"No; he never married."
Drusilla was quiet for a moment, her eyes seeing beyond the men to the lover who had remained true to her throughout the years.
"Does he live alone?"
"He has two rooms in the home of some people with whom he has lived for a great many years."
"Is he in business?"
"No; he was in business until the panic of 1893, when he lost his business."
"What does he live on? Is he poor?"
"He saved a little out of the wreck of his business and lives on that."
"How much has he?"
"I think he has about five hundred dollars a year; just enough to keep him modestly in that little town."
"Does he seem happy? Did you talk with him?"
"Yes; I visited with him all of one afternoon. He does not seem unhappy, but he is a lonely old man. All of his friends are gone and he leads a lonely life."
"What does he do?"
"He has his books."
"Yes; John always loved books. They used to say that if he"d attend to business more and books less, he"d git along better."
The clerk laughed.
"I"m afraid that"s what they say out there, too. He is not a practical man, and he seems to have paid very little attention to the making of money, or--what is more--to the keeping of it after he had made it."
Drusilla smiled.
"That"s just like John," she said softly. "Set him down somewhere with a book and he"d forgit that there was other things he ought to be doin" instead of readin". He worked in Silas Graham"s grocery store when he was a boy, and Silas had to keep pryin" him out from behind the barrels to wait on customers. Silas said when he let him go that John"s business was clerkin" in a book store and not a grocery store. Well, well! John"s just the same, I guess. He"d ought to had some one with common sense to keep him goin"."
"Is there anything else you would like to know?"
"No--" said Drusilla hesitatingly. "I guess that"s all I need to know."
She was quiet for a few moments. Then:
"Does he seem strong?"
"Yes; strong and well."
"D"ye suppose he could travel by himself?"
"Certainly; he seems perfectly able to travel by himself."
"Then I guess I"ll write him a letter. That"s all, and I thank you very much, young man. I suppose you have a lot more on them papers, but I know all I want to. Good day."
A few days after Drusilla"s interview with the clerk, John Brierly received a letter in the handwriting that, although a little feeble, was still familiar to him. He took it home from the post-office and did not break the seal until he was in his sitting-room. Then he read it.
DEAR JOHN:
I jest heard where you are and how you are. You are alone and I"m alone. We are both two old ships that have sailed the seas alone and now we"re nearing port. Why can"t we make the rest of the voyage together? I have a home a great deal too big for one lone woman, and you have no home at all. Years ago your home would have been mine if you could a give it to me, and now I want to share mine with you. I"m not proposing to you, John; we"re too old to think of such things, but I do want to die with my hand in some one"s who cares for me and who I care for. You"re the only one in all the world that"s left from out my past, and I want you near me. Won"t you come and see me? Then we can talk it over, and if you don"t like it here you can go back.
Come to me, John. Let me hear by the next mail that you"re a coming.
DRUSILLA.
P. S. If you don"t come to me, I"ll come to you. This is a threat, John. You see if I _am_ seventy years old, I"m still your wilful Drusilla.
Drusilla doubtless would have pa.s.sed the next few days anxiously awaiting an answer to her letter if an unforeseen occurrence had not driven all thoughts of it from her head. Some one had told the newspapers about the baby left on her doorstep, and that she had refused to send it to the police, and one morning great headlines stared her in the face: DRUSILLA DOANE A TRUE PHILANTHROPIST. Again she saw her picture and the picture of the house in Brookvale, and read:
I"ll send no baby to a home. I"ve eaten charity bread and it was bitter and charity milk would be the same.
That started for Drusilla a strenuous existence for a few days. The next morning a baby--a weak, sickly little thing--was found beside the locked gates, with a note pinned to its tiny jacket. "Won"t you please take my baby too?" Drusilla took it into her motherly arms, looked with pitying eyes into its little white pinched face, and sent it to the butler"s wife until she could determine what to do with it.
The next morning there were two babies waiting; and that night at dinner the butler was called to the door by a ring, and when he opened it, he found a little boy about two years of age standing there with a note in his hand. The grounds were searched for the person who had brought the baby and left it standing there, but no one was found--and he, too, was added to the butler"s growing family.
In the next week eleven children were brought to the house in aristocratic Brookvale, and Drusilla was frightened at the inundation of young that she had brought upon herself. They were of all kinds and all descriptions. There were John and Hans and Gretchen, and Frieda and Mina and Guiseppi, Rachel, Polvana, Francois; even a little Greek was among the collection. Their names were pinned to their clothing, along with letters--some pitiful and some impertinent, but all asking for a home for the abandoned child.
Drusilla was dismayed and sent for the young doctor, as Mr.
Thornton"s only word was the police and a "home," to both of which Drusilla shook her old gray head vigorously. But she saw that she could not parcel the children out indefinitely among the servants, and consequently Dr. Eaton was asked to come and help her decide what should be done.
When he came in, his eyes twinkled mischievously at Drusilla.
"I hear you have numerous additions to the family," he said.
"Young man," Drusilla said, "you set right there and tell me what to do. You got me in all this trouble. Now you get me out of it."
The doctor stopped in amazement.
"_I_ got you in this trouble? How did I get you in this trouble?"
"Now, don"t you look that surprised way at me," said Drusilla severely. "Didn"t you tell me all about orphan asylums and babies having to be all dressed in the same way, and have all their hair tied with blue cord, and eat porridge out of a blue bowl, and set down and stand up and go to bed at the ringin" of a bell. Didn"t you tell me that?"
"Certainly; I said a few things like that, but--"
"And didn"t you make my foolish old eyes jest fill up at the thought of any baby I"d ever held in my arms goin" to a place like that and bein" turned into a little jelly-mold--them"s your words, a little jelly-mold--"
"Well--I did mention jelly-molds, but still--"
"And didn"t you make me feel so bad that I couldn"t let Mr. Thornton give that blessed little John in charge and be sent to a home?"
"Why--why--you had already decided; but still--"
"That"s the third time you"ve said, "but still," and I don"t see as it helps me any now."