"Thank the Lord, it isn"t much; but that"s not saying he shall have Sue."
"Why, what have you against him?"
"Nothing so far. I was only finding out if you had anything against him."
"Lawyers, indeed! What would become of the men if women turned lawyers.
Do you think Sue--"
"Hush!"
They all laughed till the tears came when Minturn again appeared dressed for work; but he nonchalantly lighted a cigar and was entirely at his ease.
Sue was armed with thick gloves and a pair of pruning-nippers. Minturn threw a spade and pickaxe on his shoulder, and Mr. Banning, whom Sue had warned threateningly "never to be far away," tramped at their side as they went up the lane. Apparently there was no need of such precaution, for the young man seemed wholly bent on getting up the trees, most of which she had selected and marked during recent rambles.
She helped now vigorously, pulling on the young saplings as they loosened the roots, then tr.i.m.m.i.n.g them into shape. More than once, however, she detected glances, and his thoughts were more flattering than she imagined. "What vigor she has in that supple, rounded form!
Her very touch ought to put life into these trees; I know it would into me. How young she looks in that comical old dress which barely reaches her ankles! Yes, Hal Minturn; and remember, that trim little ankle can put a firm foot down for or against you--so no blundering."
He began to be doubtful whether he would make his grand attack that day, and finally decided against it, unless a very favorable opportunity occurred, until her plan of birthday-work had been carried out and he had fulfilled the obligation into which he had entered in the morning. He labored on manfully, seconding all her wishes, and taking much pains to get the young trees up with an abundance of fibrous roots. At last his a.s.siduity induced her to relent a little, and she smiled sympathetically as she remarked, "I hope you are enjoying yourself. Well, never mind; some other day you will fare better."
"Why should I not enjoy myself?" he asked in well-feigned surprise.
"What condition of a good time is absent? Even an April day has forgotten to be moody, and we are having unclouded, genial sunshine.
The air is delicious with springtime fragrance. Were ever hemlocks so aromatic as these young fellows? They come out of the ground so readily that one would think them aware of their proud destiny. Of course I"m enjoying myself. Even the robins and sparrows know it, and are singing as if possessed."
"Hadn"t you better give up your law-office and turn farmer?"
"This isn"t farming. This is embroidery-work."
"Well, if all these trees grow they will embroider the old place, won"t they?"
"They"ll grow, every mother"s son of "em."
"What makes you so confident?"
"I"m not confident. That"s where you are mistaken." And he gave her such a direct, keen look that she suddenly found something to do elsewhere.
"I declare!" she exclaimed mentally, "he seems to read my very thoughts."
At last the wagon was loaded with trees enough to occupy the holes which had been dug, and they started for the vicinity of the farmhouse again. Mr. Banning had no match-making proclivities where Sue was concerned, as may be well understood, and had never been far off.
Minturn, however, had appeared so single-minded in his work, so innocent of all designs upon his daughter, that the old man began to think that this day"s performance was only a tentative and preliminary skirmish, and that if there were danger it lurked in the unknown future. He was therefore inclined to be less vigilant, reasoning philosophically, "I suppose it"s got to come some time or other. It looks as if Sue might go a good deal further than this young man and fare worse. But then she"s only eighteen, and he knows it. I guess he"s got sense enough not to plant his corn till the sun"s higher. He can see with half an eye that my little girl isn"t ready to drop, like an over-ripe apple." Thus mixing metaphors and many thoughts, he hurried ahead to open the gate for Hiram.
"I"m in for it now," thought Sue, and she instinctively a.s.sumed an indifferent expression and talked volubly of trees.
"Yes, Miss Banning," he said formally, "by the time your hair is tinged with gray the results of this day"s labor will be seen far and wide. No pa.s.senger in the cars, no traveller in the valley, but will turn his eyes admiringly in this direction."
"I wasn"t thinking of travellers," she answered, "but of making an attractive home in which I can grow old contentedly. Some day when you have become a gray-haired and very dignified judge you may come out and dine with us again. You can then smoke your cigar under a tree which you helped to plant."
"Certainly, Miss Banning. With such a prospect, how could you doubt that I was enjoying myself? What suggested the judge? My present appearance?"
The incongruity of the idea with his absurd aspect and a certain degree of nervousness set her off again, and she startled the robins by a laugh as loud and clear as their wild notes.
"I don"t care," she cried. "I"ve had a jolly birthday, and am accomplishing all on which I had set my heart."
"Yes, and a great deal more, Miss Banning," he replied with a formal bow. "In all your scheming you hadn"t set your heart on my coming out and--does modesty permit me to say it?--helping a little."
"Now, you HAVE helped wonderfully, and you must not think I don"t appreciate it."
"Ah, how richly I am rewarded!"
She looked at him with a laughing and perplexed little frown, but only said, "No irony, sir."
By this time they had joined her father and begun to set out the row of hemlocks. To her surprise, Sue had found herself a little disappointed that he had not availed himself of his one opportunity to be at least "a bit friendly" as she phrased it. It was mortifying to a girl to be expecting "something awkward to meet" and nothing of the kind take place. "After all," she thought, "perhaps he came out just for a lark, or, worse still, is amusing himself at my expense; or he may have come on an exploring expedition and plain old father and mother, and the plain little farmhouse, have satisfied him. Well, the dinner wasn"t very plain, but he may have been laughing in his sleeve at our lack of style in serving it. Then this old dress! I probably appear to him a perfect guy." And she began to hate it, and devoted it to the rag-bag the moment she could get it off.
This line of thought, once begun, seemed so rational that she wondered it had not occurred to her before. "The idea of my being so ridiculously on the defensive!" she thought. "No, it wasn"t ridiculous either, as far as my action went, for he can never say I ACTED as if I wanted him to speak. My conceit in expecting him to speak the moment he got a chance WAS absurd. He has begun to be very polite and formal.
That"s always the way with men when they want to back out of anything.
He came out to look us over, and me in particular; he made himself into a scarecrow just because I looked like one, and now will go home and laugh it all over with his city friends. Oh, why did he come and spoil my day? Even he said it WAS my day, and he has done a mean thing in spoiling it. Well, he may not carry as much self-complacency back to town as he thinks he will. Such a cold-blooded spirit, too!--to come upon us unawares in order to spy out everything, for fear he might get taken in! You were very attentive and flattering in the city, sir, but now you are disenchanted. Well, so am I."
Under the influence of this train of thought she grew more and more silent. The sun was sinking westward in undimmed splendor, but her face was clouded. The air was sweet, balmy, well adapted to sentiment and the setting out of trees, but she was growing frosty.
"Hiram," she said shortly, "you"ve got that oak crooked; let me hold it." And thereafter she held the trees for the old colored man as he filled in the earth around them.
Minturn appeared as oblivious as he was keenly observant. At first the change in Sue puzzled and discouraged him; then, as his acute mind sought her motives, a rosy light began to dawn upon him. "I may be wrong," he thought, "but I"ll take my chances in acting as if I were right before I go home."
At last Hiram said: "Reckon I"ll have to feed de critters again;" and he slouched off.
Sue nipped at the young trees further and further away from the young man who must "play spy before being lover." The spy helped Mr. Banning set out the last tree. Meantime, the complacent farmer had mused: "The little girl"s safe for another while, anyhow. Never saw her more offish; but things looked squally about dinner-time. Then, she"s only eighteen; time enough years hence." At last he said affably, "I"ll go in and hasten supper, for you"ve earned it if ever a man did, Mr.
Minturn. Then I"ll drive you down to the evening train." And he hurried away.
Sue"s back was toward them, and she did not hear Minturn"s step until he was close beside her. "All through," he said; "every tree out. I congratulate you; for rarely in this vale of tears are plans and hopes crowned with better success."
"Oh, yes," she hastened to reply; "I am more than satisfied. I hope that you are too."
"I have no reason to complain," he said. "You have stood by your morning"s bargain, as I have tried to."
"It was your own fault, Mr. Minturn, that it was so one-sided. But I"ve no doubt you enjoy spicing your city life with a little lark in the country."
"It WAS a one-sided bargain, and I have had the best of it."
"Perhaps you have," she admitted. "I think supper will be ready by the time we are ready for it." And she turned toward the house. Then she added, "You must be weary and anxious to get away."
"You were right; my bones DO ache. And look at my hands. I know you"ll say they need washing; but count the blisters."
"I also said, Mr. Minturn, that you would know better next time. So you see I was right then and am right now."
"Are you perfectly sure?"
"I see no reason to think otherwise." In turning, she had faced a young sugar-maple which he had aided her in planting early in the afternoon.
Now she snipped at it nervously with her pruning-shears, for he would not budge, and she felt it scarcely polite to leave him.
"Well," he resumed, after an instant, "it has a good look, hasn"t it, for a man to fulfil an obligation literally?"