She was a young and beautiful girl of the wax doll order of beauty, and of not more than sixteen years of age. In person she was tall, slim and fair, with red cheeks, blue eyes and yellow hair. Her very name, as well as her presence, was full of the aromas of Araby the Blest. It was Rose Flowers.
Rose smiled and bloomed and beamed on all, but most of all on Mr.
Fabian, who was at that time a very handsome and fascinating man of no more than thirty, and to do her justice, she brought her young pupils well on in elementary education.
No more was seen or heard of the tramp and his boy, who had come to seek work at the foundries. They seemed to have been forgotten even by the little girl whose sympathies had been touched by their appearance on the train with their own party.
But early in February a catastrophe occurred which brought them back most painfully to, her memory. There was an explosion in the foundry, by which the man was instantly killed.
"Uncle Clarence," asked Cora of that person, "where is the boy belonging to the poor man that was killed? You know they came in the cars with us to North End Station. Oh! and they were so poor! Oh, and the boy had a bit of old c.r.a.pe on his old hat! Oh, and I know he had no mother! But I don"t know whether the man was his father or his uncle. But, oh, Uncle Clarence, dear, where is the boy?"
"I don"t know anything about the boy, little one, but I will inquire and tell you. I think the little chap has two more friends left, dear. You are one. I am the other."
"Oh, Uncle Clarence, you are a dear ducky-ducky-darling! And when I am a grown-up woman, I will marry you."
"Oh! well, all right, if you remain in the same mind, and--"
"I will never, never change my mind. I love you better than I do anybody in the world, except Sylvan and grandma, and Miss Flowers and Tip!"
Clarence kept his word with the child about making inquiries as to the fate of the boy in whom she was interested.
The boy was motherless, and, by the death of his father, had been left utterly dest.i.tute. He had found a home with Scythia Woods, an eccentric woman, who lived in a hut on the mountain side, half way between North End and Rockhold, and he supported himself in a poor way by running errands and doing little jobs about the works.
Little Cora Haught listened to this account of the poor, friendless, self-reliant lad with the deepest sympathy.
"Uncle Clarence," she pleaded, "you are so rich. Why don"t you give that poor boy clothes, and shoes, and hats, and all he ought to have?"
"My good little girl, nothing would give me more delight, but that fellow would see Rockharrt & Sons swallowed up by an earthquake before he would take a cent from them that he had not earned."
"Oh, I like that--that is grand! But why don"t you take him on and give him good pay?"
"But, my dear, he is a boy, and cannot do regular heavy work. He is quite uneducated, and cannot do any other except what he does."
Two months later, one lovely spring day, she saw him again for the first time since their meeting on the train six months previous. He came to Rockhold one Sat.u.r.day afternoon to bring a letter from the manager to the head of the firm. He came to the back door which opened from the porch. He sent in his letter by the servant who came at his knock, and he said he was to wait for an answer. Cora, in the back parlor, saw him, recognized him, and ran out to speak to him.
Perhaps the tiny lady had some faint idea of the duties and responsibilities of wealth and station. So she spoke to the boy.
"Are you Regulas Rothsay?" she inquired, in a soft tone.
"Yes, miss," replied the boy.
There was an awkward pause, and then the little girl said slowly:
"You won"t let anybody give you anything, although you have no father nor mother. Now, why won"t you?"
"Because, I can work for all I want, all--but--" the boy began, and then stopped.
"You have all but what?"
"A little schooling."
"Here"s the answer, Rule! You are to run right away as fast as you can and take it to Mr. Ryland," said a servant, coming out upon the porch and handing a letter to the boy.
It was a week after this interview with the lad before Cora saw him again.
He was on the lawn in front of the house. She was at the window of the front drawing room. As soon as she espied him she ran out to speak to him, and eagerly begged that she might teach him to read.
The boy, surprised at the suddenness and the character of such an offer, blushed, thanked the little lady, and declined, then hesitated, reflected, and then, half reluctantly, half gratefully, consented.
Cora was delighted, and frankly expressed her joy.
"Oh, Regulas, I am so glad! Now every afternoon when I have done my lessons--I am in Comly"s first speller, Peter Parley"s first book of history, and first book of geography, and I am as far as short division in arithmetic, and round hand in the copy book--so as soon as I get through with my lessons, and you get through with your work, you come to this back porch, where I play, and I will bring my old primer and white slate, and I will teach you. If you get here before I do, you wait for me. I will never be long away. If I get here before you, I will wait for you," she concluded.
The Iron King, Mr. Fabian, or Mr. Clarence, pa.s.sing out of the back door for an afternoon stroll in the grounds, would see the little lady seated in one of the large Quaker chairs, her feet dangling over its edge, busy with her doll"s dresses, and furtively watching her pupil, who, seated before her on one of the long piazza benches, would be poring over his primer or his slate.
As time went on every one began to wonder at the earnestness and constancy of this childish friendship.
So the lessons went on through all the spring and summer and early autumn of that year.
Before the leaves had fallen Regulas had learned all she could teach him.
Then their parting came about naturally, inevitably. When the weather grew cold, the lessons could no longer be given out on the exposed piazza, and the little teacher could not be permitted to bring her rough and ragged pupil into the house.
Cora begged of her kind Uncle Clarence some of his old school books, which she knew to be among the rubbish of the garret, which was her own rainy-day play room in summer, and offered the books to the boy as a loan from herself, because she dared not offer the lad a gift.
Later, she loaned him a "Boy"s Life of Benjamin Franklin." It was that book, perhaps, that decided the boy"s destiny. He read it with avidity, with enthusiasm. The impression made upon his mind was so deep and intense that his heart became fired with a fine ambition. He longed to tread in the steps of Benjamin Franklin--to become a printer, to rise to position and power, to do great and good things for his country and for humanity. He brooded over all this.
To begin, he resolved to become a printer.
So, when the spring opened, he came to Rockhold and bade good-by to his little friend, and went, at the age of fourteen, to the city to seek his fortune, walking all the way, and taking with him testimonials as to his character for truth, honesty, and industry.
There were at that time three printing offices in that city. Rule applied to the first and to the second without success, but when he applied to the third--the office of the _Watch_--and showed his credentials, the proprietor took him on.
He and his little friend corresponded regularly from month to month.
No one objected to this letter writing, any more than to the lesson giving. It was but the charity of the little lady given for the encouragement of the poor, struggling orphan boy.
It was nearly four years after the departure of Rule from the works at North End to seek his fortune in a printing office of the neighboring city. He had never yet returned to see his friends, though his correspondence with Cora had been kept up.
In the four years that Rose Flowers had lived at Rockhold she had won the hearts of all the household, from the master down to the meanest drudge. She was, indeed, the fragrance of the house. All admired her much and loved her more, and yet--
And yet in every mind there was a latent distrust of her, which seemed unjust, and for which all who felt it reproached themselves--in every mind but one.
The Iron King felt no distrust of the submissive, beautiful creature, whom he continually held up to other members of his family as the very model of perfect womanhood.
He did not see, he said, why she should now, when it was finally decided that Cora should be sent to the young ladies" inst.i.tute, at the city, why Rose should leave the house. She might remain as companion for Mrs.
Rockharrt. But when this was proposed to Miss Flowers, the young governess explained, with much regret, that, not antic.i.p.ating this generous offer, she had already secured another situation.