"Yes, that"s not bad, but I reckon Mrs. McKittrick has heard of it already, for I know lots of people called that. She wants something real pretty. I know how it is, for my name is so perfectly horrid that sometimes it seems as if I can"t endure it. I wouldn"t want to pick out a name that this darling baby would hate when he grew up. It must be something _awfully_ nice. How do you think she would like Rosslyn? I have liked that name ever since I heard it and was always sorry I could not stay in Ferndale and get acquainted with the boy it belonged to, and his cousin Rosalie."
"If you had stayed there I never would have known you, p.u.s.s.y," suggested Carrie, for Tabitha was her idol and she shuddered when she thought how lonely it would be if Tabitha should move away now and leave her there.
"That"s so; I forgot it just for a minute. I"m sure Rosalie could never have been any nicer than you are, and I don"t believe Rosslyn was nicer than Jerome, though Jerome does tease me dreadfully sometimes. He doesn"t mean to, and he always tells me he is sorry. I like the name Jerome, but Mrs. McKittrick says she hates it, so it would never do to suggest that."
"Don"t they use last names sometimes for first names? Mrs. McKittrick thinks Dr. Vane is splendid. I heard her tell mamma so. He saved the baby when it was so terribly sick and the other doctor said it could not get well."
"Maybe it would do for part of the name, though I wouldn"t want to call him Vane every day. That would sound as if he was a peac.o.c.k. See him pull that flower to pieces just as if he was trying to study how it is put together. Maybe he will grow up to be a big botany man. I would like to be one myself if I didn"t intend to keep house for Tom. Oh, the baby has started for the river!"
Both girls sprang up and gave chase and Carrie straightway forgot all about the name problem, but Tabitha"s busy brain puzzled over it all that happy day, even while she romped and played with her mates in lively games of "Farmer in the Dell," "Old Mother Witch," "Drop the Handkerchief," and all the other childhood favorites. Once she almost forgot it. They were playing "Blind Man"s Buff," when Jerome, who was "it," succeeded in catching her by her hair after an animated scrimmage.
Her braid promptly gave away her ident.i.ty, for no other girl in school possessed such long tresses; and Jerome was elated at having so readily discovered who his prisoner was, all the more so because this was the first time Tabitha had been caught; so he teasingly cried, "Aha, this is Miss Me-a-ow!"
How the children shouted, and for a moment Tabitha"s face was crimson with pa.s.sion and she lifted a doubled-up fist threateningly; but before the expected blow fell, Tabitha"s lips curved suddenly into a smile, her arm dropped to her side, and she gayly answered, "Yes, Mr.
Ki-yip-ki-yi-yi, put on my blinders."
Only Miss Brooks of the grown people had witnessed the child"s struggle, and as they were sitting down to the generous lunch spread under the cottonwoods, she drew the flushed face down beside her and said very softly, "That was well done, dear. I am proud of you."
"You needn"t be," was the candid reply. "I was all ready to scratch for all I was worth when I saw the baby and I knew I wasn"t a fit person to name such a little darling if I couldn"t stand a little teasing. Jerome didn"t mean anything by it and was sorry as soon as he had said it. He came to me afterwards and told me so, and then I was doubly glad I had kept still. But it was really the baby who made me. I even forgot Mrs.
Vane"s rule of counting ten."
"It will be easier to remember the next time," Miss Brooks told her, feeling devoutly thankful that the day had not been marred by a display of that fierce, uncontrollable temper, and in her grat.i.tude she heaped Tabitha"s plate with sandwiches and all the other good things.
"Now the baby must have his nap," said Mrs. McKittrick when the last crumb of cake had disappeared and the last drop of lemonade vanished.
"I"m going to lay him under the wagons where it is coolest, and you children play down there by that other clump of trees, or else he won"t sleep a wink."
"We"re going to tell stories and listen to Mr. Carson"s talking machine for awhile," volunteered Susie, "so we won"t make much noise. Come on, ma, baby will be all right there."
The mother made the tiny boy comfortable in a shady nook and then joined the group of children gathered under the cottonwoods a little further down the river, laughing over the queer songs the machine was grinding out; and in this exciting sport all thought of the baby was swallowed up, except by Tabitha, who was still busily engaged in fitting together all the possible and impossible names she had ever heard, in the hope of finding some combination which would suit the beautiful boy and please his adoring family.
"Rosslyn Lyle--no, that won"t do; it is too hard to p.r.o.nounce. Rosslyn Leander--that is almost as bad. Rosslyn simply won"t go with any name beginning with "L." Rosslyn Thomas so he will be named after Tom; but then probably Mrs. McKittrick doesn"t like Thomas for a name. Few people do, though I think it is rather pretty when it belongs to someone else but a Catt. Rosslyn Brooks after teacher. Why didn"t I think of that before! Mrs. McKittrick thinks Miss Brooks is the loveliest teacher she ever knew; I"m sure she would like the Brooks part of it, and I don"t see how anyone can help liking the name of Rosslyn. It isn"t as grand sounding as Dionysius, but it is prettier for a baby. Two names are so short, though; and anyway Carrie thinks Mrs. McKittrick would like part of it to be Vane after the doctor. Mr. McKittrick works in the Silver Legion Mines, so I suppose he wouldn"t mind if part of the name was Mr.
Carson"s. I don"t like Frederick very well, so it would have to be Carson. Well, Rosslyn Brooks Carson Vane sounds quite pretty--very pretty--I like it ever so much. I wonder what Mrs. McKittrick will think of it."
She looked around to see what had become of the mother, and beheld a sight that froze the blood in her veins. Close beside the wagon under which the sleeping baby lay was a huge snake coiled as if ready to spring, and her heart stood still with terror as she realized that one move of those little unconscious hands might mean death for the precious darling. She tried to scream, but her voice stuck in her throat. She looked wildly about her for help, but the children were wandering on the river bank gathering flowers and Mr. Carson was busy with the talking machine which was evidently out of order. Dr. Vane was nowhere in sight nor were any of the women within call.
She must rescue the baby herself. She had often seen Tom kill snakes since they had come to live on the desert, and once he had dispatched a large rattler not far from their cottage, though poisonous reptiles were not often found so close to town. Oh, if Tom were only there!
Then her glance fell upon a smooth rock at her feet. She was a good shot, but could she risk it with that little life hanging in the balance? There was another stone, and another. She clutched them with trembling hands, crept cautiously forward and, taking careful aim, hurled the rock at the head of the coiled serpent. She missed, the snake coiled, more tightly, sounded its warning and sprung straight towards her. This was what she had hoped for; and leaping nimbly aside, before he could coil for another spring, she struck him squarely on the head, following that blow up with a perfect rain of rocks, carefully keeping out of range lest he should coil again, and hurling each missile with all her fierce strength, losing her fear of her opponent as her anger grew.
Suddenly a shot rang sharply through the air, there was a sound of excited voices, the children came running toward her with the baby"s white-faced mother in advance; and Tabitha, dropping weakly to the ground, burst into wild, hysterical sobs. With his smoking pistol still covering the shattered reptile, Dr. Vane, almost as white as the frantic mother, gathered the trembling girl in his arms and tried to soothe her fright, saying, "There, there, my little Puss; it is all over! The snake is dead and the baby isn"t harmed at all. Don"t cry like that! You did a very brave thing. Look up and see the old fellow."
Mr. Carson and the boys had cl.u.s.tered around the snake, examining it curiously, and now the man lifted his head and looked down at the doctor, still bending over the girl.
"I believe she had killed it, Vane, without your bullet. What splendid nerve! The fellow"s got eight rattles. Do you want them for a souvenir, Tabitha?" But she shook her head and clung to the doctor, quivering with nervous dread.
After a long time the children were quieted, and as the day drew to a close, they clambered back into the wagons, and set out on their homeward drive, rather subdued, but happy that everyone was safe, and proud of their mate whose prompt action had perhaps saved a life so dear to them all. Tabitha was a heroine! Poor Tabitha, such an unexpected honor was almost as hard to bear as the teasing she so bitterly resented, and she hid her head in embarra.s.sment and confusion, refusing at first to look up or say a word, except to the baby, who cooed and crowed in delight in her arms.
"Do you know," said the mother, whose face was still white and drawn from her fright, "I am going to let you name the baby. It is a very little thing to do for a girl who has saved his life, but I"m not rich and can"t pay a big reward like rich folks do."
"Oh, Mrs. McKittrick, can I really name him? I don"t want any reward for trying to save him. Even if you had lots of money I wouldn"t take it. He is worth more than money and the happiest thing you could do for me is to let me name him. I"ve got a splendid one already picked out for him.
I was just going to ask you what you thought of it when I saw the snake.
It is Rosslyn Brooks Carson Vane. Isn"t that splendid?"
So the McKittrick baby was named at last.
CHAPTER X
CARRIE GOES AWAY TO SCHOOL
Tabitha stood at the open window of Carrie"s pretty room and looked out over the scorched landscape burning under the pitiless sun of late summer. But she did not see the scanty, shrivelled vegetation of the parched mountains, nor was she aware of the terrible heat of the day that seemed to have burned away the ambition of every living creature.
On the floor beside the little white bed with its pink draperies sat Carrie, panting in the sultry atmosphere, and anxiously watching the figure beside the window, as she fanned herself with all the energy she could command.
"You aren"t a bit glad, Puss," she said at last, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. But if Tabitha heard she gave no sign and the tears rose in the gentle blue eyes of the speaker. "I thought you would think it was nice." Still Tabitha made no reply, but kept her gaze fixed on the hot sands of the sizzling desert. "We have planned it out so often, and now when w--I can go, you don"t like it."
Gulping back the lump that rose in her throat, the black-eyed girl by the window wheeled toward her playmate, now lying prostrate on the floor, and dropping on her knees beside her she exclaimed penitently,
"I am mean, Carrie! I am glad because _you_ are going away to school, but--it is so hard to have you leave here--when I can"t go, too. Ain"t I selfish? It isn"t as if it would be only for a week or even a month, but for whole years with only a few days here in the winter! And you"re the only friend I ever had so near my own age!"
Tabitha was crying now and Carrie forgot her own disappointment in soothing the greater sorrow of her mate.
"Don"t feel so bad, Puss; maybe you can go, too."
"No, I can"t! There isn"t any use of thinking that, Carrie Carson! It takes money to go to boarding school and Dad never has any any more. His claims take all he gets. I wish he would let the Cat Group go to Guinea and work for the Silver Legion like Mr. McKittrick does. Mercedes McKittrick is going next year. I want to go _so_ much. I"m almost as far as I can get in this little mite of a school and I can"t bear to think of growing up a know-nothing."
"You won"t be a know-nothing, Puss, even if you never went to school another day. Papa says it is ambition that wins, and you"re the most ambitious girl I ever knew. I"d like to go to boarding school for the fun of it, but I do hate to study. Papa thinks maybe--"
She hesitated, remembering that she had been cautioned not to tell his plans, for fear they might not be successful, but it was hard for Carrie to keep such a beautiful secret, when she felt so confident that this kind, big-hearted father would succeed in overcoming even Mr. Catt"s prejudices in regard to a boarding-school education for his one small daughter.
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe--just _may_be--he can get your father to let you go."
Tabitha was silent for a moment and the black eyes shone wistfully; then she answered with a heavy sigh, "There isn"t the _least_ chance of Dad"s letting me go, Carrie. I know Dad. Didn"t he tell Tom that if Tom wanted to go to college he would have to earn his own money, for he had no sympathy for "higher education"? No, he won"t let me go, I know; and besides, he hasn"t the money."
"Papa will p--" began Carrie, and then stopped. She had intended to say, "pay all expenses," but before the words were spoken that might raise Tabitha"s hopes again, she remembered that she must not tell this part of her father"s plans, and was silent. But apparently Tabitha had not heard, for she was saying,
"Tom has worked hard and earned his money for the first year and now he is to go to Reno and live at Lincoln Hall maybe, while he studies.
Perhaps he can go clear through college without stopping. He says he means to finish his course if it takes eight years to get through--but it means a heap of money for him to earn, and it will be a long time before he could help me any, and I can"t draw maps for the surveyor or weigh those little gold b.u.t.tons like Tom does to earn money. There aren"t any berries around here to pick, and Dad won"t let me hunt centipedes and scorpions to sell for specimens, like the boys do. Jack Leavitt has earned more than ten dollars that way. Jimmy Gates kills rattlesnakes for pay, but I"m afraid to do that, and I suppose Dad would object to that, too. There is really nothing on the desert that a girl can do to earn money."
Still Carrie was hopeful and tried to impart her optimism to her heavy-hearted companion.
"I believe something will happen yet, Puss, so you can go. I don"t care about boarding school at all if you can"t go too. Why, Puss, what would I do with no one to help me with my lessons? Papa and mamma won"t be there to tell me how the horrid examples must be worked, and I might just as well stay at home if you don"t go. I will never be able to see any sense in the lessons. You always make everything so clear."
Tabitha smiled in appreciation of the compliment, but was not comforted, for to her the hopelessness of the situation was very evident, and she changed the conversation by observing, "I think you have the sweetest dresses to wear there. Six new ones! Just think of it! I never in all my life had so many at one time, and I never had any so pretty. Two white ones, a pink, two blues and a brown--aren"t they dear? And three real hats! You ought to be the happiest girl on earth, Carrie."