And every one, except Terry, the dog, had a story to tell, and the story was one that was to become a cla.s.sic in the annals of Fairfax.
How Captain Jameson had been washed overboard in southern seas, how he had been rescued by natives and had lived among them; how he had been found by a party searching for gold; how he had started with them for home, had become ill as soon as they put to sea, and because of his illness had been the only one left when the ship caught on fire; how the fire had gone out, and he had floated on the deserted vessel until picked up by a fishing-boat, and how he had been brought to Newfoundland and how Dr. Grennell had discovered him by means of the Spanish coins.
But in the eyes of the children of Fairfax his adventures paled before those of Tommy Tolliver. To a gaping audience that small boy talked of the things he had done--of shipwrecks, of desert islands, of hunger and thirst until the little girls gazed at him with tears in their eyes, although the effect was somewhat spoiled by Jimmie Jones" artless remark, "But you were only away four days, Tommy!"
All Fairfax rejoiced with the Judge and Judy, but only little Anne knew what Judy really felt, for in the first moment that they were alone together after that eventful morning at The Breakers, Judy, with her eyes shining like stars, had thrown her arms around the neck of her fair little friend, and had whispered, "Oh, Anne, _Anne_, I don"t deserve such happiness, but I am so thankful that I feel as if I should be good for the rest of my life."
And no one but Anne knew why Judy put everything aside to be with her father, to antic.i.p.ate every desire of his, to cheer every solitary minute.
"I must try to take mother"s place," she confided to her sympathetic listener in the watches of the night. "He misses her so--Anne."
Anne went back to the little gray house, where the plums were purple on the tree in the orchard, and where Becky on her lookout limb was hidden by the thickness of the foliage. The robins were gone, and so was Belinda"s occupation, but she had more important things on hand, and after the first joy of greetings, the little grandmother led Anne to a cozy corner of the little kitchen, where in a big basket, Belinda sang lullabies to four happy, sleepy b.a.l.l.s of down as white as herself.
"Oh, the dear little p.u.s.s.y cats," gurgled Anne, as Belinda welcomed her with a gratified "Purr-up," "what does Becky think of them, grandmother?"
"She takes care of them when Belinda goes out," said the little grandmother. "It"s too funny to see them cuddle under her black wings."
"I wonder if she will make friends with Terry, Judy"s dog," chatted Anne, as she cuddled the precious kittens. "He"s the dearest thing, and he took to Judy right away, and follows her around all the time."
The little grandmother sat down in an old rocker with a red cushion and took off her spectacles with trembling hands. "Belinda will have to get used to him, I guess," she said.
"Of course," said Anne, not looking up, "Judy will bring him here when she comes."
"I don"t mean that," said the little grandmother.
Something in the old voice made Anne look up.
"What"s the matter, little grandmother?" she asked, anxiously.
"I mean that we are going to leave the little gray house, Anne, you and I and Belinda and Becky," and with that the little grandmother put on her spectacles again, to see how Anne took the news.
Anne stared. "Leave the little gray house," she said, slowly. "Why what do you mean, grandmother?"
"We are going to live at the Judge"s," and at that Anne"s face changed from dismay to happiness, and she turned the kittens over to Belinda and flung her arms around the little old lady"s neck.
"Oh, am I really going to live with Judy?" she shrieked joyfully, "and you and Becky and Belinda--oh, it"s too good to be true."
"We really are," said Mrs. Batch.e.l.ler. "The Judge and I had a long talk together, the day he came down, and he wants you to go away to school with Judy, and have me come and help Aunt Patterson to manage his house. He says she is too feeble for so much care and that it will be an accommodation to him."
But Mrs. Batch.e.l.ler did not tell how the Judge had argued for hours to break down the barriers of pride which she had raised, and that he had finally won, because of his insistence that Anne must have the opportunities due one of her name and race.
"You are to go to Mrs. French"s school in Richmond, with Judy. She is a gentlewoman, a Southerner, and an old friend of the Judge"s and mine, and we think it will be exactly the place for you two for a time."
"It will be lovely," cried little Anne, as the plans for her future were unfolded, but late that evening when she was ready to say "good night" she stood for a moment with her cheek against her grandmother"s soft old one.
"I shall miss you and the little gray house, grandmother," she whispered, "I was hungry for you at The Breakers, although it was lovely there, and every one was so kind."
"I shall miss you too, dear heart," said the little grandmother, but she did not say how much, for she wanted Anne to go away happily, and she felt that she must not be selfish.
It was wonderful the planning that went on after that. Anne spent many days at the big house in Fairfax, and each time she went it was a tenderer, dearer Judy that welcomed her.
"Father will stay with grandfather this winter. I begged to stay, too, but they both think the schools here are not what I need, and so I am to go away," she explained one morning as she and Anne were getting ready to go with a party of young people to pick goldenrod.
"Yes," said Anne, putting her red reefer over her white dress, and admiring the effect.
"I hate school," began Judy, sticking in a hat-pin viciously, then she stopped and laughed, "No, I don"t, either. I don"t hate anything since father came back."
"Not even cats?" asked Anne, demurely.
"No. You know I love Belinda."
"Nor picnics?"
"Not Fairfax ones."
"Nor books?"
"I just love "em--thanks to you."
"Nor--nor boys--?" mischievously.
"Oh, do stop your questions," and Judy put her hands over her ears.
But Anne persisted, "Nor boys, Judy?"
"I like Launcelot Bart--and--little Jimmie Jones, but I am not sure about Tommy Tolliver, Anne."
And then they both laughed light-heartedly, and tripped down-stairs to find Amelia and Nannie and Tommy waiting for them.
"Launcelot couldn"t come," explained Tommy. "He had to go to Upper Fairfax, and he said he was awfully sorry, but he didn"t dare to take so much time away from the farm."
"Poor fellow," sighed tender-hearted little Anne. "He is always so busy."
"I don"t think he is to be pitied," said Judy, with a scornful glance at Tommy. "He has work to do and he does it, which is more than most people do."
There was gold in the sunshine, and gold in the changing leaves, and gold in the ripened grain in the fields, and gold in the goldenrod which they had come to pick.
Tommy gathered great armfuls of the feathery bloom, and the girls made it into bunches, while Terry, who had come with them, whuffed at the chipmunks on the gray fence-rails.
"What do you want it for?" asked Tommy, sitting down beside the busy maidens and wiping his warm forehead.
"To-morrow is Judy"s birthday," said Anne, "and we are going to decorate the house."
"Oh, is it?" asked Amelia and Nannie together.
"Yes," said Judy, "and I want you to come to dinner and spend the evening with us. I am not going to have a party, because father isn"t feeling as if he wanted to join in any gay things yet, but we can have a nice time together, and it may be the last before Anne and I go away to school."
"_Go where?_" gasped Nannie and Amelia and Tommy.
Judy explained. "We leave the first week in September," she ended.