"Along o" father"s bein" nawful drunk an" slammin" her agin the wall. He went to prison "cause he most killed a man. Bess died just before Christmas. We was goin"-"
Dil paused. Would nurse know anything about a journey to heaven?
"Were you going to run away? But if the poor little girl was hurt, she is better off. G.o.d is taking care of her in heaven."
"Oh, no. She isn"t there. She"s just dead. We was goin" together in the spring, and-and some one was going with us who knew all "bout the way."
"My child, what do you know about heaven?" asked the nurse, struck by the confident tone.
"I didn"t know-much. I heard "bout it at the Mission School, and told Bess. We wanted to go like Christiana. We met a man in the square last summer, an" he told us "bout his Lord Jesus, that he could cure little hurted legs that hadn"t ever grown any and couldn"t walk. An" he promised to go to heaven with us. We was goin" to start then, but we didn"t just know the way. I"d learned "bout the river in the Mission School. An" he said he"d bring us the book "bout Christiana, an" then we"d know; but we better wait, for it would be so cold before we got there, an" the cold shrivelled up poor little Bess so. Well, we waited an" waited, but he did come, an" he brought the book. It was so lovely."
Dil gave a long, rapturous sigh, and a glory shone in her eyes. "An" we found out "bout crossin" the river an" the pallis. We see her goin" up the steps. An" then mammy took the book an" burnt it up in a tantrum, an" we couldn"t read it any more, but we"d got the pictures all fixed in our minds. Curis, isn"t it, how you can see things that ain"t there, when you"ve got thim all fixed in your mind?"
"And you were going to heaven?" Nurse was amazed at the great, if misplaced, faith. "And your friend-"
The soft, suggestive voice won Dil to further confidence.
"He had to go "way crost the "Lantic Oshin. But he would have come back.
He did just what he told you, always. An" that"s why I must get well an"
go back an" see him an" tell him-"
The voice faltered, and the eyes overflowed with tears. Dil"s hearer was greatly moved.
"Bess has gone to heaven first, my poor dear," but her own voice was tremulous with emotion.
"Oh, she couldn"t. Why, she couldn"t walk, with her poor hurted legs, "n" "twas so cold "n" all. An" she wouldn"t "a" gone to the very best heaven, not even the pallis shinin" with angels, athout me."
"But you don"t understand"-how should she explain to the literal understanding. "The Lord came for her, took her in his arms, and carried her to heaven."
"Oh, he wouldn"t "a" taken her athout sayin" a word, and leaved me behind, "cause he must "a" knowed we was plannin" to go together. No; she"s just dead like other folks. An" _he_ can"t see her when he comes."
There was a long, dreary, tearless sob.
"Oh, my poor child, she _is_ safe with the Lord. Do you really know who G.o.d is?"
"Mr. Travis"s Lord Jesus lives in heaven," said Dil, in a kind of weary, half-puzzled tone. "He told us how he come down to some place, I disremember now, an" cured hurted people, an" made blind folks see, an"
fed the hungry, an" went back an" fixed a beautiful pallis for them.
There"s lots more in Barker"s Court that they swear by, but them ain"t the ones Mr. Travis meant."
The nurse was as much astonished by the confident ignorance as Mr.
Travis had been, and felt quite as helpless.
"I wish you could believe that little Bess is in heaven," she said gently.
"She couldn"t be happy athout me," the poor child replied confidently, with tears in her faltering voice. "I always tended her, an" curled her hair, an" wheeled her about, an"-an" loved her so." The tone sank to a touching pathos. "An" she didn"t go crost no river-she couldn"t stand up "thout bein" held. An" oh, do you s"pose I"d gone an" left Bess for anything? No more would she gone an" left me."
The brown eyes were heart-breaking in their trustful simplicity. The child"s confidence was beyond any stage of persuasion. With time one might unravel the tangle in her untutored brain, but she could not in the brief while the child would remain in the hospital.
"Tell me about your friend, Mr. Travis," the nurse said, after a silence of some moments.
"He painted pictures, an" he made a beautiful one of Bess. But mammy burned it with the book. She said there wasn"t any heaven anyway. An"
Mrs. Murphy said it was purgatory, "n" if you paid money, you"d get out.
But Bess would go there. An" _he_ didn"t say nothin" "bout purgatory. He come one day an" sang the beautifullest hymn "bout "everlastin" spring,"
an" everybody cried. Poor old Mrs. Bolan was there. But when he comes back he"ll tell me just how it is."
Perhaps that was best. Nurse went about her duties, the strange, sweet, entire faith haunting her. And the pathos of the two setting out for a literal heaven!
There were days when Dil sat in a vague, absent mood, her eyes staring into vacancy, seeming to hear nothing that went on about her. But she improved slowly; and though the nurse tried to persuade her to go to some friends of hers, she found the child wonderfully resolute.
And yet, when she was discharged, an awful sense of loneliness came over Dilsey Quinn. The nurse gave her a dollar, and an address to which she was to apply in case of any misfortune.
"You"ve been so good," Dil said, with swimming eyes. "An" I"ll promise if I don"t get no place."
And now she must find John Travis. He would surely know if Bess could get to heaven in any strange way, alone in the night. And if she was there, then Dil must go straightway. She could not even lose a day.
The world looked curious to her this April day. There were golden quivers in the sunshine, and a laughing blueness in the sky. And oh, such a lovely, fragrant air! Dil felt as if she could skip for very joy.
She found her way to the square, and sat down on the olden seat. Already some flowers were out, and the gra.s.s was green. The "cop" came around presently, but she was not afraid of him now. She rose and spoke to him, recalling the summer afternoon and the man who had made pictures of herself and Bess.
"I don"t know who he was. No, he hasn"t been back to inquire." The policeman would not have known Dil.
"His name was Mr. John Travis. He writ it on Bess"s picture. I was so "fraid I"d miss him. But he will come, "cause he can"t find no one in Barker"s Court. An" when I get a place, I"ll come an" bring the number, so"s you can tell him."
"Yes, I"ll be on the lookout for him." The child"s grave, innocent faith touched him. How pale and thin she was!
Then she considered. Mrs. Minch would be in the court, she thought.
Perhaps she might steal in without any one seeing her who would tell her mother afterward. And she could hear about Dan.
She stopped at a baker"s, and bought some lunch. But by and by she began to grow very tired, and walked slowly, looking furtively about. She was almost at Barker"s Court when a familiar whistle startled her.
"O Dil Quinn, Dil!" cried a dear, well remembered voice.
Patsey Muldoon caught her hand as if he would never let it go. He had half a mind to kiss her in the street, he was that glad. His eyes danced with joy.
"I"ve been layin" out fer ye, Dil, hangin" round an" waitin". I was dead sure yous"d come back here. An" I"ve slipped in Misses Minch"s, an" jes"
asked "bout the old gal, an" I told her "f you come, jes" to hold on t"ye."
"O Patsey!"
"How nawful thin ye air, Dil. Have ye got railly well?"
Dil swallowed over a great lump in her throat, and had much ado not to cry, as she said, "I"m not so strong."
"Well, we want ye, we jes" do," and he laughed.
"What for?" It was so good to have any one want her in this desolation, that she drew nearer, and he put her hand in his arm in a very protecting fashion.
"Well, I"ll tell ye. See, now, we was boardin" with an old woman. There was five of us, but Fin, he waltzed off. The old woman died suddint like three weeks ago, an" we"ve bin keepin" house sence. The lan"lord he come round, "n" we promised the rent every Monday, sure pop; an" we paid it too," proudly. "We"ve got Owny. I"ve had to thrash him twict, but he"s doin" fus" rate now. An" he sed, if we could git a holt o" yous! He said ye made sech lickin" good stews "n" coffee "twould make a feller sing in his sleep."
"O Patsey, you alwers was so good!" Dil wiped her eyes. This unlooked-for haven was delightful beyond any words.