Never was heir to royal house more welcomed than was the first-born son of this simple-minded, great-hearted woman, by the lowly people among whom she dwelt.
Old Ike"s joy was more than he could manage. He had sat on the floor all night long, with his head buried in his hands.
The instinct of grief to come, which not even all these long peaceful months had been able to wholly allay in his faithful heart, had sprung into full life at the first symptom of danger to Draxy.
"P"raps it"s this way, arter all, the Lord"s goin" to do it. O Lord! O Lord! It"ll kill Mr. Kinney, it"ll kill him," he kept repeating over and over, as he rocked to and fro. Hannah eyed him savagely. Her Indian blood hated groans and tears, and her affection for her master was angered at the very thought of his being afflicted.
"I wish it had pleased yer Lord to give ye the sense of a man, Mr.
Sanborn," she said, "while He was a makin" on ye. If ye"d go to bed, now, instead o" snivelin" round here, you might be good for somethin" in the mornin", when there"ll be plenty to do. Anyhow, I"m not goin" to be pestered by the sight on ye any longer," and Hannah banged the kitchen-door violently after her.
When poor Ike timidly peered into the sitting-room, whither she had betaken herself, he found her, too, sitting on the floor, in an att.i.tude not unlike the one she had so scorned in him. But he was too meek to taunt her. He only said,--
"I"m goin" now, Hannah, so ye needn"t stay out o" the kitchen for me," and he climbed slowly up the stairs which led to his room.
As the rosy day dawned in the east, Draxy"s infant son drew his first mortal breath. His first quivering cry, faint almost as a whisper, yet sharp and piteous, reached old Ike"s ears instantly. He fell on his knees and remained some minutes motionless, then he rose and went slowly down-stairs. Hannah met him at the door, her dark face flushed with emotion which she vainly tried to conceal by sharp words.
"Hope ye"ve rested well, Mr. Sanborn. Another time, mebbe ye"ll have more sense. As fine a boy"s ye ever see, and Mis" Kinney she"s a smilin" into its face, as n.o.body"s never seen her smile yet, I tell you."
Ike was gone,--out into the fields, over fences, over brooks, into woods, trampling down dewy ferns, glistening mosses, scarlet cornels, thickets of goldenrod and asters,--he knew not where, muttering to himself all the while, and tossing his arms into the air. At last he returned to the house saying to himself, "P"raps th" Elder "ll like to have me go down into the village an" let folks know."
Elder Kinney was standing bareheaded on the door-steps. His face looked like the face of a man who had come off a battle-field where victory had been almost as terrible as defeat. As soon as he saw old Ike running across the field towards him, he divined all.
"Loving old heart!" he thought, "Draxy was right," and he held out both his hands to the old man as he had never done before, and spoke a few affectionate words, which made tears run down the wrinkled cheeks. Then he sent him on the errand he knew he craved.
"You"d better give the news first to Eben Hill, Ike," he called after him.
"It"ll be of more use to him than to anybody in the parish."
It was just two years from Draxy"s wedding day, when she stood again in the aisle of the little village church, dressed in pure white, with the southern sunlight resting on her beautiful hair. Her husband stood by her side, holding their infant son in his arms. The child had clear, calm blue eyes like Draxy"s, and an expression of serenity and radiant joy on his tiny face, which made the people wonder.
"Reuben Miller Kinney" was his name; and though the parish had hoped that the child would be named for his father, when they looked at Reuben Miller"s sweet, patient, n.o.ble face, and saw its intense happiness as the words were spoken, they felt that it was better so.
Again swift months rolled on, and peace and joy brooded over the parsonage. Draxy"s life with her child was something too beautiful to be told in words; her wifehood was lovely, was intense; but her motherhood was greater. Day and night her love for her boy protected and guided him, like pillar of cloud, like pillar of fire. She knew no weariness, no feebleness; she grew constantly stronger and more beautiful, and the child grew stronger and more beautiful, with a likeness to her and a oneness with her which were marvelous. He was a loving and affectionate boy to all; his father, his grandparents, old Ike, and swarthy Hannah,--all alike sunned themselves in the delight of his beautiful childhood. But wherever he was--however amused and delighted--even in his father"s arms--his eyes sought his mother"s eyes, and the mute interchange between them was subtle and constant as between lovers. There was but one drawback on Draxy"s felicity now. She was afraid of her love for her boy.
"O Seth!" she said,--after little Reuben"s birth she for the first time called her husband by this name; before that, although she lavished on him all words of endearment, she had never found courage to call him Seth,--"O Seth!" she said, "I feel now as you did about me before we were married. I can"t make myself think about anything but Reuby. O darling! you don"t think G.o.d would take him away from you to punish me, do you?" The Elder could not comfort her when she was in this frame of mind; in fact, he himself was sometimes afraid, seeing her utter absorption in the child.
Yet it never for one instant warped her firmness or judiciousness of control. Draxy could not have comprehended that type of love which can lose sight for one instant of the best good of the loved one. Her control, however, was the control of a wise and affectionate companion, never that of the authoritative parent. Little Reuben never heard the words, "You must not do thus and so." It was always, "You cannot, because it is not safe, best, or proper," or, "because if you do, such and such things will happen."
"Draxy," said Reuben to her one day, "you never tell Reuby to do anything without giving him a reason for it. He"s the best boy that ever lived, I do believe, but "tain"t just my idea of obedience for all that."
Draxy smiled. "I never said a word to him about obeying me in his life; I never shall. I can"t explain it, father dear, but you must let me do my way. I shall tell him all I know about doing right, and he will decide for himself more and more. I am not afraid."
She need not have been. Before Reuby was seven years old his gentle manliness of behavior was the marvel of the village. "It beats all how Mis" Kinney"s brought that boy o" hern up," was said in the sewing-circle one day. "She told me herself that she"s never so much"s said a sharp word to him; and as for whipping she thinks it"s a deadly sin."
"So do I," spoke up young Mrs. Plummet, the mother of Benjy. "I never did believe in that; I don"t believe in it, even for hosses; it only gets "em to go a few rods, and then they"re lazier"n ever. My father"s broke more colts than any man in this county, an" he"d never let "em be struck a blow. He said one blow spiled "em, and I guess ye"ve got more to work on in a boy than ye have in a colt."
These discussions often ran high and waxed warm. But Draxy"s adherents were a large majority; and she had so patiently and fully gone over these disputed grounds with them that they were well fortified with the arguments and facts which supported her positions. Indeed, it was fast coming to pa.s.s that she was the central force of the life of the village.
"Let me make the songs of the community, and I care not who makes its laws," was well said. It was song which Draxy supplied to these people"s lives. Not often in verse, in sound, in any shape that could be measured, but in spirit. She vivified their every sense of beauty, moral and physical. She opened their eyes to joy; she revealed to them the sacredness and delight of common things; she made their hearts sing.
But she was to do more yet for these men and women. Slowly, noiselessly, in the procession of these beautiful and peaceful days, was drawing near a day which should anoint Draxy with a new baptism,--set her apart to a holier work.
It came, as the great consecrations of life are apt to come, suddenly, without warning. While we are patiently and faithfully keeping sheep in the wilderness, the messenger is journeying towards us with the vial of sacred oil, to make us kings.
It was on a September morning. Draxy sat at the eastward bay-window of her sitting-room, reading to Reuby. The child seemed strangely restless, and slipped from her lap again and again, running to the window to look out. At last Draxy said, "What is it, Reuby? Don"t you want to hear mamma read any longer?"
"Where is papa?" replied Reuby. "I want to go and find papa."
"Papa has gone way down to the Lower Mills, darling; he won"t come home till dinner," said Draxy, looking perplexedly at Reuby"s face. She had never known him to ask for his father in this way before. Still his restlessness continued, and finally, clasping his mother"s hand, he said earnestly,--
"Come and find papa."
"We can"t find him, dear," she replied; "it is too far for Reuby to walk, but we will go out on the same road papa has gone, and wait for papa to come;" so saying, she led the child out of the house, and rambled slowly along the road on which the Elder would return. In a few moments she saw moving in the distance a large black object she could not define. As it came nearer she saw that it was several men, walking slowly and apparently bearing something heavy between them.
Little Reuby pulled her hand and began to run faster. "Come and find papa," he said again, in a tone which struck terror to Draxy"s heart. At that instant the men halted. She hurried on. Presently she saw one man leave the rest and run rapidly towards her. It was old Ike. The rest still remained motionless and gathered closer around what they were carrying.
"O Reuby!" groaned Draxy. "Come quicker; find papa," he replied, impatiently; but old Ike had reached them, and wringing his hands, burst into tears. "O my Lord!--O Mis" Kinney, yer must go back; they can"t bring him along, an" you "n" the boy standin" here. O my Lord! O Mis" Kinney, come right back!" And Ike took hold of her shoulder and of her gown and almost turned her around.
"Is Mr. Kinney hurt?" said Draxy in a strange voice, high pitched and metallic. "I shall not go back. Tell the men to hurry. How dare they lose time so?" and Draxy tried to run towards them. Old Ike held her by main force. Sobs choked his voice, but he stammered out: "O Mis" Kinney, ef ye love Mr. Kinney, go back. He"d tell ye so himself. He won"t know ye; the men won"t never move a step till they see you "n" Reuby goin" first."
Draxy turned instantly and walked toward the house so swiftly that little Reuby could not keep up with her. He followed her crying aloud, but she did not heed him. She flew rather than ran into the house, into the Elder"s study, and dragged a lounge to the very threshold of the door.
There she stood, whiter than any marble, and as still, awaiting the slow, toiling steps of the overburdened men. Little Reuben stumbled on the steps and she did not help him. As he came close, clutching her dress in his pain and terror, she said in a low whisper, "Reuby, it will trouble papa if he sees us cry. Mamma isn"t going to cry." The child stopped instantly and stood by her side, as calm as she for a moment, then bursting out again into screams, said: "O mamma, I can"t help crying, I can"t; but I"ll run away. Don"t tell papa I cried." And he ran up-stairs. Draxy did not see which way he went. Her eyes were fixed on the doorway which Ike had that moment reached; the men bearing the Elder"s body were just behind him.
"O Mis" Kinney! can"t yer go away jest while we lay him down?" gasped Ike. "Seem"s ef "twouldn"t be so hard."
Draxy looked past him, as not hearing a word.
"Bring him in here and lay him on this lounge," she said, in tones so clear and calm they sent both courage and anguish into every heart.
Panting, and with grief-stricken faces, the men staggered in and laid the tall, majestic figure down. As they lifted the head tenderly and propped it by pillows, Draxy saw the pale, dead face with the sunken eyes and set lips, and gave one low cry. Then she clasped both hands tight over her heart and looked up as if she would pierce the very skies whither her husband had gone.
"We sent for the doctor right off; he"ll be here"s soon"s he can get here."
"He never spoke a word arter we lifted him up. He couldn"t ha" suffered any, Mis" Kinney."
"P"raps, Mis" Kinney, it"d be a good plan to ondo his clothes afore the doctor gits here," came in confused and trembling tones from one after another of the men who stood almost paralyzed in presence of Draxy"s terrible silence.
"O Mis" Kinney, jest speak a word, can"t ye? O Lord! O Lord! she"ll die if she don"t. Where"s Reuby? I"ll fetch him," exclaimed Ike, and left the room; the men followed him irresolutely, looking back at Draxy, who still stood motionless, gazing down into the Elder"s face.
"Do not look for Reuby--he has hid," came in a slow, measured whisper from her lips. "And leave me alone." "Yes, I know. You need not be afraid. I understand that Mr. Kinney is dead," she added, as the men hesitated and looked bewilderedly in her face. "I will stay alone with him till the doctor comes," and Draxy gently closed the door and locked it. In a short time the little hall and door-yard were crowded with sobbing men and women. There was little to be told, but that little was told over and over. The Elder had walked down to the village store with old Ike, and had just given him some parcels to carry home, saying, "Tell Mrs.
Kinney,"--when a runaway horse had come dashing furiously down the street, drawing a wagon in which clung, rather than sat, a woman holding a baby in her arms. The Elder had sprung into the middle of the road, and caught the horse by the bridle as he swerved a little to one side; but the horse was too strong and too much frightened to be held by any man"s strength.
Rearing high, he had freed his head, and plunging forward had knocked the Elder down in such a way that both wagon-wheels had run over his neck, breaking it instantly.
"He never talked so much like an angel from heaven"s he did this mornin","
sobbed Ike, who looked already decrepit and broken from this sudden blow.
"He was a tellin" me about suthin" new that"s jest been discovered in the sun; I couldn"t rightly make it out; but says he, "Ike, how glorious "twill be when we can jest fly from one sun to another, all through this universe o" G.o.d"s, an" not be a tryin" in these poor little airthly ways to understand "bout things.""
That Draxy should be all this time alone with her husband"s body seemed dreadful to these sympathizing, simple-hearted people. No sound came from the room, though the windows were all wide open.
"O Mr. Miller! don"t ye think some on us had better try to git in to her,"
said the women; "she don"t make no noise."