"Morning, Amzi!"
"Morning, Lawrence!"
"Morning, Amzi!"
"Morning, Paul!"
"Morning, Amzi!"
"Morning, Alec!"
These greetings were as stiff as those that pa.s.s between a visiting statesman and the local yeomanry at a rural reception. Lawrence, Paul, and Alec undoubtedly hated this perfunctory annual tribute to the head of the house of Montgomery, but Amzi liked the perpetuation of his father"s house as a family center. It did not matter that greed and sentimentalism were back of his sisters" stubborn devotion to the Montgomery tradition; with him it was an honest sentiment; and as to their avarice, to which he was not insensible, it should be said that charity was not least among his rugged virtues.
He made a lark of opening his gifts for the delight of the children. A truce had been effected between the Fosd.i.c.ks and Watermans by which each of the young Amzis bestowed a box of neckties of approximately the same value upon their uncle. Little Susan gave him a m.u.f.fler; the sisters had joined in a new easy chair which Jeremiah now carried in; their husbands had combined in their usual tribute of cigars. A toy and a five-dollar gold-piece for each child; the little chamois-skin bags of gold-pieces for the sisters; a book for each brother-in-law, completed Amzi"s offerings. He announced to the children that he was going to build a toboggan in the back yard for their joint use just as soon as spring came. This was a surprise and called forth much joyous chorusing from the youngsters, whose parents viewed this pendant to the expected gifts with satisfaction, as indicating the increasing warmth of Amzi"s affection for their children.
"You are always generous, Amzi," said Mrs. Waterman fervidly. "You can put the toboggan on our lot if you like."
"And cut down the trees! I should rather do without it than destroy a single one of the old beeches," averred Mrs. Hastings, who, having no children to enjoy the felicities of tobogganing, was not deeply interested in the project.
"No trees shall be cut down," replied Amzi quickly; "I"m going to put it on my own place. You can"t tell but I may use it myself more or less--after dark. The children won"t mind, and the doctors say I need exercise."
Mrs. Waterman pinched her young Amzi, who sweetly chirruped, "We"d love to have you use it, Uncle Amzi."
"If Uncle Amzi falls off and breaks hims neck, it would be so fun-nee,"
piped Susan delightedly.
"Susan!" exclaimed Susan"s mother, lifting a severe finger.
"It _would_ be fun-nee. Wouldn"t it be fun-nee, Aunt Katie? Danny Holton, he fell off hims bicycle going down hims toboggan and breaked one leg; and it ain"t got mended yet. And papa says Uncle Amzi"s so fat an" he tumble on the ice it would smash him like a old cuc.u.mber. Yes, I did, too, hear him say it. Didn"t you hear him say it, mamma?"
Mrs. Fosd.i.c.k had heard nothing of the kind, for the excellent reason, as her husband declared, that no such impious thought had ever crossed his mind, much less expressed itself in Susan"s presence.
Amzi roared with delight, caught up Susan and planted her on his shoulder. Even if Paul Fosd.i.c.k really had compared him to a mature cuc.u.mber it did not greatly matter. f.a.n.n.y Fosd.i.c.k glared at her Paul.
All the adults present except Amzi were plainly distressed. Mrs.
Hastings, being childless and therefore ent.i.tled to her opinions as to the rearing of children, resolved that at last she must speak to f.a.n.n.y about Susie. And all this embarra.s.sment and irritation by the guileless Susie had not disturbed Amzi one whit. Amzi had no intention of rewriting his will to punish Susie, or her forbears.
Hastings, gloomily inhaling a cigarette, turned over the pages of the book which Amzi had given him. It was a late study of the art of Henry Irving, and its bestowal had been a conscious flattery on Amzi"s part.
Still, it touched unhappy chords in Hastings"s bosom. Who was better equipped than he to catch up the fallen mantle of Irving? And here he lay impotent in the hands of the fates that had set him down in a dull village, without means even to hang a moving-picture screen upon the deserted stage of his theater.
Amzi, having crawled over the floor with Susie at some personal inconvenience and distress, was now helping his namesakes to set up the engines he had given them, while their mothers murmured suggestions and warnings. Waterman stood at the window looking out upon the snow-covered lawn. Fosd.i.c.k scanned the market page in Amzi"s copy of the Indianapolis "Advertiser." It was in Waterman"s mind that if he had the essential funds he might the next year renew his a.s.saults upon the halls of Congress. The brothers-in-law distrusted and disliked each other. Each, after his fashion, was a failure; and the angle of their several failures had become acute. Their wives made a brave showing to the public and to each other; there was always the Montgomery pride to be sustained.
Amzi, having abandoned the field of engineering to his nephews, contemplated the scene philosophically with his back to the fire. His sisters discussed the annual ball to be given in January by the Sons of Montgomery. They were on the invitation committee, and were confronted with the usual problems of elimination. There was a standard to maintain, and the Newells, who had just moved from Ladoga, and set up a new house and a six-cylinder automobile, were, as every one was saying, _such_ nice people; and Newell undoubtedly made a lot of money out of his sawmills; and all that. They were painfully conscious that their husbands were not amusing Amzi or each other.
"Where"s Phil, Amzi?" asked Mrs. Waterman.
"Phil hasn"t showed up yet. I guess she"ll be along pretty soon."
"Tom has had her with him over at Indianapolis all week. I don"t think he ought to take her over there, to run around town while he"s busy.
She"s had so little experience, and with her heedlessness; and all--"
Mrs. Waterman left the conclusion to their imaginations, and as Amzi made no response and as the other gentlemen seemed indifferent, Mrs.
Fosd.i.c.k threw a bit of kindling upon the dull ashes of the conversation.
"Mary Fanning said she saw Phil on the street with a young man over at Indianapolis, only last Tuesday. It isn"t fair of Tom; or right, Amzi--"
"Thunder! I heard what Mary was saying. She saw Phil in Washington Street, with Charlie Holton. What have you girls got against Charlie? If it hadn"t been for you Phil wouldn"t have known him."
"Oh, there"s nothing against Charlie; he"s a fine fellow. I didn"t know it was Charlie," she ended weakly.
"Well, it was Charlie. Nan Bartlett heard what Mary was saying, and asked her about it, and that was all there was to it: she saw Phil and Charlie walking along Washington Street, just as they might walk down Main Street here at home if they happened to meet. And for that matter Phil hasn"t been depending on her father for amus.e.m.e.nt over there. She"s been visiting the Fitches--the lawyer Fitch, of Wright and Fitch. Tom"s been offered a place in the firm; they"re the best lawyers in Indiana; and I guess there"s nothing the matter with Mrs. Fitch, is there?"
This was not only news, but it was astonishing news. Mrs. Fitch"s name not only guaranteed a scrupulous chaperonage, but the fact that Phil was a guest in her house was significant of Tom Kirkwood"s standing at the capital and of Phil"s social acceptance by a woman whose name was constantly impressed upon all students of the society columns of the Indianapolis newspapers.
"The last time I was over I saw Mrs. Fitch in a box at the theater, and I must say that I couldn"t do much for her clothes," remarked Mrs.
Hastings.
"You didn"t have to do anything for them," said Amzi amiably. "Here, Jerry, put that down on the side table."
Jeremiah had appeared with a tray that supported a huge bowl. This followed established custom: eggnog was always served at these gatherings of the clan. Amzi sent the darky away and began filling the gla.s.ses, as he liked to serve the tipple himself. The faces of his brothers-in-law brightened. The persistence with which their wives fussed about Phil exasperated them, and their attacks upon their niece, open or veiled, always roused Amzi. And there was nothing whatever to be gained, as they knew from long experience, by suggesting Phil"s delinquencies. The husbands of Phil"s aunts admired Phil; the more the girl annoyed her aunts, the more they admired her.
"Why doesn"t Phil come?" demanded Fosd.i.c.k. "The circle isn"t complete without her."
Mrs. Waterman had several times during the hour p.r.i.c.ked up her ears at sounds above which she was unable to adjust to her knowledge of Amzi"s _menage_. The step on the floor above was not that of the heavy-footed Sarah, nor yet that of the shuffling Jeremiah. Sarah could be heard in the kitchen, and Jeremiah was even now pa.s.sing cakes and orange juice to the children at the dining-room table.
"Amzi, who"s upstairs?" demanded Mrs. Waterman.
"Upstairs? Thunder! A woman!"
Whereupon Amzi, having handed round the eggnog, stood sipping a gla.s.s contentedly in his favorite post by the hearth.
"A woman upstairs!"
"Yep. She"s a woman."
"Amzi!"
Their backs grew rigid. They had never believed their brother capable of such a thing. They exchanged glances that telegraphed the horror of this depravity. If it had been any one else on earth! And the brazenness of it! Hastings and Fosd.i.c.k grinned at each other, as much as to say that after all you never can tell. It was a pleasant discovery that their brother-in-law was only human. The cheek of the thing was stupendous; his indifference to the fine scorn of their impeccable wives was superb.
Hereafter those ladies would be more tolerant of weak and erring man.
Amzi rocked himself on his heels, ignoring them. He had wondered why Lois did not add herself to the family circle. He, too, had heard her quick steps on the floor above, and had grown impatient at her long delay; but that was part of the joke of it all: Lois would take her time and appear when it suited her convenience. Not for gold, not for much fine gold would he have preluded her approach with any warning. And their ready a.s.sumption that they had caught him in an act of impropriety tickled him tremendously. They were all listening now; and there was undeniably something really naughty and devilish in the patter of those French heels!
A door above closed with a bang. The shameless creature was tripping downstairs as gayly as though the house belonged to her. The ease of her descent spoke for youth; it was in three minds that old fools are always more susceptible to the wiles of young adventuresses. The sisters averted their faces from the contaminating sight. Amzi was crossing the room and reached the open door as it framed his sister. He had a fine, instinctive sense of courtesy and even his pudgy figure could not diminish his dignity. He took Lois by the hand and led her to the broad hearth as though the fireplace symbolized the domestic altar, and he was restoring her to its protection.
"This is Lois," he said simply, as she swung round; and as they stared dully he repeated, "This is Lois."
Mrs. Fosd.i.c.k was nearest, and Mrs. Holton put out her hand to her.
"Well, f.a.n.n.y!" she said; and then, sweeping them all with her smile, "Merry Christmas!"