey, though we can easily make it in a day--or less. But your father thinks he can get along real well on crutches, that we"ll have to buy, of course; and I"ve noticed that people on the street cars, even, are always kind and helpful to invalids. John believes that it"s a good, jolly old world, and you and I must try to believe the same. He says there"s lots of truth in the saying: "He that would have friends must show himself friendly." I reckon n.o.body ever turned a friendlier face toward others than John has, and that"s why everybody loves him so.
"Now, dearie, fetch me my Bible and I"ll read awhile. I don"t feel as if I"d had any real Sunday, yet. Then, by and by, you may make me a cup of tea and we"ll get to bed early. Of course, there"ll be no more school for you here, though I shall want you to step in and bid Miss Georgia good-bye. That"s no more than polite, even if you don"t love her as you should."
Dorothy made a little mouth, which for once her mother did not reprove: and presently they both were reading. At least, Mrs. Chester really was, while the peace of the volume she studied stole into her troubled heart and shed its light upon her face. Dorothy, also, held her book in her hand and kept her eyes fixed on the printed pages; but, had her mother chanced to look up and observe, she would have seen no leaves turned; though gradually an expression of almost wild delight grew upon the mobile features till the girl looked as if she were just ready to sing.
However, she said nothing of her happy thoughts and watched her mother fall asleep in the drowsy heat of the late afternoon, and from the fatigue of a sleepless night and a busy day. Then she crept on tiptoe out of the room, noiselessly removing her slitted shoes before she rose from her chair, and presently had gained the kitchen at the rear. Here she lighted a little gas stove and put on the kettle to boil. Then she did what seemed a strange thing for a girl as strictly reared as she, on a Sunday evening. She caught up her short skirts and, after the manner of pictured dancers upon wall-posters, began to whirl and pirouette around the little s.p.a.ce, as if by such movements, only, could she express the rapture that thrilled her.
"There, I reckon I"ve worked myself down to quiet!" she exclaimed, at length, to the cat which entered, stretching its legs in a sleepy fashion and ready for its supper. "Now, I"ll feed you, Ma"am Puss, though you ought to feed yourself on the rats that bother our garden.
Queer, isn"t it? How everything "feeds" on something else. I hate rats, and I hate to have them killed. Killing is horrible: and, I"m afraid that to have my roses killed by the creatures is worst of all."
Ma"am Puss did not reply, except by rubbing herself against her mistress"s legs, and, having filled a saucer with milk, Dorothy went out into the garden and stayed there a long time. There many thoughts came to her, and many, many regrets. Regrets for past negligencies, that had caused the drooping--therefore suffering--of some tender plant; for the knowledge of her coming separation from these treasures which both she and father John had loved almost as if they were human creatures; but keenest of all, regrets for the lost activity of the once so active postman. Mother Martha"s griefs and her own might be hard to bear, but his was far, far worse. Nothing, not even the delightful surprises she felt she had in store for him, could give him back his lost health.
She had no propensity to dance when she went indoors again. It was a very sober, thoughtful Dorothy C. who presently carried a little tray into the parlor and insisted upon the tired housemistress enjoying her supper there, where she could look out upon the cheerful street with its Sunday promenaders, "and just be waited on, nice and cozy."
Both inmates of the little home slept soundly that night. Sleep is a close friend to the toilers of the world, though the idle rich seek it in vain: and the morning found them refreshed and courageous for the duties awaiting. There would be few tears and no repining on the part of either because of a home-breaking. Bitterer trials might come, but the depth of this one they had fathomed and put behind them.
Moreover, it fell in with Dorothy"s own desires that she was to make the post-office trip: and she started upon it with so much confidence that her mother was surprised and remarked:
"Well, small daughter, for a child who knows so little of business and has never been further down town than the market, alone, you are behaving beautifully. I"m proud of you. So will your father be. Maybe, if any of the agents I"m going to telephone come here to-day and keep me, I"ll let you go to pay the daily visit to John and tell him all the news. Take care of the street crossings. It"s so crowded on the business streets and I should be forlorn, indeed, if harm befell my Dorothy C."
Even when the child turned, half-way down the block, to toss a kiss backward to her mother in the doorway, that anxious woman felt a strange fear for her darling and recalled her for a final caution:
"Be sure to take care of your car-fare, Dorothy; and be more than sure you don"t lose the money-letter. When you board a car look to see another isn"t coming on the other track, to knock you down."
The little girl came back and clung to Mrs. Chester for a moment, laughing, yet feeling her own courage a trifle dashed by these suggestions of peril. But she slipped away again, determining to do her errands promptly, while, with a curious foreboding in her mind, the housemistress re-entered her deserted home, reflecting:
"John always laughs at my "presentiments," yet I never had one as strong as this upon me now that I did not wish, afterward, I had yielded to it.
I"ve half a mind to follow the child and overtake her before she gets into a car. I could s.n.a.t.c.h a little while to do those downtown errands and she"d be perfectly safe here. Pshaw! How silly I am! Dorothy is old enough to be trusted and can be. I"ll put her out of mind till I hear her gay little call at the door, when she rings its bell: "It"s I, mother Martha! Please let me in!""