Rachel herself was wholly unconscious of the remarks that were being made, so she devoted her heart and soul to the duty a.s.signed to her, that of waiting on Polly and her bevy of school friends in one of the flower-bowers. And she never bothered about any curious glances, or asides, until a chance remark struck her ear as she was hurrying across the lawn, which she thought needed attention; then she raised her head, and her black eyes grew sharp and intent. It was Mrs. Chatterton who was speaking.
"Yes, it"s a little beggar girl he took in," and the cackle was unpleasant that accompanied the words. "Dear me! I expect she"ll rob us all; such creatures are so sly." She was pointing out Rachel to one of her friends lately arrived from Europe, and who had exerted herself to come early and see the children.
"Do you mean me?" demanded Rachel, her black eyes, like gimlets, on the long, cynical face. ""Cause if you does, I can tell you that what I does, I does right out on top; an" I guess by the looks o" you, that ain"t your style."
"You impertinent creature!" exclaimed Mrs. Chatterton, her long face crimson with pa.s.sion, not allayed by seeing that her friend could with difficulty control her amus.e.m.e.nt. "She"ll tell this everywhere," she fumed within. "I shall go and speak to my cousin, Mr. King, about you, girl." She moved her arm and shapely hand, both very beautiful still, and well exhibited on every occasion, and started off with great dignity.
"I would," said Rachel scornfully. Then she laughed, "Oh, me! oh, my!
you"re such a favor_ite_, you are!" and she doubled up her thin figure, and went off in a little gust of merriment.
"Come with me." Mrs. Chatterton darted back and seized her friend"s arm to drag her away. "That detestable creature makes me feel quite faint."
As soon as they had disappeared down a winding path, Rachel"s amus.e.m.e.nt quite left her. She drew herself up stiffly, and hurried back to Polly, to be the same quiet, attentive, deft little maiden as before.
"You do tie flowers up so beautifully," cried Polly, handing her another big spool of baby ribbon. "Doesn"t she, girls?"
"Yes, indeed," cried ever so many.
"I can"t tie a bow to save myself," declared Alexia; "it all snarls up, and it looks for all the world, when I get through, as if my dog had chewed it.
Oh, dear me! Yes, that basket is two dollars."
"I"ll take it," said the little tot who had to stand on tiptoes to peer over the table with its blooming beauty. "I want it for my mamma," and he gave his smart little cane to the nursemaid to hold, while he opened his purse.
"Well, it"s a beauty, Rick," said Alexia, picking up the basket; "the violets are so sweet," and she sniffed them two or three times as she pa.s.sed them over.
"Here"s Rick Halliday," called Clem, at the other end of the table. "Now I"m going to make him buy something of me. We must all make him, girls; his father"s given him oceans of money to spend, of course."
It was loud enough for Polly to hear, and she dropped the box of ribbon under the table.
"No, no," she said decidedly, hurrying over, "Grandpapa said we were not to ask a single person to buy. That"s the rule, you know, Clem."
"We could make ever so much more," grumbled Clem; "it"s for the poor children, you know, Polly."
"Grandpapa said not," repeated Polly, her cheeks like a rose, and back she flew again to her post.
"I shan"t buy anything of you, Clem Forsythe," loudly declared small Rick over to her, taking his little cane from the nursemaid"s hand, "anyway. And beside, my papa said if any one teased me to spend my money, I was to come right away. But he didn"t believe they would here." And with his basket of flowers for his mother, he moved off with great dignity across the lawn, swinging his cane as he had noticed the men did.
"Of all kids, I do think that Rick Halliday is the most detestable infant,"
exclaimed Clem, in great discomfort. "Oh, yes, Mrs. Nunn"--her face brightening--"we have heliotrope, ever so much of it." She thrust her hands into a big vase overflowing with fragrance. "How many? Oh, three dozen sprays. Yes, indeed."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "But this is ten dollars," said Joel]
And the bands--one at the end of the big lawn, and the other on the terrace at the farther side of the house--were playing their sweetest; and now the society folk began to put in an appearance among the throngs of children.
Everybody was in gala attire, and the garden party was at its height.
"Joel," cried Mr. Cabot to that individual, rushing in and out among the little knots of gayly dressed visitors, "here, run over to the post office, will you, and see if there are any letters for me?"
"All right," Joel cried, as he flew along. And in an incredibly short s.p.a.ce of time, back he rushed with three missives.
"How much?"
"Ten cents apiece," said Joel promptly. "I"ll get change in a minute," and he was flying off again with the bill thrust into his hand.
"I don"t take any change here. I don"t want any; I won"t be bothered with it," declared Mr. Cabot, in his most decided fashion.
"But this is ten dollars," said Joel, aghast, and stopping short to flap the bill.
"Never mind, that"s my affair; go along, or I"ll report you. Aren"t you one of the postmen?"--pointing sternly to his badge.
"Yes," said Joel, straightening up, and puffing out his chubby cheeks with pride.
"Well, then, you"ll find yourself reported if you don"t march," cried Mr.
Cabot "So off with yourself to the postmaster."
"Come on, Joel," called another of the postmen, who happened to be Percy, rushing along. "I"m going to get my mail bag now, there"s just a crowd of folks waiting over there for letters"--pointing over to the pine grove.
"So will I get mine," shouted Joel, "and see here"--waving his ten-dollar bill--"what Mr. Cabot sent to Jasper. I guess that"ll send one poor child off into the country, Percy Whitney! Won"t that be prime!"
There was such a crowd around the Wistaria-arbor post office, that Percy and Joel, who much preferred being letter-carriers to helping Jasper within, had to crawl in under the vines, to find the mail bags.
"Here, Jasper," cried Joel, "take it, do"--throwing the ten-dollar bill down in a flurry, to fling the strap of his mail bag over his head before Percy should get his in order.
But Jasper, who was trying to satisfy the demands of a throng of people all clamoring at the small window for letters, didn"t see it, or even hear his name called. So the ten-dollar bill lay perfectly still where it fell, until it got all tired out, and a little puff of wind, sweeping through the arbor, blew it first to one side, and then to the other, until at last it fell down among a tangle of evergreen with which the posts of the arbor were wound. And presently, Van, who much preferred being a.s.sistant to Jasper to running about as a letter carrier, came along and exclaimed, "Oh, that silly old green stuff! It takes up so much room!" And he twitched off a lot of it, and the ten-dollar bill, well crumpled up inside of the bunch, sighed and said to itself as it was flung under the counter, "Now I guess I"m dead and buried forever."
Meanwhile, Joel, as happy as a lark at the thought of Mr. Cabot"s contribution, went off on the wings of the wind, distributing letters, here, there, and everywhere, and receiving lots of orders.
It was, "Oh, Joel, get me a letter,"
And, "Joel, get me one; I can"t get near the post office; there"s a perfect mob there."
And, "Joel Pepper!"--from clear across the lawn--"come over here; Mrs.
Singleton wants to see you about some letters," until Joel began to feel that he was about running the whole post-office department, and it seemed as if every drop of blood was in his chubby face, he was so hot. But he never thought of being tired, he was so happy, plunging on.
"Oh, my gracious, honey! you done mos" knocked de bref out o" me!" It was Candace, who had left her little shop on Temple Place to help forward the garden party, against whom he had come up, careless where he was going.
IX
THE TEN-DOLLAR BILL
"Oh, I"m so sorry!" Joel brought himself up remorsefully, trying to recover the collection of rag dolls sent spinning from her black arms.
"An" dey were sech perfec" beauties!" mourned Candace, twisting her hands sorrowfully together. "Oh, me! oh, my!"
"They aren"t hurt a bit," declared Joel stoutly, precipitating the whole collection unceremoniously at her. "There they are, every single one, as nice as ever!"