"It was not," muttered Billiard, wincing with the pain in his arm, but truly repentant. "I dared "em to go. Honest, Tabby, _I_ was to blame!
Will you--will you--er--forgive me? I"m horribly--sorry. Won"t you try me again?"
So sincere was his tone, so straightforward his confession, so manly his bearing, that Tabitha could not fail to be convinced of his earnestness of purpose, and drying her eyes, she took Billiard"s proffered hand in a hearty grasp, saying with quivering, smiling lips, "Let"s all try each other again."
"Let"s!" cried the rest of the brood; and they meant it, every one.
CHAPTER X
SUSANNE ENTERTAINS A CALLER
"Let"s make some candy. It"s too hot to play."
Susie and the twins were sitting idly on a great, s.h.a.ggy, redwood log in the scanty shade of the house, fanning themselves as briskly as their tired arms would move, and longing for the cool of sundown.
Irene looked startled at the older sister"s suggestion, and began, "Tabitha----"
"Oh, I know she made us promise not to get into mischief," Susie impatiently interrupted her, "but taffy ain"t mischief. We"ll make a big batch so"s there will be plenty for the others when they get back."
"It"s so hot," objected Inez, as Susie turned to her for approval.
"We"ll use the gasolene stove."
"But you"ve never lighted it. How"ll you----"
"Oh, Irene, you make me tired! Don"t you s"pose I know how? Haven"t I watched mamma and Tabitha hundreds of times? Guess I can manage it if Mercy can. Come on, Inez!"
"Do you know how to make taffy?" questioned the undaunted Irene, following the other two into the sweltering kitchen.
"Course! Mola.s.ses and sugar and vinegar and b.u.t.ter. Ask me something hard."
"Tabitha measures "em."
"So shall I. You go fetch the m"la.s.ses jug and a cup. Inez, bring the vinegar and b.u.t.ter, and I"ll measure things after I get the stove a-going." Mopping her face and bustling energetically about the small room, Susie marshalled her forces and set to work with contagious enthusiasm. All three donned huge ap.r.o.ns, hunted up long-handled spoons, and rattled among the neat array of pots and pans until it sounded as if a whole regiment had been turned loose in the kitchen.
The stove was lighted without any trouble, much to the relief of the breathless trio, and the candy making was soon in progress. Sugar was measured and mola.s.ses spilled with reckless abandon over table, floor and stove, in their hurry to get their delectable sweet on cooking before the rest of the family should return from their day"s outing and interfere, for, secretly, each be-ap.r.o.ned girl, paddling in the pot with her sticky spoon and dribbling syrup wherever she ran, felt that she was not strictly obeying Tabitha"s parting injunction, and was anxious to have a peace offering ready when she returned with the rest of her brood.
They had gone for a drive to the river, and as there was not room in the light wagon for all the large family, Susie and the twins had been bribed to remain at home with the promise of ice-cream sodas at the little drug-store. However, that unusual treat had disappeared long ago down the three eager throats, and they had begun to rue their bargain when Susie"s inspiration fired them with enthusiasm once more.
"I wish we had some nuts," panted perspiring Inez, stirring the bubbling mess in the kettle so vigorously that a great spatter flew up and struck Irene on the hand.
"Ooo!" screeched the unfortunate victim. "What made you do that?"
"I didn"t do it a-purpose," indignantly denied her twin. "Stop your jumping and suck it off."
Irene obediently thrust the smarting wound into her mouth, and immediately let out another howl of anguish, for the sticky ma.s.s had burned the little tongue sadly, and the tears rained down the rosy cheeks unchecked while the dismayed sisters racked their brains for some soothing remedy to deaden the pain.
"Try this," suggested Susie, hurrying out of the pantry with a can of baking powder in her hand, vaguely recalling that some kind of white powder used in cooking was good for burns.
"I will not," sobbed Irene angrily. "You don"t know what it will do.
You"re just guessing."
"Gloriana put coal oil on Toady"s foot," timidly began Inez, half distracted at having been the cause of all her sister"s woe.
"And you think I"ll stick my _tongue_ in _that_?" roared the usually gentle twin so savagely that both her companions fell silent, perplexed at the unhappy situation.
Meanwhile the bubbling syrup had been forgotten, and with an ominous hiss and a pungent odor, the seething ma.s.s boiled over the top of the kettle and was promptly licked up by the eager flames of the stove. A great cloud of smoke filled the kitchen, and the paralyzed girls awoke to their danger with a sickening horror.
"Oh, oh, oh!" they screamed in frenzy. "The house will catch! We"ll all be burned up! What will mamma say?"
"Hush! Shut up! Give me your ap.r.o.n!" commanded an authoritative voice behind them, and a big, shabby stranger rushed past them, s.n.a.t.c.hed Susie"s ap.r.o.n, gave a deft twist to the flaming burner, seized the smoking kettle, and vanished through the kitchen door before any of the sisters realized what had happened. He was soon back with the blackened pot in his hands and a rea.s.suring smile on his lips. "It"s all right, kids," he announced cheerily, noting the terror in their faces. "No harm"s done. It won"t take but a few minutes to clean up that stove and pan and no one will be the wiser. You are housekeeping by yourselves to-day, I see." His quick, restless, eager eyes had noted the tell-tale signs of mischief about him before he hazarded that remark.
"Yes, oh, yes!" breathed Susie in great relief. "Tabitha"s taken the rest of the children down to the river, and we"re all alone."
"The river?"
"The Colorado. We often go there when we can get the a.s.sayer"s horses, but the wagon won"t hold us all, so we three stayed at home to-day."
"And had ice-cream sodas for being good," added Irene.
"We _wanted_ to make some taffy," mourned Inez, ruefully eyeing the blackened ma.s.s which the mysterious stranger was deftly removing from the stove and floor.
""Twas so lonesome here by ourselves," supplemented Susie apologetically, remembering that she was responsible for the candy suggestion.
"So "while the cat"s away the mice will play"," chuckled the man, beginning a vigorous sc.r.a.ping of the sticky kettle.
"Why, how did you know her name was Catt?" cried Irene in amazement.
"Goosie!" exclaimed Susie sarcastically.
"He didn"t know. That"s not what he meant. But truly, mister, I don"t think Tabitha would have minded a bit if our candy had come out all right. As "tis, we"ve wasted such a lot of m"la.s.ses and sugar that I reckon she"ll scold----"
"If she ever finds it out," broke in Inez.
"That"s it--_if_ she ever finds it out," chuckled the man again. "Who is this mysterious Tabitha that you are so scared of?"
"We ain"t _scared_ of her," protested Susie loyally. "Her name is Tabitha Catt, and she"s taking care of us while mamma is with papa at the hospital in Los Angeles. She"s only a girl herself, but we promised to mind her so mamma could go, and not fret about us all the time, and we"re trying hard to keep our promise."
"But sometimes we forget," said truthful Irene. "We oughtn"t to have made that candy, "cause we told her we wouldn"t get into mischief while she was gone. I guess that"s why it burnt up."
"I guess it"s no such thing!" Inez contradicted hotly. "You made such a fuss over nothing that Susie and me forgot to watch it and it boiled over."
"I guess you"d have made a fuss if I"d blistered your hand like you did mine," cried Irene in great indignation, suddenly remembering her grievance, and affectionately regarding the white blister on her plump hand. "Then on top of that you told me to suck it off, when you knew it was boiling hot and would skin my whole mouth."
"Tut, tut!" interrupted the stranger, seeing that a quarrel was imminent. "Now don"t get mad all at once. I"ve a proposition to make to you----"
"A what?" asked Susie, glad she had taken no part in the flare-up between the twins.