"I"ve been thinking, Master. There"s the big open wagon, used for hauling stuff. It has a lot of seats belonging though only one is often used. So Ephy told me once. We could have the seats put in and the rest of us ride in that."
"Good enough. The rest of us are wholly willing to be "hauled" to please our southern hostess. The rest of us are--let"s see."
"You, Mr. Seth; Littlejohn and Danny; Mike and Frazer; Luna and me.
Coming home, if we wish, some of us could change places. Well, Mabel?
What is it? Don"t you like the arrangement?"
"Ye-es, I suppose so. Only--you"ve put four girls in our carriage and four boys in your own. That isn"t dividing even; and if it"s such an awful long way hadn"t we--shouldn"t--shan"t we be terrible late to dinner?"
Poor Mabel! Nature would out. That mountain air was famous for sharpening every newcomer"s appet.i.te and it had made hers perfectly ravenous. It seemed to her that she had never tasted such delicious food as Aunt Malinda prepared and that she should never be able to get enough. A shout of laughter greeted her question but did not dismay her, for the matter was too serious; and she was greatly relieved when the Master returned, kindly and with entire gravity:
"Little Mabel is right. We shall all be glad of a "snack" when service is over and before we start back. Dolly, please see that a basket of sandwiches is put up and carried along. Also a basket of grapes. Some of us are fond of grapes!" he finished, significantly, and that was the only reference made to the episode of the night before.
But there was one more objector and that outspoken Alfy, who begged of Dorothy, in a sibilant whisper:
"Do you mean it? Are you really goin" to take that loony Luna to meeting?"
"I certainly am. She is not to be hidden, nor deprived of any pleasure my other guests enjoy. Besides, somebody who knows her may see and claim her. Poor thing! It"s terrible that she can"t tell us who she is nor where she belongs!"
"Hmm. I"m glad she ain"t goin" to ride alongside of me, then. Folks will stare so, on the road, at that old woman rigged out like a girl."
"Never mind, Alfy dear. Let them stare. She"s delighted with the red frock and hat, and it"s something to have made her happy even that much. Remember how she clung to those bits of gay rags Dinah found on her? She certainly knows enough to love color, and I shall keep her close to me. I"d be afraid if I didn"t her feelings might be hurt by--by somebody"s thoughtlessness."
"Mine, I s"pose you mean, Dorothy C. But--my stars and garters! Look a-there! Look round, I tell you, quick!"
Dolly looked and her own eyes opened in amazement. Framed in the long window that reached to the piazza floor stood a curiously garbed old man holding firmly before him two tiny children. He wore an old black skull cap and a ragged ca.s.sock, and he announced in a croaking voice:
"I pa.s.s these children on to you. I go to deliver the message upon which I am sent;" and having said this, before anyone could protest or interfere, he was disappearing down the driveway at an astonishing pace, as if his "message" abided not the slightest delay.
CHAPTER VII
A MEMORABLE CHURCH GOING
"Of all things! If that don"t beat the Dutch!" cried Alfaretta, and at sound of her voice the others rallied from their amazement, while Mr.
Winters begged:
"Run, lads, some of you and stop that man. Owen Bryan spoke of a half-crazy fanatic, a self-ordained exhorter, who had lately come to the mountain and lived somewhere about, in hiding as it were. An escaped convict, he"d heard. Run. He mustn"t leave those children here."
Jim and Frazer were already on the way, obedient to the Master"s first words, without tarrying to hear the conclusion of his speech. But they were not quick enough. They caught one glimpse of a ragged, flying ca.s.sock and no more. The man had vanished from sight, and though they lingered to search the low-growing evergreens, and every hidden nook bordering the drive, they could not find him. So they returned to report and were just in time to hear Dorothy and Molly questioning the babies, for they were little more than that.
They were clad exactly alike, in little denim overalls, faded by many washings and stiff with starch. Their feet were bare as were their heads, and clinging to one another they stared with round-eyed curiosity into the great room.
"Oh! aren"t they cute! They"re too funny for words. What"s your name, little boy? If you are a boy!" demanded Molly.
The little one shook her too familiar hand from his small shoulder and answered with a solemnity and distinctness that was amazing, when one antic.i.p.ated an infantile lisp:
"A-n an, a ana, n-i ni, anani, a-s as, Ananias."
Monty Stark rolled over backward on the floor and fairly yelled in laughter, while the laughter of the others echoed his, but nothing perturbed by this reception of his, to him, commonplace statement, master Ananias looked about in cherubic satisfaction.
Then again demanded Molly of the other midget.
"What"s yours, twinsy? For twins you must be!"
Evidently tutored as to what would be expected of her the other child replied in exact imitation of her mate and with equal clearness:
"S-a-p sap, p-h-i phi, sapphi, r-a ra, Sapphira."
Utter silence greeted this absurd reply, then another noisy burst of laughter in which even the really disturbed Master joined.
"Surely a man must be out of his mind to fasten such names on two such innocents! But they must be taken elsewhere. Deerhurst must not become a receptacle for all the cast-off burdens of humanity. I must go ask Bryan all he knows about the case," said Mr. Seth, as soon as he had recovered his gravity.
But Dorothy nodded toward the great clock and with a frown he observed the hour. If they were to make ready for their long drive to church, yet be in time for the beginning of the service, they must be making ready, so he consented:
"I don"t suppose any great mischief can be done by their remaining here till we get back; but----"
"Why not take them with us, Teacher?" asked Alfaretta. "We could take one in the lander with us." Her tone was as complacent as if the vehicle in question were her own and her head was tossed as she waited for his reply.
But it was Dorothy who forestalled him and her decision was so sensible he did not oppose it:
"Beg pardon, Mr. Seth, but I think we would better take them. If we leave them they may get into mischief and the servants have enough to do without worrying with them. They"re so little we can tuck them into the big wagon with us and it won"t hurt even babies to go to church.
But I wonder which is which! Now they"ve moved around and changed places I can"t tell which is Ananias and which Sapphira! Poor little kiddies, to be named after liars!"
"I know. This one has a kink in its hair the other one hasn"t. I think it was Sapphira. Or--was it Ananias? Baby, which are you?"
Neither child replied. They clung each to the other and stared at this too inquisitive Molly Breckenridge with the disconcerting stare of childhood, till she turned away and gathering a handful of biscuits from the table bade them sit down and eat. She forbade them to drop a single crumb and they were obedient even to absurdity.
A half-hour later the three vehicles were at the door and the happy guests made haste to take the places allotted them; the big wagon following last, with Luna smilingly, yet in a half-frightened clutch of Dorothy, sitting on the comfortable back seat. Mr. Seth had lifted her bodily into the wagon and she had submitted without realizing what was happening to her till the wagon began to move. Then she screamed, as if in terror, and hid her face on Dolly"s shoulder.
"Doan" take he". "Peah"s lak she"s done afeered o" ridin". Nebah min", Miss Do"thy. Some yo" lads jes" han" he" down to Dinah and she"ll be tooken" ca" ob, scusin" dey is a big dinnah in de way an" half de he"ps" Sunday out. Han" "er down!"
However, without physical force this was not to be done. When Jim strove to lift her, as he might easily have done in his strong arms, she clung the closer to her little hostess and screamed afresh. So he gave up the attempt and turned his attention to the twins, the last arriving members of this famous House Party.
There was no reluctance about them--not the slightest. They were fairly dancing with impatience and Ananias--or was it Sapphira?--was already attempting to enter the "wagging" by way of climbing up the "nigh" horse"s leg, while her--or his--mate clung to the spokes of the forward wheel, wholly ready to be whirled around and around with its forward progress.
"Evidently, these babies aren"t afraid to ride!" cried Dorothy, laughing yet half-frightened over the little creatures" boldness.
"Please set them right on the bottom, between your knees and Littlejohn"s, Mr. Seth! Then they"ll be safe. And there, Luna dear, poor Luna, you see we"re off at last and--isn"t it just lovely?"
Luna made no more response than usual but her hidden face sank lower and more heavily upon Dorothy"s shoulder, till, presently, she was sound asleep. Then Mike Martin climbed back over the seats to the spot and deftly placed his own cushion behind the sleeper"s head. Dolly thanked him with a smile but wondered to see him stare at the sleeper"s face with that puzzled expression on his own. Then he scratched his head and asked in a whisper:
"Can you tell who she looks like? Terrible familiar, somehow, but can"t guess. Can you?"
Dorothy shook her head.
"No, I"ve never seen another like her. I hope I never will."